A sallow Khasid

[PrinceMyshkin]

A sallow Hassid
on a cold spring day
glanced appraisingly at me
as I drove by.

[deryk]

Beautifully succinct and transparent as ever, Prince. It seems to float about the varying shades of racial recognition, but I could be over-reading.

[blank|verse]

So much depends upon that (mis-typed) word and its implications.

The first two lines are particularly musical in what is a relatively rare posting for you these days, Prince. I hope the muse visits you more often from now.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Many thanks, B|V and Deryk:

Beautifully succinct and transparent as ever, Prince. It seems to float about the varying shades of racial recognition, but I could be over-reading.

Your reference to "varying shades of racial recognition" staggered me with its insightfulness as that was very much part of my thinking as I experienced the moment I described but I chose not to dwell on or emphasize it.

Would the poem work, I wonder, for a reader who had no idea that I am a (secular) Jew?

[_Shannon_]

Yes...I think it works. I am always so blown away by your writing

[deryk]

Many thanks, B|V and Deryk:


Your reference to "varying shades of racial recognition" staggered me with its insightfulness as that was very much part of my thinking as I experienced the moment I described but I chose not to dwell on or emphasize it.

Would the poem work, I wonder, for a reader who had no idea that I am a (secular) Jew?

It's honest enough to be apparent. But it ought to work regardlessly. It doesn't detract from the experience; it only adds realism. I sometimes choose penetration over elucidation when reading. It obviously isn't the focus, just an innocent layer of apprehension.

[Hawkman]

Hi Prince, It's nice to see you writing again. I'm glad you editited it as I was thrown by the typo. However, it is interesting that when the subject of your observation is defined, classified even, as belonging to a group, the immediate effect is to create a sense of otherness, a separation from object and observer. Written as it is, with such stark economy, the observation seems devoid of fellowship. There is no clue in the poem to the cultural, ethnic, racial or social allegiance of the writer, only an implication of alienation.

Perhaps interpretation here will depend entirely on the cultural, ethnic, racial and social allegiance of the reader.

Live and be well. - H

[Bar22do]

A sallow Hassid
on a cold spring day
glanced appraisngly at me
as I drove by.


You have another typo, should be "appraisingly".
Many non Jews would have no idea who a Hassid is. Anyway, it seems as if "your" Hassid here were addressing your own hassidic ancestry through his fortuitous glance, that is if such an ancestry can be found in you (which would lift this minor event to a level of mind to mind communication, beyond time and space!).

[PrinceMyshkin]

Thank you Shannon, Deryk, Hawkman and Bar.

[Jerrybaldy]

I felt esoterically excluded by the opening but also that the next three lines would be a grand main to many a starter.

[drago]

Sometimes poems seem like veils; you can do nothing but appreciate the intimacy.

[everyadventure]

Always wonderful to see a poem of yours, Prince. The overall tone of this poem is one of disapproval and distance. "Sallow," "cold," "appraisingly," all seem judgmental. Even "glanced" is cursory, impersonal.

And yes, knowing that you are a secular Jew does add some insight, and perhaps an added layer of depth (as Bar implies), but it does not change the overall theme of the poem.

[Haunted]

I didn't figure out the secular vs religious reference, I didn't even get Khasid until Bar said hassidic, but even then I failed to make the ancestral connection. All I saw was eyes like those gazing out a painting and you can feel the intensity and thoughts in those eyes. It's a very strong poem, I would compare it to a museum piece.

[AuntShecky]

I didn't know from "Khasid" but later learned that the word (proper name?) refers to Hassid(ism.)


The other day while thumbing through one of the Oxford reference books to look up something totally unrelated to the topic of your posting, just by chance I came upon this:

Hassidim is a system of belief in which "the entire world is blessed with God's presence. Happiness and ecstasy with which one worships God and the kindness shown towards one fellow man are the important principles guiding man's
life."

[PrinceMyshkin]

Thank you, Haunted, AuntShecky, Everyadventure, SarahDrago & JerryBaldy