Enough! by Jordan Taylor Dubin [Poetry]

Enough!

Written by Jordan Taylor Dubin

The first headline was seen
Feeling all the air escape my lungs
A burning appear in my heart
A deep kick in the pit of my stomach

It was made clear
What had occurred
My lungs scrambled
Gathering air to scream
Forcing the reminder
That finding relief requires so much strength

“11 Killed in Synagogue Massacre”

!מספיק

11
Sweet
Innocent
People died
In their place of worship

11
Sweet
Innocent
People died
In their place of worship
Honoring a new family member

11
Sweet
Innocent
People died
In their place of worship
Honoring a new family member
Celebrating a new life
While losing several

!מספיק

Rose Mallinger.
Rose Mallinger survived the Holocaust
Survived.
She was killed in America
In a synagogue
For being Jewish
In 2018

!מספיק

An AR-15 was used in Pittsburgh
Just like in Newtown
And San Bernardino
And Orlando
And Vegas
And Sutherland Springs
And Parkland

I had never even heard
Of the weapon before 2012
Now it’s an immediate assumption
Mass shootings feel like an everyday occurrence

!מספיק

I’m Jewish
I teach theatre at a temple
I celebrate Hanukkah
And Passover
And Rosh Hashanah
Growing up
My Friday nights included Shabbat
My Saturday mornings Challah French Toast
Who got to light the menorah first
12 and 13 filled with bar and bat mitzvahs
The Star of David being an easy and frequent shape
Scribbled in the margins

!מספיק

I clearly remember
The Museum of Tolerance
The LA Museum of the Holocaust
The Skirball Cultural Center
I clearly remember
The immediate nausea
The heart palpitations
The shortness of breath
I clearly remember wanting to leave
Yet being pulled in
Wanting
No
Needing
To pay my respects

!מספיק

A friend who constantly rants
About themself and their issues
Asked why I looked so distraught
I explained
While they had their face down
Phone out
All I got was a
“Mmhmm”
Didn’t give a fuck

!מספיק

I always felt like a bad Jew
An imposter
Mashugana
Legally that religion because of my mother
Her mother
And her mother before
Yes
We always celebrated
Yes
We always attended
Yes
We always read
But
Comedically saying Jew-ish
Never being able to follow the readings of the Torah
Always lip-synching the prayer
Yet
Now
Never feeling so close to something
Formally so far away

!מספיק

Stop
I see you
I love you
You belong here

Jordan Taylor Dubin is an actor, theatrical mover, writer, teacher, and huge musical theatre nerd. She was born and raised in Southern California and is now living out her 13-year dream of living in New York City. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance & Theatre Performance and Psychology from Mills College. During the day she works as a theatre teacher and staff associate at a college, and at night she’s an editing manager and freelance copy editor. Jordan is thrilled to have the opportunity to be published in Rock the Pigeon.