“After a Week of Shots Fired, I Go to Services” by Deborah Bacharach

After a Week of Shots Fired, I Go to Services

Jesse with closed eyes and sway
Jesse with his long hair, feet bare
so young

Ufros aleino he sings
slowly like a quilt on the line

Ufros aleino we sing
holding the notes like the willow tree
holds the bank

Spread over us
I yearn to bring
the canopy
around my shoulders
sukkat shlomecha
the shelter of peace

I feel the dark settle in
I feel my breath sink into my hips
I feel my daughter lean
warm against my arm

Deborah Bacharach

Deborah Bacharach is the author of After I Stop Lying (Cherry Grove Collections, 2015). A two-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize, her work has appeared in The Antigonish Review, Blue Mesa Review, Calyx, and Dunes among many others. Find out more about her at DeborahBacharach.com.

Photo Credit: Staff