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Jewish World Review Dec. 19, 2000/ 22 Kislev 5761
Observations along
Every so often an unnoticed book comes our way that we feel deserves a much wider audience. We have excerpted a few passages from one that highlights the ironies of life we often ignore; the secrets we didn't realize were universal and the little images that reveal us to ourselves
THE SWEETEST GIFT
came from
who bit
and offered
WHAT MY CHILDREN TEACH ME
The more
the more
WHAT I LEARN FROM MY CHILDREN
The days
The days
RECEIVING END
It was the
She remembered
When her
When she
This is
Now
BREAKFAST NOISES
The busy
The rush
Remembering
Leading to
being an
ATMOSPHERE
Each person
Their need
A SIMPLE MATTER
and
is that
while
THE BACK DOOR
They slowed
Occasionally
They ached
The butler,
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
GROWING
Each
ARRANGEMENTS
whether it is
We reveal
DON'T BOTHER
I will not
You will
THE FABRIC OF OUR LIVES
A garment
HOT CHICKEN SOUP
Even if
They accepted
KITES
They are
JIGSAW PUZZLE
Over
Bravely
Don't be
the road of life
By Malky Farkas Treitel
The sweetest
gift I
have ever
received
my one
and a half
year old
into
his blanket
me a
chunk
of the
other side.
Children
give meaning
and direction
to our
lives
by the
nature
of their
taking.
we give
we form
and complete
our
own
selves.
The biggest
lesson
I learn
from my
children
is a
perspective
of time.
are long
when
they are
young,
but the
years
rush by
quickly.
I spend
with them
while young
will set
the quality
for when the
years
become
long.
She did
a lot of
thinking.
major activity
at the
nursing home.
the old days
when her
career came
ahead of
her babies.
goals came
ahead of
children's needs.
satisfied
herself instead
of her guilty
conscience.
the legacy
she left
her children.
They learned
this lesson
well.
she pays
the price
for her
mistake.
Silently she
ate, hearing
nothing but
the past.
noisy
hustle of
her years
gone by.
to get
children off
to school
with lunch
money and
gym shorts.
each one's
schedule,
masterminding
a home
with all its
minute details.
this offending
silent vacuum
of a deceased
husband, grown
children,
outgrown Mom.
I'm always
amazed
at the
atmosphere
people create
around themselves
in a crowded
elevator.
stands
one inch
apart
staring
at nothing.
for privacy
creates
the illusion
necessary
for comfort.
The
difference
between
those
who do
nothing
about
anything
those
who do
something
about
everything
one
listens only
to himself
the other
follows
what his
conscience
dictates.
The young
couple
passed
the mansion
every day
on their way
to work.
down to
take in
the stunning
details.
they were
rewarded
with a glimpse
of the interior.
with jealousy
never knowing
that the back door
was equipped
with a ramp
which gave
the owner's
wheelchair
an easier
access.
maids,
full-time
nurse and
doctor
enjoyed all
the rest of
the splendor.
Some
experiences
teach you
lessons
which last
a lifetime.
Others
need
multiple
variations
which eventually
sink in.
A person's
growth
is applied
in layers.
new insight
has to be
measured,
adjusted
and tried on.
Layering
ourselves
is dressing
our soul.
We define
who we
are by the
arrangements
we surround
ourselves with,
furniture,
clutter,
hobbies
of friends.
our inner
selves on
many different
levels.
Don't
recreate me
to fit
your needs.
follow
the script
you prepared.
remain alone
on your
stage
surrounded
by props,
lights
and
no action.
As with
clothing
you have
to be
very careful
with the way
you wear
your life.
loses its
crisp freshness
once a
stain needs
repeated
scrubbing.
Her answer
to life
was hot
chicken soup.
She made it
for every
occasion
for those
whom she
loved.
they didn't
like it
or want it.
and ate it
because
she
needed it.
I know
some people
who resemble
kites.
pulled
by strings
that others
hold,
and are
blown
by a wind
that they
assume
is out
of their
control.
The secret
to growing
strong
from the
inside
out
is to
see clearly
the pieces
within you.
the years
pick
the pieces
carefully.
Lay them out
openly
and honestly.
shuffle them
into
creative positions.
scared
of being
unfinished.
Malky Farkas Treitel, a Brooklyn, New York, poet, is the author of
"Walking Down the Street: Observations along the road of life", from where the above was excerpted. You may order this book by clicking on the above link. (Sales help fund JWR.) Send your comments by clicking here.
