I wrote this poem in 2009, when my son was a soldier, guarding the Kotel.
You stand at your guard-post
Watching early sunrise.
Mists wafting off the Kotel
Captivate your blue eyes.
Your beautiful eyes
Those bottomless orbs,
That contain so much wisdom
Oh! If they would only absorb…
If only…I think and I wish and I hope
If only…I daven…these thoughts help me cope.
If only…my son will be close to the wall…
When thousands of Kohanim Hashem’s name will call.
When those myriad talleisim
Holy faces will cover,
Where will my son be?
Will those prayers reach over?
My son, at that time
Will you comprehend
That “yevarecheca, veyishmerecha”
Includes you as well?
For you are a part,
An integral part, sure
Of the heilige klal yisroel
Created just as pure.
You may have been wandering
Unsure where you stand
But know one thing my son,
G-d always understands.
And He sends you this blessing
And is letting you know
That you are no less beloved
By Him. This I know.
Though removed from the crowds you stand
High up in your booth
May the prayers you hear
Bring you back to the truth.
One day very soon,
Mists will rise, mists will rise
And a lone figure standing
At Kotel will sigh.
It will be you, my son,
Of this I am sure.
For the blessings will reach you
You will feel secure.
You will feel ready
Your guardpost to leave
A siddur to lift up
You will begin to believe.
May all of our children
So lost, so misplaced
Come back to us soon,
So that them we’ll embrace.
May they take that first step,
May they walk to the wall.
May we be there to help them
May they hear the Kohanim’s call.
