She Saved Her Best For Last

She'd been raised to despise them, and despise them she did The Orthodox, be they modern or old-fashioned, and the Chassidim She'd grown up loathing their Sabbath and their dietary restrictions Their clinging to hoary customs and rites, like ritual circumcision She was enlightened and educated, cultured, sophisticated, so unlike them She had a college degree, a home in the suburbs, wore nice skirts with a hem So it was like a stab in the back when her firstborn son announced That the faith of his forefathers he was simply not going to renounce And as he delved deeper into the Holy Books with each passing day She bemoaned and bewailed his predilection to learn Talmud and pray Turning away from the prospect of respectable profession, of solid success To pursue a life of righteous sanctity, religiosity, of ill-fitting dress ... To make a long story dramatic, her son became quite the religious fanatic And she despised him for it, in a manner knee-jerk, automatic Until he promised never again to mention to her the slightest thing Jewish While she, for her part, would stop behaving impossibly shrewish ... They maintained this uneasy truce for decades on end Enabling them to spend time together as friends Till one day he got a call that she was near the end of the line So he rushed out to be with her for the very last time Body withered, she lay pale and drawn, her voice almost gone The room was deathly hot, against a winter's Friday afternoon As she nodded off fitfully, he realized that he'd have to leave soon Leaving her with her caretaker Sabbath night through the emergence of Saturday evening's stars and moon Her poor stomach was blocked; she couldn't eat or drink a thing Her only sustenance, ice chips, which her caretaker would bring He stood there, pondering her hospital room --- When from his mouth tumbled these words (Would they seal his doom?) "Why, Mom, the laws of Sabbath you can keep; it'll do you good." Though as soon as he'd said them, his heart turned to wood "What have I done?!" he thought. 'Twas his Mom's dying day! Upon his return Saturday night, there'd surely be hell to pay ... After the Sabbath he tiptoed into her room, queasy with trepidation Braced for the worst, anticipating her imminent imprecations --- But she turned toward him slowly, a warm glow, a shine on her face Proudly told him, "I kept the Sabbath!" ~ then departed the human race Entry in "The last..." contest Sponsor: Silent One