The Washington Monument, Mt. Rushmore — these places were the pride and pinnacle of what America should’ve been. I mean, the Washington Monument was where Martin Luther King made his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, advocating for millions of Black people. Mt. Rushmore was built in honor of the founding fathers — the very people who built America from the ground up. Throughout all the countries, we were revered for being strong, for being tactical with decisions. Even the countries that couldn't even stand the sight of us could spare a penny for an ounce of respect. That's what the message was: “America, home of the brave and land of the free”. This is what many soldiers fought and died for. My parents moved here for a reason — this land was dubbed the Land of Equal Opportunity. But now? That is not the message I’m seeing. Other countries have put us on various watchlists in fear that we are going to have a revolution. People are scared to come out of their homes in genuine fear that they are going to be stripped of their rights, all because of their skin color. Women are being penalized for doing something that is a basic right. If they don’t want a child and are forced to have one, this could ruin whatever plans they had/have. They could even die in the process of childbirth. The lack of empathy is concerning. People who have been sexually assaulted or harmed by another individual are not getting the justice they deserve; they are getting brushed off and put aside due to some minor technicality. People are getting shot up in schools, in their homes - getting taken away from their children and family, and no one of authority seems to notice or care. Instead of implementing better gun laws, they want to have another grand party in their big mansion. Instead of securing rights for women, they want to have an athletics competition for no rhyme or reason. Blowing another $100,000,000 as if it's nothing. That money could be used for good, maybe giving the homeless population a leg up. Giving impoverished people something to look forward to, but sure — spend it on the military. The message the US is sending the world is that we — as human beings — don't care enough to act. Even if we try, we’ll get shut down or shunned. We claim that we want to inspire a feeling of hope, inspire the American Dream. The American Dream was a lie spoken by those who wanted to see change, who were seeing change in the world. In this country. Unfortunately, the white picket fence went down as soon as it went up. And from the looks of it, it’s not getting rebuilt anytime soon. 

I wish I could see the world like a puzzle

with each piece

having one

rightful

place.

But there is far too much 

idealist romantic

in me 

for that to be the case.

I think

I will always see the world

like a case board

with facts

and people

and events

all interconnected

in bright red,

confusing networks

of life's string.

I wish I could see the world 

without shades of grey

but there is far too much poetry in me

for that to be the case.

The East Wind is a rabbi in a darkened shul. He sits pored over the Torah scroll long into the night, his back bent like a cane. People come and go and come again, whispering prayers for the needy, the hungry, the sick. They all want something. They flutter around him like moths to a flame. Rabbi, bless my child! Rabbi, would you come to Shabbos dinner? Rabbi, my grandmother is dying, please join the minyan! They do not all study with him at the old wooden table, groaning under the weight of a whole people, but they are all his students. That’s what his mentor said, at least, when he learned to wear the tallis and lay prostrate on the floor for hours, always left wanting more. He carved the Name into his knees that winter and still cannot speak without shuddering. The men in his congregation pray with their eyes open and wonder outside if their rabbi’s lost his mind. Their wives stay home & braid the challah for supper, kiss their own hands in praise. The synagogue is guarded by no one. The rabbi chants in a murmured fervor, believing he sees angels hovering with eyes of fiery wrath, demons leering at him from the shadows. He screams the sh’ma into the eternal twilight, covers his eyes like a child scared of the thunder outside, stands for the first time in weeks, knocks over his chair. A cavalcade of dust roils at his feet & clears to reveal a silent Gd standing in the corner, lit dimly from below. A voice belonging to no one and everyone he's ever known shakes the rafters.

חמֵֽאֱלֹהֵ֣י הָֽעַמִּ֗ים אֲשֶׁר֙ סְבִיבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם הַקְּרֹבִ֣ים אֵלֶ֔יךָ א֖וֹ הָֽרְחֹקִ֣ים מִמֶּ֑ךָּ מִקְצֵ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ וְעַד־קְצֵ֥ה הָאָֽרֶץ:

He knows what this means - gods of the nations around you, from one end of the earth unto the other end of the earth - but he cannot remember what comes after. He spins wildly on his heel, searching for an answer, but there comes none. His yarmulke has come undone and the pins lay scattered on the floor. It is silent again and the silence tears at his soul. Morning sunlight filters through the windows. The scroll on the table waits dutifully for its master.

The East Wind sits back down in his chair.

**

shul - another word for synagogue

minyan - group of ten Jewish adults required for a lot of religious events

tallis - prayer shawl

the Name - the name of Gd

yarmulke - round head covering worn by Jews