I live in the heavens
The winds of the world carry me
To far off, distant places
In my ears they whisper messages
Thoughts, memories, promises whistling past
I try to reach out and grasp
A piece of the wind
As it supports me, soaring above the globe
Unbounded
Unanchored
Up here I am free
But I can’t descend to earth
It’s against my nature
I can only shape the clouds
To send down rain
Gentle drizzles and gushing torrents
Splash to the ground
This way I can touch the earth
But I can’t stay
The heavens are my home
And the winds lift me once again
Above the realm of action
You live on the earth
Both feet planted in the warm, rich soil
A realm of safety and assurance
As the globe spins
You farm the fields with devotion
Sowing, ploughing, reaping
Harvesting its growths
And eating from its fruit
This is a good life
To become one
With the cycles of rise and fall
Of brown and green
Yet earth is heavy
And in time, this life
Of labour and endless toil
Confined to your four cubits
This life can weigh you down
The yoke you take on your shoulders
Only pushes you further into the ground
And trudging knee-deep through the mud
Exhausted of spirit
Back bent in servitude to the soil
You cannot even lift your gaze
And remember there is a sky above the earth
I fear this fragmented existence
And the lives it bids us live
Exiled, each to our own spheres
We cannot be truly complete
So come,
Take my hand
Do you hear my voice?
It is time to act for God.
Light a fire within yourself
Let it burn, rise upward
Fire always strains to rise
As for me, I shall not cease my rainfall
But I will gather myself against the buffeting winds
And try to descend
Fire and water don’t mix
But to carry out God’s will
We can make peace
I must reach down
You must reach up
And there, in that space
Between fire and water
Air and earth
We will lock hands
Link arms
Build a bridge with our bodies
And our souls, to dance round one another
We are two sides of a bridge
A bridge between abstract and concrete
Between mind and matter
Between thought and deed
The whole world is a narrow bridge
But the principle is to not be afraid
We are not worlds apart
We reside in the same sphere
For God created both heaven and earth
Yet the heavens are his
And the earth he gave to man
So man should make it heavenly.
Grasp my hands in yours
And take great care
Not to let go
As we stand beneath this cosmic ḥuppah
And allow our souls to kiss
If we strike this just right
We can bathe the earth in a golden glow
Place your words to my tune
And our song will resonate to the highest heavens
But don’t ever let go
Lest the winds of the world drag us apart
Should you sink too low
The earth will smother your fire
Should I drift too high
My rain will freeze and fall as hail
This does no good to anyone.
So enter my arms
We must teach each other to dance
Question me, challenge me
Remind me to do the same for you
Be my Eizer K’negdo
But don’t let go
Please
I pray you
Don’t ever let go
