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Happy Passover 5776: Miriam’s Music

(Copyright Anne Lowe)

Tucsonan Anne Lowe created “Miriam Dancing With Her Timbrel” for the AJP, illustrating a poem she wrote some years ago.

Miriam’s Music© by Anne Lowe

Miriam.

Mere I am.

A young girl who set her baby brother afloat.

A woman who sees him now as the right hand of the Lord.

Miriam.

Mere I am.

Once a slave who still smells the algae and mud of the sea.

But stands here dry and liberated and alive.

Miriam.

Mere I am.

A human who tries not to shout with extreme exultation of victory.

While others drown in the sea of their affliction.

Miriam.

Mere I am.

Lightning has pierced the sole of my foot from the center of the world.

I tingle and shiver and my arm reaches skyward, my timbrel quivering.

Miriam.

Mere I am.

From my throat, a keening for the dead Egyptians erupts.

From my soul, a dance for my people explodes.

Miriam.

Mere I am.

Just a woman who has experienced miracles

With a tangle of notes that praise the Lord.

Miriam.

Here I am.

Molecules of sinew, blood, and flesh.

Playing the music for a million steps toward freedom.