From above he watched his children play
under the blue and white canopy that shielded them from the sun
His family had gathered to honor the holiday that invigorated his people
It was a day of great celebration and joy
He smiled when a flutter of butterflies streamed by
making his children gaze in wonder at their beauty
Butterflies are like his people
Wanderers
who seek a place of safety to bear new life
When the sky went dark
and fire raked the beach
His people were savaged like wounded caterpillars
stunned by monsters
who repeat the unending saga of our history
We will not retreat in fear
but fly toward sacred ground
where we have flourished like caterpillars who have found their wings
and soar over the brokenness of the world
* * *
Barry Slavis lives about three blocks from Jewish Museum Milwaukee, where he is a member. Before retiring, he worked as a social worker, helping homeless veterans find housing. Slavis describes himself as a non-religious Jew.
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