On Rosh Hashanah it is written
and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.
Our lives are stories
inscribed in time.
At the turning of the year
we look back, look ahead, see
that we are always
in the days between:
How many will leave this life
and how many will be born into it,
who will live and who will die,
whose life will reach its natural end
and whose will be cut short,
who by water and who by fire,
who by sword and who by beast,
who by hunger and who by thirst,
who by quake and who by plague,
who by choking and who by stoning,
who will rest and who will wander,
who will be tranquil and who will be torn,
who will be at peace and who will be tormented,
who will be raised high and who will be brought low,
who will prosper and who will be impoverished.
U’tshuva
Turning inward
to face oneself
Ut’filah
Entering into prayer
and contemplation
Utz’dakah
Giving to the needy
as justice requires
Ma’avirin et-ro’a hag’zerah
These diminish the harshness
of the decree