Image by Ora Yashar
I walk through this land where the trees have a million stories to tell. And all I can wonder is: Will they be left to tell it? Will we? The sun may have risen, but I can’t see it shine. I’ve come to you, for you are my respite. Your embrace makes me whole. Refreshes my soul. The only place to rest my head without you is six feet below. Flecks of white sprinkle down onto my orange skin. Orange everywhere. Am I looking at the world through a sepia filter? No, this is no filter. This is Yosemite burning.
This piece was published by NuRoots in collaboration with Jewish Book Council as part of NuRoots’ Awe in a Flash project for In Awe — seven weeks of virtual gatherings and D.I.Y. experiences that explore a season of expansiveness, reflection, and astonishment. See the other pieces here and here.
An initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, NuRoots mobilizes and inspires people in their 20s and 30s to create meaningful Jewish community across L.A.
Ora is an Iranian-American writer/director. Her short film Melting the Snowman has screened in over 25 film festivals internationally and her scripts have placed in competitions including the Austin Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Kansas City Film Fest, Final Draft’s Big Break and Screencraft’s Film Fund. Ora is a Film Independent Episodic Lab Fellow and a Jewish Women’s Theatre NEXT Fellow. Experiences writing an Emmy nominated PSA for the Santa Monica Museum of Art and directing a 2x Telly award winning PSA for the ALS Association have been deeply gratifying. Further nourishing Ora’s love of storytelling are her two seasons as the showrunner’s assistant on the Netflix series Atypical. She received her MFA in Directing from Chapman University.
Related Reading
