Book Reviews

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Out of the depths
I have cried
to You, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
to the voice
of my
supplications.
[A Song of Ascents.]
[Psalm 130: 1-2]
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"I stopped writing for
awhile, Lord."

"Yes, child.
I know."

"How come,
LORD?"

[SILENCE.]
[GAZE DOWN ON
THE MOON OVER
SAN ANTONIO.]

(Shrug.)
(Sip some rootbeer.)
"I dunno."
(Careless shrug.)
"I just didn't FEEL like it."

[NOD.]

(Yawn.)
"Yeah;
I was doin' this
Beth MOORE study."

[SMILE!]

(Squirm.)
"OY!"
(Woeful sigh.)
"It kinda sapped my
STRENGTH!"

[CHUCKLE.]

"She's so DEEP."
(Grimmace!)
"And.....EMOTIONAL."
(Thoughtful squint.)
"Plus....she's always
talkin' about ancient
Jewish HISTORY,
but....she doesn't
really get the HUMOR!"

[CURIOUS GAZE.]
"Why didn't you
tell them,
child?"

[Grimmace!]
[Wry frown up at ceiling.]
"Neah.....it was
too big of a GROUP.
I didn't feel like
goin' into all that
'Oh, I'm Jewish.'
stuff. It's too
EXHUASTING."

[SLOW NOD.]
[SMILE.]
"Hm, hm."

"They never get the
humor of it, ANYWAY!
Everything's so
SERIOUS,
with them!
Z'e GOYEM*!"

[PATIENT SIGH.]
"Oy vey,
child."

(Kvetchy frown.)
(Thoughtful sip of rootbeer.)
"Plus, the print's in her
books are always...
too SMALL."

[PATIENT NOD.]

(Frown.)
"I can tell she doesn't
have any'a MY family's
genes."

[PATIENT SIGH.]

"Yeah;
in those videos,
she's always walkin'
up Mount OLIVE,
or somethin'."

[CHUCKLE.]

(Shake scruffy head.)
"It's not fair."

[PATIENT NOD.]
[GAZE OFF AT TWO
POLAR BEARS LYING
ON A SMIDGEN OF
MELTING ICE, ON TOP
A' THE NORTH POLE.]
"How so,
My precious."

"How come she's
got all that TALENT?
And,
BEAUTY?
And......
good FEET?"

[PATIENT GAZE.]
"And what have
I given you,
child?"

(Squirm.)
"A lotta'
TSORIS**?"
(Smile!)

[PATIENT FROWN.]
"And, what is
that,
My precious."

(Irritable squint up
at ceiling.)
"God......LORD!
Don't You know
any YIDDISH?"

[LAUGH!]

"Do I have'ta
teach You,
THAT, too?"

[CHUCKLE.]

"Hey, LORD?"
(Squint up at air conditioning
vent.)
"Are there FISH,
in THERE?"

"Where,
My beloved."

"Ya know:
in that RIVER?"

"What river,
Mein kinder."

"Ya know:
THAT one!
The ONE that
runs by
Your THRONE!"

[SLOW NOD.]
"Ah.
Ah,
I see."
[TEASING SMILE.]

"WELL?
IS there?"
WELL?"

[CHUCKLE.]

(Irritable squint.)
(Whiny nasal*** voice.)
"AW!
Come ON!
YOU can tell
ME!"

"No."

(Louder whine.)
"AW!
Come ON!"

"Read My Word,
child."

"What's THAT
gotta do with IT?"

"Because,
My child.
That is
the River."
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Surely I have calmed
and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child
with his mother;
Like a weaned child
is my soul within me.
O Israel,
hope in the Lord
From this time forth
and forever.
[Song of Ascents of David.]
[Psalm 131:2-3]

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*Yiddish: Gentiles.
**Yiddish: 'bad, bad....
BAD trouble.'
***Philadelphia accent.

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