A New Plague – A poem for Parsha Vaera

Moses raised his staff toward heaven. God gave forth thunder and hail, and fire came down to the ground inside the hail, and God rained down hail over Egypt. ~ Exodus 9:23

I don’t like thinking about plagues in January
but everything is against me. Open up any Torah

to its current page and it’s nothing but plagues.
If you’re not a believer, open your Los Angeles window

or turn on any electronic device to see
the fire has left from inside the hail.

It is on its own now, inventing a punishment
no one deserves. The land of Goshen is spared

but sparse in Southern California and I’m
lucky enough to live in one sliver of it.

Our bags were packed just in case.
Our documents put in a folder so we could

prove whatever needed to be proved.
The cat carriers in the middle of the floor.

Text messages from the entire Diaspora
wondering if we’re okay. Pasadena, where I

received a Torah in book form in 1984
burned to the ground. Pacific Palisades,

one of our paradises, now a thing of the past.
A new plague has blown into Southern California.

I don’t know who Pharaoh is in this metaphor
but I know we need to be let go.

Please.
Let us go.

Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 28 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at www.JewishPoetry.net