Going Steady With the Lord — A poem for Torah Portion Ki Tisa

And now, if I have indeed found favor in Your eyes,
pray let me know Your ways
Exodus 33:13

Before we buy property together
we’d like to know where we stand.

Obviously at the mountain but
that doesn’t tell us how You feel.

When it’s an angel’s face instead of Yours
we wonder if You were busy that day

or if You’ve got another chosen group
You’re splitting Your time with.

Is this an open relationship?
That may be okay, but we just

need You to tell us. And when
You’re with us, You’re with us.

We’d like to take You to the
forty-year prom. We’re already

melting our spoils to make You
a golden corsage.

You’ll be the Finest Presence
leading us on this march.

We’re dressing up exactly
the way You want.

So tell us…are we going steady?
Are You ready to make it official?

Or is this a one redemption stand?
We don’t want to rush You, but every

generation yet to come needs to know.
We’re moving Your face to the

front of the parade. If You’re willing
to put Your divine ring on it

You probably already know –
We’re all in. We’re all in.

Los Angeles poet Rick Lupert created the Poetry Super Highway (an online publication and resource for poets), and hosted the Cobalt Cafe weekly poetry reading for almost 21 years. He’s authored 25 collections of poetry, including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion“, “I’m a Jew, Are You” (Jewish themed poems) and “Feeding Holy Cats” (Poetry written while a staff member on the first Birthright Israel trip), and most recently “The Tokyo-Van Nuys Express” (Poems written in Japan – Ain’t Got No Press, August 2020) and edited the anthologies “Ekphrastia Gone Wild”, “A Poet’s Haggadah”, and “The Night Goes on All Night.” He writes the daily web comic “Cat and Banana” with fellow Los Angeles poet Brendan Constantine. He’s widely published and reads his poetry wherever they let him.