Mourners Kaddish Poem by Bryan Taplits

When I was young, just a boy,
This left me quite agog,
How the men could recall, without any pause,
The chant of Mourners Kaddish
at my synagogue.
But now I'm a man-
And I understand-
Why memorized words can lead to a swirling abyss,
I don't want to recall them-but these words aimed at all Jewish men-
Betoken someone close who has died,
so we chant The Mourners Kaddish.
I cry at these words that I remember-
In my life-this late September-
So this chant to my soul I append,
I've said it so many times-
Like a child's nursery rhyme-
Yes, I've said it over and over again.
I think back to when I was lucky-
Not to know these words,
"words" which point to life‘s eternal pause,
Yes, how fortunate was that lad
Not needing to chant these words-
which shakes me-then leaves me so sad.
But in these autumn days
they are my walker and my staff-
an unanswerable wish-
Indomitable and Eternal:
The Mourners Kaddish.