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
After a long career as an attorney, Dana Robbins earned an MFA in Creative Writing. Her work has been published in numerous journals. She is the author of three books of poetry: The Left Side of My Life (Moon Pie Press, 2015), After the Parade (Moon Pie Press, 2020), and Fridas Boots (Moon Pie Press, 2022). As a Jewish poet, she often writes about Jewish themes. You can find out more at danamartinerobbins.com.
