Uvi Poznansky: When wind raged around me I would whisper words into it

There is no motion anywhere, except for the clouds. They are rolling in, hanging full and heavy over the hills of Jerusalem, roaming over me like an upside down flock of sheep.

It is then that a memory comes back, the shining memory of distant days, when I was watching over my father’s herd. From where I stand now, my childhood seems carefree—until I remember how resentful I felt that first time when he told me that the next day I would be left with the sheep all by myself. They were taller than me, which frightened me. I was full of disdain and wished I could rebel.

But I did not, because what choice did I have? We lived faraway from the lowlands, where you could farm the land. A shepherd I had to become, so I pretended to know my way. I walked ahead and to my surprise, the herd followed. In that rugged, mountainous terrain, finding new areas for grazing kept me on the move, farther and farther away from Bethlehem, even as my longing for my father grew stronger. I imagined coming back to him at the end of the day.

When wind raged around me I would whisper words into it. When it died down I would hum a melody. In my loneliness I would listen to the echoes rolling back from the hills, singing with me.

Even though I walk

Through the darkest valley

I will fear no evil
For you are with me.

Your rod and your staff
They comfort me.

David in The David Chronicles: Trilogy