A Poem for Vayishlach (“Dinah Speaks”)

A Poem for Vayishlach (“Dinah Speaks”)

After my brothers killed my husband and his father
and all the men of my new city,
after they took me forth and claimed
everything—and everyone—that remained
for their own,
they returned home with their new treasures,
and with me.
Our father spoke to them in dismay;
to me, he said nothing.

And here I’ve passed all the years since.
No more gallivanting.
I stray from my father’s tents
only to companion those whom my brothers
captured and spoiled,
whose suffering surpasses mine by far.
To them alone, I speak.
I am sorry, I say.
I am so very, very sorry.

Erika Dreifus writes poetry and prose in New York. Visit her online at www.erikadreifus.com and follow her on Twitter @ErikaDreifus, where she comments on “matters bookish and/or Jewish.”