Chayei Sarah – a poem for Chayei Sarah

The following are the descendants of Ishmael son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s bondwoman, bore to Abraham. ~ Genesis 25:12

These are the names of our cousins
who bore more cousins, who bore more cousins.

This kept happening until the entire world
was full of our cousins and we forgot

we were related and all we could remember
was hate. These are the names of our cousins

who weren’t invited into the tent
who were sent into the desert

which may explain why they’re
still angry with us.

These are the names of our cousins
Nevayot, Kedar, Adbe’el, Mivsam,

Mishma, Duma, Masa, Chadad,
Teima, Yetur, Nafish and Kedmah.

There were twelve of them like
there would be twelve of us.

Tribed together with our own
names and gifts and blessings.

When you lay it all out, it’s obvious
how much we have in common –

our structure, our general neighborhood,
our Abraham. Would our common ancestor

our great, great, and so on, grandfather
have endorsed how we keep blowing each other up?

How we keep building on each other’s ruins?
Is this what he and Sarah had in mind

when they sent Ishmael away?
Ishmael was 137 years old when he died.

But he never forgot who he was.

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