When I was really little, my dad gave me a big book,
He said for all my searching in this I should look.
I was so very little, my fingers so light,
I couldn't lift the binding to see if he was right.
So I put it in my back pocket and tried going on my way,
But each time I tried to get up in bed I still lay.
The book was pulling me down, just too much to hold,
To me it was a piece of wood, but dad insisted it was gold.
I was just about to toss it, and alleviate the burden,
But I checked it one more time , just to be certain.
I flipped through the pages, and took a quick look,
A place, Jerusalem, was the center of this book.
So I was off to Jerusalem, the city of 'old,
Where I ran into some others, who's stories, I'm told,
Are quite similar to mine, but with varying paths,
Yet we all came together because of our shared past.
We each held our unique book, but we knew they were all the same,
To figure out the mystery, is for what we came.
One's made no sense, number 2's was torn apart.
Three's was out of date, number four thought his an ugly piece of art.
We sat down together and struggled with the text,
And we were all surprised by what was to come next.
One learned the language, it was merely a fence.
When he held it right side up , it made a lot more sense.
Number 2 put her ripped pages carefully back together,
And made sure her glued book would again never sever.
Number three learned his book just needed to be dusted,
The story was really relevant, and not as he thought rusted.
Number 4 realized that beauty is all in his perception of reality,
And he previously had not seen the picture in its totality.
I peeled away the binding, and really looked inside,
To think I almost threw it away before I really tried.
Aliza is a student in Jerusalem.
While learning at the Isralight program she was inspired to write this.
T.G.I. - TRADITION Gifts from Israel | Fine Silver | Greeting Cards of scenes of Jerusalem | Esther's Photographs | Arman Darian Ceramic Tiles | Nathanael Putnam | The Stained Glass Artistry of Chaim Peretz | Ketuvot and other Special Writings | Special jewelry offer. | Channukah Menoras | Glass Art of Mirry Reich | Theme Mezuzot | Shofarot (Ram's Horns) | Talitot Prayer Shawls | Beautiful Kippot | Land in Israel | Jerusalem Books
This page was prepared by Pinchas Richard Wimberly, webwright.
April 29, 1998