The Hoopoe's Crown

Dramatically urgent from the get-go, many of Jacqueline Osherow's poems approach inconsistencies and mysteries in Biblical texts. From traditional poetic forms (sonnet, terza rima, villanelle, sestina, acrostic, loose ottava rima) to an austere free verse, Osherow mixes humor and seriousness, while maintaining a conversational tone. These poems deal with Jewish tradition and the land of Israel in revelatory new ways.

At the Wailing Wall

I figure I have to come here with my kids,
though I'm always ill at ease in holy places--
the wars, for one thing--and it's the substanceless
that sets me going: the holy words. . . .
Though I do write a note--my girls' sound future
(there's an evil eye out there; you never know)--
and then pick up a broken-backed siddur,
the first of many motions to go through.
Let's get them over with. I hate this women's section
almost as much as that one full of men
wrapped in tallises, eyes closed, showing off.
But here I am, reciting the amida anyway.
Surprising things can happen when you start to pray;
we'll see if any angels call my bluff.  

© BOA Editions, Ltd 2005

Available editions:
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Paperback ISBN: 1-929918-72-0
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: November 2005