With blackened wings, she takes flight Fleeing through a starless night Scattered ashes fleck the sky She is phoenix rising And in her darkness, she cries For stars burned out before their time Never had the chance to shine She is phoenix rising She knows the road to hell Of memories forced to make A splintered heart that aches She is phoenix rising With blackened wings, she...
I can say, without a doubt, that my love of and knowledge regarding Israeli music is a direct result of my years Young Judaea‘s Camp Tel Yehudah. Every day after lunch we’d have a camp-wide sing-along, working our way through the camp songbook, calling out favorites (often by page number – such was our familiarity with the songbook) and singing song after song at...
On a drizzly Sunday morning in Niskayuna, NY, as my family and I were heading out the door to attend a picnic for my 20th high school reunion, a quick look at the news revealed that an Israeli soldier had been kidnapped. The date was June 25th, 2006. It’s been more than five long years since Gilad Shalit was taken across the border into Gaza. Five years of...
As some of you may remember, several years ago I wrote a weekly blog post for a series I called “80s Music Video Sunday“. Having grown up in the 80s, the music of that decade was the background music of my teen years – the theme music for my teenage angst, if you will. Each week I chose a different song and wrote about the memories behind the choice, waxing...
On this, your special day Not quite your forty-third I think of all you mean to me And try to find the words I’ll write about the enemies Of distance and of time Of how we seem to beat them (And how I made it rhyme) I think of all the games we’ve played That spawned a name or two The adventures we’ve already had And those still yet to do I think of all the...
As I watch you sleeping in the night Arms wrapped around your pillow, oh so tight Little fingers clutch a furry little toy Dispelling any daytime myths That you’re not a little boy And in the darkness, you beckon me to come A frightened little boy who wants his mum Eyes barely open, I stumble to your side Take you in my arms Your little body close to mine You’re...
It’s book give-away time everyone! I’ve got one copy of the Chicken Soup book with my story in it – “Chicken Soup for the Soul – Grieving and Recovery” – up for grabs, so I’ve decided to have some fun and send it off to one lucky fan of my Facebook writer page – with a catch. You have to be prepared to offer me something in...
This past weekend was my 25th high school reunion. While I couldn’t attend (given that it was 7,000 miles away in beautiful Upstate New York), I was able to watch it unfold on Facebook through real-time photo uploads and status updates from each event. I could see who still looked fabulous and who had aged well; I could see the effect that 25 years of living had had on...
I wish I had more time to tell you All the words I want to say About everything and nothing And how you make my days I wish I had more time to show you Just how much I care For even when we disagree It helps to know you’re there I wish I had more time To be there by your side To sit and hold your hand To hug you as we cry I think of all the things I’d do Just to...
My story about the upcoming Karmiel Dance Festival for the Haaretz newspaper’s ESSENCE magazine supplement can be found here. Tweet