Best Mensch Poems
In a city as big as New Yawk,
There’s so much at which tourists can gawk
But the locals’ fast pace
May be hard to embrace
So if guiding them, slow down your walk.
You can never squeeze everything in,
So pick places they never have been
And of course, be a mensch;*
Let them sit on a bench
Or exhaustion will make their heads spin.
Have them soak up the buzz we provide,
Surely different from where they reside.
They may love it or not
But at least they’ll have got
Just a taste of what fills us with pride.
*an admirable human being
He saw the noble beast collapse in blood and dirt,
Lashed by the owner’s cruel and ruthless crop
He rushed to cradle its head upon his stained coat,
And wept with sorrow that choked his broken heart.
He shared the pain of the majestic steed,
He cursed the world, its deceits, and all its sin.
He knew the truth was far beyond his reach,
He felt his faith, belief & reason crumble within.
For wasn’t he / the voice of the unfathomed deep -
Questioning / God and all ancient morality.
Dreaming / of will, and power, and ecstasy, -
Sparking / and de-catechizing minds / with originality.
But in that moment he was just a simple man
Who loved a lamb more than his Übermensch.
Who gave up his mind for one last act of sanity
Who became a mythical hero despite his Mensch.
The sacrificial lamb with a final breath doth whisper -
...“”Dionysus, The Crucified” - I am…your Zarathustra””
his tired eyes yet sparkled with the love of his craft
a love steeped in awe and fear of its impact
the hunched shoulders hovered o'er each stroke of his pen
a quill dipped in an inkwell lined with holy men
frayed ritual fringes swaying this way and that
humming a wordless melody as a zaydie will do
midst reverie about heavenly angels he's winking at
or recalling a tender moment with his grandson of two
but of a sudden, all's darkness
zaydie's head thuds on his workbench
his lamp extinguished for aye ~
the noble craft of a mensch
June 27, 2020
The Old Scribe Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Craig Cornish
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Notes: The Jewish 'scribe' (sofer) was and is a time-honored profession
'zaydie' is Yiddish for grandfather
a 'mensch' is Yiddish for a person of honor, integrity
No capital letters were used, in order to help convey the
innate modesty of a scribe of holy books.
Men and women in blue,
I write this in honor of you.
How you can even leave your
husband or wife?
When a bullet from organized
madmen might take your life?
I have no such courage!
Don't Americans understand?
You are there for their safety!
All of you would aid us right
away, you are not Johnny-
come-latelys.
The anarchists destroying each
wonderful city.
Children die early, a huge crime
and a shameful pity.
Not one professional sports star
ever mentions the innocents' names?
But oh, my, they refuse to play when
a criminal dies, a humungous shame.
The message is very clear to me.
Anarchists, sports stars, take the
knee joyfully to criminal brutality.
My life really does matter to me.
Wake up, Social workers cannot
protect me nor you from cruelty!
America becoming Venezuela,eh,
or worse, Cuba Two?
The blame is in the hands of
those throwing rocks and I loudly
shout " Shame on each of you."
I am no fool,this nation a tapestry
of many nationalities and colors.
You want no peace nor justice!
Just laws your way, total anarchy
And disorder, my brothers!
Martin Luther King, a mensch,
In his grave must be turning!
When watching you loot,burn
and steal....
It has me more than worried,
with my stomach churning!
How dare you burn the Flag of
this country so grand?
As in the Middle East, they
should chop off your hands!
Perhaps both feet, too.
As all decent laws in the USA,
and people's you so ignorantly
eschew!
I have no answers, save this!
Get people out of office who do
support these thugs.
They need far more than a slap
on the wrist.
Arrest them, jail time for sure.
Behind bars they belong, all
these rabid, hate America thugs!
September 4, 2020
2:15pm PST
When your world is topsy-turvy
Opt out -- if you must
But don't stop CHARITY
GIVE a few coins, slices of food,
To the beggars, real or fake
And the universe heals THE HEART
By degrees. College degrees fail
All too often as does "religion,"
Just be human, a mensch, once
A day, at the very least, & "dance"
The blues away (reluctantly, secretly)
I sat next to an old geezer on a park bench
He looked at me, said "I can see you're a mensch"
Let me tell you what I've learned in the past 80 years.
"Oh no", thought I, but his words flew like spears:
"Who can fathom the deviousness of the heart
To know the mind from the face, there is no art.
Woe unto them that call evil good, take it as a clue
If they can't anchor themselves in the obviously true
Some claim darkness is light, and light dark
If you follow that lighthouse, you'll end up in a shark.
Prepare in advance, no practice leads to error
A peaceful scene then sudden terror
Never underestimate the fury of the wicked
It will come, as the prophet predicted.
You can work too hard, and not work smart
Get your sleep, take a walk, create some art
Your health must survive any deadline
Nothing achieved when a sprint is followed by decline.
The old man paused, took a sip of juice
Maybe this was my chance to break loose
I looked for a polite way to flee
But I was exhausted from my weekly game of Rugby.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue
Words can cut deep even if sweetly sung.
There is no safety for good men, but to believe the worst of those
who when given two paths, the evil one chose.
Be slow to anger, make sure you understand
Incompetence rather than evil, often rules the land.
If a man comes to kill you, kill him first,
But seek truth and be wise, lest the roles reversed.
Do unto others as you want them to do unto you
Often they want their side heard, their point of view.
Hear out the extreme, the foreign, the new
For in the unexpected, there may be wisdom to pursue.
Hypocrisy is the tribute vice gives to what's good
We can't always live up to what we should
"And last," he said earnestly "I must preach
To think before talking, be concise in speech
Don't give strangers advice, for all our sakes
Especially if like me, you made endless mistakes
Be aware of your own contradictions
Know that reality is stranger than fiction.
"Thanks geezer", I said, "but I gotta go
"In the rugby game of life, you must have been a pro
In my hurry to leave my foot fell into a drain
All that advice, and now I have a sprain.
The Chicago winds blew the soft, dark blue
satin drapes.
It was the spring of our passion.
Why do tears fall now, with you in a cold grave?
I think of what our life would have been like in Israel.
But of those never to be Shabbos meals, I can never tell.
You told me you were dying, but I did not believe you.
A mensch like you? Impossible!
Then, HaShem took you home on the last day of High Holidays.
The Chicago winds no longer blow the soft, dark blue satin
drapes ever again in Chicago.
Lake Michigan, outside my window and I still waiting.
In a stunned,silence.
Still hopelessly,languishing longing for you!
10-5-2020
I
Jim was the archetypal Mensch
We loved writing, Greenbelt MD, Jesus
II
At the edge of my tears
I could sit, daydream, make monuments with words
The Hindu soul within my Soul
Had adored weaving flowers for Jaggan
Whose mom died while he was the driver
Our ancestors will gladly bequeath garlands
Tropical and exotic strelitzia and protea
But you and I are forever in another lineage
The eternal family through a lamb, Jesus
Godwin Adizue Ibeh
(1937-2017)
Mr. Godwin Adizue Ibeh
Aged 79 years
Was and is
My beloved, doting father
“Is” because he remains
Spiritually present
Present
In my memory
Present
In pictures and mementos
Present
In my dreams, smiles and tears
Present
In my prayers and imagination
His spirit
Hovers in the air
Above me like a hummingbird
His presence felt
At the mere mention
Of his name
Mr. Godwin Ibeh
Or simply “Daddy”
As I used to, and still
Lovingly call him
Or "Prof" by close friends
And acquaintances alike
Was a Nigerian-born
Naturalized American citizen
Migrated to the United States of America
In 1968
A bearer of many titles
Hobbies and accomplishments
An alumnus of Central State University
Wilberforce, Ohio. Graduated in 1970
With a BA in Psychology
An alumnus of Xavier University Graduate School
Cincinnati, Ohio. Graduated in 1975
With an MS in Correctional Psychology
An alumnus of University of Nigeria
Where he also taught Psychology in 1981
Received a PhD in Education
Specializing in Guidance and Counseling
He also moonlighted as a probation officer
A writer and a taxi driver
A father of four
First-generation African-American children
From oldest to youngest
Mildred
Yours truly, Edward
Stephen
Jeanette
A grandfather of three
A father-in-law of two
A former-husband
Of my beloved mother, Rose
An avid collector of hats
A voracious reader
And collector of books
A lover
Of jazz and classical music
An intellectual
A sage
A mensch
His personality
Avuncular, warm, and humorous
His smile
Radiant, brightly beautiful, beautifully bright
His laugh
Honest and infectious
His mouth
Spoke no evil
His destination
Heaven!
For he’s a child of God
And has led
A good, successful, fulfilled life
Gone, but never
Will be forgotten
Rest in peace, Dad
I will miss you...
Dame Judy Dench
Loves to fish for Tench
When she fixes her motor
She uses a wrench
If she’s feeling tired she sits down on a bench,
DJD is polylingual;
Her favourite language is French,
When she has a pooh in the morning
It causes a stench
DJD is a strong woman,
When Germans talk about her they call her ‘mensch’,
If she gets excited
Her buttocks they clench
When DJD gets dehydrated
Her thirst she will quench,
She is a fine looking woman,
But never call her a wench,
DJD did military service
She learnt to dig a slit trench,
She's into prehistory
And loves to visit Stonehenge,
DJD don't take no -
If she is dissed she'll get her revenge
She is super organised
When she does her filing she uses a big hole punch
If she gets hungry mid morning
She pauses for brunch,
If Helen Mirren calls round they go out for lunch,
DJD is very intuitive
and likes to follow a hunch,
Her off shore investments
Protected her from the credit crunch,
She's a feisty lady -
A reporter asked if 'she had a carer'
Well he got a bunch
Of fives from this diva
But to her friends she is staunch,
Even Harvey Weinstein - DJD protected his paunch,
Said she had a tat of his name on her bum
Cos her career he relaunched
With Victoria and Albert -
She never gives an inch
If Bond is stuck in a ditch
She pulls him out with a winch,
She takes on all the bad guys,
You never see her flinch,
When delivering a soliloquy
She makes it look like a cinch
She should be world president,
Donald J Trump would be the first one she would lynch!
Adorning the walls at Brigham and Women's
Head on his hand quite comfortably resting
The subject distinctive in his smiling position
Inspires the asking who is this physician
Over his shoulder an old time sea captain
And over the other what looks like the Kremlin
A scene that recalls something seemingly Russian
What is its significance in this bastion of medicine
And so the commencement of careful researching
Reveals the story of which we'll be learning
A Harvard professor with numerous contributions
To the field of anesthesia including ischemia-reperfusion
This skillful practitioner of inducing unconsciousness
Was born in the Soviet Union in Nineteen and Thirty-Six
The whitebearded mariner is his belov'd Granddad
Who perished unaccounted for in the blockade of Leningrad
When Simon was young he was frequently hungry
Simochka said Mamma for food do not ask me
Life as a Jew in the society of Stalin
Was hard but instructive for the mensch now ascending
At that time in Russia was no concept of charity
Because the state cared for everyone and no one was needy
But the pogroms and politics couldn't kill his generosity
And as soon as they could his wife and he left their country
Emigration to Israel where he learned to be Jewish
In the sense of the word that's proclaimed and not whispered
And he saw for the first time a community helping
And he knew gum zu l'tovah was how he'd be living
And many years later ensconced at the Brigham
The giver, the teacher, the lover of freedom
Fortunate I who discovered his portrait
And learned the legacy of the man
(Adventures In Geriatric Land)
Does your dentist have money for Porsche that you’ve lost?
Is the hair on your head now the color of frost?
Is the zip in your life only internet speed?
Do your savings accounts all too easily bleed?
Does your bladder evacuate slower than sound?
Do your friends all speak louder when you are around?
Is night driving more difficult due to the glare,
Do night road signs all seem that they’re needing repair?
Are closed captions de rigueur while watching TV,
Spicy foods mean you’re somewhere you don’t want to be?
Do you now find you look at each phone number twice,
Does it seem you’re less trusting of stranger's advice?
Does high fashion place second to comfort these days,
Shoes that tie seem they must be a teenager’s craze?
Does your body seem more like the shape of a pear,
Are there times you’re not sure if your feet are still there?
Does your nose know what septum that deviates means?
Do you find that you’re now not so jealous of teens?
Does your back really hurt at times, knees always ache?
Do you sometimes feel drowsy when life needs awake?
And do taxes now fill your whole body with dread
Are there days that you feel like you envy the dead?
Can you look at your life and still think it well spent?
Does it seem now that multitudes live in your tent?
Well if all this is true and you still greet the day,
If you don’t let the little things get in your way,
If you’ve learned to accept and you don’t fear the end
Then rejoice in arrival of mensch-hood my friend.
Brian Johnston
January 22, 2016
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (Toller)
To “toll” is to dance like a fox
Luring mallards or teals to the rocks
Where a hunter’s awaiting
What the dog has been baiting
Scaring duckies right out of their jocks
The Old English Sheepdog
I’m partial to dogs that are shaggy
That are goofy and sweet and not naggy
They only see good
From their eyes under hood
So it’s sad that their tails aren’t waggy*
*Like Boxers, their tails are docked
The Papillon
Considered more missy than mensch
(Butterfly’s the translation from French)
In private is seen
With a king or a queen
And in public with Dame Judi Dench
The Pekingese
At a Cantonese restaurant with luck
One can still find some things for a buck
But imagine my shock
When the place down the block
Ran a special on Pekingese duck
The Petite Basset Griffon Vendéen (PBGV)
Le Basset tres Petite Vendéen
Un Griffón compagnon de Cézanne
Et Renoir en Provence
*Comme ils lounge lors d’une danse
On the grass with a glass of Marsanne
(*As they lounge during a dance)
The Pit Bull
The Pitty despite what you hear
Is not vicious at all but quite dear
It will sit like a dove
With its eyes full of love
While it slowly devours your ear
The Pomeranian (Pom)
The Pom is a kind of a spitz
A Chihuahua with fur in a ditz
The type of a pooch
You can cuddle and smooch
Or show off with a date at the Ritz
The Poodle
The Poodle is known for its smarts
For excelling at music and arts
But an owner was telling
Me after the smelling
They also blow nuclear farts
The Portuguese Water Dog
Pity the poor Portuguese
Who ended up sheets to the breeze
His bowl had been spiked
With a port that he liked
You could tell by the smell of his fleas
The Pug
Behold the repug-a-nant Pug
With a mug that resembles a thug
Though their owners observe
What they really deserve
Is not scorn but a cuddling hug
The Rhodesian Ridgeback
I bought one of these for a dollar
It said Phi Beta Kap on its collar
I later found out
(Though not without doubt)
It had been a Rhodesian scholar
Im tiefsten Unendlichkeit bin ich immerhin, da wo auch der Trommelstein steht! Er spricht mit
mir dürch die Dunkelheit!
Wann die geschliffenen Eiströpfen sowie auch die Schneefloken fällen und das glanzende,
himmlische Licht scheint auf die weiten Felder und die unzählingen Baüme.
Mit der Anstrengung des Alltags, zieht der Mensch seine Energie dürch das Einatmen der
natürlichen Kräfte.
Das Gleichgewicht der Elemente entspringt aus dem Erdiennen, und erinert uns an das wahre
Leben.
© Joe Maverick 25-02-2010
15-10-2010
MY THOUGHTS IN SLEEP
In the deepest timelessness I am,
And by me stands the pulsing stone,
He speaks with me through darkness deep
Polished ice on the fallen snowflakes drop.
A glittering heavenly light over rolling fields
Innumerable trees illuminate.
As with inflexible problems of mundane life
Mankind expends his energy,
While inhaling deep from nature’s breath.
The eternal balance of elemental life goes on,
& From within the earth’s bowels deep, groans emanate,
to impart to me life’s verity.
© Joe Maverick 25-02-2010
15-10-2010
for Al Weinstock 1939 - 2017
I’m here sitting Shiva again
For a good man who’s long been my friend,
And I’m sure you’ll agree
If you knew him like me,
That it really was sad at the end.
But that ending’s not what stands tall
When reflecting, considering all
Of the things we loved most
About which we’ll boast,
When his name comes up that we’ll recall.
What a wonderful colleague you’ll say
As you warmly remember the way
He handled each case
With a kindness and grace,
That made peoples’ fears fall away.
As a family man you will agree
His commitment was something to see,
His children just loved him
Grand children adored him,
He was a role model to me.
So I'm here sitting Shiva again,
For a true "mensch" right up to the end
A fantastic clinician,
And gift to us all,
And that is the message I send.