Agreement at the Well – A poem for Parsha Vayera

And now, swear to me here by God, that you will not lie to me or to my son or to my grandson… ~ Genesis 21:23

I’d like to make peace at the well
and have that agreement perpetuated
to everyone who comes next

so long as blood and DNA flows.
I’d like the peace we make to be
a forever constitution

never amended, never questioned
just the foundational agreement that
this handshake cannot be un-shook.

I’d like to have peace for breakfast
and let that be the traditional food
our culture is known for.

When I say our culture I mean
everyone who breathes on this
spinning rock.

When I say this spinning rock
why do we always forget
it’s the same one for all of us

despite our disagreements
despite the lines we’ve drawn
despite the different sizes

of our bank accounts.
Let’s meet at the well
everyone of us in this

forever chain.

Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 27 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.”