Stories I Tell Myself
Linda Brody Bakst on Brooklyn, growing up, identity and more
Category: poetry
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I keep telling myself I want to read more poetry. But I don’t do it. Why? I think in part it is because for me it is hit or miss. I love it or I don’t get it. And when I don’t get it, I feel less than. It feels unsatisfying. With a book, it…
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I have read quite a bit about the Holocaust. Recently I read Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt, which reported on the trial in Israel of the Nazi who was responsible for the transport of Jews to concentration camps. I also read Fugitives of the Forest by Allan Levine which profiled Jewish Partisans who fought…
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Note: Every so often my thoughts are best expressed in a prose-poem – I call it that because I don’t know what else to call it. As I continue going through Aunt Clair’s stuff, this is what came to me. Aunt Clair saved letters Who do they belong to now that She has passed to…
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Everything was glowing. A golden light cast through the trees, peeking around the clouds; gilding leaves, grass, the very air. THIS is the gloaming. Late October, the sun low, the air soft, the breeze blowing through my graying, wild hair. Red, yellow, russet, orange leaves, shimmering against the fading blue sky. Fallen dried leaves dancing,…
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March 13th, in addition to marking my son’s 31st birthday, was the 15th anniversary of my father’s death. I am pleased to report that memories of Dad’s strength, intelligence and ever-present support have replaced the images that haunted me in the years immediately after his death. My thoughts of him then were of an ill,…
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Accumulation of debris Layers of particulate Remnants of experience Threads of memory Reminders of disappointment, joy, hurt and love Bury it or stir it up? Worn pathways Channels in my brain Seeking expression Patterns of thought and belief Like grooves in a vinyl record Can I fill in, smooth over, or redirect? Should…
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Oh paperwork!!! Letters, notices and advertisements pile up on my kitchen counter Which electricity supplier should I use? Is there a difference among them? A notice of unclaimed funds arrives in my mailbox Three phone calls placed, four completed forms submitted Five months later, I receive a check for $2.50 Another notice arrives via email…
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A woman stands in the middle of a room Like a sculpture I sit, studying her I know her. I shift seats I study her again I see variations, but the image holds. A chill wind blows She shifts her stance Bracing herself I see her face. I don’t recognize her Who…
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Views of Central Park in mid-October (photos by me!) Oh, how do I love thee? I love the juxtaposition Nature and civilization Bird calls and sirens Steel and glass skyscrapers and majestic ancient trees Ducks and turtles paddling the reservoir Birds swoop Stately pre-war apartment buildings stand guard to the west Museum mile…
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His skin is mottled, He is 94. He stands erect, He walks with assurance. He says, I feel the same as I always feel. Right now, I think. He can’t imagine feeling different, He doesn’t remember. Months before, winter of 2016, hospitalized 5 times or more in Florida, Weakened by persistent diarrhea…
