When is Adonai?
By Nanette L. Avery
When is Adonai?
When willow lulav boughs are bent
And early crocus laced with ice
Appear like silver fleur-de-lis
And
Footprints marble earthen floors
Flickering sapphires keep vigil over
Palm thatched sukkas
Frothy milk set in a frosty glass
A look, a glance from dewy blue eyes
Warms a parent’s heart
And
The rhythm of raindrops
Perform concertos during
Topaz haze days
When is Adonai?
When a dreamy whisper of life remembered-
Forever-in clear Yahrzeit glass
Gentle hands mask a Sabbath face
And
A blessed tallit, fringed with mitzvots
Unfolds for the first time
Embracing young shoulders
Eating an alphabet of fruits, Holy Day, holidays
Currents, mango, pomegranate, and kiwi,
Hunting pimentos from pea green olives
When is Adonai?
A walk up the Milky Way
On silver arced stars
Detecting explosions in prisms of rainbows
And
Whiffs of brisket ascend from onion-lined pot
And company coming turkey don
Fluted paper slippers
Goodnight kisses under a warm blanket
Cold sheets, a soft bed of sparrow wings
A lap-covered gingham apron
When is Adonai?
When the beat of a heart nests inside
And the silence of time breaths low
Flames extinguish a cornucopia of life
When is Adonai?
Yesterday, now, then, and tomorrow…
