I Am AJew

Being Jewish, social justice and refugees

I am a Jew

It's in curls of hair

Nose, cheeks, eyes

How my thoughts churn

Like tefillin straps

Twisting down

My 12-year-old arm

We Jews

herded into ghettos

pogrommed

Gassed

Marginalized

Stranded on the St. Louis,

Believe in Social Justice

Even when

Napoleon

Let us vote

Even though

A few of us

Turn our backs

Even if

Some of us

Are scorned

As liberals

With bleeding hearts

Who don't understand

Tough love

Or welfare cheats

or coddling the poor

Bring us your wretched

Your tired, your poor

Yearning to be free

We believe in life and liberty

Freedom from War

and degradation

We believe in

Honoring fellow refugees

With the chance

To carve a new life

For themselves

And their children

Not torn to fragments

And tears

Not left to drift

Pariah ship upon the ocean

Till their cries fade away.

June 2018

David P. Eckert

Reviews

[Kami]

Excellent! A reminder of injustice repeated over and over and continuing today. This subject will never fade as long as we keep telling the stories, using our powerful words. I particularly like the offer of hope. Thank you for sharing!