The Thirteenth Hour by Rivka Basman Ben-Haim
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Original Yiddish poems are presented with their English translation on the facing page.
Rivka Basman Ben Haim’s poems are witty and wise. Lyrical and personal, their length belies their depth. Rarely more than a page long, the poems often pack a punch. They are thought-provoking even as they sing. As a young teenager, the poet witnessed the Nazi destruction of her Jewish world. She tells the reader about this loss often, but never directly. She knows pain well, and she can tell the reader all about it.
“Memory, too
turns to the spot
where it hurts
and there it wants to be
in perpetuity.”
