JOY's POEMS: February 2013

Geese In Flight

This morning's flock of geese in flight gives me relief to know that they are returning. For years the geese have not flown overhead, until I heard them this week, a few times. Reassuring, today I heard the honking at daybreak; yesterday in the afternoon.

On this day when a friend is not improving in an oncology unit in Jerusalem, I send the strength of the birds to Yoram ben Bella Miriam, and wish him a Refuah Shleymah. - Joy Krauthammer

Joy Krauthammer ©

Geese in Flight

Waiting for the sun

looking toward the Old City

Honks I hear.

To catch the flock

I turn West

then quickly return

to face East
and the rising sun.

Mizrach of Glory.

- Joy Krauthammer

Baruch Dayan HaEmet

only days later, Yoram left us on Shabbat, surrounded by family

and was buried the next day on Purim.

Febrary 23, 2013 ~ 13 Adar 5773

~ ~ ~

Sound Healing

Sound Healing Poem
by Joy Krauthammer ©

MANNA FROM HEAVEN

MANNA from HEAVEN

"They will sit, each person under his vine and under his fig tree, and none will make them afraid, for the mouth of the Compassionate One, G*d of the hosts of Creation, has spoken." (Micah 4:4)

"Torah compares to a fig tree; Figs on a tree do not ripen all at once, but a little each day. Therefore, one keeps finding new figs in the tree each day. So too with Torah: The more one studies each day, the more knowledge and wisdom one finds." (Eruvin 54a)

"In that day (of Torah and peace)...everyone will invite his friend in fellowship under his vine and under his fig tree." (Zechariah 3:10)

Manna From Heaven

by Joy Krauthammer

With every breath,
with every taste,
with all my senses,
gratitude I have and give thanks
as I discover miracles
waiting for me this morning.
I laugh with glee
as I find Your babies
in Your magical garden that I tend.

Your treasures are strange:
firm, shiny, smooth, thick-shelled, purple
Passion Fruits!
Their ripened, wrinkled, rumpled rinds, deflating
from the dense leafy tendrilled vines
thirty feet wide and my height,
fallen to the ground!

I bend, praise You, lower my knees,
drop to the earth
to gather the precious, egg-shaped bounty, protecting
intensely tart tasting, succulent,
transparent, glowing golden sacs, placentas.
Each envelops a small, crunchy black seed.
Hundreds matured, concealed
and encased in a cavity.
Each attached to tissue-thin white membrane.

With care, drops of juice should not spill,
I quickly cut open one rounded passion fruit
revealed for my pleasure.
I make the blessing,
ingest Your blessings,
Giver of Life,
this summer season.

Clustered all the way from Gan Eden
beneath giant green leaves,
Figs, when plucked,
exude white sap.
Tender, large, luscious, plump, purple, fresh figs,
symbol of Torah
birthed to enjoy through and through.
In bliss, I lift each sweet sensuous one
up to You.

Figs on the tree, I bequeath
for G*d's other creatures,
as Boaz did for Ruth, the Moabitess,
to glean and feast in joy.

We taste the mysterious, mystical treasure,
delicate, dry skin and moist flesh,
ripe, bursting forth magenta insides,
awesome to behold, satisfied
I release from the fruit
holy sparks of life.
I can feel them twinkle
in my mouth and travel within me.

The blesSings of Your Passion and Fig,
I share today with a bride and groom
under their wedding canopy.

~ ~ ~

Manna From Heaven reprinted from "The Deronda Review" Vol. 1 No. 2 - Spring-Summer 2008
http://www.pointandcircumference.com/
and
The Jewish Woman 2008
http://www.chabad.org/search/keyword_cdo/kid/11715/jewish/Krauthammer-Joy.htm

More Passion Fruit found in:
http://sephirathaomer.blogspot.com/2009/05/passion-flower-returns-as-first-love.html

Joy Krauthammer, MBA is a poet, percussionist, sound healer, and gardener living in Porter Ranch, CA.
One of Joy's favorite JOY topics to teach is "Simchat Chochmah ~ Baby Boomer Joy of Wisdom".
The fig is a perfect representation for Simchat Chochmah as it is likened to Torah and the Joy of Wisdom.

Enjoy my devotion of

FIGS: Photos and Poems

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/manna-from-heaven.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/figs.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/fig-tree-at-sinai.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/12/fig-tree-gives-again.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2014/01/hummingbird-on-fig-tree.html

http://joys-garden.blogspot.com/2013/02/fig-tree-collages.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/08/haiku-fig-etiquette.html

http://joys-joyousjoy.blogspot.com/2012/08/gds-fig-tree-parshat-ki-tavo-moses.html

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/626326/jewish/Manna-From-Heaven.htm

~ ~ ~

FIGS

Fig and Self-Portrait

Figs

by Joy Krauthammer

Clustered all the way from Gan Eden

beneath giant green leaves,

figs, tender, large, luscious, plump, purple, fresh figs,

ooze white sap when plucked.

In bliss, I lift each sweet sensuous one

up to You.

Birthed to enjoy through and through

I taste the mysterious, mystical treasure,

delicate, dry skin and moist within,

ripe, bursting forth magenta flesh.

I release from the fruit

holy sparks of life. Satisfied

I feel them sparkle

in my mouth

and as they travel throughout my being.

Figs on the tree, I bequeath

to G*d's wild life, other creatures

to glean and feast in joy.

I prune Your trees

and share barren fig scions,

branches filled with potential,

with others to plant

and grow their own fig tree.

On Tu B'Shvat

may roots be blessed

may sap flow

and may buds soon blossom.

~ ~ ~

Excerpt from Manna From Heaven

Read at Tu B'Shvat Seders by Joy Krauthammer

"In that day (of Torah and peace)...everyone will invite his friend in fellowship under his vine and under his fig tree." (Zechariah 3:10)

Enjoy my devotion of

FIGs: Photos and Poems

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/manna-from-heaven.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/figs.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/fig-tree-at-sinai.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/12/fig-tree-gives-again.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2014/01/hummingbird-on-fig-tree.html

http://joys-garden.blogspot.com/2013/02/fig-tree-collages.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/08/haiku-fig-etiquette.html

http://joys-joyousjoy.blogspot.com/2012/08/gds-fig-tree-parshat-ki-tavo-moses.html

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/626326/jewish/Manna-From-Heaven.htm

FIG TREE AT SINAI

Fig Tree
Prior to Amputation

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/fig-tree-at-sinai.html

FIG TREE AT SINAI

- Joy Krauthammer

My 32 years old,

double trunk

Mission Fig tree

at sunrise,

filled with potential

stood proudly against the sky

two days before

I cut down the entire top of 'right' trunk.

This devoted fig tree

must have been at Revelation.

Feel its holy Essence,

its power, loving soul and Source.

My responsibility as 'Fig Mama':
to protect

and save the beloved tree

from totally uprooting.

I must take down half

of its remaining top,

the entire top of right trunk.

Blessed, heavily fig-laden in the summer

one trunk bends toward the ground.

With grief today,

at the tree's base

I stood and was strong.

as its body and beauty were felled.

I breathe deeply in great sadness,

shock and horror

at the amputation of its large limb.

I had to choose to save

longer, healthier life for the whole fig tree

with two trunks

and not only lightly prune

the dormant branches.

At shul tomorrow

I shall give the congregants,

the limbs of a tree that was at Sinai.

Dozens of straight, foot-long,

thick, barren branches,

buds pregnant on tips

with sap beginning to flow

are chosen, pruned, and gifted.

Lev Eisha women, the new Fig Mamas,

will plant, nurture and grow fig trees.

The women and their daughters

send me photos of cherished figs,

miracles from a once barren branch.

Again this year, to honor Tu B'Shvat,

the fig tree gives its present, its gift

to the future

from generation to generation.

May my fig tree survive the surgery

and again next year,

give us its heavenly fruit.

~ ~ ~

2/1/13 Parshat Yitro

Perek Shirah: The fig tree proclaims, “The one who guards a fig will eat its fruit.” (Mishelei 27:18)

צֵר תְּאֵנָה, יֹאכַל פִּרְיָהּ
AMAYN.

Everyone will sit under their vine and fig tree and none shall make them afraid;

for the Lord of Hosts has spoken. ~ Micah 4:4

Enjoy my devotion of

FIGs: Photos and Poems

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/manna-from-heaven.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/figs.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/02/fig-tree-at-sinai.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/12/fig-tree-gives-again.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2014/01/hummingbird-on-fig-tree.html

http://joys-garden.blogspot.com/2013/02/fig-tree-collages.html

http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/2013/08/haiku-fig-etiquette.html

http://joys-joyousjoy.blogspot.com/2012/08/gds-fig-tree-parshat-ki-tavo-moses.html

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/626326/jewish/Manna-From-Heaven.htm

Psalms of My Soul

http://sephirathaomer.blogspot.com/2011/05/blossoms-of-today-day-19-hod-sh.html

~ ~ ~

Fig tree Mama Joy and G*d's abundant big fig tree
grown from a barren branch gift from Italy 32 years ago.
Planted the single barren scion filled with promise, in 1980, from a friend's grandfather's tree.
(Adjacent orange tree on left (next to a grapefruit tree), Joy planted 33 years ago for daughter's birthday.)

Horizontal heavy fig tree trunk

Fig tree roots on northern slope

Figs from Garden of Joy shared at Lev Eisha luncheon Kiddush

Pick 'em Perfect

Fig tree's 2 trunks upright

Fig tree 1 of 2 trunks horizontal

Fig tree top after lower large branches were removed.
And before full top amputation.

Fig tree's 2nd Generation 2011
In 4th year I ate the fruit of the baby fig tree
and it was delicious.
2013 Tu B'Shvat branches from this tree.
This tree I planted on slope for the animals.

Hummingbird serenely sits high on Fig tree 2 days after tree trunk #2 amputation,
week of Tu B'Shvat, and communicates in song with nearby Mockingbird.
(I feel that this tiny bird is honoring / healing Mama Fig Tree.)