(John Tecuceanu/Unsplash)

You must tell the story, stranger—

bail the stream from the river

and spread it wide,

over rock and stone, grass and bone,

and observe the surfaces that pass

depth and tone…



You must spill the quiet, friend—

empty the darkness from the well

and let it shroud the air,

over lake and creek, city and street,

and touch the light that floats

eyes and feet...



You must step up to the fiddler, brother—

cross the line of passersby

and stand by his tree,

over broken string and fiddle, sound and spittle,

and embrace the dance that spells

rhyme and riddle…



You must still be my lover, lover—

separate the act from the actor

and wander to the stage,

over minefield and cornfield, wounded and sealed,

and forgive the body that holds

narratives of steel…

Howard Altmann’s most recent book, Forgive Time, is an original collection of fifty poems translated into Hebrew by award-winning poet/translator Tal Nitzán (Keshev Press, 2021).

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Published in the December 2023 issue: View Contents
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