Tag: Identity

Ukrainians we, or: Survival as one

ben Alexander40 Comments

A collection of 'lanturnes' wesing ofour nation'ssurvival asoneonepeopleunitedagainst Russianraperapeour landviolateour existenceforceforceshall nottriumph hereon our forebears'landlandsustainsthe cultureof ancestorshomehomedemandscommitmenton all our partsnownowour troopsmust withstandthis disastrouswarwarwas wagedupon usstill we remainfreefreeto livewithout fearUkrainianswe #TankaTuesday This collections of lanturne poems was written as an ekphrastic response to the image below, which I offered to Colleen Chesebro for her weekly Tanka… Continue reading Ukrainians we, or: Survival as one

Соус, or: Соул

ben Alexander37 Comments

Pronunciation mess Word sauce Соус ➜ soh-oos My own ingredients ferment Betray identities Sharpen distinctions Burn my tongue Соул ➜ soh-ool I'm bottled, jarred Spilled out onto the Shattered shards of broken empires Soh-ool music swallows Mispronunciations mine Add flavor Thicken the soh-oos with Some plot d'Verse poetics: What’s bubbling? At d'Verse, writers were encouraged… Continue reading Соус, or: Соул

Circumcised, or: Barely

ben Alexander33 Comments

Sevenling (I am such) I am such a friggin' Jew; circumcised; born in and residing in the capital of Israel; always, always walking around with a yarmulke. I don't compose poetry in Hebrew; I don't hate; I have difficulty believing in my One True God, let alone in any foreign ones. I am just as… Continue reading Circumcised, or: Barely

My eyes, or: My true self

ben Alexander32 Comments

Poetry Partners #123 'My Eyes', a 'Quadrille' (44 words) by Ami (Gypsie) Offenbacher-Ferris of 'Gypsie's Writings, Musings, Quotes & Poetry' Laying alone in my recliner hard to move now My eyes see everything yet my eyes see nothing at all Vivid memories bombard my mind while I can’t remember what day it is Still my… Continue reading My eyes, or: My true self

Kievan Rus’, or: The modern nations

ben Alexander20 Comments

A 'Septolet' War has forever transformed Ukrainians. Ukrainians now want to expunge everything Russian from Ukraine. Septolet? The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen words with a break anywhere in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.

The real deal, or: The rizzle dizzle

ben Alexander25 Comments

Poetry Partners #117 'The Real Me', a poem by Hadizat Motherconfessor I munch burgers of creativity, I don't care. I give credit, I don't hate. I fiddle with the nipples of life, I don't stick. I pay serving waitress, I don't free. I sail ocean distress. I am bullet; I harm! I don't kill. Hadizat… Continue reading The real deal, or: The rizzle dizzle

Subscriber Identity Module, or: No Caller ID

ben Alexander22 Comments

An American sentence: A fearful young wife removes her sim card before fleeing to her friends. What's an 'American Sentence'? Allen Ginsberg, inventor of the American Sentence, felt that the haiku didn’t work as well in English. Ginsberg decided to remove the line structure of the haiku, maintaining the requirement of 17 syllables total. He… Continue reading Subscriber Identity Module, or: No Caller ID

Jewish communal professional

ben Alexander46 Comments

My co-worker was a rabbi By tremendous coincidence, one of my co-workers at The Jewish Agency for Israel was a rabbi who served at one of my hometown (East Brunswick, NJ) synagogues for six years. He is approximately my age. I mention this because it goes back to my once-dream of becoming a rabbi, which… Continue reading Jewish communal professional