Heathrow

In a little place called London Heathrow Airport, I am. Twice, I thought I saw Ed Horsley in the airport, but after looking more closely I realized I was looking at middle-aged British women with scraggly hair. I slept uncomfortably for a few hours on the flight, watched two movies, and read Naim Ateek’s A […]

reLAX, finally

After eight hours of phone calls, 200 bones, and an unpleasant night sleep, I have arrived at my gate at LAX with my boarding pass in my pocket. Because I have only eaten peanuts, carrots and a bowl of cereal today, I decided to buy a dinner/snack at Starbucks. I just spent $10, which is […]

daniel ben bob and the 18 vertebrae

In Annie Dillard’s For the Time Being, I learned that 18 is the numerical value of the Hebrew word “life” and that when Jews pray to the ancient Western Wall they bend 18 vertebrae… In Jerusalem in the summer of 2003, my 18 vertebrae bent toward the Western Wall. Praying to the wall had always […]

Another Jerusalem Poem

Jerusalem: the face visible yet hidden, the sap and blood of all that makes us live or renounce life. The spark flashing in the darkness, the murmur rustling through shouts of happiness and joy. A name, a secret. For the exiled, a prayer. For all others, a promise. Jerusalem: seventeen times destroyed yet never erased. […]

Returning to Jerusalem

I’m leaving for Israel-Palestine tomorrow night. And while I’ve been packing, I’ve been looking over some old notes from my last trip to Israel in 2003. Pastor Brian Morganstern wrote this poem for me, Fellow pilgrim and poet, you are here! Walk in its ways, feel the texture of its walls, feel the weight of […]