Raphael – New write. Poetry section. c/c please?
I wonder if he still wanders or did he finally find a place
His eyes were azure blue and too youthful for his face
His name was Raphael and I thought it odd
He had an angel's name but had given up on God.
He had an accent very strange and yet familiar too
Turned out he was Polish, turned out that he was Jew
Was nowhere to take him where he could eat and rest awhile
But he replied at my concern with a passive smile
"I've not been to synagogue or practiced Jewish faith
Since my release from Dachau into the human race."
My heart was in my throat for this hobo at my side
Who hadn't asked for anything, not even for the ride
I dropped him at an eatery, put some cash into his hand
He 'God blessed' me, and I thought it strange for a 'godless' man
A few days later my brother stopped to visit for awhile
And I began to tell him about meeting Raphael
He stopped me before I could finish and then began to speak
And told me of the hobo he'd encountered just last week
Turned out we both, my brother and I, had given him a ride
And we've wondered ever since was he an angel at our side
He'd been heading east for me and, for my brother, west
And we both had been compelled to stop and give him rest
And we each had picked him up in towns were miles away
At just an hour apart and on the very same day...
This happened in 1986 and I'd been so impressed by this gentle man that I wrote an article telling his story. It hadn't hit the street yet when my brother revealed he'd seen the same man and stopped to offer him a ride. My brother picked him up about 10-12 miles from where I left him, so it very well could have been coincidence. Regardless, we both are glad to have met him, but in my mind he'll always be My Wandering Jew.
Hi Dah, the plant was named after the Jews who wandered in the desert. Whoever Raphael is and wherever he may be, I hope he isn't hungry. More than likely he has died.
Home | Contact | About | Privacy Policy | Sitemap
