How Shall I Dance?

By Mindy Aber Barad

Part I: How Shall I Dance

How shall I dance
before my younger sister?

How shall I dance
between the piles
of fresh new linens
embroidered with her name
instead of mine?

How shall I dance
as I put the final stitches
in her golden hair coverings?

How shall I dance
around the goats,
my eyes weary,
and not tread on thorns?

How shall I dance before her
while she wears the dress
meant for me?

Can Rachel hear the herds pleading
as I stay silent?

Part II: The Wedding

My sister Rachel
dances before me –
surprise!
She and father laugh!
I and my husband
have our secret signs
symbols of the strength
of our sons-to-be.

First-born
I first married.
My husband,
no longer the follower,
also first-born,
will teach me
how to thank Him
over and over.

We will lead
the new flocks
together
and be buried
as one.

And someday
I will dance
before my younger sister.

1 Comment Posted

By Mindy Aber Barad More articles... |

Mindy Aber Barad is a well-known writer who lives in Jerusalem and is waiting for the redemption.

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Latest Comments:

Posted: Feb 18, 2008

You're not just waiting....

We all must wait for the redemption (whether consciously or not) But with your Torah learning,creative insights, and poetry (that is shared with so many over the internet,) you are helping to make moshiach a reality. Keep writing, it's a holy, and even obligatory endeavor. Every person receives flashes of truth, pieces of the puzzle of collective Jewish consciousness. Our art reveals the hidden. blessings to you!

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