Baruch November: The Fountain of Light and Forgiveness

Yom Kipper. Central Jerusalem.
My little nephew Meir jumped in a fountain 
illuminated by lights that changed colors.
 
Was that not time to celebrate?
Must we mourn ourselves 
before our passing? 
We can all be forgiven 
by the day itself 
and the fast, 
and who knows 
what we could achieve 
if we give our whole selves over 
to heavy prayers 
and if we were all 3 like Meir was 
and happy as a lotto winner
like he was? 

We could all be jumping in 
the shallow fountains of Jerusalem, 
our knees rising up 
and down 
in the water,
colors changing 
like our fate 
for the year.

Copyright 2023 Baruch November

Baruch November is the author of Bar Mitzvah Dreams (Main Street Rag, 2019).