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Poetry Submission: Yehezkel Laing

by
Tammuz 22, 5769, 7/14/2009


I Was Holding On To You
      By Yehezkel Laing
 
In the darkest days of Europe
When God hid his face from man
The Nazi fiends built killing camps
To fulfill their master plan
 
And on one night in one of these camps
The Nazi commander proclaimed
All the prisoners must dig a pit
And then they'll be a game
 
This game could not be won
It could not even end in a tie
All prisoners must jump the pit
And those who failed would die
 
A very odd couple of friends
Stood quietly and heard this news
One pious and old the other bare head and young
Both with the star of the Jews
 
We'll never make it across that far
Said the younger man to the old
The cards of our fate have been dealt to us
I think its time to fold
 
It's forbidden to take one's own life
Said the older man to the youth
Even just to live one more second
Before we reach the world of truth
 
So if its dig a pit and jump across
That they command the Jew
Dig the pit and jump across
Is exactly what we must do.
 
They dug and dug for hours
Till their bodies started to slump
All to make this enormous hole
Which they knew they could not jump
 
Then the Nazis lined the prisoners up
And the friends were told to run
Towards this hole they could not cross
So the fiends could have their fun
 
As their tired feet pushed off the ground
Their hearts made a thunderous thumping
Yelled the Rabbi to his friend
This is it! We are juuuuum-ping!
 
With their eyes shut tight
And their hearts in their throats
They rose up into the air
And time for a second froze in its place
And Heaven seemed to stare
 
And when at last, they opened their eyes,
Certain that they had died
They found themselves, safe and sound,
On the other side
 
How did you manage to do it?!?
Asked the skeptic man to his friend
One old man couldn't make this leap!
It must take the strength of ten!
 
Not I alone made the leap
I could never do something so bold
But called to Heaven in my forefathers' name
Their coat tails I took hold
 
And how in the world did you make the leap?
Asked the bearded Jew
Simple said his bare head friend
I was holding onto you.



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Ben Bresky is a music journalist and recording engineer living in Jerusalem. On The Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast he interviews the latest Israeli and Jewish artists and covers a wide range of styles from Carlebach, cantorial, klezmer, Israeli trance, Mizrachi, rock, Sephardic, hasidic and everything in between. The Beat brings you live in-studio performances with up and coming Israeli musicians as well as interviews with the stars of the Jewish music world. Plus your music requests and the free CD give-away air live on the show. Past interviews have included Matisyahu, Avraham Fried, and Miri Ben-Ari. The Beat broadcasts live every Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Israel time on Arutz Sheva - Israel National Radio.

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