We must live with the times.
—Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi
Each morning I skim the books they study,
a few minutes to remember that anger
is idolatry and world means concealment.
And when someone slaps the lectern
and the prayers start, I try not to think
of what comes after: sunlight
angling against the cars angling
against each other. In the study hall,
an hour to prepare, an hour to ask:
Live with the times, what does that mean?
To make my flight, I prayed early
as if the room were empty:
walls of books I had not read, the teacher
adding a question to yesterday’s answer.
ISSUE: Spring 2012