Poem of the week: From Generation to Generation

by Jill Maura Rabin, M.D.
Long Island, New York Branch

 

From Generation to Generation: ‘L’Dor v’ Dor’
(‘Give me the keys, please’)

 

From generation to generation,
L’Dor v’Dor – a song, a wish, a prayer
pouring from my lips each Sabbath,
Responsibility light years from today.

 

L’Dor v’Dor – a weight, my eyes strain
and discern elders’ traces, admonitions,
‘Do not forget’, soundless warnings,
Knowledge shared in haste over time.

 

L’Dor v’Dor – twilight fills a father’s senses, dawn just yesterday,

Struggle and accomplishment, a life defined by service,

Care, control and days slip through gnarled fingers,

‘Give me the keys, please.’

 

L’Dor v’Dor – How to find you in the darkness?’

I am dizzy from earth’s ever faster spin,

Time, invisible, yet palpable, moves me up life’s ladder,

The next ones’ breath is on my neck asking for more.

 

L’Dor v’Dor – precious, ancient words, fiery letters blaze,

Past and future coalesce, generations of truth shared

in an instant, all is given, lost and gained, my son

is next – ‘give me the keys, please.’

 

L’Dor v’Dor – a song, a wish, a prayer

poured from my lips, each Sabbath,

Responsibility fulfilled, we rise together,

from generation to generation, L’Dor v’Dor.

 

13 comments

  1. Melissa Assael says:

    Lovely and profound. Our journey as parents although well worn by those who have come before is filled with surprise and awe at both the changes and the pace at which they take place. This poem captures that transition and brings relevancy to ancient wisdom.

  2. Beth Doldberg says:

    As time passes and we witness, aging, loss and both we are confronted with our own mortality and the cycles of life,

  3. Charlene Holloway says:

    A fulfilling piece of poetry to remind us of prayer, song and generations of the past and yet to come.

  4. Sara Etgen-Baker says:

    a song, a wish, a prayer….life’s endless rhythm so aptly said and symbolized with life’s keys. I truly like this piece. Thanks, Jill, for sharing

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