Honeymoon in Israel

Olive Branch, Cana in Galilee

CANA IN GALILEE

Israel Pilgrimage—2006

I step carefully

onto the muddy path

in this little grove

of olive trees

Twisted trunks

like sinewy flexed biceps

are hardy with endurance

Grey-green fingery leaves

flutter gently

Branches laden

with tiny green orbs

promise succulence

and oil

I break off

an inconspicuous leafy twig

and pick a few

ripe black pearls

from the sodden ground

wipe the mud off

wrap them in tissue

and tuck them

in my pocket

Long, long ago

there was a wedding here

The wine ran out

so Jesus turned water

into choicest wine

and joy

kept flowing

I am with my bridegroom

of two weeks

our vows green

as the fruit

of these trees

I finger the ripe olives

in my pocket

…believe in joy

that keeps flowing

Maude Carolan Pych

The above poem commemorates our amazing honeymoon/pilgrimage. Bob and I were married October 21, 2006 and celebrated seven years of "joy keeps flowing" this week. I praise God for being the most important strand in the three-strand-cord of our union...Marriage takes three! Happy Anniversary, Bob. I love you.

I dedicated this poem to Bob, during the open reading at an event at Watchung Booksellers, Montclair, NJ, last weekend.

At Yad Vashem

Janus Korchek and the Orphan Children

AT YAD VASHEM

Israel Pilgrimage--2006

 

We are given an hour, only an hour

to walk through on our own—

 

It’s quiet

Barely any talking

No smiling

 

People move slowly

observing, listening

some brush away tears

some shake their heads

 

We walk along the Path

of Righteous Gentiles

hesitate at trees

planted in honor

of Oscar Schindler

of Corrie TenBoom

 

We see shoes of the dead, eyeglasses

photographs, paintings

poems

 

The eternal flame shudders

as we swallow hard at the words:

Never Again

 

Outside, we pause at the bronze

of Yanus Korchek embracing

the orphan children—

the ones he accompanied

into a crematorium

 

At the Children’s Memorial

the darkness is assuaged

by so many mirrored reflections

of flickering candles

We read—

1,500,000 children

 

An hour, only an hour

is even too much

for us to bear

 

Maude Carolan Pych

 

 

I went to a poetry reading at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ, this evening, to hear my friends Elizabeth Marchitti and EJ Emerson read their poems. I applaud them for a fine presentation. An open reading followed, so I was pleased to read two poems from "A Poet's Quest" including the selection above.

 

Museum of the Armory, Latrun, Israel

Memorial, Museum of the Armory, Latrun, Israel

AT THE ARMORY ON THE SABBATH DAY

Israel pilgrimage—2006

We visit the Museum of the Armory in Latrun

observe Merkava Tanks, the best in the world

solid and serious—

built to encase Israeli soldiers

in a womb of steel

built to show the enemy who’s boss

and we see names, row after row of names

etched on a long dark wall

exactly 4,498 of them—

names of soldiers, mostly young

killed in Israel’s wars

Our guide points to one, newly engraved

It is his friend, Oz

who died a few months ago

Oz, who fought at his side

in the war against Hezbollah and Lebanon

the war we watched on our American TVs, in June

I speak with three young soldiers holding M15s

Ask if I may photograph them

They politely decline—

It is the Sabbath

One of them

has carefully knotted tzitzit[1]

protruding from his olive drabs

Maude Carolan Pych

---

[1] Tzitzit are the specially knotted fringes, attached to the four corners of the tallit (prayer shawl), worn by observant Jews.

The above poem was awarded honorable mention in the 2013 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Contest, sponsored by The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College. It was published in the Paterson Literary Review, Issue #41. I was honored to read this poem, Saturday, at the Hamilton Club, Paterson, NJ.

*Scroll down to the end of this blog for information about ordering chapbooks, including one of poems about my three pilgrimages to Israel.

Come, Join A Pilgrimage in Poetry...

A GOOD LAND

“For the Lord your God is bringing

you into a good land.” Deuteronomy 8:7-9

 

Israel Pilgrimage—2006

 

My children, siblings

and friends are quick to say:

 

What’s so good about it?

 

Suicide bombers

blow themselves up

in the marketplace

and take as many with them

as possible

 

Palestinians and Israelis

throw rocks at one another

 

Bombs fly from Lebanon

 

Enemies surround

and yearn to shove Israel

into the Mediterranean Sea

 

Who needs the Middle East?

 

And yet

this is the land

where the virgin gave birth to Jesus

where Lazarus emerged

alive! from the tomb

where Peter walked on water

and lepers were healed

where my Savior

was crucified, rose

and promises to return

 

where the roots

of the olive tree

that I’m grafted into

reach down deep

into good soil

 

It’s a good land—

nourishing me with milk

of the living Word

and sweet honey hope

that thrives

in the center of my being

 

How can I not love it?

 

Maude Carolan Pych

 

 

 

I've been posting poems from a series inspired by my three amazing and blessed pilgrimages to Israel...I invite you to come along on a virtual tour...

 

The above selection is from my third trip to Israel. The year was 2006 and the pilgrimage was led by Pastor/Rabbi Jonathan Cahn of Beth Israel Worship Center, Wayne, NJ. 

 

A Good Land is included in my chapbook, A Pilgrim's Quest. Ordering information appears at the end of this website.