The Post Modern Transformation of Halachic Judaism

or

Ode to a Bagel

Hail to thee bright shiny torus
Harbinger of joy and tzouris
Waterproof, but slightly porous
Sing ye now, oh sing the chorus,
Sing the sacred words of Horus,
Queen, my shining star, Polaris …
Wait I'm checking my thesaurus.

Blessed bread with chewy soul,
Serene, yet joyous, noble, droll,
Who leads in each Semitic poll,
On porcelain plate, on beggar's bowl.
In luncheonette, on grassy knoll.
No baguette, brioche or roll
Can dare compare with thy sweet hole.

Sacred muffin, holy bread,
One munch on thee, my soul is fed.
May God of Moses strike me dead
Were I to choose croissants instead!
Fluffy? Flaky? More like lead.
And yet, when I arise from bed
I think on thee; and sorrow's fled.

Oh portent of a day supreme,
As when the rising sun doth stream
And pierce my window with its beam,
I smell the wafted coffee steam,
See thee, tomato, lox, agleam
With garlic, onion, cheese of cream...
I know not if I sleep or dream.

Philosophy'll oft be vague; 'll
Let you down. The Arts finagle.
Keep your Shakespeare, Kant and Hegel,
I'll have thee, oh noble bagel.

New Poems

• "Battle Hymn of the Republic, Indeed"
• "Ode to a Banana"
• "Moving on After 1/6"
• "Hug"
• "Map-less Monarchs"
• "I am Such a Rich Man"
• "Beatitude with Attitude"
• "The Cross and the Lynching Tree Rap"
• "The Nudist Nun"
• "Sonnet 19"
• "Reparations Now"
• "Hoping I'm Wrong"
• "Bird Feeder"
• "Pete and Henry"
• "Nero: A Rap for Republicans"
• "Croissant"
• "Mandela"
• "The New Jim Crow"
• "The Wire"
• "Why Socialism?"

From By Heart

• "Ahiti"
• "As Some Fertile Seed"
• "Greed Screed"
• "I Sing the Ass"
• "Lying Lost Among Your Arms"
• "Now Thou Art Two and Twenty"
• "Sweet Smellin Woman"
• "This World"
• "Train Wreck"
• "Truth and Parable"
• "Why This Itch This Yen"
• "You"

Some Earlier Poems

• "Al and Bob"
• "The Lonely Puddle"
• "Ode to a Bagel"
• "The Rose"
• "Sardinia"
• "When Love's Liqueur"

Audio Recordings

• "Abu Ghraib"
• "Things About Kings"