Miracles And Mighty Deeds Poem by gershon hepner

Of all the miracles and mighty deeds
that God performed to save the Israelites,
just one, the splitting of Sea of Reeds,
inspired them to sing with flights
of fantasy in poetry enshrined,
describing how the riders fell from horses,
as they declared: “Wherever can one find
a god with power equal to God’s forces? ”

The killing of the firstborn caused no song
while men ate lamb and bread that did not leaven,
nor did they sing when later they would long
for fleshpots although manna fell from heaven
or even when they saw the fire-cloud
that was the very presence of the Lord;
the only time that they all sang aloud
was when they cried: “Egyptians overboard! ”

The ocean makes all people analeptic
and turn to God when waves cause them to panic,
as did the Israelites no longer skeptic,
as lucky as survivors of Titanic.
In foxholes even atheists will pray
to God although they don’t believe that He
exists, but when the danger passed away
the Israelites knew God controlled the sea
as He controls the earth and all the men
who live on it, the Pharaohs and their slaves,
but later some forgot about this when
the sea became so calm there were no waves.

3/23/06