Golem and the Librarian

NOTE:

This was originally published on my Rainbow Stormcast substack on May 17th 2023.

The plan is to move selected posts from my substack over here before deleting it entirely.

Substack has become too comfortable with platforming fascists.

DISCLAIMER:

All writing and art created by Lucas Scheelk / Sa’ar Keshet is 100% human-made, and does NOT use generative AI or ChatGPT.

This page does NOT endorse generative AI or ChatGPT.

Any writing and/or art created by Lucas Scheelk / Sa’ar Keshet may NOT be used for generative AI or ChatGPT, and permission will NOT be given for that purpose.

GOLEM AND THE LIBRARIAN [Lucas Scheelk]

After writing this epic* piece back in 2021, and almost 30 rejections from publications, “Golem and the Librarian” is out in the world!

*by epic, I mean narrative… it’s 5 pages long

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, dissociation, substance use, death/grief

YOU CAN READ THE POEM IN FULL HERE

“Golem and the Librarian” was written on Suquamish lands on occupied Turtle Island

❝

“Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished.” - Chief Seattle 1854

We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the suq̀ʷabš “People of Clear Salt Water” (Suquamish People). Expert fisherman, canoe builders and basket weavers, the suq̀ʷabš live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington’s Central Salish Sea as they have for thousands of years. Here, the suq̀ʷabš live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855.

BEHIND THE POEM

Like many during the first year of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I felt fucking lost. I became an Essential Worker in 2020 at a major hardware store, and I was struggling to keep going.

All of the Jewish holidays from that time were on Zoom, including my beit din, for obvious safety reasons.

All around me there were Jews finding creative ways to keep our communities together, and at the time, I found comfort in reading Golem tales.

Stories of Yossel’s life, I should say.

I found myself devouring all sorts of Golem adaptations (many of which serve as part inspiration & are credited, including my dear friend Lior Hardin).

I usually end up writing poems about special interests, so it was no surprise that I’d end up writing about Golem too.

How else to deal with the ongoing pandemic than write a story about surviving?

There are some deviations to the more well-known Golem narratives in my story, especially in comparison to Elie Wiesel and Yudl Rosenberg.

Unlike Rosenberg’s* adaptation, my Golem is in a minyan.

*an entire post could be made on deconstructing Chapter 23 on how parts of that may contribute to ableism in Jewish spaces

Unlike most Golem adaptations, my Golem lives at the end.

READER’S NOTES

Important points about this poem:

Since outer space is incorporated, Golem is created out of asteroids (instead of clay)
Golem communicates primarily through sign language
Golem can use their mouth as a radio (i.e. the part where Golem opens their mouth and Dolly Parton’s music plays)
“and all Jews not listed here” - including, but not limited to, where white Jews like myself are located in the minyan [obligatory: not all Jews are white; I just happen to be a white Jew]
re: the image of the Librarian: “white-as-default” is unacceptable; the character of the Librarian is for any and all autistics of all races & ethnicities.

NON-GOLEM REFERENCES

Including:

Perseverance rover just made oxygen on Mars [source]
How To Watch The 'Super Flower Blood Moon' Lunar Eclipse This Week [source]
Ibbur [source] [source]
Fact check: Dolly Parton helped fund Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine research [source] [source]
Corpse Flowers [source]
“One Jew’s cat screamed MAYBE THERE’S A G-D ABOVE” [source]
The Blue's Clues Pride Parade 🏳️‍🌈 Sing-Along Ft. Nina West! [source]
1RXS J160929.1-210524 b [source]
Comforting Jewish Mourners: Nihum Avelim [source]

THANK YOU

… to my family & friends, poetry peers, and readers, for believing in “Golem and the Librarian.”

I hold this poem as one of my most beloved, like I do for, “A Prayer For A Non-Religious Autistic,” “This Is A Clothespin,” “Guess Who Ate The Challah Before They Were Supposed To?” and “trans people gather for a name reveal party and play Apples-to-Apples except all the cards are fill-in-the-blank” among others.

For more about other Golem adaptations, check out CHOOSE YOUR GOLEM

For more of my poetry, check out ABOUT THE POET