“O Jews of Mexico!” by Dan Grossman

Claudia Sheinbaum image by Secretaría de Cultura Ciudad de México from México, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

O Jews of Mexico!

While driving towards Del Rio, after dark,
along the Mexican border, I’m thinking
of the 40,000 Jewish citizens of Mexico,

the descendants of refugees from pogroms,
the Inquisition, and the Holocaust. I’m thinking
of Diego Rivera, whose ancestors were

Conversos, who wrote “My Jewishness
is the dominant element of my life,”
even though he wasn’t raised in the faith.

I’m thinking of his wife Frida, who also claimed
Jewish blood. I’m wondering if Judaism
is the dominant element in my life as well,

although I was barely raised in the faith,
when a coyote crosses the road in front
of me. I jerk the wheel to avoid it, almost

flipping my Nissan. Afterwards Elijah
appears out of nowhere and whispers
in my ear, “Go ahead and ponder your roots

but it’s a mistake to think that Diego
and Frida were hung up on navel gazing:
Keep your eyes on the road ahead.”