A poem about connecting with my Ashkenazi heritage.
Today I am a woman.
Today I am a Jew.
Today I have an ailment
my ancestors all knew.
For many generations,
my Fathers’ guts have hurt.
My Mother can’t eat chocolate:
a most unjust dessert.
I gather all my chocolate;
I give it all away.
No more can I digest it;
And I have Crohn’s today.
I feel myself much older
than I have ever known.
Today I have a Crohn’s disease;
Today I am a crone.
