Tazria-Metzora — She conceives / One who suffers (Leviticus 9:1–11:47)
Who am I
who has never given birth
who could never give birth
to weigh in on what a woman
should do or feel
when giving birth?
Once I saw men and women
separated by an acre of sand
fling off their clothes and
run into the ocean.
They were declared ritually clean after
and the rest of their lives together
commenced.
Another time
in fact, a handful of times
we had to shut the doors with
only one of us inside
to make sure the plague
stayed in one place.
Another time
but only once, my beloved
made another human being.
I helped with the paperwork
but not much else.
She is the creator.
I am the afflicted.
Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 29 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at www.JewishPoetry.net
