Lee Diamond -A Fire in My Belly
I don’t know why
I didn’t ignite it
Nor do I rekindle it
Daily
It’s always there
Like the bush that burned
And was never consumed
It won’t leave me
Its epicenter is deep in my gut
I can actually feel the flames
At this very minute and all others.
It keeps me warm
And the heat of my gut
Makes me other
Not better, but other!
It radiates in my heart
And my lips
And my eyes
It fills my heart
And causes me to laugh out loud
And cry bitter tears
Some call it Aish
I call it the
burning Jewish Neshama
Born in me
As much as any other
Part of me
But it burns and swells
And makes life possible
It defines me
I speak the fire
I embody the passion
I feel It in my chest
It’s welling up
It’s writing these very words
My eyes are actually burning
Now
The flame consumes all of me
Now!
Yes I am a
Jew
If you remove my skin
You’ll be exposed
To flames and red hot embers
Ready to Ignite .
I think that it’s no less
Than my very life
My essence
The fire that every Jew
Who lives
Knows and feels
It’s the flame of The Bush
Eternal
The fire that can’t be consumed
The fire of God
Of
יהוה
