Magpies

A poem in the Fall 2011 issue of Tikkun.

Dr. Seuss’s Progressive Politics

Dr. Seuss was, and remains two decades after his death, the world’s most popular writer of modern children’s books. He wrote and illustrated forty-four children’s books characterized by memorable rhymes, whimsical characters, and exuberant drawings that encouraged generations of children to love reading and expand their vocabularies. But, equally important, he used his pen to encourage youngsters to challenge bullies and injustice. Generations of progressive activists may not trace their political views to their early exposure to Dr. Seuss, but without doubt this shy, brilliant genius played a role in sensitizing them to abuses of power.

The False Bride

Outside of Simon’s office, the hum of angels’ wings moved the air like an evening breeze. The pair, one young and one old — ageless really — but one wise, one unknowing, innocent, rested on the air and waited.

Heaven’s Snake

“Is the cornsnake Jewish?” This was a tough question to answer. I was visiting with the first-grade class taught by my then-girlfriend, who had introduced me to her students as “Farmer Josh” — and then thrust a large-ish cornsnake into my less-than-willing hands.

Poetry & Fiction Highlights from the Tikkun Archive

Poetry & Fiction Highlights from the Tikkun Archive
The Tikkun print archive goes back twenty-five years. We are hugely grateful to a team of volunteers and interns who have been putting the archive online over the last two years, a task now near to completion. You can explore it here. In the next phase the team will create more pages like this selecting archived articles on particular themes. This one was created by one of our interns and doesn’t necessarily reflect official editorial choices: there will be time for that later, we hope!

Song for Babi Yar

Babi Yar where are you, no signs that will bring me there,
Hid behind a sickled fist, the savior of the mortified,
Crushing leaves on walking by,
Trees renewed by the black lake of forty-one.