Ahuva Batya
Ahuva Batya
God knocks politely on the
Inside of my skull
At the place where my
Tefillin rests above and between
My eyes.
Hearing His whisper, His lover’s call,
I laugh.
God has a terrible sense of timing.
As He beckons, I am on an airplane
Bound for Tel Aviv,
Surrounded by men who would riot
If they saw me remove the
Small black boxes I prize so greatly
From their pouch,
Secretly stored inside my bag.
I smile.
God will have to wait
For tomorrow, for Haifa, in
My hotel room where we can
Be alone.
Until then, all the knocking
Is just giving me a headache,
From a call to prayer
That in this moment,
I cannot answer.
Ahuva Batya writes on a diverse range of subjects from Jewish mysticism to addiction recovery. Her book of Jewish-themed poetry, I Want a God with Arms, is expected in early 2013.
Prayers Without Tefillin