Today’s the day!
After writing this epic* piece over 2 years ago, and almost 30 rejections from publications, “Golem and the Librarian” is now out in the world!
*by epic, I mean narrative… it’s 5 pages long
Since TikTok took away my 10-minute post option (it takes 8 minutes to perform this, I’m not kidding), and it’s too long to post up pictures on Twitter… this comprehensive post is my answer.
You can find “Golem and the Librarian” in Jarnal Vol. 3 here.
Content Warnings
COVID-19 pandemic, brief dissociation, substance use, death/grief
“Golem and the Librarian” was written on Suquamish lands on Turtle Island
The following Land Acknowledgement has been approved by the Suquamish Tribe:
“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.
Golem and the Librarian | Lucas Scheelk
There’s a PDF and DOCX version to access it, in case the alt-text here doesn’t work.
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 also struggling (and failing) to maintain my sobriety from alcohol.
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 pandemic than write a story about surviving?
Drinking wasn’t making things better, that’s for sure.
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]
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, readers, and the editors at Jarnal 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.
Other life news:
My spouse and I are still looking for housing, so everything regarding my 4th poetry book manuscript, and other projects, is on the back-burner for the foreseeable future.
If you’ve made it to the end, please consider:
donating to the Autistic People of Color Fund!
signing the petition “Tell Powell’s Books: Workers Deserve a Fair Contract with a Living Wage”
reading about Quaranzines!
catching up on “Writing from the Absence: Voices of Hmong American Poets”
reading Cyree Jarelle Johnson & Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s “In Defense of Autistic Trans Self-Determination”
learning from Mia Mingus’ “The Four Parts of Accountability & How To Give A Genuine Apology”
reading Noor Hindi’s “Fuck Your Lecture on Craft, My People Are Dying”
checking out Rabbi Sandra Lawson’s music!
reading some local history on Frank Smith Sr. (Makah) and his totem
last but not least… devouring THAT TIME HAWKEYE BEAT THE STARBUCKS