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November 24, 2024
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Linking Northern and Central NJ, Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester and CT

I planted a pomegranate tree by the Jordan river

Where the willows waved in the wind

And the Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Bowed her feathered head in grace and gratitude

I scooped the salty earth with my fingers

Cradled the cool river water with my dirt creased palms

And saw Joshua peek through the reeds and smile

I floated upstream to the Hermon mountains

Cloaked in diamonds

She shone bright like Mikhmoret Light

An eye of the nation

She stood plucky and proud

I left my footprints on her crystalline snow

I drank rich Turkish coffee

With a weathered fisherman in Haifa

My legs dangled over the docks

We played sheshbet, ate smoked salmon

With fresh garlic and dill

We inhaled the salty sea air into our lungs

Lost in thoughts both old and new

While the waves crashed hello into the rocky surround

I ran with a long limbed gazelle

Down south

To the cavernous craters of  Mitzpe

Watched the landscape peel

From lush and green

To soft suede mountains

Streaked orange and tan

We drank from the crystal waterfall

That sprung out from glassy rocks

And dipped hot pitot in sumac and oil

We ate with a Druze family who welcomed us like their own

Sitting cross legged on an amethyst dyed rug

We sang the Song of Hope

I painted a sunset with a Kalanit flower

Dipped her poppy petals in milk and honey

And swathed the sky with her splendor

She kissed the clouds with brilliant shades of scarlet and crimson wine

I drank in her beauty from a golden goblet

I climbed an ancient olive tree in Jerusalem

And plucked the tart fruit from their leafy veils

Tossed them high into the velvet heavens above

Until 6 million stars

Twinkled and shone

Illuminating the caramel stones below her

I danced barefoot

In the Ben Shemen forest

Wove a tapestry of pine and cyclamen

I fashioned a crown from ivy and sage

Lay on a carpet of sweet moss

And when the wind carried David’s song through the fig trees to the new moon

I was cradled in her lullaby

I walked the steps of Abraham and Sarah

They showed me God high up in the sun, moon and stars

And also down below over all the blues and greens and golds

Where His pulse beats and drums

And His magic runs through veins

I gave pieces of my heart

To lone warriors

Each time my heart grew back doubled and stronger

I sprouted wings like a dove

And flew

High above the gilded landscape

Feeling free and fierce

I soared

Always coming back Home


Esti Rosen Snukal made aliyah in 2012 from Teaneck. She is an advocate for Lone Soldiers and a contributor to the Jewish Link documenting life in Israel. Esti can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Esti on instagram @esti1818 and on Facebook.

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