Niggun for the Hand-Drum
by Jane Rice
Taste of soil
sings in the throat
solo clarinet
chin lifts
to listen
this, then
on the alphabet
of sound
on the nature of questions
keep and remember
this tree
this meeting place
now
is now
no other
welcome
to our land
angel, clearly an angel
greeted with kisses
light in danger
of darkening
earlier with people
finishes dusk
intricacies breathe
flaxen cloth
empty street
hangs
on every word
to learn
what fails
what balances
hour that listens
hears
sun and moon
together
how golden the sky
field of barley
ripe for the scythe
counting memory
wakes lunar dream
crowd is river
blue discussions
only the angel is barefoot
arm passes under the wing
and forward loosens
my hair
living water
enters
holds
a second so fast
the world turns
shadow upon shadow
so that little lanterns
of tambourine
fan and multiply.
*
Note: Niggun in Hebrew means humming tune. It is a short, wordless melody sung in a group to invoke a prayerful state of mind. The tune is often repetitive and improvised.
Jane Rice lives in San Francisco and pursues her interests in poetry, art and art history. Please visit Propolis Press for information about her letterpress chapbook entitled Portrait Sitters.
qarrtsiluni 