As we step into the tides of tomorrow, this prayer invites us to treasure the gift of time, uncover holiness in the everyday, and return to kindness, generosity, and wisdom. May the new year be one of gratitude, growth, and peace in all its forms.
Category: Spoken Word Poetry
A Prayerful Invocation for Calabasas: Celebrating Leadership and Community
Rabbi Paul Kipnes of Congregation Or Ami offers a heartfelt invocation at the Calabasas City Council Reorganization Meeting, celebrating the installation of Mayor Peter Kraut. Reflecting on leadership, unity, and the city’s vision, the prayer calls for compassion, courage, and a commitment to community care.
Parenting: The Challenging of Letting Go (spoken word poetry)
In this spoken word poem, explore how Abraham's parents might have felt as he went off from Haran to the Promised Land, in search of his future.
A Psalm for Cities on Fire
A Psalm for our cities on fire, after the killing of George Floyd
Dear Jewish Leader, Are You Up to the Task?
An open letter to Jewish leaders about how to lead through Covid-19 present and future.
Prayer for Rising Waters: Getting Through Covid-19
A Jewish prayer finding strength in the responses of our ancestors to the trials in their lives. Specially written for during the Covid-19 outbreak
It’s Been Weeks Since I Wrote ‘bout My Dad
A poem providing insight into mourning during the in-between times.
You Won’t Be There these High Holy Days
A poem about facing the moments over the High Holy Days - small but meaningful - when my dad won't be there.
Lazy Mourning Morning
A poem about those moments when I'm not feeling the sadness in the midst of the mourning.
A Friend’s Shiva Visit
Poem about when a friend visited me during my dad's shiva.
Standing for Kaddish That First Time
Standing for Kaddish that first time is surreal. This poem captures the multitude of feelings as I stood in temple to recite Kaddish for my father Ken Kipnes.
I Guess. I am. Still. a Mourner. (Thirty days since Dad Died)
I am still a mourner. A poem about how my body - tears, trembling shoulders, welling up of emotions - remind me that I am still a mourner. Remembering my father, Ken Kipnes.
Low Level Sadness, the Mourning Heart’s Guest
Low level sadness, right beneath the surface, is the constant guest in the heart and mind of the mourner. This poem reflects those feelings during shloshim for my father, Ken Kipnes, Papa.
Shloshim’s Theological Wanderings (or) Asking the Questions I’m Not Ready to Ask
A spoken word poem about the theological questions that arise after the death of a loved one. Written as I think about my father Ken Kipnes.
Video: What’s Mourning Like?
A video that explores what it feels like to be a mourner, featuring my poem - The Secret Life of a Mourner.