"Shebi"

Three in the morning

It was half-time and she was a cheerleader.

All eyes were on her, but especially

Those of the team captain.

Suddenly she was at the prom

Dressed in white like Cinderella

When her husband’s voice intruded rudely.

“Shebi! Wake up,” he shouted, pulling her up.

“It’s another Code Red – run to Yuval’s room!”

He was already running to their living room.

She yelled to her husband, “Leave the dog!

We have only seven seconds!”

She barely made it to their mamad

When the blast shook the walls and broke the windows

While her husband was still coaxing the dog out

From under the table.

“We should move,” she told him later

While they drank their coffee together.

“Where to,” he asked skeptically.

“I don’t care. Far away.

Somewhere without missiles.”

                                                July 12, 2019

Note: “Mamad” stands for “merhav mugan dirati,” which means “apartment protected space,” since most Israelis live in apartment buildings.