Coming Home (A Poem)
When you were taken, we all prayed for you. We went out to the streets and protested, Some even went to the borders and screamed for you, In a helpless cry for your salvation. Millions and millions of words spoken and written in your defense, And you stayed strong. 470 days in captivity, and you stayed strong. We cried as we prayed, and we danced on Simchat Torah, Because no matter the cost, our tradition will not be broken. We debated with strangers; some of us came home battered and bruised, And the silent prayers of so many: Making challah, Putting on tefillin, Giving tzedakah, And the letters and notes left in the Kotel. We feel as though you are one with us, We feel as if we know you, Your names so close to us. In each of our worldly struggles, we made room for you in our prayers. We asked for your rescue, We broke the heavens with our cries. ...