Global Correspondent Report on Israel

 

 

Helen Bar-Lev, IL   21 June, The Solstice   Today, 21 June, the solstice, there was a snake in the garden. It climbed all the way up a yucca-like tree, the birds set up some commotion, and Johnmichael saw it all from his office window—we called a snakecatcher, thinking it was a viper, but from the description, it was another snake, a good-guy, one that catches and kills vipers. Rocks were turned up, crevices searches, no snake. On 11 June the 2009 Voices Israel Anthology was launched on the rooftop of the French Institute in Tel-Aviv. Over 40 people were present. Poets read their poems, some were recorded, photos were taken, and our guest was the distinguished poet Seymour Mayne, from Ottawa, Canada. If you go to our new Voices website, of which Johnmichael is the new webmaster, you will see and hear the poems under the NEWS section. http://www.freewebs.com/voicesisrael/ In any event the news Voices Israel website is beautiful and we do invite you to take a look. On 30 June our annual all-day summer workshop will take place in Haifa, again in the home our gracious secretary, Susan Rosenberg. There will be six poets presenting topics followed by exercises and a lot of people attending. Everyone brings something for lunch—these are always inspiring and exciting workshops. I'll tell you about it next time. There is still time to submit to Cyclamens and Swords summer online edition, until 31 July. The theme is NOT WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT, which applies only to poems. Short stories, artwork, welcome. http://www.cyclamensandswords.com/  Our annual contest is now open, submissions accepted until 30 November. Please see guidelines on the website. Johnmichael has finally, after creating and tending my website, the Cyclamens and Swords website, now the Voices Israel website, created his own website: http://johnmichaelsimon.webs.com/  His poems are masterful, my humble opinion. Please read and enjoy. Here is a poem from his website:   Free Verse   Beware the Colors are Changing Johnmichael Simon   I am a soap bubble. Wave froth. Impermeable. I am hardness. Black light. A countdown of flashing digits, blinking off. I am a candle. Extinguished. I cling under rocks. In crevices. I am an anvil. An iron mountain. Lightning discloses the scar across my face. I am a prophecy. Tomorrow’s shadow. Smug. Time stretched to its thinnest membrane. Nothing about me returns. I’m metamorphosing. Red into red into red. Don’t wait for me.     In honour of today's snake in the trees, I send you a poem about the Garden of Eden: Have a good, healthy, peaceful summer.     Free Verse   Eden Revisited   What really happened in the Garden of Eden when that sneaky serpent determined our future was Eve actually innocent, Adam absolutely complacent, or were they bored, curious humans ready for a snake to relieve their routine was it yellow, red, green, dappled that infamous apple that disgraced Eve and put Eden on the map was it Grant, Delicious, Macintosh, that sinful apple that abolished innocence that took Eve and Adam and put them into history books that brought the fig leaf into fashion that made Adam’s neck bulge that left Abel dead that bolted the gates to Paradise and banished humanity to the libraries to quest for knowledge, denied otherwise do you want to tell me that the Lord in all his wisdom could not foresee the outcome when he created the serpent and an inquisitive woman?