“You and I will change the world,” sang Arik Einstein, who died 8 years ago on the ever of Hanukkah.  It was such an important song and such an important idea.  “And then everyone else will join in,” is the second line.  Doing a good deed for others, he said, is contagious.  

I sometimes cry when I hear him sing this.  

no.  I always cry when I hear it.  I pass his house and I cry.   

This is what I wrote 8 years ago for him.

Arik

The last time I saw him

he pushed back from the table

stood and pulled up his shirt

to show his stomach.

“This,” he said, “this is solid.”

And I agreed.

Last month I passed

the restaurant,

“Crown of the East,”

and thought –

it’s still there

Where I sat once with Eli

who’s long dead, and they’re even now

probably talking song and soccer,

and Arik still drops by.

But today comes with news

suddenly with his death

the spontaneity of a people’s love,

the same public fervor he would have said

distracts us from important issues…

And always always I hear him

on the radio, on my smartphone,

in my head,

wherever I am

and I think:

this, this is solid.