Am I proud to be jewish -
I am and I’m not,
I don’t know I guess
I’m proud of being jewish
because being jewish means
to be educated, a literary lunatic
in certain circles,
you know what I mean
I know they had tough jews
my father sat on the cusp of that realm
on the outskirts of the jewish mafia
nd ... I suppose...I’m as liberated -
nd as free as one would want to be
or can imagine to be in this society
or any other, again, I suppose
But you asked me
Am I proud to be a jew
I am but when people make disparaging remarks
such as jews are cheap
or you killed jesus
jesus please forgive me;
I wasn’t born yet to suffer for ur sins
so I ask you; if jesus died for ur sins
then forgive me please
and if he died for mine
forgive me again please
but remember jesus is my forefather
and I do follow his path
being an upstart and all
runs in my family
saying what I mean, and doing what I say -
follows jesus also and is why he died for our sins
Isn’t it?
Jesus was an upstart and so am I
our big and honest mouths get us in trouble
So much time wasted arguing & fussing
when we’re all only visitors here of our own demise.
It's the upstarts that make the meaning for all us visitors. I like the vacillation between the two.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem...
ReplyDeleteAnti-semitism is primitive & reactionary. We all need 2 take up this fight. I am a Christian but I recognize Jews as the Chosen People.
Are't we all upstarts in one way or another? When we cry out against genocide, hate or injustice & fight the systems that promote it...we are upstarts, bringing about the healing of society that Jesus taught us to perform. No miracles, just human-2-human compassion!
Like the way the poem addresses this issue...
ReplyDeleteI have only seen it in movies that centre around NYC. Like Annie Hall for one. The first encounter was in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is the villain in the play and he is a jew. His lines, 'If you prick us, do we not bleed?' still rings in my ears.
ReplyDeleteI liked the poem v much.
"and I do follow his path
ReplyDeletebeing an upstart and all
runs in my family
saying what I mean, and doing what I say"
I like these lines... especially as I read the Gospel of Thomas (j's spiritual twin?). I don't believe he died for anyone's sins.
Unfortunately xtians have used the "chosen ppl" argument to force christianity and more suffering on jews, in jesus' name as well as my past experience of a certain romanticism toward "the chosen ppl" in evangelical circles. christians have come a long way, but those roots of antisemitism are still there.