Bad Wimpfen, Germany
When I grasp
the rail rubbed smooth
over time as I climb
the stairs in the house
my grandfather built,
I spot my mischievous father
late for school
grinning gliding
his mother yelling
Schnell!
from the kitchen
infused with the nutty scent
of linseed oil
boiling into polish
she dabs
on the once-living tree
to which I add
my whorled fingerprints
aching for the grain
to retain the memory
of touch.
Sheryl Abbey was born in Bergenfield, New Jersey, to German-Jewish refugees in 1965. She studied music and architecture, and worked in historic preservation. In 1999, she moved to Israel, where learning Hebrew deepened her love of language, and inspired her to write poetry. She lives in Jerusalem with her husband and three children.
We Resurface From the fiery plunge we resurface mud people see us we are the buried blessings. I’m on the side of the dead beneath the cracks and dirty crevices that have failed to cover Read more…
Mercy רַחֲמִים That’s you walking with your head forward bowed, with sunken chest to the back stuck, like a street dog carrying blows. Ever so often to the left glancing, As if there was something Read more…
