Shema declares faith in God’s oneness and is the foundational prayer of Judaism, traditionally said every morning, evening, and before death. Many years ago, my husband pointed out to me that the syllabic structure of the Shema in Hebrew is the 5-7-5 of a haiku. This poem is my attempt to absorb and reflect the beauty of the Shema's structural cohesion using the call-and-response form of haiku and tanka. 

Adina Kopinsky is attempting to balance poetry, motherhood, and contemplative living. She is originally from Los Angeles and now lives in Israel with her husband and four sons. She has work published or forthcoming in Crannog, PANK, SWWIM Every Day, and Glass: A Journal of Poetry, among other publications. She is also a board-certified lactation consultant and language editor at The Journal of Human Lactation.