Erika Dreifus

On Friday, May 2, The Forward‘s Arty Semite blog published my poem “Mount Zion.” And on Friday, May 9, my poem “September 1, 1946” appeared on the same.

Initially, I thought that I might share both poems with you. A pair.

But then, something better came along. And I mean that quite literally.

Last Friday, I shared the link to “September 1, 1946”–which uses W.H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939” to jump-start a poem about my father’s maternal grandmother–with some family and friends.

Within hours, one member of that community–Jon Racherbaumer–posted a poem in response. It represents an effort, in Jon’s words, to express “how I imagine you imagining as you wrote.”

After reading both my poem and Jon’s, my friend and poetry teacher Sage Cohen commented, “What a duet!” And that’s how I hope you may also see them.

Here, again, is “September 1, 1946.” I hope that you’ll read it, and then return here for “Erika’s Vision,” re-posted here with Jon’s permission. (more…)