(Charlotte Cohen, Yaakov Wolpe)
The Smile that Tightened Two Cities
The Whispering of Atlantic mist.
It was the Administrator’s mother’s mother, Miss Bella Oshry, who sailed the length of this mighty current.
The days, 1939, these were young
A dreadful beat of a hovering clock.
The ground that she would soon tap
Similar to the blood of her veins
Thought preserved by Lithuanian greats.
But it was not there, the Land of the Zulus, where Miss Oshry laid her sack,
Despite such, members of her household favored these moist fields.
Northern sod she pushed foot
Where, should a man labor stone, an abundance of wealth would wet his eyes.
The City of Gold was where she settled.
G-D was good to this woman
Fruits fell from her bow;
These, Administrator’s mother’s brothers; Administrator’s mother;
And her too – but far from these on the earth, Administrator’s mother’s sister.
My mother speaks of such things
There shall be a time when absence shall shadow the heart
And in this place, fondness shall fill a pit.
These tears were wiped by travels of the people living by the goldstone diggers,
And the ones who embraced these folk
The people of Zula – the sweet sugar souls!
A woman who had recently received a brand-new name, Mrs. Bella Brett, her honorable husband – Uncle Jack; and their geshmaker children were the ones who enjoyed the city of… ‘’Durbs’’.
Mr. Milton Buchalter is also a man who breathed his first along these drenched sticky dunes – like too, the members of Mrs. Brett née Oshry!
Mr. Milton Buchalter: Brother of Mr. Errol Buchalter, he, husband of Mrs. Nadine Buchalter (– née Oshry!) she – a peer who fished out these priceless hugs – and to this day, Administrator’s mother utters this woman – cousin ‘’Nay”!
An introduction shall come, but few words let it be – for he is a “scientist”!
Qualified chemical engineer, and director of Crystal-Clear Consulting and Merchants (Pty) Ltd. Mr. Milton Buchalter develops and manages ultra-sophisticated water technology – including NanoKleen – a water purification system used in Nasa spacecrafts. The most established corporations in the engineering and mining communities sleep ‘’cozy-cozy’’ because of this man’s precise notes. These include: Impala Platinum Mines; MEMCON High Tech Water Process Supplies; AB InBev Beer; AngloGold ASHANTI
– and more I do not write!
We shall work hard and when our fingers are numb, our shoulders shall tilt!
Yaakov Wolpe
DISAPPOINTMENT
Look at the word ‘disappointment’
And you will plainly see others in it:
‘point’, ‘appoint’, ‘appointment’
and ‘ointment’
All of which prompts you to view
Disappointment for what it is:
To point you in another direction
And appoint you the opportunity
To make a different appointment
With destiny
It even supplies the ointment
As a salve to smooth the way
Against further disenchantment
Notice too, that by moving the letter ‘m’
Woven into the end of ‘disappointment’
Remain the successive letters of the word ‘intent ‘
Making yet another point:
To recognise
That change in misfortune can be devised
By the intention and resolution one applies
Charlotte Cohen
WHAT IS A ‘A MENSCH’?
a description, an interpretation, a definition, a dedication
It is the voice
And the understanding behind it
It is the eyes
And the intelligence behind them
It is the recognition that support is needed
And unasked for
Giving it
And the kindness that lies behind all of that
It is keeping quiet when one ought
And speaking when one should
And knowing the difference
It is giving praise deservedly
And encouragement unreservedly
And the comprehension of the cruelty
That lies in indifference
It is standing up for what is right
Standing up for one’s own rights
And standing up for a friend
It is not turning one’s head away
Or convincing oneself to stay out of it
It is thinking with one’s heart
And acting with one’s mind
It is knowing fear – but confronting it anyway
It is the ability to admit one’s own mistakes
And the capability to allow others to make them
It is the knowledge
That assessment is often based on perception
A mensch fuses up-to-date views
With old-fashioned values
Sustaining a sense of honour
And maintaining a sense of humour
A mensch is a person one can trust
Who‘s non-judgmental and who plays fair
A mensch sees the world as ‘we’ not ‘I’
A mensch is always there
A ‘mensch’ is a manifestation
Of the human spirit
Using the inimitable energy that lies within
And the infinite power that lies beyond.
Charlotte Cohen
