by Janice Alper (La Jolla, CA)
Thanks to Joy Harjo
This is the table
where Zayda held court.
His grandchildren cut their teeth
on matzah,
made crumbs on the floor.
This is the table
where sweet red wine stained
the white tablecloth
and the little books we read
about freedom.
This is the table
where I learned to ask questions,
listened to uncles argue,
aunts disagree.
And Zayda droned on…
with a twinkle in his eye.
This is the table
stretched out
to make room for one more
who had no place to go.
This is the table
I hid under
with my cousins
giggled
played pat-a-cake
as the seder went on
late into the night.
This is the table
where we slurped hot matzah ball soup
ate roast lamb
tzimmis
sticky desserts
loudly sang Passover songs.
This is the Passover table
today,
compact,
far from its original home,
where memories resonate
with every drop of wine
every matzah crumb.
The image of Zayda
hovers over us
as we continue the tradition
with new melodies
new rituals
and ask more questions.
Janice Alper has reinvented herself in her senior life as a writer of poems, personal essays, and memoirs which have been published in San Diego Poetry Annual (2018, 19, and 20) The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Shaking the Tree. Currently, Janice’s memoir, Sitting on the Stoop, about her Brooklyn, New York childhood from the mid-1940s to mid-1950s, will be available on Amazon in the next few weeks. Words Bursting in Air, her book of poetry, may be obtained by contacting her at janicealper@gmail.com. You can follow Janice on her occasional blog, www.janicesjottings1.com
The Jewish Writing Project 