My Soul Now Feels Thinner

In Memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg


My soul now feels thinner,
As though I’ve lost someone dear,
While the trees are losing their leaves,
Ripped away by a chill wind.
 
Nearby, the stream is wailing, too.
I stumble onward, as I must,
Without shadow of your notorious safety,
Walking into a dark unknown.
 
I hold you, wrapped in silk
In an inside pocket,
Bound by ribbons of justice,
Close to the necessary pain I carry.
 
Tonight I will hear the lament sung by women,
Feel the anguish, morn your passing.
I will blow the shofar into the emptiness,
Feel the shifting sand under my feet.