when I close my eyes
and when I open them again

when I'm sitting at home
and when I'm out and about

(I know I'm not supposed
to text and drive

but I send you notes anyway
full of emoji hearts)

I find excuses to mention you
because saying your name makes me smile

you shape what my hands do
and how I see the world

at every threshold
I remember your name

This poem riffs off of the prayer called the V'ahavta.

I'm participating again this year in #blogElul, an internet-wide carnival of themed posts aimed at waking the heart and soul before the Days of Awe. (Organized by Ima Bima.) Read #blogElul posts via the Elul tag; last year's posts are now available in print and e-book form as See Me: Elul poems.