Elul Day 11

Dear Elul Writers,

From trees and shrubs, to clouds and sky, to birds and animals, insects, grasses, rocks and minerals, the poetry of Joy Harjo is profoundly connected to nature and to the eternal. Perhaps that is why her poems are such a balm in these times of disconnection and discord. As I write these lines, mid-morning, sun behind the clouds, crickets sing to me on the land of her people, the Muscogee/Creek nation. And, as ever, her words harmonize exquisitely with the sounds and rhythms of the earth. I came across this short poem of Harjo’s recently and wanted to share it with you.

Fall Song

It is a dark fall day.
The earth is slightly damp with rain.
I hear a jay.
The cry is blue.
I have found you in the story again.
Is there another word for ‘‘divine’’?
I need a song that will keep sky open in my mind.
If I think behind me, I might break.
If I think forward, I lose now.
Forever will be a day like this
Strung perfectly on the necklace of days.
Slightly overcast
Yellow leaves
Your jacket hanging in the hallway
Next to mine.

For me, the two lines that resonate most with our mission during the month of Elul are here: If I think behind me, I might break / If I think forward, I lose now. As we’ve said, we find ourselves in something of a liminal time within the year. Part of what we do this month is look backwards towards the past and part of what we do is look ahead to the future. Harjo reminds us to be mindful not to lose the now. 

Such awareness of the present moment, calls to mind Avraham avinu, who, when called, seemed always able to answer “hineni / here I am.” R’ Nina Beth Cardin writing about this mindset, says, “Hineni is a response of sacred and undiluted presence, a response in which the self sheds all reservations, which expands the boundaries of self, indicating a readiness to receive and respond to whatever experience is about to unfold.” How can we cultivate a sacred and undiluted presence that helps us feel prepared to receive?

Prompt

For today’s creative prompt, I want to step away from the world of self-assessment and the analytical to simply practice awareness and presence. Write ‘hineni / here I am’ at the top of your page, and then just use your various senses to take stock of what is in front of you. What do you see, hear, smell, perceive? Whether it’s the cry of a blue jay, an overcast sky, yellow leaves, two jackets hanging near each other, clearly there is meaning and beauty in such a taking stock. Let’s not lose the now.

Bivracha,
Jordan

p.s. This is one of my favorite types of writing prompts to hear back from you about. If you feel comfortable, share what surrounds you.