Michelangelo's David statue‘I Am the Stone’ and Other Poetry on Israel by Brian Yapko The Society February 13, 2024 Beauty, Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry 32 Comments . I Am the Stone I am the stone The humble stone the barefoot shepherd boy Selected from the muddy river bed; The stone which fit inside the sling he made As soon as he was given leave by Saul To fight for Israel in her time of need. I am the stone The shepherd boy selected out of dozens Because he saw in me the needed shape; Because I felt just right within his hand, For he could sense I carried in my form The granite strength of ancient, lethal power. I am the stone The shepherd hoped could win, a lowly tool To serve one mission: answer Israel’s plea For rescue from the hostile Philistines, Who claimed a vile giant as their head, A champion men thought invincible. I am the stone Which waited as I slowly gathered force Till the Creator deemed my time had come; The same Creator who bestowed life’s breath On both the giant and the humble boy, And planned precisely how I would be used. I am the stone Which whistled in the wind and soon flew past The nervous, breathless crowd, until I reached A flailing sword, bronze armor, and a head. When I hit home, I heard a grunt, I felt Flesh melt, bones crack, and giant’s blood erupt. I am the stone A stone which might seem worthless on its face But in the shepherd boy’s faith-guided hand Abashed the brazen and the arrogant With quiet, latent strength unveiled by God. Remember me, for I now serve the King. . . The Promised Land Beneath a sky of lapis blue I wander Throughout a golden city wrought of stone, Its scenes and sacred sites as old as Time. I stand before the Western Wall and ponder: Why must this ancient race stand forth alone? And why is peace a hopeless uphill climb? In part because dishonest bigots choose To falsify the story of the Jews. On Facebook, in the Times, at the U.N.: Parades of slander, equity forgot. The haters sanctify outrageous violence. They maul the truth, they murder facts, and then They blame the Jews for their own moral rot And give sheer savagery a pass with silence. I challenge them to learn true history And walk this ancient Jewish land with me. A windmill built in 1857 By Montefiore—a famous English Jew who dared to build beyond the Jaffa Gate. Ben Ezra’s grave: 1167 – The rabbi Browning wrote about was true! A synagogue from 758… A tomb—Third Century—with a menorah. The Dead Sea scrolls—of course, a Jewish Torah. The graves of Kabbalists? The Renaissance. A mikvah built under Byzantine rule; The Trumpet Stone which predates Alexander; A shul razed by the Ottoman advance; An 18th Century rabbinic school, And centuries of graves disprove the slander: Not in 3,000 documented years Has Israel been devoid of Jews. Or tears. Yet haters scream that Israel isn’t real— A colony, they say, for spoiled Jews. But these are false and vicious allegations! They lie by choice—it’s what they want to feel Despite all facts. They cherry pick and choose To hate the Jewish state above all nations. Hamas and leftists cheer when a Jew dies. But archaeology does not tell lies. Though most were exiled, some Jews always stayed. They lived through Rome and then the Byzantines The Muslim jihad, then the West’s Crusades; The Arabs, Turks, the British—a parade Of those who sought this land through violent means. Though conquered and despised, hope did not fade— Each Passover, despite opprobrium, The Jews prayed “Next year in Jerusalem.” This ancient people died and died and died— In Russian pogroms, Spanish inquisitions; In concentration camps and killing fields. Three thousand years of hate—yet they abide Despite exhaustion from unjust conditions. It’s time to smash the lies the Devil wields; The righteous must no longer tolerate The evil rot of anti-Israel hate. Respect this tiny fragment of the Earth Where Jews were always meant to have a home— This sacred land of honey and of milk This land of David, of each prophet’s birth, Of synagogues predating Greece or Rome. Defend this land from terror and its ilk. For from the Jews springs all that we believe. They’re home at last. And none shall make them leave. . . Brian Yapko is a retired lawyer whose poetry has appeared in over fifty journals. He is the winner of the 2023 SCP International Poetry Competition. Brian is also the author of several short stories, the science fiction novel El Nuevo Mundo and the gothic archaeological novel Bleeding Stone. He lives in Wimauma, Florida. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. CODEC Stories:Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) 32 Responses Russel Winick February 13, 2024 Brian – Everything you write is good, but these are fabulous. Incredible detail. “But archeology does not tell lies.” Brilliant! Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you so much, Russel! And there is so much more detail one could choose to write about concerning the archaeological and historical record! Reply Roy Eugene Peterson February 13, 2024 “The Promised Land” is a tremendous encapsulated tour through Jewish history and the land of Israel from whence they sprung, became far flung and have returned at last. The right to the land is not only by the promise of God, but by hard won determination and historical precedent. Great poem that clarifies historical events, refutes alternative views, and solidifies understanding! Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you very much, Roy. Your comment tells me that I have achieved what I hoped to do — to clarify historical events and refute alternative views. Although “Promised Land” is a biblical term, I went out of my way in this poem to not have it be a theological discussion. My poem (and the article I cite to below) is based purely on the objective archaeology and the verifiable historical documentary record (with many of these documents in museums and archives in London and Istanbul.) I think Jews have won the right to call those who question Jewish indigeneity in the Holy Land “science deniers.” Reply Allegra Silberstein February 13, 2024 Wow! Two wonderful poems…I learned so much in “The Promised Land” and the image of the stonel was beautiful. I too would hold a stone…Allegra Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you very much indeed, Allegra. And so would I! Reply Brian A. Yapko February 13, 2024 For anyone interested in an archaeological survey of the uninterrupted Jewish presence in Israel going back to 800 B.C. and up to the year 2019 A.D., I wrote this article in 2020 for a Jewish organization in Santa Fe to rebut Native American claims (a leftist/communist organization called “Red Nation”) that the Jews are colonizers in Israel. My article does not focus on political arguments. It focuses on material objects which document Jewish indigineity in the Holy Land going back almost 3000 years. https://www.sfmew.org/jews-are-the-indigenous-people-of-the-holy-land/ My writing of this article 4 years ago is what inspired this poem “The Promised Land.” Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 To those interested, this is a 45 photograph travelogue which surveys Jewish objects and/or documents in context and their scientific description in the Holy Land over the course of the last 3000 years. It is, I submit, a record of presence that is irrefutable. It is entertaining and, I submit, highly illuminating. Reply Joseph S. Salemi February 13, 2024 The juxtaposition of these two excellent poems is deliberate. The first focuses on God’s power to choose something small and insignificant, place it into the hands of someone apparently weak and incapable, and then bring about an unexpected triumph over evil. The second provides a powerful historical and cultural record of the right of Israel to exist, and to exist as the kind of cultural and religious entity that it CHOOSES to be — not as something that our damned Mainstream Media and our woke academics and our agenda-driven NGOs want it to be. I know that our enemies read the SCP regularly. I predict that this latter poem will send them into a real blood rage, and that they will attempt some kind of concerted behind-the-scenes action against Brian, and probably the SCP. Be prepared, folks. Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you very much for this appreciative comment, Joe. Yes, these two poems were planned as a set, although I began “The Promised Land” well before “I Am a Stone.” You understand exactly what I was going for in terms of the presumptive insignificance of David’s stone and yet how with God one cannot take anything for granted. And the historical and cultural record of Jewish indigineity in Israel is a subject of particular interest to me not only because of my background but because I’ve been fascinated by archaeology since I was a boy and read James Michener’s “The Source.” After a visit to Israel when I was 13, I wanted to be an archaelogist for two or three years thereafter. We at SCP do indeed have enemies. But truth and objectivity are powerful weapons. When these enemies attempt to fight words with agitprop or actual subversive attacks they prove their identities as hack ideologues and concede the valuelessness of their opinions. Whether I fear them or not is irrelevant. I must speak. I value my soul too much. I believe there are others on this site who feel as I do. I believe you, Joe, to be one of them. Reply Joseph S. Salemi February 14, 2024 Yes Brian, I am with you on this subject. And I also recall James Michener’s The Source, which I read at the suggestion of my uncle, who knew of my strong interest in archaeology. He was an agnostic, but he said “The book gives you a strong sense of the interplay between time and eternity.” The name of the place where the action occurred was “Makor” — and I recall with delight that in the Crusader period the Franks had called it “Ma Coeur de Jesus.” Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 I’m glad you’ve read The Source, Joe. It was a very influential book for me which deepened my awareness of history and gave me a fresh understanding of faith. And Michener did indeed find a very felicitous similarity in the Hebrew Makor, meaning “the Source” and the French Ma Coeur meaning “my heart” (a similarity so striking that it justified the feminine “ma” in lieu of the masculine “mon.”) Margaret Coats February 13, 2024 Brian, these two impressive poems are linked not only by the image of a stone (or stone itself, such as “lapis” in the first line of “The Promised Land”), but more importantly by the concept of something small but infinitely significant. The final stanza of “The Promised Land” speaks of Israel as “this tiny fragment of the Earth.” In “I am the Stone” you draw the reader through a long development portraying the destiny of one small stone, understood to be planned by the divine Creator Himself, just as we understand human destiny to be overseen by God. The stone has a part in the larger assurance of the Promised Land to the Jews–as do the many small historical evidences of Jewish settlement that might be missed. The argument of the second poem comes from these physical items, and you walk through them both as a tour guide stirring the fascination of hearts unaware, and as a lawyer building a case for Israel’s title to the land. This is a judiciously planned, and clearly spoken pair. It is intriguing that the guide speaks in metrical rhyme, and the stone in meter without rhyme, with a repeated assertion of identity (“I am the stone”) not quite fitted to the rest of its discourse. I cannot help but think of former poet laureate Charles Simic, who died just a year ago, and whose most famous poem is “Stone.” It begins, “Go inside a stone/That would be my way.” Your way, as you frequently say, Brian, is to “get inside the head of” your subject, and as Simic would say, you have seen the “star-charts on the inner walls” of this chosen stone. Simic is my most admired free verser, especially for his largely minimalist analysis of things he writes about, but I much prefer the fuller thought you reveal in more resounding speech. Yes, I know, stones have a restricted capacity for sound, but what a forceful hit you make with this one, ending as a servant of God, and of the King of inspired poets. Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Margaret, I’m very grateful for this appreciative and insightful comment! Thank you! You are so right to zero in on the stone. In my visits to Israel I have been struck by how much of this country is defined by stone — stone formations, stone building material, stones in the lake, in the Jordan, in the Mediterraean, in the museums, in the uncountable ruins. And when you wander through the Old City of Jerusalem the fact that everything about you is made of stone is impossible to ignore. Kyoto is build of wood. Rome is built of gorgeous marble overlaying brick and concrete. But Jerusalem is built of humble often rough-hewn stone in a style architects describe as Herodian. The Western Wall is one example but there are countless such examples throughout the Holy Land. The theme of stone, therefore, seemed natural to me for a survey of Israel’s history both in terms of the archaeology record and in terms of objective historical artifacts. “Objective” is the key here, which you note with me as lawyer building a case. Despite my personal beliefs, I am not aiming for theological discussion in the theologically-named “Promised Land.” I am aiming for hard science. True archaeology. Carbon 14 dating and all that. This allows me to call those who dispute Jewish indigineity of the Holy Land “science deniers” — because that is exactly what they are: ideologically-driven science deniers. And on that theme of objectivity, who could tell the story of David and Goliath better than the only observer who still has a possibility of remaining in existence — the stone itself? Stones do not last forever, but they have the possibility of lasting for millenia. In this case, I wanted a witness who could describe what God did through the actions of a humble shepherd. And there’s an implicit warning here. God’s will has a way of prevailing even against all odds. The King reference here is intentionally ambiguous. It refers to King David but it also refers to the King of Kings who is descended from the House of David. Thank you again, Margaret, for observing and giving me a chance to offer some explanatory notes. Reply Cynthia Erlandson February 13, 2024 I agree with the above comments, which elucidate the profundity of these poems and their relationship to each other. They are beautiful poems full of truth. Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you so much, Cynthia! I am especially pleased that you have found profundity in this work. One aspires but cannot expect. Reply Michael Vanyukov February 13, 2024 Superb, Brian. “Not in 3,000 documented years Has Israel been devoid of Jews. Or tears.” One only hopes that tears will not always accompany this true history, and that “The evil rot of anti-Israel hate” will end even before coming of the Mashiah. Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you very much indeed, Michael. May we have no further cause for tears. My prayers join with your own. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 13, 2024 Brian, much has been said on both of your beautifully crafted, powerful, and poignant poems, leaving just a little to add from my personal perspective. I am always fascinated by the intricate and glorious relationship we have with our surrounds, and how impactful that relationship can be. On many an occasion nature has provided me with just the right tool at the right moment. To personify the stone that struck Goliath and elevate it to super-stone status is an admirable literary feat that you pull off with poetic panache. “I am the stone” is a repeating line that demands attention in a voice that held me spellbound throughout. The poem has an immediacy and a cinematic quality about it that swept me up in the moment from a fresh angle of surprise. Superb! I especially love the closing stanza… Man’s faith in God and His Creations produces the power to… well, the stone knows. “The Promised Land” really does tie in perfectly. Made in His image, we too are creators with a wealth of historic marvels from our ancestors to learn from. Thank you for the guided tour through Time and the evidence it provides – a reason to “Respect this tiny fragment of Earth / Where Jews were always meant to have a home.” Brian, this poem is full of contagious passion and littered with facts that one simply can’t dismiss. All should read it for some sober perspective on a subject that is rife with misconceptions and hysteria. In this vast universe, everything, no matter how old or seemingly worthless, matters. My life is all the richer for having read these poems. Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you so much, Susan! I’m always grateful to receive your perceptive comments and to learn that my work has actually moved you in some way. I was not sure I could pull of personifying David’s stone so I’m glad and relieved to hear that you felt my effort succeeded. “The stone knows…” I love that. The one objective witness to all that has occurred not just at the time of David and Goliath but as a witness throughout history. The other stories that little stone could tell! I’m also grateful for your kind words regarding The Promised Land. This is a poem that meant a lot to me in the conception, the writing and now as it is seen by others. I am especially invested in setting the record straight because my trips to Israel have given me a first-hand eye-witness view of what it is actually like there, including in Hebron and Bethlehem, and the way that Arabs are neither subject to apartheid nor discriminated against. On the other hand, Jews cannot freely enter the Arab territories. That is where the real apartheid is. Did you know it is a capital crime in the West Bank to sell real estate to a Jew? Real estate! It is considered “high treason.” Or how about the sharia laws against homosexuality which will invite violent persecution? There are so many other Palestinian laws and bigotries that would make a normal person’s skin crawl — if they only bothered to actually conduct a little research rather than scream hysterically on the streets of London or at the quad in Harvard. Reply Jeff Eardley February 14, 2024 Brian, there is so much anti-semitism over here at the moment. Your two poems, from which I have learned so much, are spot on today. Thank you. Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you for this comment, Jeff. It is reassuring to know that there are still sane, unindoctrinated allies in the U.K. I realize that this antisemitism in the U.K. is not universal, but I’d be afraid to cross the Pond right now. What can be done? I wish I knew. Reply Joshua C. Frank February 15, 2024 Both of these are wonderful! I love the idea of a poem written from the perspective of an inanimate object… I really need to try my hand at one of those. The second one documents the Jewish presence in Israel quite well. I can’t believe anyone is questioning that, since even secular historians have accepted the Old Testament as the history of the Jews, even if they don’t believe the miracles or that people heard God speak. I saw a picture of an encyclopedia from 1939 that showed the Palestine flag with a Star of David on it and read quotes from people living in the 19th century that saying that of course the land rightly belonged to the Jews. But facts don’t matter to liberals. They make up their own “facts” to suit their hateful narrative. Reply Brian A. Yapko February 15, 2024 Thank you very much, Josh! This is my first published poem in the voice of an inanimate object and I’m glad it works for you. On “I Am the Stone” I should mention that one of my inspirations was Luke 19:40 “And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” As for liberals having their own facts, you ain’t kidding. And boy do they love the science. Until the science — like archaeology — contradicts their ideologies. I have nothing but withering contempt for anyone who doesn’t know enough of history to recognize where and how the Jews fit into it, especially when it comes to the Holy Land. Thomas Cahill wrote a book called “The Gifts of the Jews” which is worth reading. Reply David Whippman February 17, 2024 Brian, blank verse on SCP is not that common, but the first of these poems is a welcome exception. I found it quietly moving. And “The Promised Land,” as well as being a good poem, contains more facts than all the anti-Israel fb pages combined! Two much-needed pieces in these insane days. Reply Brian A. Yapko February 17, 2024 Thank you very much, David. So much of our English poetic heritage is written in blank verse — I’m pleased to make my own humble contribution. As for the subject matter, Israel and the worldwide Jewish community are in deep trouble these days. People don’t realize that for one tiny Israel there are 23 vast Arab nations; and that for every one Jew on Earth there are 1266 Muslims. 1266 to 1! Fifteen million Jews versus 2 BILLION Muslims. Is it any wonder the Jewish point of view is easily swamped by forces which so vastly outnumber it? And how sheer numbers allow that the poorly educated can so easily become indoctrinated by the tsunami of disproportionate Arab propoganda? That the Jewish point of view survives survives at all in the face of such disproportionate numbers is a miracle. And in the wake of such disproportionate bullying, I believe that to present the history and justice of Israel’s existence is important. Reply Joshua C. Frank February 17, 2024 You may be interested in the first chapter of The Evolution Of Man Scientifically Disproved, by Rev. William A. Williams, D.D., online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8508/pg8508-images.html It features calculations showing that the Jewish population has grown at the same rate as the human race since Abraham and Sarah. This is to show how recent the Flood was, but I think it’s relevant here because it shows that the Jewish proportion of the world population hasn’t really changed since Abraham and Sarah. Brian A. Yapko February 18, 2024 This is such an interesting idea to meditate upon, Josh. Thank you! David Whippman February 19, 2024 Let’s hope it’s about quality, not quantity. We’re heavily outnumbered for sure. Christina Lesinski February 19, 2024 As always, brilliant poems, Brian! It is such a challenge to write lengthy poems and keep up the rhyme scheme along with the content, especially content as meaningful and specific as yours, but you make it look effortless. I particularly loved “I am the Stone,” how its repetition has an increasingly dramatic effect. And as others are saying regarding the power of a simple primitive object when in the right (or wrong) hands, it is so true. You never shy away from heavy topics, Brian, and may God bless you for it! Reply Brian A. Yapko February 19, 2024 Thank you so much, Christina! I love that it appears effortless even though it’s anything but in the writing of it! And thank you for what you say about heavy topics. I write on topics that interest or trouble me and so they do often tend to be rather serious. But my next two poems coming out will be much lighter! Reply Christina Lesinski February 20, 2024 That makes total sense to me, we certainly do write about topics that are meaningful to us in some way or another. My last poem was on the heavy side as well. Looking forward to reading your next ones! Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Captcha loading...In order to pass the CAPTCHA please enable JavaScript. 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Russel Winick February 13, 2024 Brian – Everything you write is good, but these are fabulous. Incredible detail. “But archeology does not tell lies.” Brilliant! Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you so much, Russel! And there is so much more detail one could choose to write about concerning the archaeological and historical record! Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson February 13, 2024 “The Promised Land” is a tremendous encapsulated tour through Jewish history and the land of Israel from whence they sprung, became far flung and have returned at last. The right to the land is not only by the promise of God, but by hard won determination and historical precedent. Great poem that clarifies historical events, refutes alternative views, and solidifies understanding! Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you very much, Roy. Your comment tells me that I have achieved what I hoped to do — to clarify historical events and refute alternative views. Although “Promised Land” is a biblical term, I went out of my way in this poem to not have it be a theological discussion. My poem (and the article I cite to below) is based purely on the objective archaeology and the verifiable historical documentary record (with many of these documents in museums and archives in London and Istanbul.) I think Jews have won the right to call those who question Jewish indigeneity in the Holy Land “science deniers.” Reply
Allegra Silberstein February 13, 2024 Wow! Two wonderful poems…I learned so much in “The Promised Land” and the image of the stonel was beautiful. I too would hold a stone…Allegra Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 13, 2024 For anyone interested in an archaeological survey of the uninterrupted Jewish presence in Israel going back to 800 B.C. and up to the year 2019 A.D., I wrote this article in 2020 for a Jewish organization in Santa Fe to rebut Native American claims (a leftist/communist organization called “Red Nation”) that the Jews are colonizers in Israel. My article does not focus on political arguments. It focuses on material objects which document Jewish indigineity in the Holy Land going back almost 3000 years. https://www.sfmew.org/jews-are-the-indigenous-people-of-the-holy-land/ My writing of this article 4 years ago is what inspired this poem “The Promised Land.” Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 To those interested, this is a 45 photograph travelogue which surveys Jewish objects and/or documents in context and their scientific description in the Holy Land over the course of the last 3000 years. It is, I submit, a record of presence that is irrefutable. It is entertaining and, I submit, highly illuminating. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi February 13, 2024 The juxtaposition of these two excellent poems is deliberate. The first focuses on God’s power to choose something small and insignificant, place it into the hands of someone apparently weak and incapable, and then bring about an unexpected triumph over evil. The second provides a powerful historical and cultural record of the right of Israel to exist, and to exist as the kind of cultural and religious entity that it CHOOSES to be — not as something that our damned Mainstream Media and our woke academics and our agenda-driven NGOs want it to be. I know that our enemies read the SCP regularly. I predict that this latter poem will send them into a real blood rage, and that they will attempt some kind of concerted behind-the-scenes action against Brian, and probably the SCP. Be prepared, folks. Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you very much for this appreciative comment, Joe. Yes, these two poems were planned as a set, although I began “The Promised Land” well before “I Am a Stone.” You understand exactly what I was going for in terms of the presumptive insignificance of David’s stone and yet how with God one cannot take anything for granted. And the historical and cultural record of Jewish indigineity in Israel is a subject of particular interest to me not only because of my background but because I’ve been fascinated by archaeology since I was a boy and read James Michener’s “The Source.” After a visit to Israel when I was 13, I wanted to be an archaelogist for two or three years thereafter. We at SCP do indeed have enemies. But truth and objectivity are powerful weapons. When these enemies attempt to fight words with agitprop or actual subversive attacks they prove their identities as hack ideologues and concede the valuelessness of their opinions. Whether I fear them or not is irrelevant. I must speak. I value my soul too much. I believe there are others on this site who feel as I do. I believe you, Joe, to be one of them. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi February 14, 2024 Yes Brian, I am with you on this subject. And I also recall James Michener’s The Source, which I read at the suggestion of my uncle, who knew of my strong interest in archaeology. He was an agnostic, but he said “The book gives you a strong sense of the interplay between time and eternity.” The name of the place where the action occurred was “Makor” — and I recall with delight that in the Crusader period the Franks had called it “Ma Coeur de Jesus.”
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 I’m glad you’ve read The Source, Joe. It was a very influential book for me which deepened my awareness of history and gave me a fresh understanding of faith. And Michener did indeed find a very felicitous similarity in the Hebrew Makor, meaning “the Source” and the French Ma Coeur meaning “my heart” (a similarity so striking that it justified the feminine “ma” in lieu of the masculine “mon.”)
Margaret Coats February 13, 2024 Brian, these two impressive poems are linked not only by the image of a stone (or stone itself, such as “lapis” in the first line of “The Promised Land”), but more importantly by the concept of something small but infinitely significant. The final stanza of “The Promised Land” speaks of Israel as “this tiny fragment of the Earth.” In “I am the Stone” you draw the reader through a long development portraying the destiny of one small stone, understood to be planned by the divine Creator Himself, just as we understand human destiny to be overseen by God. The stone has a part in the larger assurance of the Promised Land to the Jews–as do the many small historical evidences of Jewish settlement that might be missed. The argument of the second poem comes from these physical items, and you walk through them both as a tour guide stirring the fascination of hearts unaware, and as a lawyer building a case for Israel’s title to the land. This is a judiciously planned, and clearly spoken pair. It is intriguing that the guide speaks in metrical rhyme, and the stone in meter without rhyme, with a repeated assertion of identity (“I am the stone”) not quite fitted to the rest of its discourse. I cannot help but think of former poet laureate Charles Simic, who died just a year ago, and whose most famous poem is “Stone.” It begins, “Go inside a stone/That would be my way.” Your way, as you frequently say, Brian, is to “get inside the head of” your subject, and as Simic would say, you have seen the “star-charts on the inner walls” of this chosen stone. Simic is my most admired free verser, especially for his largely minimalist analysis of things he writes about, but I much prefer the fuller thought you reveal in more resounding speech. Yes, I know, stones have a restricted capacity for sound, but what a forceful hit you make with this one, ending as a servant of God, and of the King of inspired poets. Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Margaret, I’m very grateful for this appreciative and insightful comment! Thank you! You are so right to zero in on the stone. In my visits to Israel I have been struck by how much of this country is defined by stone — stone formations, stone building material, stones in the lake, in the Jordan, in the Mediterraean, in the museums, in the uncountable ruins. And when you wander through the Old City of Jerusalem the fact that everything about you is made of stone is impossible to ignore. Kyoto is build of wood. Rome is built of gorgeous marble overlaying brick and concrete. But Jerusalem is built of humble often rough-hewn stone in a style architects describe as Herodian. The Western Wall is one example but there are countless such examples throughout the Holy Land. The theme of stone, therefore, seemed natural to me for a survey of Israel’s history both in terms of the archaeology record and in terms of objective historical artifacts. “Objective” is the key here, which you note with me as lawyer building a case. Despite my personal beliefs, I am not aiming for theological discussion in the theologically-named “Promised Land.” I am aiming for hard science. True archaeology. Carbon 14 dating and all that. This allows me to call those who dispute Jewish indigineity of the Holy Land “science deniers” — because that is exactly what they are: ideologically-driven science deniers. And on that theme of objectivity, who could tell the story of David and Goliath better than the only observer who still has a possibility of remaining in existence — the stone itself? Stones do not last forever, but they have the possibility of lasting for millenia. In this case, I wanted a witness who could describe what God did through the actions of a humble shepherd. And there’s an implicit warning here. God’s will has a way of prevailing even against all odds. The King reference here is intentionally ambiguous. It refers to King David but it also refers to the King of Kings who is descended from the House of David. Thank you again, Margaret, for observing and giving me a chance to offer some explanatory notes. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson February 13, 2024 I agree with the above comments, which elucidate the profundity of these poems and their relationship to each other. They are beautiful poems full of truth. Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you so much, Cynthia! I am especially pleased that you have found profundity in this work. One aspires but cannot expect. Reply
Michael Vanyukov February 13, 2024 Superb, Brian. “Not in 3,000 documented years Has Israel been devoid of Jews. Or tears.” One only hopes that tears will not always accompany this true history, and that “The evil rot of anti-Israel hate” will end even before coming of the Mashiah. Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you very much indeed, Michael. May we have no further cause for tears. My prayers join with your own. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 13, 2024 Brian, much has been said on both of your beautifully crafted, powerful, and poignant poems, leaving just a little to add from my personal perspective. I am always fascinated by the intricate and glorious relationship we have with our surrounds, and how impactful that relationship can be. On many an occasion nature has provided me with just the right tool at the right moment. To personify the stone that struck Goliath and elevate it to super-stone status is an admirable literary feat that you pull off with poetic panache. “I am the stone” is a repeating line that demands attention in a voice that held me spellbound throughout. The poem has an immediacy and a cinematic quality about it that swept me up in the moment from a fresh angle of surprise. Superb! I especially love the closing stanza… Man’s faith in God and His Creations produces the power to… well, the stone knows. “The Promised Land” really does tie in perfectly. Made in His image, we too are creators with a wealth of historic marvels from our ancestors to learn from. Thank you for the guided tour through Time and the evidence it provides – a reason to “Respect this tiny fragment of Earth / Where Jews were always meant to have a home.” Brian, this poem is full of contagious passion and littered with facts that one simply can’t dismiss. All should read it for some sober perspective on a subject that is rife with misconceptions and hysteria. In this vast universe, everything, no matter how old or seemingly worthless, matters. My life is all the richer for having read these poems. Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you so much, Susan! I’m always grateful to receive your perceptive comments and to learn that my work has actually moved you in some way. I was not sure I could pull of personifying David’s stone so I’m glad and relieved to hear that you felt my effort succeeded. “The stone knows…” I love that. The one objective witness to all that has occurred not just at the time of David and Goliath but as a witness throughout history. The other stories that little stone could tell! I’m also grateful for your kind words regarding The Promised Land. This is a poem that meant a lot to me in the conception, the writing and now as it is seen by others. I am especially invested in setting the record straight because my trips to Israel have given me a first-hand eye-witness view of what it is actually like there, including in Hebron and Bethlehem, and the way that Arabs are neither subject to apartheid nor discriminated against. On the other hand, Jews cannot freely enter the Arab territories. That is where the real apartheid is. Did you know it is a capital crime in the West Bank to sell real estate to a Jew? Real estate! It is considered “high treason.” Or how about the sharia laws against homosexuality which will invite violent persecution? There are so many other Palestinian laws and bigotries that would make a normal person’s skin crawl — if they only bothered to actually conduct a little research rather than scream hysterically on the streets of London or at the quad in Harvard. Reply
Jeff Eardley February 14, 2024 Brian, there is so much anti-semitism over here at the moment. Your two poems, from which I have learned so much, are spot on today. Thank you. Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Thank you for this comment, Jeff. It is reassuring to know that there are still sane, unindoctrinated allies in the U.K. I realize that this antisemitism in the U.K. is not universal, but I’d be afraid to cross the Pond right now. What can be done? I wish I knew. Reply
Joshua C. Frank February 15, 2024 Both of these are wonderful! I love the idea of a poem written from the perspective of an inanimate object… I really need to try my hand at one of those. The second one documents the Jewish presence in Israel quite well. I can’t believe anyone is questioning that, since even secular historians have accepted the Old Testament as the history of the Jews, even if they don’t believe the miracles or that people heard God speak. I saw a picture of an encyclopedia from 1939 that showed the Palestine flag with a Star of David on it and read quotes from people living in the 19th century that saying that of course the land rightly belonged to the Jews. But facts don’t matter to liberals. They make up their own “facts” to suit their hateful narrative. Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 15, 2024 Thank you very much, Josh! This is my first published poem in the voice of an inanimate object and I’m glad it works for you. On “I Am the Stone” I should mention that one of my inspirations was Luke 19:40 “And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” As for liberals having their own facts, you ain’t kidding. And boy do they love the science. Until the science — like archaeology — contradicts their ideologies. I have nothing but withering contempt for anyone who doesn’t know enough of history to recognize where and how the Jews fit into it, especially when it comes to the Holy Land. Thomas Cahill wrote a book called “The Gifts of the Jews” which is worth reading. Reply
David Whippman February 17, 2024 Brian, blank verse on SCP is not that common, but the first of these poems is a welcome exception. I found it quietly moving. And “The Promised Land,” as well as being a good poem, contains more facts than all the anti-Israel fb pages combined! Two much-needed pieces in these insane days. Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 17, 2024 Thank you very much, David. So much of our English poetic heritage is written in blank verse — I’m pleased to make my own humble contribution. As for the subject matter, Israel and the worldwide Jewish community are in deep trouble these days. People don’t realize that for one tiny Israel there are 23 vast Arab nations; and that for every one Jew on Earth there are 1266 Muslims. 1266 to 1! Fifteen million Jews versus 2 BILLION Muslims. Is it any wonder the Jewish point of view is easily swamped by forces which so vastly outnumber it? And how sheer numbers allow that the poorly educated can so easily become indoctrinated by the tsunami of disproportionate Arab propoganda? That the Jewish point of view survives survives at all in the face of such disproportionate numbers is a miracle. And in the wake of such disproportionate bullying, I believe that to present the history and justice of Israel’s existence is important. Reply
Joshua C. Frank February 17, 2024 You may be interested in the first chapter of The Evolution Of Man Scientifically Disproved, by Rev. William A. Williams, D.D., online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8508/pg8508-images.html It features calculations showing that the Jewish population has grown at the same rate as the human race since Abraham and Sarah. This is to show how recent the Flood was, but I think it’s relevant here because it shows that the Jewish proportion of the world population hasn’t really changed since Abraham and Sarah.
David Whippman February 19, 2024 Let’s hope it’s about quality, not quantity. We’re heavily outnumbered for sure.
Christina Lesinski February 19, 2024 As always, brilliant poems, Brian! It is such a challenge to write lengthy poems and keep up the rhyme scheme along with the content, especially content as meaningful and specific as yours, but you make it look effortless. I particularly loved “I am the Stone,” how its repetition has an increasingly dramatic effect. And as others are saying regarding the power of a simple primitive object when in the right (or wrong) hands, it is so true. You never shy away from heavy topics, Brian, and may God bless you for it! Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 19, 2024 Thank you so much, Christina! I love that it appears effortless even though it’s anything but in the writing of it! And thank you for what you say about heavy topics. I write on topics that interest or trouble me and so they do often tend to be rather serious. But my next two poems coming out will be much lighter! Reply
Christina Lesinski February 20, 2024 That makes total sense to me, we certainly do write about topics that are meaningful to us in some way or another. My last poem was on the heavy side as well. Looking forward to reading your next ones!
