by Barbara Krasner (Somerset, NJ)
After Untitled by Mark Rothko (US, b. Russia), 1948
It’s been a long time since I saw the bima, the Torah ark,
block Hebrew lettering in the sanctuary.
It’s been a long time since I held a siddur,
shuffled along the pew to find a seat.
It’s been a long time since I marveled
at stained glass windows, at the reverence
with which the rabbi held the Torah,
the finials gleaming in the light,
the reverence we all had for the Torah,
tallit tsissis or our fingers touching, kissing
our past, present, and future.
It’s been a long time since I sat
in the sanctuary. But I think the Torah,
the rituals, the millennia-old traditions
will restore color to my life
as only Rothko could paint.
Barbara Krasner is a New Jersey-based poet whose work has appeared in more than seventy journals, including the Jewish Writing Project, Minyan Magazine, Jewish Literary Journal, Vita Poetica, and Of the Book. Recent books include Insomnia: Poems after Lee Krasner (dancing girl press), The Wanderers: Poems (Shanti Arts), and the forthcoming Memory Collector (Kelsay Books).
