earth note 96

israel september 1991

i asked a woman
at a crossroads cafe
frazzled in the morning crowd
how's the backroad to jerusalem
pointing to the map in my hand
my quebec campanions gazing through
a sunny front window
french whispers
our bicycles standing together
supporting each other in the courtyard
"many arabs in those villages"
she answered
how's the road i asked again
noticing the workers and customers
packed in at the little tables
rich brown hands and coffee
immersed in hebrew and arabic

only a few kilometers
from a monastery of winemakers
a shalom kibbutz of peacemakers
so how's the road
"i've never been on it"
she said

maps in israel
are purposely obscure
many roads without numbers
letting you wander forever
asking strangers
not that we minded

after a few kilometers of downhill
we turned on to a narrow asphalt road
a simple sign "395" and then a second one
something like 12 kilometers
with an uphill symbol
pine forests covering the hillsides
pushed us in and out of canopies
switchbacks
deep green vistas
rocky loose ends near the horizon

within a few thousand meters
we were all pushing our bikes
steep even for goats
an afternoon sun emptied our water
farmers with olive groves maybe
at the end of the climb?
one passing car in the past hour
we reached the village of zova
a barnyard full of chickens
a water hose offered in arabic
another voice tells us it's almost
rosh hashanah
i should of known that
we listened & drank for an hour
we had much to learn
a plateau in the nick of time

the last leg of the ride
brought us to the jasmine hostel
a crumbling beautiful stone house
in jerusalem
as the sun was setting
the common living room was quiet
a few german & dutch backpackers
in the kitchen
sharing their soup with us
we shared our stories

by midnight
she and i were still on the couch
sinking deeply into the over-stuffed pillows
her traveling mate snoring in the double bed
we needed to make for three
at some point
but right now
our bodies unraveled
merged with the smells
pine forests
chicken coops
cooperatives too extensive to explain here
a simple moment
no past no future

--- e b bortz