Now how should we address a tree?
Perhaps as you, perhaps as thee,
suggesting there’s a parity
between us. Familiarity
is clear in French if we use “tu”
to any tree that’s in our view,
as with it on our tongue we trip
creating a relationship
that Buber would have called “I-Thou,”
while with it willing to endow
the tree with “Tu” that in Shevat
shares our own image, as woodcut.
When the first lady shared her fruit
with Adam, innocent, no suit,
she did not know that this attempt
to tempt him might breed great contempt,
because familiarity
does this, when there’s disparity
between two people, with a sequel
that’s bad when they aren’t truly equal.
Eve’s offer of this caused her trouble,
and Adam too, but in the rubble
we need to till, plant, plough, and must
in one another place our trust,
as we do, in what’s most delicious,
fresh fruit we’ve blessed with an auspicious
Shehehyanu! – kept alive
like it, each year allowed to thrive.
Gershon Hepner 1/24/21 Tu B’Shvat 5781
Pomegranates, grapes, dates, figs, olives – wheat and barley!
Gershon Hepner is a poet who has written over 25,000 poems on subjects ranging from music to literature, politics to Torah. He grew up in England and moved to Los Angeles in 1976. Using his varied interests and experiences, he has authored dozens of papers in medical and academic journals, and authored “Legal Friction: Law, Narrative, and Identity Politics in Biblical Israel.” He can be reached at gershonhepner@gmail.com.
