Prayer shawl on my shoulders
prayer cap on my head
my laptop and the orange cat
both settld in my lap
Kol Nidrei played on cello
a bit longer than I'd like
the chanting earnest
but not quite inspiring
no congregants
the temple empty
only the rabbi
and two cantors
the rest of us a line
of tiny faces on the screen
with Covid it's a brave new world
biut still the rabbi speaks with warmth
her voice reaches across the airwaves
strikes a welcome chord

She says our prayers
remind us that we're still
finding our way
across the Sea of Reeds
still not done with Egypt
and the most important thing
is to keep moving
not to let ourselves get stuck
in disappointments or regrets
or past achievements
but to let forgiveness heal
and guide our hearts

Her words about the sea
leave me with images
of rising waters
thoughts of how it's time
to build our arks
to save what can be saved
or else like Jonah
roused from where he slept
below deck
to jump off
and let the great fish
swallow us so we can
come out chastened
ready to bring the word
to Nineveh

The prayers are from the psalms
a mix of comfort and contrition
preparation for tomorrow
when we take time
to commemorate our dead
then end the fast
by witnessing the final shofar call
the blast the rabbis say
is the primordial sound
from which all sounds emerged
as stars and galaxies
were born from the first
tiny seed