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Poem: The Hebrew Word for Mysticism is the Same as To Receive

The poem, \'The Hebrew Word for Mysticism is the Same as To Receive.\'
[additional-authors]
March 18, 2015

I was walking across the parking lot

morning smell of lilacs

when a girl fell like a bird

                         shot.

Blood splayed from her lip,

her body shimmered like a rain stick.

I held her hand.

The Talmud considers the soul

        and when it becomes attached

to the body. The Hmong say

the spirit leaves & we fall down.

I sat on the pavement, her hand in mine,

and waited for her spirit to return —

in the distance two chickadees responded

                        to one another’s calls.


Joy Gaines-Friedler is the author of two full-length collections of poetry, “Dutiful Heart,” and “Like Vapor.” She teaches poetry and creative writing in the Detroit area; her students include young adults “at risk” and parents of murdered children.

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