Tag: Ariel Tovlev

Two Poems by Ariel Tovlev

~ ONE ART ~ Leave a comment

Praying in the Police Precinct

the warehouse a house of worship
our tallits tucked away in plastic
bags along with our belongings
but no prayer shawls needed for
our prayers

our bodies boundaried by a
makeshift mechitza down the middle
a segregating separation of perceived sex
(though I am no traditional Jew)
“women” on the left, “men” on the right
my t4t spouse and I straddling the line

we begin with ashrei
“how good it is to dwell in Your house!”
as if we weren’t zip-tied
as if we weren’t a kind of captive

we made it all the way
to “God is gracious and compassionate
slow to anger and abounding
in kindness” before being warned:
               it is illegal to sing in the precinct
               continue and get charged
               additional crimes

“it’s prayer!” we protested
               only silent prayer is allowed
never mind that even our
silent prayer is voiced
(God spoke the world
into being – we speak
our prayers into being)

a protestant privilege precluding us

our unfinished prayer of
gratitude lingered
in the air and in our ears
defiance welled up in
me like a birthday balloon

I sought my spouse’s
eye from across the aisle
on my lips another prayer
I wanted to share
the shehecheyanu
(prayer of firsts)
thank You God for giving
us life, sustaining us, bringing
us to this moment
even in this moment

it took three
tries to mouth
“shehecheyanu”
before they understood
under our breath audible to us
alone we prayed
in the police precinct

how good it is
to protest and pray!
how good it is
to feel our hands go numb
in our restraints
and hear our bellies grumble
with complaint
and know our misery
is only for a day!

how good it is
to be anything at all
alive, alive!
and how often I’ve forgotten
how stupid lucky we are
even in this moment

*

The Joy Planter

one does not cultivate joy
like a garden: store-bought soil
packed with manufactured nutrients
cedar planters’ scent
warding off insects and other pests
garden hose precisely placed (perhaps timered)
water flowing from an unknown source
chicken wire for the rabbits
who would nibble your joy away

one cultivates joy
like a scattering of seeds
precariously planted with a full fist
and your best non-athlete’s pitch
like a plant you continue to water
even after it’s already dead
like the succulent you ignored too well

and if you’re lucky
joy can grow like the forgotten acorn
a squirrel buried last spring
which it fully intended on eating
and is now sprouting into a tiny oak seedling

sometimes with sights set
on flower pots or garden beds
I miss the accidental plantings
from seeds squirreled away
and the surprise is half the joy

*

Ariel Tovlev (he/they) is a poet, educator, and rabbi. He has a BFA in Poetry from the University of British Columbia and an MFA from Chapman University. They have been published in Wayfarer Magazine, Pensive Journal, ONE ART, and various CCAR Press titles. They live in the Maryland suburbs of DC with their spouse, four cats, and a multitude of houseplants.

Three Poems by Ariel Tovlev

~ ONE ART ~ 5 Comments

Res(is)t: Rest is / Resist

somewhere between neglected and obsessive
between passive and active
you can find rest
nestle in its nest
let your body lay fallow
let your hair grow like tangled weeds
sunshine slumbering
freckles appear like honeybees
precisely scattered among the clover
cheeks like cherry blossoms crinkled in the heat
let the fruits of your labor go unpicked
let the sickly sweet flesh rot and return
to the earth
let yourself be for no one
let yourself be

*

Empathy

empathy is not an exhaustible resource
although it is at times exhausting
we are our only limiting factor

the heart is never so open
as when it is broken
let it break, let it break

hate is never a prerequisite for love
the only requirement for love is love
and perhaps a broken heart

the heart is never so open
as when it is broken
let it break, let it break

love for one does not negate love for another
we must believe that love is a multiplier
we can give and give and never run out

the heart is never so open
as when it is broken
let it break, let it break

empathy is an infinite well
a spring that is freely flowing
if we’re empty we need only check our taps

the heart is never so open
as when it is broken
let it break, let it break

* 

Is this Nature Too

commotion in the bushes
a cardinal flees to a nearby tree
other nameless birds take flight
the bushes continue their rattle

a common grackle stands her ground
calling out over and
over and
over

are they cries
of warning
or despair

the frantic shriek of the bird
the continued rustle in the bushes
I cannot see the crisis but imagine
a fox eating her eggs for breakfast

I know this is nature too
it is nature for the fox to kill
it is nature for even a bird to cry for her young

but what of our nature

I can see our crises clearly
live-streamed videos and pictures posted
mass shootings on social media
smiling portraits of missing and dead
simultaneous mourning and celebrating loss of life
grackle and fox at once

is this nature too

I do not think
we are either
grackle or fox

we are neither

I hear the grackle cry
but I do not see the fox gloat

*

Ariel Tovlev (he/they) is a poet, educator, and rabbi. He has a BFA in Poetry from the University of British Columbia and an MFA in Poetry from Chapman University. As a trans/queer religious leader, they are passionate about creating spaces of belonging for those who have been historically excluded from spiritual spaces. He has been published in TQ Review, Vermillion Literary Project, Queer Voices, and various CCAR Press titles. They live with their spouse, four cats, and 30+ houseplants in the Maryland suburbs of DC.