Three Poems from The Brakhot Cycle

From The Brakhot Cycle

One whose dead lies before him

May be in no position to pray
or to converse comfortably
or even to make plans
for the funeral,
reschedule his haircut,
inform the book group

or the bowling league.
No matter the circumstance
(even if the death was
long in coming, if everyone
saw that angel peeking
through the bedroom keyhole)

it's a slap in the face,
a splash of cold water
that leaves the mourners
gasping. Don't expect
the behavior the movies
have led you to imagine.

Bring him simple food
-lentils
and hard-boiled eggs
are customary-
and let him grieve.
If he tries to offer blessing

hush him gently. There's time
enough for praise
in the infinite stretch
of time remaining
in the world now lacking
one more familiar soul.

*

What blessing does one make over fruit?

"Who creates the fruit of the tree," recognizing
the wild Kyrgyz ancestry of the Jonagold,
the Macintosh, the Empire, how trunks
twisted and gnarled bear something wondrous
and strange. "Who encases our tough hearts,"

palming a mango, tight skin almost bursting
over the flamboyant and succulent flesh
and the pit with its sharp edges. "Who
ripens holiness in its time," as berries ripen
by ones or twos or sevens, each cluster

the lifecycle in microcosm, from pale green
to the red of bitten lips, wanton and inviting.
Some say, "Who gives us diverse appetites,"
thinking breadfruit and carambola and durian.
Some say "Who helps us remember Eden."

*

Three who have eaten

Are obligated to look across the table
and see one another as facets
of the Holy Blessed One. To offer thanks
for companionship. To notice too

the cook, and thank him.
If in a restaurant, to greet the waiter
and the busboy, even if
he has dark skin and speaks no English.

Three who have eaten food
grown in the soil, or in coconut shavings
or even in air should note the source
and be thankful for it. Should

sing the praises of the factory
that milled the flour to bake the bread,
the truckers who carried lettuce
all the way from Argentina.

Some say "May all be fed, may all
be nourished." Some say "For this table
and all who are seated around it."
Some say "Bring us peace, speedily."