Continuity [1]

by Rabbi Corinne Copnick

Beyond the simple repetitive cycle

are thematic mutations

uniquely conceived to alter slightly

familiar stains and hues,

color the vacuum with multi-dyed pattern,

limited edition found on faith

and acid-etched on a limestone block,

each reprint adding new

dimensions to the composite

before it is sanded down, re-used,

a statement washed away.

A single lithograph, preserved,

brightens walls where my children

grease pencil personal

drawings, blueprinting continuity

for the next generation.

[1] This poem first appeared in Corinne Copnick Spiegel, Etreinte/Embrace: Une poeme d’amour/A Love Story in Poetry (Montreal: Editions Guy Maheux, 1981), a limited edition of 36 bilingual (English/French) poems that can be found occasionally in rare book stores.

©️Corinne Copnick, Montreal, 1981; Los Angeles, 2017. All rights reserved.