22 Elul: How do we (re)turn

Humanity, indoors,
Blasts
The AirCon;
The global thermostat
Rises in return.
Masked,
Black-uniformed,
Armed,
Liberty—turned inward—
Demands,
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses!”
The FEMA team,
Turns to the crowd,
Water at their knees,
Hands out plastic bottles,
Plastic tents,
Plastic food.
We keep dying of consumption.
You put your mask on first,
But you and I can’t breathe,
Cannot turn to help each other.
The self-made-man,
Stood on the backs of
Those he rendered invisible,
Turns away,
And proclaims himself God.
Where will he stand when
They have perished,
Returned to dust and ash?
What will he say to God
When he meets Her?
And what will She say
In return?

Leah F. Cassorla, Ph.D., MFA, is studying for a Kol-Bo (dual ordination) at Academy for Jewish Religion. She believes our climate and political crises are deeply intertwined and driven by unfettered capitalism.