Atonement is At One Ment

A new poem about Yom Kippur by Gloria Tessler.

At One Ment is to be an adult.
To be an adult is to be
Fractured, dissonant,
Uncertain. Finding
Footsteps in dark
And silent places,
Losing your way.

At One Ment is to be a child.
Graciously perceptive,
Holding back tears
That may hurt an adult,
Hiding your child-face
Yet innocent of future’s prize.

At One Ment is to be old,
Waiting on another’s mood,
Losing the wisdom
Attributed to age.
In fumbling footsteps,
In averted eyes,
Waiting at the door of those
Who love or may not love,
Who plump your pillow,
And whisper above your head.
Your mouth is opened,
And your lips declare the prayer.

Gloria Tessler

Gloria Tessler is a journalist, author, playwright and poet. She is the biographer of Lady Amelie Jakobovits, and her two plays, The Windmill and Unveiling Hagar, both on Jewish themes, have been performed on the London fringe. She is presently obituaries editor at the Jewish Chronicle and art correspondent at AJR Journal.