Miriam, daughter of Yocheved 

Miriam is a ballsy backbeat,
a clash of tambourine
and quick thinking, the hero
who comes too early in the story
and who only speaks to Gd off-camera.

She’s a mouthy bitch,
that Miriam, leader of the girl gang;
when they dance, the seas shake.
Mothers fall to their knees.

While Moses is off performing magic tricks
and bargaining, Miriam shouts 
a litany of curses in the vague direction of heaven,
thinking

Maybe I’m Coming For All Their Gods

Miriam brought the blood.
Miriam, a hailstorm.
Miriam closed her eyes
and blinded half a country.
Miriam walks behind Moses 
with a switchblade in her palm,
letting it clang against her bangles,
sounding the alarm.

From Dane Kuttler's   Unlikely Victories: a Handbook for the Good Fight, 2017


haggadah Section: Hallel
Source: Dane Kuttler: https://www.danepoetry.com/