The Fire Stays in Red

Book excerpt: "My mother dreams in Arabic, I dream in Hebrew," Ronny Someck has written. Born in Iraq and arriving in Israel as a young child, Someck's Sephardi roots still run deep. His poems are hot, crotic, comic, tragic, agape at the wonders of a tear and a tattoo and a snapshot and a bra and a scarecrow. To read his poetry is to ride a runaway horse. Where else can you find Tarzan, Marilyn Monroe and cowboys battling with Rabbi Yehuda Halevi for the hearts and souls of Israelis. Book jacket.