Seventy souls from Canaan came
To Mitzrayim’s domain;
The revered Yosef, their provider,
Lived apart, as outsiders,
For Egypt’s culture was depraved.
When the boundaries faded,
The Hebrews were enslaved.
Moshe grew up as royalty
Among the Egyptians –
An outsider to his Hebrew origins.
But Moshe shared their pain,
Felt their afflictions,
He saw a Hebrew slave
Being beaten to death, one day;
Moshe knew he couldn’t just walk away.
Killed the Mitzri,
Buried him in the sand
Had to flee – outside
To Midian.
Ruth, a princess of Moabite royalty
Chose not to abandon Naomi;
Ruth’s sister Orpah left for Moav
To their father, King Eglon,
Back to riches and historical oblivion.
Ruth gleaned scraps in the fields
Left for the poor,
Humbly came before Boaz
On the threshing floor,
Stood outside this world’s values,
Chose integrity –
Chosen to be mother
To Mashiach’s dynasty.
David didn’t stand tall and mighty
As his brothers did;
Rejected, an outsider
He was just a scrawny kid,
Someone of no importance,
Bound for the dust-heap,
He was sent out to the hills
To tend the flocks of sheep.
Alone with Hashem,
Psalms of praise, he would sing,
How astonished the “accomplished,”
– To see David chosen king!
A child of slaves
Can be greater than a prince;
Hashem does not regard
Wealth or affluence;
Morality and decency
Define success,
They’ll endure when the rest
Fade to nothingness.
The FBI, Department of Justice,
The US Supreme Court
Have all failed America,
Sad to report.
But, 12-plus brave Senators
Led by the valiant Ted Cruz
Have stepped up to rescue
This country’s values;
A ten-day audit
Of the crucial swing states
Will adjudicate
Democracy’s fate.
Coming in from the outside,
They just may turn the tide.
Don’t look down, Sleepy Joe,
Ready or not,
Comeuppance is coming,
It’s gonna be a steep drop
Though your brazenness besot.
It will profit you not
Sheim resha’im yirkav,
May the name of the wicked rot!
Alma d’shikra –
This is a world of lies.
If you stand for the truth,
You’re usually standing outside,
But it won’t always be such;
Keep faith and be bold,
Outsiders will one day
Come in from the cold!
By Sharon Marcus