Sweet Potato and Cream Cheese Pie

Sweet Potato and Cream Cheese Pie


The most amazing light orange,
just off peach,
but proclaiming itself
by the light swirl
because after all...cream cheese.

Sweet potato eases in
like a fine morning
and even though it's supposed
to be winter,
it plays the pie
like a hint of summer
and spice,

Dream of something
soft
almost flies down
teaches your stomach
how to say yes
in southern

even though you live
near New York.

As a Duck

As a Duck


As a duck,
I would have
several ducklings
and explain to them
that they should stay
under my wings
or next to me
because, I would say,
you never know
when some bully
will decide to
create a signature dish
with orange sauce
or infused seitan.

I would explain
to my duck husband
that it would please me
no end
if he would sing me
to sleep
in several duck languages.

I would then dream
of ponds forming
after rain
and running
hourly with new
streams
under our curled toes.

And, to celebrate
my ducklings' new knowledge
in
our season of blessed flight,
 we would all
summer back
to the same place
each early, safe blue
July.

The Moon, The Goat, The Peacock

The Moon, The Goat, The Peacock (Inspired by the works of Marc Chagall (1887-1985)

The moon, the goat,
the peacock
they hover over sky
as thick as land
and land as unsure
as sky.

Like us Jews,
they dance on
the edge of acceptable,
then fall off.

Northeastern Chanukah

Northeastern Chanukah

Old fast day repurposed

into eight days

and potato pancakes

for the oil that burned

as a miracle

is remade through adult eyes:

eight-branched menorah

as a light 

through winter darkness,

Jewish contribution

to one big winter festival

with Kwanzaa and Yule and

Christmas sparkling

on their own.

"Don't let the light go out,"

the song goes.

All the lights

flash 

all over the place

and people rush about

city streets,

pretending to shop

but actually breathing

in charged air

and the fun seeing others

as ridiculously wrought

as they are

and perhaps sometimes 

even happy.

*Syrian Greek mercenaries were called in to relieve tensions between secular and religious Jews. Something went wrong, and they started to kill all of the Jews. The religious Maccabees rallied Jews who agreed to fight under their banner, and reluctantly, secular Jews, as well. They did defeat the Syrian Greek mercenary army. However, the Maccabees then became tyrants when they ruled.

Dyckman-200th St.

Dyckman-200th St. ("I'm Sorry" in Spanish)

Up the long flight
and out to the circle
of a park.
On the other side,
are small stores
and a great Dominican
restaurant.
As you head to the ATM,
only 99 cents,
courtesy of the Actors' Union
local, two tall young men
spot and greet you: " La blanca
grande!".
"Muchas gracias," you yell back,
and they laugh
fit to bust a gut.
Since they've greeted you before,
it sounds as if they've noticed
and would like to talk,
but you head away
because you don't know
enough Spanish.

Demasiado.

Lo siento.

In your gut, you like them
and the sound of words
that you are still afraid
to use.