In My Dance III

In my dance

I step on the threshold of transformation

As when I danced with Miriam

On the shores of the Reed Sea.

Then, our bodies, supple as the reeds,

Bent to every side,

Never losing their footing.

And we held our timbrels high above head,

And I danced in the circle of women

And we answered in song,

"This is my G-d and Him will I enhance"

In our dance,

"The G-d of my father and Him will I raise up"

In our dance.

And we proceeded through the desert

To find our freedom at the foot of the quaking Mount.

And the dance was on the threshold of transformation

As when I marched so joyously with the Children of Israel,

Bringing the Holy Ark back from captivity,

And in awe I watched our king,

Sweet dancer of Israel,

Twirl in holy ecstasy,

His foot hardly touching the ground,

His hands touching heaven,

His ephod flying like wings at his side

In great joy before the Place.

And he brought the Holy Ark back to its Sanctuary.

And in my dance

I dance on the threshold of transformation

As when, with great festivity

With timbrels and lyres

I danced with the women

Up the hill to the Holy Mountain,

To the City of Peace,

And in our dance

We forgave ourselves for yesterday,

We forgave one the other,

And in our letting go of yesterday

We grasped the moment of eternity

Of our dance.



This set of poems was first published in B'Or HaTorah Vol. 12

Visit B'Or HaTorah



BACK

HOME



Ruth Fogelman � 2001
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1