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Sunday, July 8, 2007

"Andromeda upon the Rock"




I asked for no pity or acknowledgement
Rather it came to me inquiring so
Rejection and misunderstanding
Has been a familiar occurence for me
My tears are connected to my heart
My heart is connected to my mind
It is inseperable from my body
Yet within my broken spirit is a secret place
Where no rejection survives
It is true that Apollonius of Rhodes looked upon me
This is the name his mother gave him
But she did not teach him about compassion
He is a bloody sort who holds the head of Medusa
Not thinking about anybody but himself
Therefore because I am aloof and forlorn
I am known as Andromeda
Like a band of stars that remains separated
From all planetary bodies
Within its folds is the secret place
Appollonius slew the dragon and took me
Yet within his passion remained an objective
I revealed my true heart to Athena after my death
It was I who chained myself to the rock
Poseidon summoned Ceto for the work to be done
I am the queen of men even above and beyond
The oracle of Ammon
My feet upon the rock was my message
Take heed to the lapping waters
In likeness to the people who task me
I am whitened like marble from vexation
My heart pumps sorrow through my veins
Chained to this rock I pray that it will end
My father the king does not know my heart
Though I am the queen to all men
There is no man that knows what I desire
Rather it is foolish folly for them to think
That it is passion which I seek
My secret floats upon the gentle breeze
Yet it falls upon deaf ears
I am undiscovered and remote
My tears are not noticed except in the heavens
In a place where I cannot be touched or heard
Only gazed upon in wonder
Tender kisses and sweet breath only existed in my dreams

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Temptations"


Silent freeways outside my window
In am in lavendar fields
No longer traveling the endless miles
That deduct emotion from my heart
I still sleep by the window and dream
Of the distances that are beyond my reach
Memories of the sun as I walked on the beach
As felt its rays upon my face
As I steadily quickened my pace
Fair weather friends
On fair weather days
Thoughts of home as my mind plays
The final trip home on the bus
Where soild rock exsists
Still there is the call of the road
As my mind silently resists

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Freedom"


One more year of riding this bus
One more year of working
I'll be finished with my schooling soon
No more town people smirking
When the time comes I'll catch the train
Forget this place and all my pain
My little sis and me will head on out
To find a life
No more having to do without
The sun shines brighter somewhere else
In the cleansing of the coming rain
I just want to have a life
In my own place-simple and plain
To sit by my window
Look down the street
Watch the children play
I have been molded
Upon the potters wheel
Wrought from the finest of clay

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Soul Mate"


The kitchen is my favorite place
Where all things come to be known
When I was a child I talked to my mother
The years passed by until I was grown
Now I come home and sit in the kitchen
I talk with my wife and we dance
I remember the days when my mother
Gave me knowledge to enhance
Words that would follow me throughout life
Into the great expanse
Of the visions that enter into my mind

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"In The Year 2231"


In the year Twenty Two Thirty One
A person will read these words I've spun
Age old verses still alive
Lessons and lore that still survive
They will taste of days gone by
Sit there to ponder and wonder why
How we lived and spent out days
Had our children and taught our ways
Eight generations will have expired
Who read the words and had admired
Then passed the prose on to who would come
So they could feel the total sum
Of a different beat that was in the world
Of those who played the tune
Refusal to allow the words to die
To end up in the ruin
I dedicate all my prose
To those who will be born
Though you will know of me-I never will you
Lest ye celebrate me rather than mourn

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"New Life"


This child which clings to my hand
Is life reborn in me
His tiny fingers reach out innocently
As though a silent decree
To hold me to my promises
As all the years go by
The many days to teach the ways
And all it may imply
Once upon a generation
Chances may appear
To make a difference in the world
Upon this hemisphere
A single tiny life comes forth
That brings a call to bear
The seedling grows to be a tree
In all my gentle care

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Renegade Rats"



Checkerboard tiles
By a tattered brick wall
Out by the old steel door
Smoking Camel cigarettes
I stole from my mothers drawer
The very walls are about to cave in
The floor and ceiling are about to drop
Too scared to look around
In hopes that it all will stop
Down on my knees when no one is looking
I make my hurried plea
Not knowing who I should direct it to
In an unfamiliar idiosyncrasy
Its not a serious consideration
But what have I got to lose
Jump off the rooftop onto the street
After paying my dues
I want to smoke another cigarette
While I stare at the pyramid on the pack
The one humped Camel refusing to look
I sit in silence to remember the slack
The street is unforgiving
In the alleyways are survivor rats
I will slither along with them
Avoiding the stalking cats
To live and breathe another day
In my struggle to barely thrive
Bread awaits fresh for the stealing
The bread that allows me to survive

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Forgotten Lady"


Homeless is a way of life
I never would have chose
My own children deserted me
But that's the way it goes
Each day I walk the many streets
People give me food
Sleeping in alleys-sometimes rooftops
I wake in gratitude
Life is precious,it has meaning
Birds still bring me joy
The sun feels good upon my face
And I can still enjoy
Precious moments at the park
As I watch children play
Hearing them laugh-watching them run
Listening to the things they say
They call me the woman with tears in my eyes
But the tears are not ones of sorrow
My life's path is what it is
Then there's always tommorow

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Hidden Streets"


In somber flight a single bird
Flounders over cobblestone streets
Clattering cars that go by occasionally
Missing the faintest of heartbeats
Failing to notice the beating of wings
Its life upon the fleeting air
Soft clouds above observe
The aviary who will dare
Take notice of what is in the wind
Rising motions give gentle heed
Food for thought in hidden meanings
Which the heart must now concede

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Juggernaut"




Turning cogs of the mechanical machine
In the midst of the condominiums
Sparks fly to the artificial brain
That surges forth with uncanny wisdom
None of which is proven to be accurate
Vanity no longer exsists on a realistic plane
Stanzas of data are fed into its brain
Without regard to human emotion
Or as to what the soul needs
Voices are no longer needed
Opinions are turned into syntax
Upon a blue screen that evokes slumber
Folded hands are about thee
As the chambers are closed indefinetly
While the gears turn in constant turmoil
In the metropolis that never sleeps
At the gates of entry which are barred
That serve as extis to those who may inquire
Individuality is a dream of the past
Unless the giant brain allows it to be so
Energy is diverted into greater means
As each day ticks by in the clicking of the gears
That determine the outcome of each day
Under a dying sun that no longer gives warmth without permission
In the crimson sky that revolves around
Machines who cannot feel emotion
Or know the meaning of colors or music
Because humankind has made it so

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Life passes by my window"





From this window life has gone by
In the generations of time
I have watched babies become men
Who have gone to war never to return
From the days of horses and carriages
Until there were no more
The banging of carts in the market place
The sweet smell of fruit that wafted up
To my window sills where I smelled
The many odors of the street
And saw lives lived below upon the concrete
Crying children-laughing women
Men who sat on porches
Tapped into hydrants on hot summer days
The occasional sound of the sirens
Policemen who walk their beat on the street
All those who wave to me from below
I am Rapunzel who refuses
To let down her golden hair
Rather I am the lady of fair
Who has grown old with age
But I am still young in my heart
And I dont miss a beat
Of what happens in the street
Sitting here day by day
Until comes a time when I shall wake no more

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Famine"



The monsoon rain did not come as expected
All the cattle died without water
Crops in the fields did not grow
There was nothing left to slaughter
No flour left to make daily bread
No strength in our arms to bury the dead
Our cries went up and were not heard
We laid in the baking sun while our vision blurred
The few who were left crawled to villages
Where nothing was found to eat
We continued to crawl as we scratched the earth
Blood ran from our cracked swollen feet
My will to live is great for one reason
To allow myself to be seen
So that the children might be saved
To close the gap between
Those whose eyes do not believe
The words upon a wall
Might my image make its appeal
Before I answer the call
For when the day is over and done
Might I not rise with the next sun
If any eyes gaze upon what is left
To envision that I am bereft
By no fault of my own or others
Take heed to the many mothers
To save the children by solemn grace
So that they may continue to run the race
Better days surely are ahead
Remember my plea although I am dead

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Inner Visions"




The many thoughts in my connection
Sometimes my head is in pain
Words that are written upon paper
Many words though I must refrain
To ponder deeply in my own mind
Is rather something that I will find
But to reveal much would be to touch
Something that may hurt those who read
Lest they should become wounded
And mentally bleed
At my expense is the very reason
I remain close to each season
And reveal only small parts
To keep in mind others hearts
I have no desire to make hard connection
Or to cause any sort of ressurection
Of thoughts that float upon inspiring oceans
I am sure to reveal many emotions
That might invoke others to feel
What it is like to feel a lightning strike
That finds its mark like pulling reins upon a heart
With visions of wisdom that will impart
To have an effect on the human brain
In likeness to the ball and chain
I am chained to the earth and homeward bound
To a place that is yet to be found
Fleeing from the invasion of the many thoughts
Evading the intimacy of the pervading images
Skirting the boundaries of where I must go
Barely ahead of the invoking scrimmages
The impelling of the crowds who are compelling
Breaking rules with mental duels
So that the unlocking of secrets within the mind
Are easier for them to find
At the expense however intense
To the pain in my mind that I hope to find
Answers to prayer for those unaware
As I bask in the quiet of the silence
Before the storm that will commence

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Wandering Spirit"


Look in the crawl spaces
And under the porch
This is where I can be found
I mean no harm or to cause alarm
To this earth I am somehow bound
There is still a work to do
That has yet to be shown to me
I wander til then in this world
Unable to set myself free
No idea how long its been
I tire not from lack of sleep
Nor do I feel the pangs of hunger
Or the need to keep
A place in a heart that no longer exsists
But somehow my presence is needed
When the time comes for me to go
My reason for being will have succeded
Still I am a little girl
Who remembers my mother well
Anxiously I await my reason for being
So I can move on from this shell

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Corridors"


Dimly lit asbestos tiled corridors
No record of the many who passed
The many lives of those in disguise
The possibilities of an iconoclast
Uncontent to allow others to pass
Or to hold fast to cherished traditions
Until the halls are silent and bare
Without the danger of juxtapositions
In the containment of light
Which cannot be possessed
Attempts to create environ
Will be met with protest
Lids on crab buckets are unnecessary
If any try to make their way clear
The others grab on and drag it back down
Escape is the least of the fear
So is the way of the sniggle in foraging
Reaching deep down into the hiding places of the soul
Silence in the halls that accumulate dust
Beyond the devices of control

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"The Sentinel"


Entangled in the wilted grass
Bearing witness to that which was
The favorite toy of a little boy
Who spent each night by his side
Laid there close to his head
When he would rise to each
Morning sun that came in through
The window and met his eyes
He is now sentinel at his gravesite
Alongside the cold granite headstone
No longer able to give comfort
Except to those who remain
Though all is now silent
He is still able to deaden the pain
When eyes shall glance upon him
Even with thickness of morning dew
The child within shall be though of sweetly
This much shall always be true
His stone may be bare but hearts are full
He exemplifies what was held to be dear
The lone teddy bear is his disciple
Who shall always remain near

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Special Moments"



Spending time with my children
As each day passes us by
Never taking their presence for granted
I will always identify
Allowing them closeness
Time to be spent
Together we may be able to touch
Eachothers hearts in all ways imaginable
For it is a privelage as such
To be able to have their precious lives
Touch mine in so many ways
They are my bright stars in the sky
Who continue to amaze
Their questions are never a bothersome thing
I always want them to know
They can come to me with anything
And I will listen so
For they are my children-they are my heart
Nothing can replace their smile
My love is endless for them
And will never become erstwhile

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Unspoken Understanding"


Sometimes I talk to him
When we are alone
He listens and never complains
The question is whether he understands
And how much of it he retains
One thing I know is my secrets are safe
I tell him about all that I think
He is my friend through it all
As I give him my silent wink
Sometimes we sit on the hillside
Or we might take long naps together
Under a tree or where else it might be
Laying in fields of heather
We might decide to take a ride
In my old pickup truck
Whatever we do is just fine with him
My dog is my charm of good luck

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Raging Forest"


Flames engulf the landscape
All that is in harms way
Trees that lived a hundred years
No longer will they sway
Those who make it to the creek
Can only stare in wonder
They feel fear and tremble greatly
Watching the flames in plunder
The crackling branches
Of falling timbers
Glowing embers roll to the waters edge
Narrowing the paths that lead to safety
Slowly creating a wedge
Billowing smoke blots out the sun
It is as though midnight at high noon
Merciless flames without regard
To the daffodils that continue to swoon
Intensified heat shall wilt the petals
Until they be no more
An era ends-a way of life
Of which many came to adore

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Saying Goodbye"


Last week I found out from my sister
That they had a torrid affair
If not for her telling me so
I would have been unaware
I kept my cool all week long
Until our weekly drive
In the country where we always go
Until we had arrived
When I confronted him about it all
He sat there and spun a tale
Now he gets a knuckle sandwich
And all that will entail
The walk to town will do him good
When he gets home I'll be gone
Let him live with my little sister
Back in Saskatchewan
As for me I'm off to Europe
To find a better existence
I'll walk in the rain without my shoes
And learn to keep my distance
From floundering fools who live on lies
Who thrive on breaking hearts
I'll find a friend who I can trust
Whose love will not depart

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Last Touch"




My child is gone
He no longer cries
I place him into the ground
From lack of water
My breastmilk was no more
No clean water or food could be found
Each day I prayed for a miracle
A miracle that never came
~
There have been those who came to my village
Who told of places where abounds much food
Where water flows clean and cold
And a person came be renewed
This is my third child I have lost
I find it hard to believe
That there are places like I have been told
It's more than I can conceive
If there is a place like this
It must be a place like heaven itself
Where every home has its place
And food upon their shelf

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"If Tears Could Build A Stairway"


If tears could build a stairway
And memories were a lane
I'd walk right up to Heaven
And bring you back again

No farewell words were spoken
No time to say goodbye
You were gone before we knew it
And only God knows why

Our hearts still ache in sadness
And secret tears still flow
What it meant to lose you
No one will ever know

But now we know you want us
To mourn for you no more
To remember all the happy times
Life still has much in store

Since you'll never be forgotten
We pledge to you today
A hallowed place within our hearts
Is where you'll always stay

"Waterfront Blues"





Down by the pier under darkened skies
Coming to terms I must realize
Broken hearts over time will mend
Although it may not at the time seem so
My swollen eyes sore from tears
I rock myself to and fro
In somber silence I try to console
That for which I feel this loss
Noticably there is a shaft of light
In the ceiling of the sky just across
The bay where dreams are still afloat
When I am ready to sail the sea
Whispering winds will guide my way
Unvulnerable will I be to the repartee
In loss comes strength and wisdom
Acceptance of things that come to pass
I will cherish what life has to offer
As I rest in the softness of the grass
My mind is free as I sweetly sleep
All things in life will keep
Like chapters in a book of travels
I know not what my life unravels
Beams of light in the distance will be my guide

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Within the Notes that Play"


In the smoke filled room
Where the music lives
Notes that float
With a beat that gives
This is the place where my life
Comes out to play in the crowd
People who sit there and listen
Wandering in the presence is disallowed
Each note makes up a word
Not many connect the dots
Electricity is in the air
Volatage is not measured in killowatts
Reach out and grab ahold if you dare
Nobody else will care
It's there for the taking for the few who are bold
Striking it richer than the finest gold
Take it and put it close to your breast
When you try to sleep you cannot rest
There will be words that come from the notes
As you begin to ascend to the clouds
Where the mind freely floats

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Light at the end of the tunnel"




I am a black man who remembers the ways
When things were different in darker days
Our minds were impounded in the ruins
Bitterness and salt poured into our wounds
There seemed no light at the end of the tunnel
Our souls poured into a giant funnel
That led to a place where our voice was not heard
Our cries ignored our vision blurred
Step by step progess came slowly
At great expense to those who ran the race
We walked in the same streets
Kept up the same pace
Behind closed doors our fates were decided
For no other reason than the color or our skin
Giants walked through those doors
With words that struck the heart within
A call to arms fought with phrases
That were met with very few praises
Lives were laid down for the good of the people
From the man who spoke from the church with no steeple
The balance became even as days passed by
There was no one who questioned as to why
Now I am a man who is content
Life is worth living as it was meant
What is said behind closed doors will always occur
But no longer does it cause visions to blur
I am a man who has known bittersweetness in my heart

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Shadows"


Motionless shadows that caress my window
Whispering winds that seem to call out to me
If all is calm the words will be heard
In the silence of my room in darkness
Free from the inclines of others
Interfering well intentioned mothers
Who cleave to notions and affairs
Treading in places where no one dares
Vain attempts to alter fate
Those inner voices who patiently await
For silence to fall once again
Before they speak to me

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Silent Landscape Within My Own Eve"




I walk in the solitude of the landscape
Moments of decision might I decide
Knowing full well I cannot forever hide
Or evade the rejections of my own mind
Although I maintain a step ahead in my pace
Routes of escape are continually planned
Vain attempts are made to disguise my disgrace
My inner most prayer is to bind myself
When it comes knocking at my door
Opportunity is met with the door remaining closed
As I anxiously pace the floor
Fear can be found walking in the way
Although I have much to say
My own mind prevents me from taking
The steps necessary for my awakening
Attachment is not an option
It's not my own idea of how it should be
I prefer to remain sulking in my corner
Readily awaiting for my chance to flee
From the very thing that is connected to me
For I to be-For I to be;
But alone and cursed for all time
High in my tower that reaches towards the sky
Counting the ways under my own breath
Never bothering to get past why
Even though I know I will not fall
I refuse to answer my call
Rejection is one of my greatest fears
I prefer to drown in my own tears
It's the safest way to be-even though I know it's not
Too bad the bullshit don't work on myself
I am a square block that fits into a round slot
Because and only because I say so

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Unseen Occurences"


Stairs in the vortex
Of the unspoken delerium
Those who trudge the rails
Always shuffling familiar paths
Ignoring the child who wails
Echoes fall upon closed walls
Lurking behind shut doors
Ceilings reveal clacking motions
From the upper floors
In the distance the radio plays
Broken tunes to mend broken minds
Half bottles of vodka riddled with spider webs
Empty thoughts that nobody ever finds
Dreams within dreams that never reveal
Behind walls that are enclosed in steel
Unfamiliar sounds in the tinking of a tap
Laying awake in the airless trap
Outside the doors are sets of stairs
Upon which you can place all your cares
Others will walk and grind the dreams
Into the floors and into the seams
Of the dilapidated tapestries
That cover the floors

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Solitary Existence"


High on the plateaus of my own mountain
I sit in solitude
This is the space where I must be
In order to completely see
The visions that are within my mind
If I am ever in hopes to find
The paths that I must walk in journeys end
Meeting up with foe and friend
The dream paths are not always clear
Some are filled with turmoil and fear
Ghosts of the past must be faced
Medicine Men have told me things must be placed
In proper alignment to the juxtaposition
If I am in hopes of completing my mission
As quickly as steam rises so time passes by
It is a silent cry
That I must listen for and hope to recognize
Before it quietly and silently dies
Time is of the utter essence
Lest I give it up in the acquiescence
Within the place of rendevous
That will occur within my own mind

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Crooners"



We are the happy pelican trio
Who like to sing on the beach
We croon our tune on the little sand dune
Sometimes our song goes out of reach
Today the seagulls are our audience
The usual crowd on most days
Once in awhile a sandpiper stops by
Or a pigeon will give us a gaze
Every day is a wonderful day
We are the divebombers of the sea
We fish,we sing,we laugh with our friends
And to this we can all agree
Everything's great as we listen to the waves
Soon we will take a short snooze
When we wake up we will sing a song
Then out in the ocean we will cruise

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Shallow Friend"


Harry the chimp sits with his friend
They have had an argument
But things are on the mend
It was over smoking cigarettes
With his big wet lips
Then giving them to Carl the bird
That fussy white cockatail
Called Harry the chimp a nerd
He wanted his own smoke
Without the wet end
Harry didn't seem to care
He sits there quietly drinking his wine
Not caring whether he is fair
His big lips tried to play that horn
Ne'r a note could he play
All he does is smoke cigarettes
And drinks his wine all day
Harry is the wild man of Borneo
Carl just might peck him on his ear
Then he'll fly out the window and get away
Making Harry scream with fear
A day or two will quickly pass
All will be forgotten and forgiven
Everything will return to normal
And both of them will go on livin'

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Looking for God"


My father has sold me
I'm enslaved in a brothel
My only escape is death
I bury my head in the pillow and cry
Barely catching my breath
No matter how much I try to wash
I still feel like I am unclean
Prayers keep me alive in my heart
Hoping that God will intervene
Dreams are no longer
Nightmares have replaced them
A strangers touch gives me a chill
Groping fingers on my body
Until they have had their fill
Like discarded rubbish they leave me
I am left in lonliness and disgust
Gagging over the taste of their odor
Hating their animalistic thrusts
Their faces are as blanks
They have smashed my heart
I can no longer feel anything
There is nothing left of me anymore
All that is left is the swiftness of their sting

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Within the folds of Time"


In contemplation as days go by
Time is the one thing that limits our existence
There is only so much given to us
Then there is also the reality of distance
We are separated from spaces in time
Minds may travel there in theoretical terms
To be in the flow for all we can know
Traveling thoughts deny what confirms
Evasive energies that derive from thought
A work in progress for which is wrought
Awareness comes at a great price
It is purchased by our forfeit of time

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Beyond Dreaming"


What is my purpose for being here
How did everything come to be
That cloud in the sky looks like a poodle
Another one looks like a tree
Will I become somebody who is great
Who goes down in history
That cloud in the sky is changing
It no longer resembles a tree
Now it looks like a whale a bit
Or is it a fish with a snout
That one which looked like a poodle
Now looks like a clown with a pout
When I grow up will I be a mother
Will my relationship be good with my brother
How many children will I end up with
This myriad of questions that come up this day
Maybe I'll walk down to the schoolyard
My-how those clouds can betray
They never stay in one place very long
Their images constantly change
I wonder where I'll live when I grow up
Will it be on the open range
Or in a metropolis where skyscrapers abound
That reach for those clouds in the skies
For now I suppose I will have to be content
With what I can see through my eyes

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Amidst the Ether"


From the energy flow
We come and go
So as it was-so as it is
So as it will be
In eternity
From the primordial ooze
It is not how we choose
But rather by the fates
From the power that abdicates
From a source that is beyond
The control of this dimension
It is a watery grave from which
We make our ascention
In its retention we remain for awhile
Until the calling to reconcile
With the place from whence
All energies commence
Returning to the womb of creation
Through a tomb where the migration
Of all energies are born unto life once again

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Queequeg "


I sail upon the ship named Piquad
The skill of my mighty harpoon
Bringing back oil and blubber for ransom
Bitter salt of the sea from which I am immune
The brine and foam sting my face
I am from a peculiar race
From barren lands my broken hands
Grasp the shaft which brings death
To the mighty whales of the seas
That breathe and blow from their spouts
Before I am upon them like a mighty disease
When anchors drop like mad weights
We row in our own madness my hearty mates
Ah to be as one upon the sea with sun upon my brow
I tremble within my bones and veins
As though in tow of my escape
I am Queequeg the savage man
I bring death to the leviathans of the sea

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Waiting for my Hero"


Waiting for daddy to come home
So he can read to me
I think about him everyday
And mommy will agree
He makes us laugh
And when we play
Sometimes he tickles me so
I draw pictures for him at school
With my crayons that make things glow
Sometimes I draw him by our house
He is standing there with me and my rabbit
Mommy is there with a smile on her face
All of these things I dearly embrace

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Annoyed"




I am Fred the hairless cat
Today is not a good day
As soon as the sun came up
I knew there was not much to say
It rained all night and thundered too
I didn't get much rest
Then there was this mouse in the house
Who has caused me to become distressed
The food I have to eat is not tasty
The place is kind of cold and damp
The other cat stole my place in the chair
Over by the ugly lamp
Which I do not like by the way
I liked the old one better
Oh and the Irish Setter
He is kind of smelly and mean
But he eats stuff from the litter box
I dont think he is too clean
They never buy me any toys
Or give me tasty snacks
It's always noisy in this place
Everybody and every thing invades
My private space
Hey-I'm a hairless cat
What do you expect
I like to complain about my neglect
Guess this place is as good as any
Wish they would give me spaghetti
Once in a while

~Moses~
© 2006 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Last Glance"


As I watch her from my window
She walks away from me in the rain
The dead silence in her presence
In rememberance of the inner pain
I want to speak but cannot
My destruction of what was a gift
Better to let it go in peace
Lest I cause another rift
Through no fault of hers but my own
I shall reap what I have sown
The fading image as she dissapears
I remember her tears
Thereby my unasked for chance
To retain the unique romance
In utter rejection my reactions
The motion within my hearts contractions
It is from the bitterness deep within my soul
That condemns me to this hole
Which I have dug for myself in rage
I am returned once again to my cage
In the midst of this rain I know so well
Be well my love-farewell!

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Reflections of a City"


Towers like fingers that reach for the heavens
In the reflection from the impending storms
People who gather in the streets
Eager to witness how it all transforms
Ants who hustle their crumbs to the ground
Oblivious to the rains that shall come
The queen demands it from all her subjects
Like gaping holes that are closed with alum
Without their assistance the royalty dies
Beneath the open skies
Radios play the news of the day
Except in the elevators of the reaching fingers
Soothing music that deadens the senses
Reminding those who live in towers
That there are many fences
Like egg cartons with their own spaces
Segregation still exists behind the faces
Mask wearing citizens who know the game well
Hiding in the egg cartons amongst the eggshell
Twenty one days is all it takes
Until a beak pierces their prison into the air
Clouds compile in the magic mile
To shadow the thoughts of the unaware
Hidden agendas know their place
They remain frozen in their own disgrace
Until they are called like mad dogs for the slaughter
Hydrophobic imbeciles who cannot come near water
Remain on the elevators until their thirst
Allows them to foam at the mouth until their brains burst
The music continues to play in the background
In a city where nobody can be discovered or found

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Boyhood"


Out on the back porch
We go over the plays
There are many things to discuss
We walk the field and smell the grass
Oblivious to the roar of the enthusiasts
Crowds that cheer while others jeer
Under the roaring sun
Then there is the matter of the model ship
Meager pieces of balsa wood on a table
Into wee hours of the night assembling
Talking of the great fable
On other nights we listen
The crystal radio plays
Laying there awake at night
Thinking of soccer days
Upon our roof we lay on top
Watching the stars brightly glisten
In the quiet we hear the sounds
If you take the time to listen
Brief smiles appear from time to time
While there are no prying eyes
Out in the fields where we may walk
There is no taunting of the flies
Only the ways of the many days
As we move forward in our own time

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Rusty Heart"


Dawn to dusk the land was worked
Now I rest in total decay
The mechanical mule who kissed the furrows
Who came to know it day by day
Long ago my wheels rotted
Children sat upon my empty seat
Out in the distance are my beloved fields
Of golden shocks of wheat
My good friend the weather vane
Lays in ruin as do I
Together we become part of the landscape
Subject to all that shall unify
In a world that no longer has needs
For the likes of what we provided
We were the kings of all such things
In days when such things coincided
The fields of wheat give birth to dust
Sunflowers give way to nature
We rust and die in silence
No longer a part of the nomenclature

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Good Life"


This is my house where I happily live
I work in the fields all day
We finally have a well in the village
And a place for my children to play
By candle light late into the night
I read and watch my children sleep
Bread has been prepared for the next day
The rest of my chores will keep
Next year my smallest child will attend a school
Her sister will keep her from harm
My work in the field will continue each day
Perhaps I will get more work on the farm
There is much to be greatful for
God has heard my pleas
I have tears of joy in my heart
There is no longer an unease
Firewood is a plenty
There is wheat for my flour
Perhaps a small part of sugar for my tea
A dam that soon shall be built
That will provide us power

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Next year"


Momma works in the field all day
I have a place I can go to play
Other children are sometimes there
In the big doorway
That leads to the fountain where I can drink
We kick the ball and laugh
Once we got to hear some music
On a phonograph
My older sister goes to school
Next year will be my turn
To go with her and begin to learn
To read and write
I want to be a nurse someday
I will give my mother my pay
So she can rest by the house
Her work in the fields will be done
Our days will be good and we will laugh
Under the warmth of the sun

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Haunted"


In my slumber I dream of days
When I was just a boy
Before the call to war
Came knocking on my door
Comrades fell on both sides
My wonder to why I was spared
In the cold damp foxhole shivering
My heart greatly despaired
The grimace of pain in my bones
In underlying tones
No real thoughts of going home
Rather just to have it end so I could roam
Two decades have passed since then
On good nights I wont scream
Ghostly images of my comrades
Walk by in a stream
They beckon to me to follow
Down a dismal road
I numb my brain with vodka
To help me ease my load
From time to time I find some work
It never lasts too long
Soon come the voices giving me choices
The loudness is like a gong
That goes off in my head until I can find
A resting place for my tortured mind

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Return to me"


Empty heart of my soul
It cries out for thee
I cleave unto you
Like a leaf upon a tree
Return to me oh husband
From this conflict of men
I will wait for you fathfully
Until I see your loving face
To hold your hand in mine
Nothing can replace
The brightest star will shine
It is in rememberance of you
I hold this dear to me
You are my first though each day
And my last thought at night
In highest light of apogee

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"My darling child"


My child's body has been washed
He is prepared for burial today
He whispered softy to me at dawn
And asked me not to pray
The biggest fear he had was that
He would awake in hunger
Only to find his brother there
Who was only one year younger
My tears are not tears of sadness
They are made for joy
To know that he will suffer no longer
My darling little boy
Through no fault of his own
Things turned out for worse
He will live in my heart
For my little boy was and is my universe
I kiss him on his forehead
I kiss him on his hands
Wishing him well in his journey
To dream paths in new lands

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"This is my life"


In silence I wait for my only son
He works after school at the grocery store
Early each morning I send him off
I adore him more than life itself
The smell of coffee wafts through the kitchen
Dinner is on simmer-It's just chicken
Soon he will come walking in the door
We will talk and maybe find something
To laugh about together
His girlfriend will show up after dinner
Maybe we'll play a game of scrabble
I sure could use a cigarette about now
I'm trying to quit
Working late at the diner is alright
The tips are lousy but the work is steady
Life is good for me

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Ancestors"




From China my family came to this country
They worked on the railroad tracks
On mountains and praries
Leaning into each rail with their backs
Sweat and blood poured from them
The dogs were treated better
Years might go by before they sent a letter
Across the arrid plains
For the sake of the dreams of trains
They saw wonder in hoofs of thunder
Amazed at the plight of the buffalo
Witness to their endless slaughter
Dynamite blasted into solid rock
Trestlework fashioned over running water
With little pay for their labour
Pennies were saved becoming dollars
Soon others came to work
So that someday we might become scholars
I still walk the railroad tracks
Giving thanks to them from days of yore
Their sacrifices making all things possible
So that I might someday soar

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"I love life"


My hands are very big you know
I am strong as well
My good friend gave me this hat
I have lots of friends who live in my hotel
Everyday I watch cartoons
Then I go to work
Down by the newstand helping my friend
I am a newspaper clerk
My friend who I work for gave me a turtle
I named her Myrtle
She eats lettuce and sleeps all day
She doesn't move much and won't play
I put her in bed with me at night
So she will be safe and warm
I like to watch her sometimes
She likes to hear the rain in a storm
My mom comes to see me once a month
She brings sandwiches and we go to the park
She brings me coloring books sometimes
And brings my brother Mark
They talk to my friends when they come
To find out if I have been good
I like my mom and my brother too
I just wish they would
Come to see me more sometimes
I miss them once in awhile
The best thing I like about my mom
Is her pretty smile

~Moses~
© 2007 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved