The story starts at a Jewish funeral.

fist after fist fills with cool damp earth

It travels to Israel:

at ben-gurion airport
here she comes hauling her baggage
rendered clumsy by her burden
beneath that smooth brown skin
that halo of thick coarse hair
the plantation and the shtetl
live in blood and memory

her passport names her
tirzah persephone horowitz
after an aunt on her dad's side
who died so young in the camps
and her mother's favorite greek myth
but to call her tirzah is too much
like uncovering her nakedness
like speaking aloud the holy name

and the holy city of Tzfat...

i am a city of song
plucked strings of a lyre
loud brassy klezmer
throbbing techno beats
shoes clop-clopping on cobblestone
tires screeching on the asphalt river
winding round my peak

It features monsters...

terry loves monsters
loved them since her first pimples and pubes
sneaking dracula under the covers
wondering what it would be like
to feel a vampire's fangs on her neck
to taste human blood in her mouth
to transform into wolf or bat or mist
but dracula always dies
staked and beheaded by good christian men
because magic and mystery must not survive

And it ends...

No. That would be telling.

---

The story starts at a Jewish funeral.fist after fist fills with cool damp earthIt travels to Israel:at ben-gurion airporthere she comes hauling her baggagerendered clumsy by her burdenbeneath that smooth brown skinthat halo of thick coarse hairthe plantation and the shtetllive in blood and memoryher passport names hertirzah persephone horowitzafter an aunt on her dad s sidewho died so young in the campsand her mother s favorite greek mythbut to call her tirzah is too muchlike uncovering her nakednesslike speaking aloud the holy nameand the holy city of Tzfat i am a city of songplucked strings of a lyreloud brassy klezmerthrobbing techno beatsshoes clop-clopping on cobblestonetires screeching on the asphalt riverwinding round my peakIt features monsters terry loves monstersloved them since her first pimples and pubessneaking dracula under the coverswondering what it would be liketo feel a vampire s fangs on her neckto taste human blood in her mouthto transform into wolf or bat or mistbut dracula always diesstaked and beheaded by good christian menbecause magic and mystery must not surviveAnd it ends No. That would be telling.