A Literary Magazine in Support of the Jewish Community
Kaddish
Roots shooting into the open grave—
the soil will be restored to them soon.
Earth finishes another life.
Why save death for the end?
Why can’t it come in the middle?
There’s a hole in the magnolia where the lightning struck and something
lives in it.
My love—effectively infinite—
I hope it can begin to make up for this lack of peace.
My love—you are here with me and we
forgot Shabbat,
let’s light the candles now, on the wrong night
and sing the blessing.
Molly Kirschner
Molly Kirschner is a poet, playwright, essayist, performer, and educator. Her poems have appeared in journals including The Southern Review, The New Ohio Review, and Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics. Her essay, "Obstruction of Correspondence," is forthcoming in Poetry International Online. Kirschner was awarded the inaugural poetry residency at The Hundredth Hill. Her poetry collection, Sweeten It With Salt, a finalist for the 2021 Four Way Books Levis Prize, is forthcoming from Etruscan Press. In July of 2025, Kirschner joined Engaging the Senses Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to poetry and the arts, in the role of special initiatives coordinator.
