the parochial serves the universal

Strange savior to only kin and kine not caring for his fellows in the least at consanguinity, he draws the line, reserving hospitality to beasts. But neighbors got no warning, no reprieve If their own gods don't specify an ark, they got surprised the day it's time to leave succumbing to the flood, and mud, and Dark. Concern for strangers dawns with Avraham A Light until the Nations' something new confronting God with his own moral qualm Refocuses from "species" down to "Jew". If not a "tzaddik", certainly a sage this new protagonist for a new age.

situational

the neighbors must have asked, but Noah shrugged

so done with advertising what he planned.

He used to socialize, 'til he got mugged

but now he's sure they'll never understand.

The voices coming to him in the night--

insisting he must make this box his home--

would only cause the doomed to fret and fight;

 the dreams were meant for him, and him alone.

A later prophet'd warn Assyria

that God did not approve their errant ways

but Noah'd let the folk of Ninevah

go blithely to their fiery end of days.

within his generation, Noah's best.

But Avraham did better by his guest.

Noach M

To differentiate what had been white
God wrought His rainbow out of rain and wrack.
New gorgeous ornament to Primal Light
as subtly different frequencies refract.
Through Genesis, the drumbeat was "divide"
as Dark from light, and He from She was cleft.
So Eve was formed from what had been one side,
and Adam from the tissue that was left.
Now, Noah's told again to multiply
--at least until his seed have filled the Earth.
But what had seemed to all be unified's
revealed--to opened eyes--to be diverse.
Brave new Beginning--mercy tempers laws--
accommodates humanity's strange flaws.

Noach II

Each clockwork cosmos, pure, and fair, and just
was found deficient; none could clear the rod.
And yet this compromise, wrought from their dust,
proved somehow satisfactory to God.
Free-will lets monotheists off the hook.
Although there's Evil, God can still be good.
While revelation's there in His good book,
it's willful man that won't act as he should.
The line of Adam must ride out the storms
although our violence screams to the skies,
to build again society, and norms
where no one does what's good in his own eyes.
Repackaged Gilgamesh, and snakes, and mud
lay ethics on old stories of the Flood.

kal v'chomer

if Gilgamesh could have resisted Sleep
it seemed he had a chance to defeat Death
but as he dozed a serpent of the deep
devoured the herb and left him there bereft
"from light to heavy" as the Sages say
who couldn't conquer one can't conquer two
a mortal hero shines just for his day
then vanishes ephemeral as dew
the story of the Flood was long in tooth
ere Noah built his ark or learned to sail
but Rabbis didn't mine folklore for the Truth
we retroject new meaning on old tales
a covenant's inscribed, now on the sky
and not a hero terrified to die

kal v'chomer

if Gilgamesh could have resisted Sleep
it seemed he had a chance to defeat Death
but as he dozed a serpent of the deep
devoured the herb and left him there bereft
"from light to heavy" as the Sages say
who couldn't conquer one can't conquer two
a mortal hero shines just for his day
then vanishes ephemeral as dew
the story of the Flood was long in tooth
ere Noah built an ark or learned to sail
but Rabbis didn't mine folklore for Truth
we retroject new meanings on old tales
a covenant's inscribed, now on the sky
and not a hero terrified to die