30 Poems in 30 Days

Well, I did it: I wrote thirty poems (or at least, drafts of poems) in thirty days! I'm pretty psyched. While I wrote a lot of junk, I'm hoping that I have a few keepers in the bunch. Now my task is to keep up the momentum. I mostly wrote during the evenings after we put the kids to bed, and my goal is to continue doing that in the coming months. 

 

I decided to post here one of the poems I wrote, which is in a form called a "triolet." This poem, like several others I wrote this month, was inspired by a prompt from the website napowrimo.net (napowrimo stands for National Poetry Writing Month). I had never heard of a triolet before, so I decided to give it a shot. Though the poem is short, it's a bit tricky to write because it has several formal requirements. There are 8 lines, all of which have 4 beats and roughly 8 syllables. Lines 1, 4, and 7 are the same, and lines 2 and 8 are the same (at first this seem to make things easy, but it's actually quite challenging to maintain the flow when you have to repeat the exact same line three times!). And then, of course, there is a rhyme scheme: ABaAabAB. So, with that explanation, here's my triolet:

 

Babywearing

 

In a sling, your heart is closer

to my heart. With you I’m wrapped.

 

I’m the walker; you’re the dozer.

In a sling your heart is closer,

beating time, my small composer.

 

I’d like to keep you always strapped

in a sling. Your heart is closer

to my heart. With you I’m rapt.

 

Though this poem is in a traditional form, most of my poems are not so structured; many, in fact, are rambling and at this point, quite messy. Still, that gives you a taste of what I've been up to these past 30 nights (that's what happens when you don't have TV or a babysitter!). But in all honesty, I enjoyed writing every night, and I do hope to continue the practice.

 

In other news, all the roses in our garden are blooming this week. It smells wonderful out there. Here are a few photos of the flowers. Yay for spring!



 

Road Trip

I've taken a lot of road trips, and I have great memories of pretty much all of them. There really is something liberating about getting into the car and taking off on a long drive, with good company, good music, some tasty snacks, and a sweet destination at the end of the drive. I've come home from many road trips with great memories and photos; it's easy to look back at them and remember the fun parts of each trip. But if I'm honest with myself, I have to admit that almost every road trip I've been on has also had some rough moments. Anyone who's been on a decent road trip has gone through some of the nightmare scenarios that can come up when you're living out of your car for a few hours -- or a few days. Having car trouble, getting lost, arriving at a long-awaited destination that turns out to be lame -- there are many ways that a road trip can quickly turn sour. And of course, road tripping with babies adds a whole different set of challenges. So even though in general I get excited to get out of town and have a change of pace, I'll admit I was a little apprehensive about packing up and taking off on our recent road trip down to the Tel Aviv and Herzliya area.

Now that we're back in Jerusalem, I can say that I learned on this trip what I should have remembered from previous journeys: for a road trip to be a success, you pretty much have to go with the flow and be flexible with your expectations of how the trip is going to unfold (believe me, this wisdom came with time; it was not with me when both kids were screaming in the car on Saturday afternoon). But it's true. We left for this last trip on Thursday, and came back today (Sunday). Because we've had a heck of a time getting going on our last two trips out of town (due to issues with renting a car and simply getting two kids out the door in a timely manner), we figured Thursday would be a rough day of adjusting and getting settled, and that Saturday, which was wide open, would be the highlight of the trip. As it turned out, everything worked like clockwork on Thursday, and we got going early enough to eat lunch out in the Judean Hills and visit some cool stalactite caves before heading to Herzliya. On the other hand, by Saturday, we were all overtired from Friday's trip to Tel Aviv and a late (but wonderful) Shabbat dinner at Ruthie's, so even though we fit a lot into the day, we probably pushed ourselves too much and ended up having some frustrating moments before the day was done.

All in all, we had a great couple of days out of town. Eric had some productive meetings with teachers in Tel Aviv and Kfar Saba, we had that wonderful trip through the Judean Hills, and we loved being close to the ocean again. But like most road trips, this one wasn't only about great scenery and food. It was also about working on that perennial task: figuring out how to have a reasonable plan and expectations, then knowing when to take a deep breath and to go with the flow during moments of unexpected excitement or frustration. I'm still working on that last task. Meanwhile, here are some highlights of our last few days on the road.

Soreq Cave
This striking stalactite cave was discovered by stone miners in the 60s. It's been preserved ever since. Scroll down past the photos of the stalactites and you'll see a couple of shots taken on the hike down to the cave. In the last one, you can see that just outside the nature reserve, the mining operation continues. I've noticed this in many of my travels throughout the U.S., also; just outside preserved areas, it seems mining and logging and other resource extraction are at their worst. I'm sure the mining looks more dramatic because of the striking visual contrast of a gutted mountain next to a preserved one. When Alexander finished oohing and ahhing over the stalactites, he came outside and caught a glimpse of a huge pickup truck carting stone through the mine below. His response was, of course, "Wow!" Exactly.

 

The Mazda 5
We rented the Mazda 5 to test drive it; this was our first trip in a minivan, and I have to admit, it made things a lot easier. So what do you think; should we get one?? (Speaking of resource extraction...)

Ein Hod
Ein Hod is an artist's colony in Israel. Located mid-way between Tel Aviv and Haifa, in the Carmel Mountains, Ein Hod is home to about 150 artists and their families. Since we visited Ein Hod on Shabbat, it was very quiet and most of the galleries and studios were closed, but we still enjoyed the architecture and beautiful views of the mountains and the Mediterranean.

 

Zichron Yaakov
Zichron Yaakov has been called the "Provence of Israel." Also in the Carmel Mountains, this mountain town is in the heart of Israeli wine country. While we weren't really up for wine tasting with the babies (next time!!), we did enjoy the town's playground (check out the giant banyan trees growing there), ice cream, and main street. The last photos is of "Benjamin's Pool," which was one of Israel's first pipe-fed water fountains.

Caesarea
Caesarea is a coastal town that was originally built by King Herod in 25-13 B.C. Since it was an administrative hub of the Roman empire, there are some impressive ruins in Caesarea, including a Roman theatre, palaces and administrative buildings, and an aquaduct (pictured below). There are also some decent beaches. Caesarea is a beautiful place, but right before we got there, we were having multiple meltdowns -- the boys were hungry and tired, and we were all stressed out. It was nice to be able to stop, get out of the car, and put my feet in the water!

Benedict's
Our new favorite restaurant is Benedict's. They serve 24-hour breakfast, and I don't mean diner food; this breakfast is fast, cheap, but high-quality! They serve nutella with their dinner rolls and champagne cocktails with an order of eggs benedict. It doesn't get much better than that, right? We ate at Benedict's two our of our three nights in Herzliya. Here are Alexander and Eric playing as we wait for the check; notice the super-clean plates! Not a bit of egg or pancake left!

Park Kfar Saba
The boys and I hung out in Park Kfar Saba for a couple of hours today while Eric went to a meeting at a local school for art teachers. It was close to 90 degrees in Kfar Saba today, but luckily, the impressive playground in the park was covered with awnings, so we had a great time there.

Coming Home
It's always good to walk in the front door after a road trip and feel glad that you're back. We had a good trip, but it's nice to be back in Jerusalem again!

Jerusalem Botanical Gardens

We spent part of this morning at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. (Unfortunately,we didn't realize until mid-way through our visit that the camera settings weren't adjusted correctly, so the photos we took of the boys didn't come out very well.) Still, here is a sampling of the beautiful flowers we saw. This is definitely a great place to come for a walk or a picnic. And only about a 15-minute walk from our house! I'll keep this entry short, and let the photos speak for themselves.

 

Psalms and the Shuk

The past few days have been unseasonably cool and rainy here in Jerusalem, and so in an effort to find something to do indoors this morning, we decided to check out the "Museum of Psalms," which I discovered in a list of lesser-known museums in Jerusalem. The Museum of Psalms is definitely, as its website asserts, unique. Nestled in a few rooms in an old stone structure, the Museum of Psalms features the work of one artist, Moshe Tzvi HaLevi Berger, who is a Holocaust survivor and student of Kabbalah. We met the artist, who is 89, and the museum's sole guide. The exhibits feature Berger's paintings of all 150 of the Bible's Psalms, which are rendered in vibrant colors on large canvasses. As the website says, "each painting included in the museum's collection is a visual poem, blurring the lines between aesthetics and meditation to soften the eyes and connect the soul." Who could resist visiting a place with that description?! We thought Alexander would appreciate the colors and imagery, and he did have a good time exploring the artwork. We all did. Check out Benjamin's face: I'm not sure if his expression is one of awe, or bewilderment!

 

 

 

After the museum, we met up with our friend, Michelle, and, since the rain seemed to be holding off, walked up Jaffa street to Mahane Yehuda Market, or "the Shuk," which is Jerusalem's vast, open-air market. You can buy anything at the Shuk, from fresh food of practically any kind (vegetables, fish, meat, nuts, cheeses dried fruit, spices, pastries, wine,) to clothing, shoes and housewares. The Shuk has been in existence 1887, and though it has evolved throughout the last century or so, it remains a central part of life in Jerusalem. Jerusalem's mayor, Nir Barkat, says that "Mahane Yehuda has become more than a market: it is an important part of the city's public space – and it's a unique part because of the way Jews and Arabs bargain shop side-by-side in its crowded alleyways and streets."

 

After picking up some dried fruit, nuts, pita, and a delicious fresh spice mix that tastes something like pesto, we walked through Nachlaot, which is the neighborhood Eric and I lived in when we traveled to Israel in 2008.

We haven't seen a drop of rain since this morning, and the forecast predicts days of sun and warm weather. It might be in the 80s by the end of the week!

Benjamin's First (Shabbat) Meal

When I was growing up, Sundays were still quiet, with most stores closed, and many people either observing the sabbath or taking the day for what it was intended: to rest. Now it seems Sundays in the U.S. are barely more restful than any other day of the week.

In Israel, and especially in Jerusalem, the sabbath, or shabbat, still has a very different feel than the rest of the days of the week. Here, shabbat is on Saturday, or, more accurately, it starts at sundown on Friday evening and continues until sundown on Saturday. And for many, it is a true day of rest if not a day of religious observance. Eric and I aren't religious, but we look forward to shabbat in Jerusalem because you can feel the whole city wind down; it's a nice change of pace. Friday mornings are usually a bit hectic, as everyone is out shopping before the stores close, but by late afternoon, everything slows down. Stores close their doors, cafes serve their last customers, and traffic on the streets is significantly lower. Those who are observant dress up and head to services. Those who are going to a family member's or friend's house walk quickly down the street, holding a bottle of wine or a bunch of fresh flowers or the traditional loaf of challah bread. And the rest of us head inside to cook dinner.

Our dinner usually isn't necessarily exceptional on shabbat, but sometimes we light a candle or open a bottle of wine. In contrast, tonight's shabbat meal was a big event for us because Benjamin had his first taste of oatmeal cereal (drowned in a good bit of milk). I swear he's been eyeing "big people" food for a while now, and he pretty much demands to sit on my lap at every meal; I'm sure he wants to check out what we're eating! So we figured it was time to start him on solids, and after seeing his response to the oatmeal tonight, I think our instincts were pretty good. He didn't hesitate to slurp down that first bite of food, and he kept demanding more until the bowl was empty. Here are some photos and videos of the big event in our day. In the first video, you can hear Alexander in the background saying, "Yes!" and "Mummy Yummy!" (which is his version of "yummy"). Don't mistake his shouting for cheers of encouragement for Benjamin. He yells "Yes!" when he wants something, and in this case, he's across the table pointing at Benjamin's food because he wants what his brother is eating. Of course. He has a meal of chicken, bread, and soup in front of him and he wants his brother's watered down oatmeal cereal. And so the sibling rivalry begins...

 

 

As a final note, as we begin our day of rest and reflection here in Israel, we're thinking of our friends and family (and everyone else) in Boston. We send you our love. Stay safe!