Parashat Vayechi

December 29, 2023
18 Tevet 5784
PARASHAT VAYECHI
Genesis 47:28 - 50:26

The Worst Thing
by Chelan Harkin

The worst thing we ever did
was put God in the sky
out of reach
‍‍‍‍‍‍pulling the divinity
from the leaf,
sifting out the holy from our bones,
insisting God isn’t bursting dazzlement
through everything we’ve made
a hard commitment to see as ordinary
stripping the sacred from everywhere
to put in a cloud man elsewhere,
prying closeness from your heart.‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍

The worst thing we ever did
was take the dance and the song
out of prayer
made it sit up straight
and cross its legs
removed it of rejoicing
wiped clean its hip sway,
its questions,
its ecstatic yowl,
its tears.‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍

The worst thing we ever did is pretend
God isn’t the easiest thing
in this Universe
available to every soul
in every breath.