On Yom Kippur eve
I walked in the forest
with my giant dog
and stumbled down a path
to the fast-flowing river
where I admired
the upside-down trees and clouds
and felt
the rightside-up perfection
of my life.
I didn’t want
to sit indoors
talk to god
hear that bleating
ram’s horn
not while the sky was full of sheep
and the dog was swimming with strong strokes
(soon to shake off a rainbow of droplets)
not when the gates were already wide open,
and there was nothing to regret,
as the sun descended
into the weeds.
I truly appreciated this. I spent Yom Kippur on the shores of Lake Michigan, visiting my child hood home after being away 30 years. We were not religious growing up but my mother would take us to the Lake to mediate and walk for miles on the white sand beaches collecting drift wood and stones.
Thank-you, Miriam
Thank you. So beautiful and hopeful.