Tazria-Metzora 鈥� She conceives / One who suffers (Leviticus 9:1鈥�11:47)

Who am I
who has never given birth

who could never give birth
to weigh in on what a woman

should do or feel
when giving birth?

Once I saw men and women
separated by an acre of sand

fling off their clothes and
run into the ocean.

They were declared ritually clean after
and the rest of their lives together

commenced.
Another time

in fact, a handful of times
we had to shut the doors with

only one of us inside
to make sure the plague

stayed in one place.
Another time

but only once, my beloved
made another human being.

I helped with the paperwork
but not much else.

She is the creator.
I am the afflicted.

Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 29 books including 鈥淕od Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.鈥� Visit him at