Writing is my prayer to Hashem, my G-d. In
my first draft, it is a silent prayer as
my left hand sweeps softly
across the pristine
page of a
blank
book
creating, re-creating, and discovering
holy scripts originally hidden
in the deep caves of my
unconscious mind
but revealed
today as
the holy
words
float to consciousness.
Writing is my
prayer.
My writing is guided by my dreams
and dreamlike states. At night,
I let go of my ego and
pass through
altered
states
of
consciousness. Preternaturally,
I meander through dark
labyrinths and
discover
sweet phantasmagoria and
the secrets of the
universe.
At dawn, perhaps, or later
in the day, especially
after sunset, I
write,
driven and inspired by my
dark beautiful
journeys.
Writing is my prayer to Hashem, my G-d. In
my second draft, it is a loud prayer as I
pound the holy words on my
keyboard, transferring
my creation to a
file on my
computer.
In this miraculous creative process,
I transform and transcend,
and ultimately, I
am transformed.
Writing is my prayer to Hashem
(The Name), my G-d.
When I need
to speak
privately with Him, I dream
and write. Then I wait.
I pray inside the
Void.
Soon, I feel His presence.
I’m not alone. I
speak to Him.
He listens.
Hashem commands me
to write again
and again.
Dr. Mel Waldman is a psychologist, poet, and writer whose stories have appeared in numerous magazines including HARDBOILED DETECTIVE, ESPIONAGE, THE SAINT, and AUDIENCE. His poems have been widely published in magazines and books including THE BROOKLYN LITERARY REVIEW, SKIVE MAGAZINE, POETRY PACIFIC, NEW VILNA REVIEW, POETICA, RED FEZ, SQUAWK BACK, SWEET ANNIE & SWEET PEA REVIEW, THE JEWISH PRESS, THE JERUSALEM POST, HOTMETAL PRESS, MAD SWIRL, HAGGARD & HALLOO, ASCENT ASPIRATIONS, and NAMASTE FIJI: THE INTERNATIONAL ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY. A past winner of the literary GRADIVA AWARD in Psychoanalysis, he was nominated for a PUSHCART PRIZE in literature and is the author of 11 books. He has been inspired for decades by his patients and their heroic stories of trauma and survival.