Josiah Vermont

The Fiddler
–Josiah Vermont
(c2010)

When I heard Shalom Alechem
water flooded my eyes
He played the violin and I heard
little children’s cries
When he drew the bow back
a tear streamed down my face
and I pictured people running
to their deaths in a haste
When his body rocked forward
I saw families weep
and as his beard tilted up
I saw shepherd-less sheep
He slid back on his foot and I
saw a little lamb stray
caught up in green fields
while the flock moved away
When the stringed wood wept
I heard “None are too many”
and when the fiddler said
“requests?”
I no longer had any