This ancient wooden ladder
has stood in my cellar
for only God knows how long.
There it stands defiant and graceless,
daring one intrepid climber
to ascend its wobbly rungs.
Ah, this once proud ladder stood
agleam with new polished wood,
not unlike bones,
solid and strong, taut and ready
to support a climber's target of attaining
its lofty summit.
Now it stands shaky and shabby;
paint speckled and splattered
in every known shade of color
concocted by Sherwin Williams
and Benjamin Moore.
I should put it out with the trash
on Monday morning.
But maybe if I am clever enough:
holding tight for balance,
rising up with slow and careful steps,
despite unremitting swaying and interim falls,
I just might make it to the crest,
naming it my Malkhut to Teferet trip,
fueled by courage
and an unswerving goal
to touch and meet my patient soul.
Sonia has been taking Kabbalah classes for over 2 years. She has studied at the Kabbalah Centre in Newton, MA and at the Kabbalah Society of New England.
