THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN RHYME by Fay Kranz Greene Purim means 'lots' chance and conjecture G-d's name was absent, concealed But Esther means hester--hidden, obscure Unmask and all is revealed It happened in the days of Achashverosh the King A boor and a fool to boot He made a great feast for the nations he ruled To display his treasures and loot He had no shame, did not fear G-d's name The fortune was not his to keep It was stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem Which lay in a sorrowful heap Yet invitations were sent addressed to the Jews At the palace to celebrate Though they were warned, they did not stay away And G-d's anger was kindled, irate The festivities lasted one hundred eighty days The wine and the spirits flew Destruction and deliverance were being prepared But at the time, nobody knew The drunken king ordered Queen Vashti to appear She refused him unceremoniously Upon advice from his court he cut her head off And regretted it almost instantaneously So a beauty pageant was quickly announced To choose a new queen in her stead All the maidens vied for this honor so great But beautiful Esther was filled with dread Her kinsman was Mordechai, a Jew so renowned Her lineage from King Saul's royal gene She tried to hide, but fate would not be denied Achashverosh chose her as his new queen Mordechai gave her instructions precise To the palace he came every day Esther was not to reveal her nation of birth Yet remain Jewish in every way The stage was now set for Jewish salvation Esther was a powerful force She urged Acheshverosh to choose an advisor The Jew Mordechai, of course One day Mordechai heard two soldiers plot To kill the king was their aim He told it to Esther who saved the king's life But gave credit to Mordechai by name Now an ill wind was brewing for the Jewish nation In the guise of Haman the Aggagite The royal ring was bestowed on him by the king Though he was a wicked anti-Semite Haman was proud, he preened at the gates He commanded all to bow But Mordechai refused, he said I'm a Jew And my G-d does not allow Haman wanted revenge on all the Jews To annihilate them was his vow He'd slaughter them all on one bloody day The only question was how? But this evil man thought of a plan He devised a kind of lottery To determine the date for the poor Jews' fate The thirteenth of Adar it was to be Now Haman pleaded his case to the King That the Jews were of no use at all Achashverosh agreed, and it was quickly decreed That our people were slated to fall When Mordechai learned of this treachery Sackcloth and ashes he donned Weeping and wailing he ran through the streets Knowing Esther would surely respond Dear Esther, he said, your time has arrived For this you were chosen as queen To plead on the throne on behalf of your folk Divine providence can clearly be seen For her people Esther would risk her life She had but one request to make For three days the Jews must fast, regret their past And all other gods forsake Esther and her maidens would likewise fast Then make a move so bold To see the king unbidden was forbidden Unless he extend his scepter of gold Dressed in royalty and cloaked in Divinity Esther was grace personified Her prayers were answered, hope was at hand The king invited her inside Half of my kingdom is yours he said Esther should have been delighted But she was waiting for a sign Divine So to a party she invited Not only the king but Haman too A move calculated to distress The Jews would put their trust in G-d And the king would become jealous Esther waited for an opportunity But there was no sign in sight She had to stall and risk it all With a party a second night Haman was gloating 'the queen chose me' It was just the King and I But his bubble bursts and his anger spurts When he sees the Jew Mordechai His wicked wife Zeresh comes up with a plan Build a gallows about fifty feet Go ask the king, to let Mordechai swing And your joy will then be complete What a night was ahead, the kingdom's astir No one is sleeping it seems Esther is planning, Mordechai is praying And the king has disturbing dreams In the very heavens the angels are weeping G-d hears his children in need The king is awakened, his sleep is forsaken From his royal book he begins to read The pages turn as if on their own To an entry long ago recorded Mordechai the Jew saved the life of the king But his loyalty was not rewarded Achashverosh hears Haman in the courtyard And calls him in post haste How can I honor a man who's deserving I have no time to waste Haman lays out a course of grand action All the while thinking it's he A gala parade astride the king's horse Who else would he honor but me? But his downfall was near, his end was in sight Imagine his horror and dread When the king said go do, to Mordechai the Jew Exactly the things that you said When Esther heard this turn of events She knew it was her cue And that it was right at the party that night To reveal that she was a Jew If I have found favor in the eyes of the king And your highness will agree Please spare my life and the lives of my people From death by an evil decree Who would dare to threaten my queen Asked Achashverosh in a great fright It is none other than your trusted advisor Haman the Aggagite The king was enraged, he needed air From the room he quickly fled And on the gallows intended for Mordechai He had Haman hanged instead Now letters were swiftly dispatched To all the kingdom near and far For the Jews to prepare, their foes to beware On the thirteenth of Adar The Jews were triumphant against the enemy They fought bravely for their nation And the days that were slated for destruction Became days of celebration Now proclamations were sent to all the Jews Rejoice and be of good cheer Remember these days of Purim And commemorate them every year By sending mishloach manot, food gifts to your friends And eating a feast galore By reading the megillah not once but twice And giving charity to the poor Purim means 'lots' chance and conjecture G-d's name was absent, concealed But Esther means hester hidden, obscure Unmask and all is revealed HAPPY PURIM