Dali-Hava: Parsley Sage, Rosemary and Thyme...
Back from the nation's Capital, where I got to feature at the DC JCC Literary Festival. It was a tremendous experience, I got to do a nice full 20 minute set, and since the other feature poet, Matthue Roth, was on right after me, I went from being a likkel nervous about scaring away first timers with a heavy set to feeling my oats. New poems Why 2K and Which Way To Zion will be up shortly.
Also had a tremendous time with my Knucklehead, BZ, a bunch of other New Yorkers that squeezed into Brain for a tightly packed trip... saw a bunch of great folks from the Institute, some old college buds and two of the folks that used to be "the guy on the couch" back in Astoria.
Got to do some great Yidden stuff including KZ style services lead by BZ and Knucklehead, and Havdalah complete with the Scarborough Fair Herbs. Ah yes.
The most intense moment of the trip, though, was stopping at a 7-11 in Maryland for a bathroom break and a slurpee on the way back when about 10-15 college age men in army uniforms walk in. I'm wearing my 41/43 Dumb and Dumber teeshirt, and I see these kids. I could've baby-sat for them when i was in high school. So I'm on line with one of them, and I turn to him and say: Listen, I don't know if you're going over there, but we want you and all of you to come home to us in one piece, and as quickly as possible." He thanks me. But it's not enough. I drag Knucklehead along with me to this van full of these kids, and say the same thing to them, adding, "I know people see this shirt and may think that because I don't respect the assholes on it that I don't respect you. Nothing could be further from the truth. We just want you to come back to us alive." They thanked me.
I went back to my car with Knucklehead. I start bawling. These kids. If they were 19, i'd be surprised. but they're training to go over and fight a war we should've never started. they're being put in harm's way on this clown's whim. They're going to be sacrificed. And I hope to G-d we can stop it.
Also had a tremendous time with my Knucklehead, BZ, a bunch of other New Yorkers that squeezed into Brain for a tightly packed trip... saw a bunch of great folks from the Institute, some old college buds and two of the folks that used to be "the guy on the couch" back in Astoria.
Got to do some great Yidden stuff including KZ style services lead by BZ and Knucklehead, and Havdalah complete with the Scarborough Fair Herbs. Ah yes.
The most intense moment of the trip, though, was stopping at a 7-11 in Maryland for a bathroom break and a slurpee on the way back when about 10-15 college age men in army uniforms walk in. I'm wearing my 41/43 Dumb and Dumber teeshirt, and I see these kids. I could've baby-sat for them when i was in high school. So I'm on line with one of them, and I turn to him and say: Listen, I don't know if you're going over there, but we want you and all of you to come home to us in one piece, and as quickly as possible." He thanks me. But it's not enough. I drag Knucklehead along with me to this van full of these kids, and say the same thing to them, adding, "I know people see this shirt and may think that because I don't respect the assholes on it that I don't respect you. Nothing could be further from the truth. We just want you to come back to us alive." They thanked me.
I went back to my car with Knucklehead. I start bawling. These kids. If they were 19, i'd be surprised. but they're training to go over and fight a war we should've never started. they're being put in harm's way on this clown's whim. They're going to be sacrificed. And I hope to G-d we can stop it.
posted by Ruby K at 11:26 PM
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