The Stream (Anullment) By Rahel And Rabbi Kohen Poem by Eli Spivakovsky

The stream dances
and glistens in the wild turquoise air
It twists like part of a woman body's back and forth
in and out
shivering - wanting to be admired
- wanting children's little boats
- wanting to be at the bidding of lovers
It pulses and flirts
with the silver-magenta sky above it
I walk through the stream
with bound-sandals on
to protect my feet...
I can feel empty glass bottles
I almost slip
and then my first lap's over
I am his bride!
and it leads to a secret place
where I prepare myself for him,
I change into my fleece wedding dress
I can feel the dusty stones on my bejeweled hands
the electric-blue dragon-flies are out - and so is my claim of love
I can feel your tenderness, your telekinses: your eyes opens mine without our touch

There, brought from the hinterland: our love!

and I ask you to take my hand and hold it tightly until I make a vow
then I walk back in
taking large steps through the algae
green stained against silken white - pulled tight
my dress pulled down
train caught in the flotsam of dried leaves
I give you my first wedding and the depth of love so deep your heart almost bleeds through the wedding dress... I give you my pulse to measure my heart-skipping you... I give you my breasts heaving and shallow-breathing until I stop the breath that we share

He follows me and we are so soaked and quiet
that deer appear in the wetlands
steps upon my steps in unison
They say that a dip on your wedding day
annuls a ceremony on land
so we decide to get married within water to begin with

vows are taken, dripping, restored
we look like wood nymphs
we inspect each other eyes for circles
we touch our eyes then our hearts and swear on both
we open the train and cut it into banners
we ruin the moments of 'Amen'
we...finally... weep

and eventually, all of this, and all of us, will disappear
let's hold each other like we're about to be annulled, we'll start a fresh half-broken
and leave the stream to seduce our memories