Second Coming No. 41B — March 1, 2025

Part of a SPECIAL EDITION of several poems over the course of today in solidarity with President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine

Tree Smith Benedikt
I Will Invite President Zelenskyy to Shabbat Dinner

I will put out the antique silver, 
and hope I can find a tablecloth without any stains,
I will bring up from the basement the good china.

I will give him a seat of honor at our table, 
which will be laden with sympathy and food.

We will light the candles in honor of the children stolen by Putin.
We will break the bread and drink of the vine
while democracy falls around us.

In between bites of food, I will pray the Mi Shebeirach
for the healing of his people and of my broken heart.
We will not talk of the past,
but maybe, instead, read poems out loud
as a bulwark against the coming storm.

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Tree Smith Benedikt‘s poems have appeared in journals including Glacial Hills Review, Ritualwell, and Jewish Literary Journal, as well as in the anthology Proof of Life: An Exploration of Conflict, Survival, and the Human Spirit Post October 7th (OneFamily Fund, 2024). She is the founder of Jewish Poets Collective and the Elul Poetry Reading Challenge, and lives with her family in Southern Ohio.

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Indolent Books and editor Michael Broder are back with another poem-a-day series as a creative response to the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House. The plan is to continue for all 1460 days of the 47th American presidency.

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Find out how to submit poems or flash prose pieces to Second Coming.

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