Two poems
An American Child’s Bad Summer Day
There is a storm outside today, so I can’t go out and play.
Raindrops keep falling by my house, I wish they’d go away.
Puddles are forming on the ground where the raindrops hit.
Thunder just roared and a couple seconds later the whole sky was lit.
Lightning struck an electrical wire, and a tree fell near a jeep.
There’s nothing to do around the house, so I’ll stay in bed and sleep.
I wake up to my alarm and the calm of the rain against my door.
I wonder when the rain will stop, I can’t take it anymore.
There is a storm outside today, so I can’t go out and play.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny day.
An Israeli Child’s Bad Summer Day
There is a war outside today, so I can’t go out and play.
Rockets keep falling by my house, I wish they’d go away.
There are huge holes in the ground where the rockets hit.
I heard the Iron Dome go off and a couple seconds later the whole sky was lit.
A rocket struck my friend’s house, and one hit near my school.
Everyone around is so tense, I’m just trying to keep cool.
I’m awoken suddenly by a siren, and my younger sister’s scream.
Even when I’m awake I feel like I’m living in a bad dream.
There is a war outside today, so I can’t go out and play.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a peaceful day.
Anat Litwok
The writer is a former member of Congregation Sons of Israel, Manalapan. She completed her IDF service in December and lives in Kibbutz Dan in the Galil.
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