White Swan

 

Poem written by my father, Zeev Kachel

Lay your head here. Withering around us

Is the garden, with golden reveries all.

In its feverish languishing, like in life’s remorse

A final flame has been ignited by the fall.

Leaves are ֿdropping out… The wind devours them

For distant turns in the mist of time.

Thunder roars. Abandoned, orphaned in this realm

Is the path we never finished to the sublime. 

Oh, don’t you cry, white swan on the horizon —

A golden dream that vanished into space.

More springs will come to quicken pulse, to widen

A turbulent core in the deepest place.

If I pass on, somewhere there's a poem I wrote

For you. It’ll never wither, never be defiled. 

In it you’re forever young, a dream I loved the most

Queen of queens of the garden, ruling over the Nile.

[1948]

This poem, dedicated to my mother, was written around the time they married. It was also the year my father became a free man after months of being held as a prisoner of war in Jordan, in the hands of the Arab Legion. 

His love to a woman twenty years younger than him as well as the dangers he faced in captivity mark the first time he faced his own mortality, the first time he envisioned what would be left behind once he's gone.

Can We Still Love

Poetry

Paperback ★ Hardcover 

Audiobook

In an era that is amazement and wonder on one hand, and destruction and hate on the other, and facing the threat of an even more horrific holocaust in our future, two poets present a piercing question: can we still love? And love means one another, human to human.

This book is the 'I believe' statement of the poet, author and artist Zeev Kachel, a man whose most closely-held values and aspirations have been put to the test in the course of WWI and WWII. It is also the 'I believe' statement of his daughter, USA Today bestselling author, poet and artist Uvi Poznansky, who compiled her own work alongside his, and translated his poems from Hebrew so they can become an inspiring force to you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I was immediately introduced to a collection of poems that not only touched me, they sprung me directly into what it is like to be at war…”

Review (Rise to Power): The best of historical fiction

 This review for the paperback edition of my historical fiction novel Rise to Power makes me happy not only because the reader enjoyed the book but also because she reviewed it in Germany -- which tells me the far reach of my audience! My gratitude to you.

ZS

5 out of 5 stars

The best of historical fiction

Reviewed in Germany on 13 February 2015

Format: Paperback

Wonderfully epic, this novel swept me into those long forgotten times of biblical struggles and search. The story of King David told by the King himself, and in such delightfully light, conversational style, in the first person. It took me by surprise. Somehow I did not expect to hear the words of the famous king himself. I'm used to others describing him.
From the first page, this story drew me in and didn't let me go. Epic in its proportions, but so delightfully friendly in style, so easy to read, it made me connect with its characters right away, David himself, Michal, Saul and Yoav, and so many others. The best of historical fiction, in my opinion.
Who was this David? The slayer of Goliath? A gifted court entertainer? A cunning fugitive? A traitor to his people or a savior? Or maybe a ruthless power-grabber? Told in his own words, his story made much more sense, showed the man behind the stone statue and the biblical interpretations.
A wonderfully refreshing read!

I use that anger, that heat in me, to focus on the task at hand. I go on slipping down, thanking my lucky stars for having been bandaged, which would cushion my fall.

 As riveting as this exchange may be, I would rather stop hearing it, stop wondering what Vlad expects to get out of my boyfriend in exchange for my life. Don’t waste time listening to any of that, I tell myself. Just, do something. Anything. Escape. 

Really, in my present condition? 

Really. The moment is now. So don’t argue, don’t lose time on debating with yourself.

I grit my teeth, straining every muscle in me in an enormous effort to stir. After what seems like an eternity, I think I can move my thumb, because there it is, tingling. Yes, yes! I can bend it! It takes every bit of will power to straighten it back. Yes, I can do that, too! 

If I had a pistol, perhaps I could attempt to press the trigger—but short of that, bending and straightening this finger or that is of no real use. I need to do something else. Anything.

Right now, my arms feel as heavy as bricks, but according to Dr. Patel I did flail them while under the influence of drugs. Oh, where’s that morphine when I really need it? 

I’ve expected to go through weeks—perhaps even months—of physical rehabilitation, to recover control of my body. But I can no longer afford to wait for such a luxury. 

So I ask myself, can I topple the wheelchair? Am I strong enough to do it? Perhaps, once it’s down, I can crawl out of it across the asphalt, then roll my way under the bottom of one of the parked cars, and under the next one, and the one after that. 

Can I slink my way to safety?

On second thought, this plan seems overly complicated, and dangerous, too. Why? Because toppling the wheelchair would rattle the entire parking lot, which means that the moment I hit dirt, I would be caught. 

So instead, I decide to do what comes naturally. I slump. Then I slump some more. By now, my butt is nearing the edge of the wheelchair. It’s a plan, isn’t it?

Soon I’ll flop to the ground. 

Any moment now. 

Meanwhile, the tone of the conversation between the two men has changed. It’s warmer now, which infuriates me. I use that anger, that heat in me, to focus on the task at hand. I go on slipping down, thanking my lucky stars for having been bandaged, which would cushion my fall. 

And I think, if Vlad notices what I’m trying to do, I’m going to kick him. That wouldn’t help, of course, because he’s so much stronger than me, and because he has that weapon, but at least it’ll sweeten my moment of departure. I’d like to go out with a bang.

Coma Confidential

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

Ash finds herself in the ER diagnosed with coma. She has no memory of what has happened to her, but what she can do--despite what everyone around her might think--is listen to the conversations of her visitors. Will she survive the power outage in the hospital and then, being kidnapped out of it? 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"This suspenseful story spins into a wild race for survival for Ash, filled with terror, courage, and a journey that will have you cheering her on."