Waiting . . .

And the people bowed and prayed 
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming
And the signs said, 
"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.”
    
​                                  from The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel



Waiting

I am the     space     between

     yitkadal

     v’yitkadash


I am the mouth 
open between
     curse    or    blessing

the deer’s lifted hoof  
frozen between
     stay    or    flee

I am cool it between thunder and the ear
sit tight between lightning and the eye
vamp ’til ready
and bide one’s time between 

     tick 

     tock

the havdalah that separates 

     Tekiah 

     Shevraim 

     Teruah


I am the empty bowl between 
     breathing out 

     and 

     breathing in


the soul between  
     rattle    

     and  

     sigh 

before the thread   b  r  e  a  k  s


I am ellipse . . .
comma,
the end-stopped line.


I am silence 
before

     Amen

                                                    
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