Wednesday, July 05, 2006

what i'm afraid of

one two
one two
zap 'im again-he's gotta survive
gotta keep his damn religion alive

how did he expect
his spark to stay lit
if he don't do shit
blaming it all
on false prophets and hypocrites

so he's just one with god
no laws no rites
just be good
-courted his wife by the moon light
they were married within a fortnight
had some kids who're unusually bright

and while life's perfect for them
i don't mean to party poop
but the offspring's whole connection
is only matzha ball soup.

-but you're not roman catholic just 'cause you eat fettucini
how are they to know that there's more
than white doilies and white silk beanies
they know about their culture
with the same intellegence as a zuccini

and they're all going to sunday school
where a bunch of fools
try to teach that it's chilled and cool
to do what you want
and to act like a freak
as long as you're covered
by the end of the week

with your membership fees
and while you've got
less of a concept
than dirt under your nails
you've got plant your little tree
up in israel

and carried by people who don't know better
an ancient culture unravels slow
like an old torn sweater
but now their lives are much better
met a nice palestinian girl
think he's gonna go wed her
while her mother would blow up half of jerusalem
if they only would let her

but the couple in love say
'the show must go on
is there something wrong with having a channuka bush
and keeping ramadan?'

got a well groomed house, car,and yacht
a clear name up there with all the elitists
but their heirloom tapestry's
been soiled by graffitists

and too soon the spiritual is gnawed to the bone
and they're feel like they're on a desert island -so very alone
they go to israel, but they're strangers in their very own home.
cannot fathom what's so special about a wall of old stone....

so zap 'im again
one two
c'mon
let his kids walk in around in more
than spiritual longjohns

let them know that there's more to religion
than a bar mitzva and circumcision
4000 years of rich history
and one tiny dent starts the fission

64 comments:

Scraps said...

Wow.

[speechless]

kasamba said...

I second the wow- that is so powerful and well written!

That whole concept scares the life out of me. Do my husband and I put enough meaning in the rituals to keep my kids in the chain?

(Ya know, you could really be a great rapper; MC Freak!)

Anonymous said...

awesome. very awesome. (almost made the wait worthwile)

s.J. said...

thanks y'all.

welcome to my everyday.

;iulu said...

think it went over my head..:(

(how dumb am i that i'm not getting it??)

s.J. said...

what's not to understand?
what's there to understand?

;iulu said...

everything.





nothing.

s.J. said...

dunno.
the words made sense, right?

that's what i meant.

;iulu said...

i saw white characters on black background.
that's abt it that went in..

;iulu said...

some glitch on my end
gotta reboot.

s.J. said...

don't worry if you don't get it.
i probably don't get half of it myself.

;iulu said...

problem is i want to get it.


so very frustrating.
think i'll go have a good cry
and try it agian

s.J. said...

cry? whatever you say.

;iulu said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
s.J. said...

um.... right.

Rivky said...

thought the begining was one thing, then it changed after the 2nd or third paragraph. but it is pretty great.

anonym00kie said...

scary how true it all is..
jewish food just isnt good enough to keep the kids around, if you cant back it up with something more substantial, can you blame them for lusting after what the world has to offer.. so sad

socialworker/frustrated mom said...

Amazing even though I am not sure I understand it as usual. Happy to see you blogging. If you changed the template to white does that mean you are happy or happier? Hope so.

the sabra said...

alrighty now if noones understandin, then theres either somethin wrong with them or me. and lookin in the mirror today, id say its me ;)

sj, good piece.
sad point, but true.
fabulous analogies (zuccini hehe).
good good post.

(and yes that was a long wait)

kasamba said...

When I saw the new white wallpaper I had the same feeling that I do when my 17 year old cleans up his room- all is not right....

SJ=ok?

;iulu said...

i have seen the light









and it is mindblowing.

smb said...

great poem

It sad when people are Only given a little info about their heritage and don't get to really experience the knowledge and beauty and fullfillment that it has to offer. And then they're left to search for the information on their own. Unfortunately, some don't know that there's more to know and just go on what they were given.

kasamba said...

Ther, that's thats better.

Rivky said...

I still don't get what zap im again is saying. how are you zapping them and who is doing the zapping?

;iulu said...

ftr: this post has got to be put to music..if we find you an agent...will ya?

Anonymous said...

whers ur counter man?

s.J. said...

heeheehee.
alright. let's work our way up.

no counter 'cause they're dumb and pointless
(unless of course you want to be a number....)

flor- i can do that. but i won't do the vocals.
(and mind blowing? you know i hate flattery.)

trixies- think of it as a religious infusion. or the jaws of life..

kasamba- anything for the people.

s.J. said...

smb-thanks

sabra- thanks. and sorry.

s.J. said...

sw/fm- thanks. (if you don't get it, you don't have to 'praise' it. i'd hate to see another rendition of the 'emperor's new clothes' unfolding) and just b/c y'all couldn't see what my new backdrop was, doesn't mean i didn't have one. i guess the personal pics didn't load up properly.

s.J. said...

anonym00k- yup. i couldn't have said it better myself.

;iulu said...

no vocals, but once you copyright it..you have the rights whenever it's used..which means..you have a new career to to dress your kids in! congrats! (see, that wasn't too hard)

that hurts sj, i don't flatter.
I only state the truth (after my eyes were pried open by someone with a heckuva lot of patience).
i'm sorry if it's too intense.

Anonymous said...

and those flaming voodoogothhellish-thingamajigs+ghouls in your background..awesome!


(oh wait. no , i take that back..you may think it's flattery..)

s.J. said...

snort. [rolls eyes]

anonym00kie said...

actually i think you did say it better than i did :)
but i have a question, why is it called "what im afraid of"? i dont think someone whos that clear on the flaws of this psuedo-jewish lifestyle needs to be afraid.. or am i getting it wrong?

;iulu said...

are none of us not afraid of what the future holds?

s.J. said...

i'm scared for my children...
what the hell am i gonna tell them if the only reason i do (as of now) what i do is so the chain continues?

anonym00kie said...

why do you want the chain to continue.. just so the chain can continue?

s.J. said...

b/c it lasted this long.
who the f*ck am i to break it?

;iulu said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
;iulu said...

1- don't have kids (easy way out)
2- have them, and tell them why you're continuing it. Stuff like this is more powerful than we'd imagine.
3- do you actually want to break it? or for lack of a better alternative you'll continue for the time being and 'feel' it out?

s.J. said...

dunno.
just b/c i don't understand why we've been doing this sh!t for 4000 years doesn't give me the right to limit my children from it.
(if i don't have kids, i'm in essence saying to my parents and theirs- f___ you. you carried on a lineage from adam. but i think i'll adopt a dog.)

;iulu said...

right. so scrap #1 then.

I may be very off, but in a way it seems like you're trying to say you don't know the exact reason* why we do all this [like you said], and don't want to cut your kids off totally from it, yet it'd be 'hypocritical' in a way for you to go through the motions for their sake while you don't fully believe in it yourself?
All the while in a catch-22 bec. you're faced with this moral battle [of 'hypocrite'] vs. honoring your parents by continuing on in the way it's been for thousands of years.



*who says there's only one??



(and dare i quote this here?)

anonym00kie said...

i have another idea, what if instead of worrying about passing down a 4000 year heritage we dotn understand, we passed on a tradition of thinking critically, of searching honestly and of not being afraid of questioning and finding answers to our questions.
then we wouldnt have to worry about our kids being led down the wrong path..
seems much more rewarding to find a reason to keep the chain going than to do it out of lack of a better alternative

;iulu said...

i concur mookie..

"2- have them, and tell them why you're continuing it. Stuff like this is more powerful than we'd imagine."

socialworker/frustrated mom said...

Hey even if I didn't get the full message doesn't mean I can't appreciate your art and talent. I could still like the poem without understanding it lol. Really I am serious I did like it I don't just say that come on you know me.

s.J. said...

right. i'm sorry.

socialworker/frustrated mom said...

Okay that is better. You could explain it you know. I know you hate doing that. btw even though I liked the white template this is much cooler and more fitting for you.

s.J. said...

thanks.
i'd explain in full, but it would take another post. at least...

;iulu said...

(attach a websters dictionary for translation with each difficult poem?)

s.J. said...

what do you think this link (http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/) is for?

s.J. said...

what's the point of the blue highlighting doodad, if it doesn't do anything?

;iulu said...

you gotta guide us to it.
some of us be slower than others

though i started reading it a while back
and had to stop b/c my eyes were closing..

;iulu said...

*crossing

;iulu said...

*cussing

socialworker/frustrated mom said...

I know I know.

Jim said...

I don't know what s.J. stands for but you are a weird Jew! 4000 years with a Book under your nose that has all the answers in it for the entire world and its' resolution and restoration, all the answers to the philosophic questions the rest of the world is asking, and that is besides the power that is undoubtably in it to make things of this world totally different and interesting....and it took me 5766 years to read the poem and I enjoyed every word of it, painful as it is, frankly, I think you are pretty cool. But then my friend, I am but a nobody so don't get upset over the flattery. I even like the bones and all, but again, what do I know?

s.J. said...

yes. it definitely has the power. but unfortunately, it's completely random and untappable for a regular joe like me.if God's work is unfathomable, then i for one would like to keep doing what i do and let the Big Man carry on with His master plan.
i'd rather get punished and be able to reason why than get a divine slap in the face and have no f*cking clue.

s.J. said...

(of course you must realize that all said above is just a tid bit of the bigger picture at the spur of the moment and may have altered radically by the time you finish reading this)

anonym00kie said...

as long as you dont stay stuck in one position and keep thinking and altering radically..

s.J. said...

for good or for bad....

Jim said...

Smart young guy like you can't get too damn stuck anywhere, 2 legs will walk.

Thanks for the comments from you, very helpful, just what I hoped for, fresh insight.

Unfathomable today, no sweat tomorrow, starting does it, automatic from there, teaches itself, you are gonna get slapped anyway, make the most of it, get the greatest value from it, just my opinion, I am sure you have your own, thank G-d I ain't responsible completely.

Thanks, I do appreciate it.

chaya said...

wow! as i was reading this i had a whole rap tune in my head, you should compose a tune for this great wealth of a poem, you have expressed my feelings and i never would have been able to put it on ink and paper like that!!!!
speechless!!!!!!!!!!

smb said...

It's hard, but its reachable.
there's info. here
plus simple books at judaica stores that make things easier to understand.

s.J. said...

yes, everytime i open one i feel like i'm talking to hellbent missionaries.

(i briefly glanced at the site you posted , and i thank you. i always get a grin from that sorta weak biased reasoning that people glorify as 'the truth')