A Literary Magazine in Support of the Jewish Community

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"Ya Hear" by Dana Robbins

Ya Hear

Every story my Nana told

was punctuated by the question

“Ya hear?” Whether she relayed

 

a complement or an insult,

she always finished with

her finger out thrust,

 

“Ya hear?” She baked rugalach

in her tiny kitchen that always

smelled like cinnamon,

 

made soup daily for my grandpa’s

lunch, scrubbed her small

apartment until it shone.

 

Was she trying to recreate

the beautiful home of her

childhood in Kiev?

 

How did a woman who grew

up with servants learn

to work so hard?

 

Did anyone thank her?

Now that I’m the age she was

then, I know what it is to be

 

invisible and unheard and I

understand why my Nana cried

out for attention, “ya hear.”

Dana Robbins

Dana Robbins is a Jewish poet who lives in the Riverdale section of Bronx, NY. After a long career as an attorney, Dana earned an MFA in creative writing. Her three books of poetry, The Left Side of My Life, After the Parade, and Frida’s Boots have been published by Moon Pie Press of Westbrook, Maine. Her work has appeared in numerous journals and on the radio, including in the Writers Almanac.

 

 

Dana Robbins