Exodus 12:2020-2021
I will pass through Egypt… and when I see the
blood, I will pass over you. No destructive
plague will touch you.
Each man is to
they must
You are to
The animals you choose must be
without defect, and you
Take care of them until
when all
must slaughter them at twilight. Then
they are to take
That same night they are to
Do not
Do not
you must
This is how you are to
We followed the rules and
followed the rules and
followed the rules
we stayed awake
we kept oil in our lamps
we wanted to look back, to
admire the shining, glowing city where
we used to live
we wanted to taste the fruit
to know the pleasure of the juice on
our chins we believed it but we
also obeyed we walked
away without
weeping to save
each other to live
to know on the third crow
that we did what
we were told
we painted the lintel and
stayed inside with our
faces covered and the space
between us carefully measured
We followed the rules but
we were hunted and each night
forced to breathe into the dark
together in exhaustion from
following, from fleeing
We followed the rules but
we carried the enemy with us inside
our aching shoulders and cramped
muscles, the bones of our
feet cracking, heels bloody
We painted the lintels with the blood
and behind them, under them
fell into frightened dreams
We followed the rules but
I heard him in the dark hours
before any light
pulling his heavy feet up through
crunching breaking snow and
smashing back to an
inevitable beat
We followed the rules but
the snow erased the
blood we left and
the hunter is here
sniffing the door behind which
I stop my breath
waiting
waiting
