ISAAC COHEN

ISAAC COHEN

Shadow

That evening, some ruffian

Knocked at the balcony door,

Jumped over the fence and yelled:

"Let me in! I came for Jacob's circumcision!"

Daniel ran to get a knife

To protect his mother and sisters.

"Get out of here!"

At once, the creature jumped over the fence

And disappeared.

Noah came in laughing.

Only Daniel stayed serious facing the horror

That kept staring at him.

Every time he ventured three steps out

From the house, he had to rush back in

For a certain troll would come up.

Rebecca, his mother, was powerless to run.

The troll would cast over her

His deep dark shadow

And howl loudly: "Ha".

His devilish laughter echoed

Through the closed window.

"Oh, Eli Jah, when will You come

To save and deliver us

To the peace so desired

By the mind boggled, yearning soul?"

"Come on,"

17/5/2020 Tel Aviv

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Request

Like a siren

She keeps chasing me.

I know you

From a child.

You have grown so much

And you are still flying.

Why don't you come, sit down

And give Hapsa,

The rubber Worm, a chance

To gulp you down

And set me free?

Yes.

A lot like you I've known

And survived.

Please, please, release,

Pour your moans

Down the abyss of oblivion,

Let your image vanish into space.

10 May 2020 Tel-Aviv

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Between Darkness And Light

We marched in the dark for a generation,

Seeing nothing,

Our feet getting dusty stumbling

Against reptiles over the path.

At night we waded our way upwards,

To rise above dust

That enveloped our hearts.

At the dead of night,

The darkness whispered: "Tomorrow you

Will emerge into a dazzling bright light."

One day the workers came,

Spreading fierce, brilliant light

Over the whole great area.

"Bless you all", our tired feet greeted them,

"We have been waiting for an entire generation."

"Why didn't you ask?"

"We didn't know that all it takes

Is asking”, murmured the heart,

Crying, overcome with love.

17 May 2020 Tel-Aviv

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ISAAC COHEN

ISAAC COHEN was born in Beer-Sheva, Israel, in 1960. He now lives in Tel-Aviv, Israel. His mother Mazal Cohen was a storyteller of folk tales and stories. He received his B.A. with Distinction in History from Ben Gurion University in Beer-Sheva, Israel. He published a book, The Moment of Silence, in 1983. He has done work as a writer of prose and poetry, translator, artist and painter. His writings in Hebrew were published in an anthology at "Eiton 77", and in their literary periodical. Other literary periodicals who published his works included" Apirion", "Dimui”, "Mabua" and " Mahut." He has studied with leading Israeli Novelists such as Amos Oz , Yehuda Amichai and  Dan Tzalka. Prizes he won include: He won the "Free Masons prize for writing” ,1996. An honorable mention at "The Miriam Lindberg Competition for Peace." The "Mifal Hapais Prize for Poetry" , in 2002. He was the manager of the Logic Puzzles Club for "Motke" website. He is the author of several new Herschelle jokes. (Herschelle is an Eastern European comic figure and the subject of jokes and humorous folk-tales). His poems were translated to Spanish, Russian, Tamil and Philippine. He is a veteran member of Voices Israel – a group of poets writing in English. Their Newsletter has published many poems of his over the years. The anthologies "ATUNIS" (2019), "Voices"(1999, 2000) and " Determinations 2” (1997) contain poems of his. He is active in Israel's cultural life.