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.