A Blessing for the New Jewish Year    

for Stanley and Jane

Even years have religions
And are either circumcised or baptized
Even years have Paradise and hell
And a Year-god.
In Hebrew we wish a good and sweet year
But we now know that sweet and good
Do not always work well together.
If we were Chinese
We would say ‘Have a sweet and pungent year’,
If we were on a diet
We would say ‘Have a sweet and low year’
But then ‘sweet and low’ is worse
Than sweet and high.
So let’s go back and stay happily
In our low-keyed time
Where prophecies and visions and miracles
...