Poetry Sunday: Chanukah Lights Tonight by Steven Schneider

We are in the midst of the eight days of Hanukkah and so it seems appropriate to feature a poem about the holiday. 

This may not be the first image that comes to mind when thinking of the holiday but Steven Schneider writes of Hanukkah on the prairie with "the wind howling over the crushed corn stalks."  Wherever it is observed, the Hanukkah, or Chanukah, lights drive away the darkness and offer hope.

Chanukah Lights Tonight

by Steven Schneider


Our annual prairie Chanukah party—
latkes, kugel, cherry blintzes.
Friends arrive from nearby towns
and dance the twist to “Chanukah Lights Tonight,”
spin like a dreidel to a klezmer hit.

The candles flicker in the window.
Outside, ponderosa pines are tied in red bows.
If you squint,
the neighbors’ Christmas lights
look like the Omaha skyline.

The smell of oil is in the air.
We drift off to childhood
where we spent our gelt
on baseball cards and matinees,
cream sodas and potato knishes.

No delis in our neighborhood,
only the wind howling over the crushed corn stalks.
Inside, we try to sweep the darkness out,
waiting for the Messiah to knock,
wanting to know if he can join the party.

Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,December 13, 2020 at 3:38 AM

    The celebration of the festival of light must have been a real highlight for those isolated Jewish settlements. Better to give up waiting for that knock on the door though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersDecember 13, 2020 at 10:28 AM

      All of the religious holidays occurring at this time of year seem to emphasize light. Not surprising, I guess, since it's the darkest time of year.

      Delete
  2. AlanaDecember 13, 2020 at 10:32 AM

    Beautiful. This poet has a degree from Syracuse University, which is about an hour from where I live, and I can't seem to find where he grew up, but there is a definite New York City flavor in this poem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersDecember 13, 2020 at 10:36 AM

      It's interesting that you see that. I think you are probably referring to the third stanza that talks about his childhood.

      Delete
  3. Sarah @ All The Book Blog Names Are TakenDecember 13, 2020 at 12:22 PM

    The imagery here is beautiful. One of my favorite things about this time of year is teaching my students about so many different cultures and the holiday celebrations associated with them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersDecember 13, 2020 at 1:08 PM

      I always find it interesting that all of the celebrations at this time of year seem to have so much in common.

      Delete
  4. Judy KruegerDecember 13, 2020 at 2:35 PM

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzDecember 17, 2020 at 6:18 AM

    The beautiful focus on bringing light to the world is a message I particularly need to hear today.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...
Read more

The Investigator by John Sandford: A review

Image
  I have read a few of John Sandford's books in the Prey series featuring Lucas Davenport. This book is a literal offspring of that series. It's the first in a series featuring Davenport's adopted daughter Letty Davenport. Letty is in her mid-20s and a graduate of Stanford. She works for a U.S. senator named Christopher Colles in a desk job but she's bored with her assignments. Then the senator offers her a chance to go into the field as a liaison between his office and the Department of Homeland Security.  In her first assignment in that position, she is sent to Texas along with DHS investigator John Kaiser to try to find out what is happening in regard to thefts of crude oil. The senator is not so concerned about the lost oil but wants to know where the money from its sale is going. Who is selling the oil and what they are doing with the profits? The suspicion is that a particularly nasty militia group led by a woman is involved. Letty and Kaiser head out to Texas, de...
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...
Read more