Purim-Shpiel
Maia Evrona
March 21, 2019
Gustave Doré’s wood engraving of “The Queen Vashti Refusing to Obey the Command of Ahasuerus" (1866). Photo: Wikimedia
They say she was wicked and vain,
that perhaps she was ugly and ill,
with no beauty to show. They say
she may not have been a woman at all.
And had she danced nude for the king
one knows what one would say:
that this queen had no shame,
she deserved to be cast away.
To be Vashti, free for that flash of time,
or Esther who was chained, sold off
to save her life and her tribe,
after Vashti stood up for herself . . .
Maia Evrona is a poet, writer and translator of Yiddish literature.
Also in “Poetry”
Poetry
By Such Honorifics, You Attempt to Summon the Old Country You Have Never Seen
“Chosen affliction / Spilt milk / Pool of amnesia / Extreme sport / Terminal psychodrama”
Momtaza Mehri
Poetry
Two Poems
“Eager for big words the woman whispered / Do you still love me / Do you see the death squads of tradition”
Joyce Mansour
Editor’s Picks
Report
The Hindu Nationalists Using the Pro-Israel Playbook
Inspired by Jewish groups that cast criticism of Israel as antisemitism, Hindu American organizations are advancing a concept of “Hinduphobia” that puts India beyond reproach.
Aparna Gopalan
Essay
The Trap of Palestinian Participation
An open letter considers the impossible choice facing Palestinians: Participate as a token in conversations premised on their oppression, or be branded rejectionists.
Tareq Baconi
