Growing Older, in Verse

By Yossi Huttler

[Editor’s Note: By now, Rabbi Yossi Huttler has become the resident poet of Cross-Currents. Readers under 40 may not know what a poem is; those over 40 may find that it resonates.]

Graying

It only seems
silent and painless
how it happened
one overnight
like it did
to Rabbi Elazar ben Azaraya
but many hurts
unseen or unheard
have shaded me
silvery and gray hues
lunar scars
just how dark
depending on the night
and its mishmarot