Budapest, or: Down on the river

A haibun

blown dandelions
coins tossed in drizzled fountains
wishes for more time

Today, we walked through the streets of the Jewish Quarter in Budapest and took a tour of the Dohány Street Synagogue (the largest synagogue in Europe) and adjacent, very tastefully constructed Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park before visiting the much smaller Kazinczy Street Synagogue.

We also took a self-guided tour by cell phone to several tourist sites, including, of course, the St. Stephen’s Basilica, with its breathtaking interior artwork. One odd thing we’ve noticed is that Budapest’s outdoor monuments are not well maintained – most have mold and are oxidized to such an extent that even their stone bases are stained green – but building interiors are better preserved.

After a full day of walking, our final stop before turning back was the ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’ memorial, which commemorates the Jews massacred by fascist Hungarian militia in Budapest during the Second World War.

Despite the day’s gloomy weather forecast, it only rained lightly on our way back.

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Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.

–Ben Harper (b. 1969)

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!