A Literary Magazine in Support of the Jewish Community
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.
