Hineni

In his collection of 15 poems all composed in this year, entitled Hineni ("Here I am"), Robert "Reuven" Feldman explores and celebrates both his Hebraic heritage while maintaining his lifelong poetic dedication to the Beat tradition of spontaneous "photographic image poetry." Ranging from his fascination with the spiritual side of Judaism and the Kabballah in poems like "the very best among us" and "and then I saw the angels (malach), Mr. Feldman transitions into a more contemporary "jazz mode" in poems like "Tel Aviv (a love poem?)," "so what conflict separates?," and "HaifaHolyLandBreakBreadHouse." Composed during his recent trip to Israel with his son, these last two poems, along with several others including his passionate homage to those 150 refugees who challenged British authorities and dared to defy the world in 1947/48 by establishing the Jewish State of Israel, "Orange and Bermuda Wine Passage," are filled with rich imagery, humor, and bop rhythm, while at the same time, conveying an unabashed sense of political and social acuity. And finally not to be overlooked, poems such as "Mr. Will and Mr. Way," "Leonardo da Vinci Airport" and "love's last dance," though slightly peripheral to the overall thematic sentiment of this collection, add to the poet's itinerary of literary colors absorbed along his "birthright" sojourn. Robert Feldman holds a MA in English, Linguistics, and Languages from the University of Arizona. He continues to work as a poet, musician (Indian tablas), and painter from his home in southern Florida.