Alderperson Vered Meltzer’s Invocation At 09/21/2022 Common Council Meeting – “As the season begins to grow colder and the nights grow longer, we all need more warmth from each other.”

Mayor Woodford: Tonight’s invocation will be delivered by Alder Meltzer.

Alderperson Vered Meltzer (District 2): The Chinese mid-autumn festival was on September 10th. And I want to share one of my favorite mid-autumn poems with you. The first time I encountered this poem, I was a small child in China with no control over why I ended up there, far from my familiar community. The simple words of this poem resonated with me deeply. It was written by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai while he was in exhile from his homeland. It’s called “Quiet Night Thoughts”.

Bright moonlight shines before my bed
Like frost on the ground
I raise my head and behold the bright moon
I lower my head and miss my home

The tradition of mid-autumn poetry is to write poems of admiration to the moon, but no matter how bright and beautiful the moonlight, no matter how much we have to celebrate, if we are alone without a sense of belonging the bright moonlight seems as cold as frost.

Rosh Hashanah, the two day celebration of the Jewish new year, begins on September 25th. It is celebrated with apples and honey and sweetness. A week later is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, marked by fasting and deep introspection.

As we prepare for the holiday season and enjoy the festivals of our many different traditions, let us remember those who are alone right now and those who have no harvest to enjoy because they have lost everything. Let us remember those who are struggling to build new lives and those who are apart from their families and loved ones.

As the season begins to grow colder and the nights grow longer, we all need more warmth from each other.