Can life return to normal? A poem for our times

Leading Israeli poet ADI KEISSAR is a voice for Israelis haunted by the October 7 attack.

Prominent Israeli poet Adi Keissar's latest work "October" has made waves in the Jewish world, masterfully capturing the trauma and impact of the current Israel-Hamas war and the indelible mark October 7 has left on the country and its people.

First published in Hebrew just two weeks after the October 7 massacre, the poem made its debut in the literature and culture supplement of Yedioth Ahronoth and quickly went viral across social media platforms, including being shared by politician Naama Lazimi.

Like the songs which have become a playlist of the Gaza war, poetry gives voice to the emotions that news reports and images cannot capture.

Reflecting on the overwhelming response, Keissar told The Jewish Independent that she was astonished at the widespread recognition and appreciation the poem received from audiences around the world. Since its original publication, "October" has been translated into English, German and Spanish, amplifying its impact on a global scale and highlighting the poem's universal resonance.

Keissar is a prominent Israeli poet of Yeminite descent who was born and raised in Jerusalem, and the founder of "Ars Poetica" — a new wave of Mizrahi poetry that expands the medium to include music and dance from the Middle East.

In an interview with The Jewish Independent during her visit to Melbourne for Limmud Oz in 2018, Keissar described Ars Poetica as "basically one big party with poetry reading and music. Music is one of the main incentives for my writing. You can feel the music in my poetry, and I love reading my poems with music and musicians".