As we approach the Jewish holiday of Passover - a celebration of freedom - I wanted to share a related reflection. These are just the first few lines from The plague is the "to do" list, by Bonnie J. Morris. You can read the full poem in Lilith, Winter 2008-09 edition.
Just for once, I am all caught up.
And this should be the mantra,
The brucha, the Haggadah:
Freedom from our slavery is
The tearing up of lists.
Let those errands go.
[Image: Passover preparation to-do list from Chabad]
2 comments:
Very evocative, though I'm not sure what I think. The echo of the implied "let my people go" in the line "let my errands go" is definitely moving.
However, my mom's pre-Passover lists were, to her, a blessing, an assurance that nothing would ever be forgotten, missed, spoiled, that nobody would be disappointed. (As a singleton, my preparations for holidays require no lists and little effort.)
Definitely a great think piece.
Julie, I wish I could have quoted the whole poem - but I'm trying to stay within the bounds of "fair use." Morris goes on to write about how we celebrate our freedom with "overwork and lists: whole wheat matzos, vegan shank bones" and more - and says she will "recline in a messy house of Whole Foods take-out."
I suppose it's like any major event (Christmas, a wedding, etc.): How complex you want to make the event and the preparations is a personal choice. Pausing to ponder which choices you want to make is a good idea.
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