If it was a place —
cognitive dissonance, it
would be here, Israel.
Where in one swift shift
I move from embarrassment
(I forgot about swimming
lessons) to fear of
war. Shame I forgot about
it; murder and them
(those who can’t forget
except in dreams which aren’t real)
and yelled at my son
for telling me he
was bored on the second day
after school ended.
If it was a place —
cognitive dissonance, it
would be here, Israel.
Where over coffee
I compose long to-do lists
grateful in a way
to be a mother
with room in my heart for lists.
For tomorrow’s plans.
If it was a place —
cognitive dissonance, it
would be here, Israel.
Where over bacon
(made from turkey) I slowly
savor the almost flavor
of America,
and imagine I lived there
again. Would the world
be less dissonant?
More in tune with my inner
rhythms? harmony?
If it was a place —
cognitive dissonance, it
would be now, this, we.
It would be — it is —
the surreal surrender in
waking, in spite of.
and yadda yadda, an aliyah blog 
Wow Jen – this is great. There’s something about it that just resonates. Will share on FB
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Thanks Ginz. I was so grateful to poetry this morning for being the medium in which I could finally express this.
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Reblogged this on Meir Weiss' Blog.
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Beautiful, and thank you for writing and expressing your feeling so eloquently.
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Thank you, Cathy!
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Beautiful and very powerful.
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Cultural adhesive binds any dissonance. Lovely work, Jen.
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But what happens when you are a-cultural? I feel this may lead to increased cognitive dissonance.
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Not necessarily, if you accept aculturalism as part of yourself. People who blindly assimilate may feel the most dissonance.
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Very reflective and thought provoking
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Thanks Peter. It always makes me happy to know you are reading. 🙂
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Jen, I love this so much. You write so beautifully and evocatively.
Estelle
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