by Jane Schulman (New York, NY)
We buried my father on a rise
under a jack pine where steam rose
from the fresh-dug grave, colliding
with January air.
My sons unloaded the casket
from the back of a pickup and walked it
to the open grave, a Star of David
carved on the coffin lid.
For years my father railed against
synagogues, Zionism, all kinds
of God talk – evangelical
in his atheism.
But in the end, when I asked
one last time if I could bury him
when he died, he shrugged and said
if it means so much to you.
It did. It does. As his last gift,
he let me bury him a Jew.
Now the Star of David rests
above his chest as thirsty roots
of the jack pine mingle
with heartache and nettle.
Jane Schulman is a poet and fiction writer. She works as a speech pathologist with children with autism and cognitive delays. Jane published her first book of poetry, Where Blue Is Blue, with Main Street Rag in October, 2020. Her writing has appeared widely online and in print. She was a finalist for the Morton Marr Prize at Southwest Review.
Jane, you express in touching language, “how much it means “. To you and, in the end (I believe) to your father. Thank you for sharing this very personal story.
Jane, this is wonderful!