by Esther Cameron (July 2025)
The Fourteenth of July
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All in the dewy morning
On the fourteenth of July
I went to walk beneath the trees
That grow so green and high.
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And there I met Tom Jefferson,
He was pacing up and down,
His head was sunk upon his chest,
His face it wore a frown.
–
“What is the matter, sir,” I said,
“Or what is it you seek?”
“I’m looking for the people
With whom I wish to speak.”
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“What do you mean?” I cried in fear,
“Can’t you see them all around?”
“I see their bodies just like you,
But their spirits are not found.
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“They do not hear, they do not see,
They walk with empty eyes.”
“I guess you mean the media
That have got them hypnotized.
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“Their ears are filled with crashing sound,
Their eyes with flashing lights,
Their minds too full of greed and gore
To sort out truth from lies.
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“They have no time to meet and talk
And hear the liberty bell—
It is as if some evil king
Had bound them in a spell.”
–
“Climb up, climb up into that tower,
“And ring that bell once more.”
“That bell has got a crack,” I replied,
The sound would not go o’er.”
–
“Then you must forge it new,” he said,
“In the flame of your desire,
Until they come together
To hear what freedom requires.
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“Tell them to keep the Sabbath,
A day when all are free:
That day they must not buy nor sell
Nor sit and watch TV.
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“It is a day to meet and talk
And find the ones they trust
To keep their hands from bribery
And on wisdom to insist.
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“And these in turn together
Will meet in council high
To write a Constitution
For the coming century.
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“For everything wears out at last
And needs to be renewed
Out of the ancient spirit
Of truth and rectitude.
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“That spirit has a mighty power,
Although the odds be high;
Will you go and tell the people?”
I said that I would try.
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–
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Locust Song
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Listen, the locusts have begun to sing
From tree to tree, swelling ring over fading ring
Of simmering sound. Summer’s diminishing,
And long long will you long for spring.
–
–
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Prayer of the Self
Please let others see
What I was meant to be.
Table of Contents
Esther Cameron is a dual citizen of Israel and the US, now living in Jerusalem. She is the founding editor of The Deronda Review. Her poems and essays have appeared here and there; she has published her Collected Works on Amazon and has had one book published by an academic press—Western Art and Jewish Presence in the Work of Paul Celan (Lexington Books, 2014).
Follow NER on Twitter @NERIconoclast
