by Arlyn Miller
This post begins a three-part series of poems inspired by our Gathering the Waters International Mikveh Conference in 2010.
Approach the water.
Bring who you are
and what you have lost.
In its transparency
the water holds
every color.
Like light – every color contained;
though we cannot see this,
for seeing through it.
Enter the living water
which carries where it came from
and the mystery of its destination.
Immerse your self
and emerge with the whole
of who you are
which contains who you have been
and who you will be, though it may be
as invisible as light.
A poet, essayist and journalist, Arlyn Miller was inspired to write these three poems while attending an international conference at Mayyim Hayyim. Of the three poems, “Gathering the Waters” (which was also the title of the conference), appeared in the Jewish Women’s Literary Annual, Volume 9, 2013, and is reprinted here with the kind permission of the author. The piece first appeared digitally on the Jewish Writing Project.
Arlyn is the founding editor of Poetic License Press, which publishes creative writing that is “authentic, accessible and engaging,” including the poetry anthologies, A Light Breakfast: Poems to Start Your Day and A Midnight Snack: Poems for Late Night Reading. Arlyn teaches writing workshops in the Chicago area. Her poems, essays, and articles have been widely published.