The Six Months Before Yom Kippur Ramble – A poem for Parsha Vayikra

If a person sinned by transgressing one of the passive commandments of God, but he does not know for sure, he is considered guilty, and he will bear the consequences of his transgression. ~ Leviticus 5:17

I’m pleased to have the opportunity to get back to
my sins and guilt, what with Yom Kippur a mere
six-and-a-half months away, it’s never too soon.

Usually, we don’t begin the proceedings until
the month of Elul when the remindening begins.
(My apologies to the proofreader who, for sure

is going to contact me about my invented word
remindening. My further apologies to my friend
the cantor who lives in Phoenix, although

by the time you read this, that could change,
who is sometimes thrown off by where I choose
to break my lines. As I once said, once you break

a line, its mother will never forgive you.)
Why is this poem in tercets, anyway? Do I think
I’m making higher art by using tercets?

Go ahead and look up tercets if you need to.
Thanks to the technology that is bringing this to you
I won’t need to wait before I continue. Look! I’ve continued!

These are just some of my sins; my guilt laid out
on all the electronic platforms, and in certain regions
in print, for all to see and tsk tsk me about.

I’m willing to bear the consequences of my transgressions –
intentional or otherwise. I’m willing to sprinkle the un-oiled flour.
I don’t think I can use frankincense for this, so put it away.

I hear I’ll need an unblemished ram. (That’s the only kind
allowed in today’s political climate.) It’s cool. That was
my high school’s mascot. As an alum, I think I get a free one.

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