May 21, 2012

In The Lobby Of The Carlebach Shul

-Steven Sher

September 16 2010

 

"...that they shoud make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor."

 

—Megillah Esther

 

Coming in from the cold,

 

the panhandlers

 

and homeless crowd

 

inside the doorway,

 

seated in a row

 

like honored guests—

 

plied with dollar bills,

 

thick in their fists,

 

and coins, jingling

 

in their paper cups—

 

until their pleas

 

reach every heart

 

and men have shed

 

what holds them down.

 

 

Steven Sher is the author of 13 books including a recent collection of original Jewish folktales (Where the Shouting Began, 2009, Montemayor Press) set loosely in his grandmother's shtetl (not far from Vilna, where his mother was born) and two new poetry collections (The House of Washing Hands, Pecan Grove Press, and The Skipping Stone, Finishing Line Press) due out this winter (2010-11). He has taught at many colleges (e.g., Manhattan College and Yeshiva University, most recently) and workshops (e.g., for Poets House, most recently) over the past 30+ years. Contact him/find out more about his work via www.stevensher.net