uyelvha agadohvsdi 37 / ᎤᏰᎸᎭ ᎠᎦᏙᎲᏍᏗ 37

ᏚᏳᎪᏛ Ꮭ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎨᏒᎢ ᎢᎦᏪᏍᏗᏔ.

Makom

Makom / מקום

For Yakov

When I think of the idea of "place,"

the word that comes to mind,

more than any other,

is the Hebrew word,

"makom."

The word seems stable

and lasting, solid,

more so than others.

I don't know

why this is so.

I could explain it 

linguistically

as due to the final

continuant,

but I can't explain it

emotionally.

Hebrew is not really

one of my languages

in this life,

but only a remnant

from other lives,

and yet it seems

that the word

has always been there,

solid, stable,

established,

and lasting.

I have loved

many places:

my hometown,

when I still knew it,

and the dry mountains

surrounding it.

Border Mexico,

Barcelona,

the Blue Ridge,

a beach in Brazil

that I knew only

from another life.

They all had 

a certain sturdiness,

that of "makom,"

and all would appeal

to me,

and to a people

without place.

Donald Jacobson Traxler

I am happy to announce that this poetry blog has now received 51,000 visits. It was on Dec. 5 that I announced 50,000, so we are receiving 1,000 visits every two weeks, or 500 per week. Not too bad for poetry, I should say.

The blog, of course, also includes a little prose and quite a lot of photography. As to the poetry itself, I think I have finally found my identity and my poetic voice, after some years of exploration. The present, therefore, gives some hint concerning the future.

Thanks to all of you for your interest and enthusiasm.

From Out of the Past

ᏧᏩᎫᏔᏅᏒ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ
ᎠᏯ ᎧᏁᎬᎠᏎ ᏃᏊᎯᏓ ᏗᏜ
ᎠᎴ ᎤᏩᎫᏗᏗᏒ ᏗᏜ.
ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎡᏆ ᎡᎷᏪᎢ
ᎤᏃᏴᎬ ᎣᏂᏗᏢ ᎡᏆ-ᎡᎶᎯ ᎥᎿᎢ,
ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᏃᏛ,
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᏃᏛ.


From out of the past
I speak to the present
and to the future.
There is a great silence
behind the world's noise,
and it is alive,
it is alive.

ᏧᏩᎫᏔᏅᏒ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ

ᏧᏩᎫᏔᏅᏒ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ
ᎠᏯ ᎧᏁᎬᎠᏎ ᏃᏊᎯᏓ ᏗᏜ
ᎠᎴ ᎤᏩᎫᏗᏗᏒ ᏗᏜ.
ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎡᏆ ᎡᎷᏪᎢ
ᎤᏃᏴᎬ ᎣᏂᏗᏢ ᎡᏆ-ᎡᎶᎯ ᎥᎿᎢ,
ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᏃᏛ,
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᏃᏛ.

ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ

ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ
ᎠᎴ ᎤᏓᏴᎳᏛ,
ᎠᎴ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᏏᏊ
Ꮎ ᎠᎵᏘᎠᏎ ᎠᎦᏙᎵᏁ
ᏗᏓᏟᎶᏍᏙᏗ ᎥᎿᎢ.
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ Ꮎ ᎢᏧᎳ
ᏂᎪᎯᎸᎢ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ,
ᎠᎴ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎤᏩᏌ ᏃᏊ
ᎠᎴᏅᏓᏎ
ᎤᏅᏘ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ.

We Are Light and Shadow

We are light and shadow,
and something more
that eludes
the camera's eye.
It is what we have
always been,
and we are only now
beginning
to know it.