For the Daughters

Upon hearing that I had daughters,
the rabbi,
old    slow,
left the chair,
and rummaged about his shelves.

"So much darkness,"
he said to the walls,.
"now there is so much darkness
in the world."

His hands trembled into,
then out of,
a crumpled, brown bag,
producing two small candlesticks.

"For the daughters," he said.
"Now before shabbos,
the daughters will help.
The daughters must help the mothers
to make light.
The world needs more light."

And I thanked him,
though I had candlesticks,
enough, and more beautiful,
but his eyes saw so much darkness,
that he needed to make an offering.

To myself on the way home
I said, "Rabbi,
I thank you for the candlesticks.
The world surely has need
of more blessing.

But the daughters,
without the candlesticks,
without the candles,
even without the flame,
the daughters already
make light."

Gail Golden


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