I am a poet, digital artist, editor of The BeZine (TheBeZine.com), co-publisher of Is a Rose Press (with gary lundy—IsARosePress.com), and educator. I am retired from the English Department at David Yellin Academic College of Education, Jerusalem, Israel. Finishing Line Press (FinishingLinePress.com) published my most recent poetry collection, Nothing Remembers (2019).
Why she was late for dinner… A bag falls to the sidewalk, glass shatters, wine spills—a ghost woke and walked by her, a forgotten moment now scented by shiraz evaporating on hot cement. These days she simply shrugs off such occurrences—hidden minutes pour out along her path wherever […]
Yesterday in Pansy Bradshaw’s memory, may it be for a blessing for gary, as he grieves Parents of an infant girl prayed in thanks at the Kotel after so many years believing they “didn’t merit” a child— the weather nice, reasonably warm for October. At the light rail stop […]
It wasn’t the sharks I lost myself, drowning in waves of sunshine and fear. During stormy weather and when it was clear, I dove underwater to stay out of sight—that is, until sharks came that one lonely night. They struck at my legs and I knew […]
The following flash fiction responds to a prompt (the photo above) from the Short Story and Flash Fiction Society, for their second flash fiction contest; the story is 392 words, not counting the title (or this blog-post introduction). Moshe is our son’s name, he is three (almost four), and […]
Aviva and I were married in June, 2007, in Jerusalem. I began this poem a week after the wedding, although it still perhaps is not yet finished. On the occasion of Leonard Cohen’s 80th birthday and the release of his latest album, Popular Problems, though, I am posting the […]
In Tzfat this Evening The Klezmer festival music plays on and the fireworks blast into the sky exactly on time at ten, brilliant and loud. But the ceasefire broke apart before then, hours before—and Code Red sirens blasted in the South, in Tel Aviv, in Jerusalem, shortly after […]
As the War Continues i That war in the little southwest strip, its violence drowns out all sounds— words drain of meaning and become white spaces against blood-red paper. The numbers rise up, a large pile of bodies reaching toward the sun to ignite and burn, a pyre […]
In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv it was relatively quiet today. Most of the rockets were aimed closer to Gaza, in the southern communities. I had a faculty meeting in Tel Aviv today so drove in. There were no sirens or rockets while I was there, or for most of […]
The Cost of Yellow I know there’s a war going on, but yellow flowers cover trees in the parking lot as I pull in. True, missiles shatter lives while destroying buildings, but fallen petals cover the tarmac with a fairy-yellow glow. Yes, sirens send us underground while rocket’s […]
Friday was quiet for us in Jerusalem. In the morning we met with friends with whom we share Johrei, an alternative Japanese energy-healing practice. We included the situation and region in our meditation and prayers for peace. Other than making sure we knew where the safe area was […]
Aviva and the children are asleep on this hot summer’s night. Today the temperature reached 36 C., well into the 90s F., and it hasn’t cooled as much as usual yet. Unfortunately, the heat of conflict also was high. We are all fine, of course, other than Moshe’s […]
After last night’s excitement with the alert sirens and bomb shelter foray, things quieted down here. Apparently rocket fire from Gaza also slowed down in the night, but picked up again in the morning. While Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport have had rocket attacks today, according to […]
We are safe at home in Jerusalem tonight, but the situation in Israel has gotten worse by the day. I imagine that you have been hearing news reports out of Israel. The situation has escalated in the past 48 hours and in the early hours of Tuesday morning, July […]
The past weeks have shown how deep are the wounds here in Israel. The storm rages around us. The kidnapping three weeks ago turned to murder, it seems right after the boys were taken. Despite the facts we now know, that it was known from the first they […]
Solstice i Darkness cool and short relieves the solstice heat while the earth stealthily slips around toward winter. ii Dogs darken barks at sight of shadows & eclipses but dance high, with wild glee when they see glinting waves. iii Tree bark peels away only to display colors […]
A bit over a week ago we visited the Jerusalem Zoo. In the children’s area, goats and roosters run loose. Other animals stay in pens nearby, and both the goats and roosters can escape into the pens. It’s all made of wood with a very distinct ranch feeling. […]
UPDATE 6 January 2017: The book is out! Published December 30, 2016. Read more here. Current working title: Riding the Chariot The Toad’s Garden This post invites you to preview my next book by following the tentative table of contents links (below). I’ve been working on a book […]
The Poetry Reading Saturday evening, 29 March 2014, as I scurried about the house preparing to head out to participate in Jerusalism’s Wordplay reading, one of the organizers called me. Lonnie Monka told me that the photographer scheduled to cover the event had to cancel at the last minute. Lonnie […]
Nothing Remembers
by Michael Dickel
At Indie Booksotres
The Palm Reading after The Toad's Garden
by Michael Dickel
At Indie Bookstores
War Surrounds Us
by Michael Dickel
At Independent Bookstores
Midwest / Mid-East
by Michael Dickel
At Indie Bookstores
Meta/ Phor(e) /Play 