"Edgar"

"Edgar"

He dreams of flying
High in the sky
Soaring in clouds
Asking himself why
Does the horizon seem
To never end
The sun seems aloof
As boughs of trees
Which seem to bend
His heart is upon the wind
On warm days amongst
Other fellows
Whose feathers seem
To kiss the wind

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved
(Dedicated & Inspired by Edgar the Hybrid Raven)
You may visit him at:http://www.facebook.com/edgarhybridraven

"Consumptive Invasion"

Within the world
Long forgotten words
In the expanse of all that has happened
It's significance of greatness
Overwhelmed me until
I could contain myself no longer
It then reduced me to tears
Then in all my fears that I might forget
The words appeared
Then faded quickly
Beyond redemption of my grasp
What was left were all the memories
Their intricate inter twining
Until I realized
I could not live without
For this was the true meaning of love
For me

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Shadow of my Former Self"

We walk in the shadows
Of our former selves
The earthly bonds
Of days gone by
In remembrance
Of all we have seen
Those innocent days
Which now magnify
Time is the only part of the essence
That cannot be recaptured
Part of our dreams
Or so it seems
Only in memory is enraptured
In the shadows
Of what we once were
To the sound of the tinkling brass

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Triumph"

Victory comes from within oneself
Deep beyond the shadowed eye
Amidst the tugging of hallowed emotions
Looking for position as they vie
With no disturbance in tranquility
Influences work towards the center
At the end of each day it is the way
Mutterings of yet a dissenter
Yet victory within itself
Will rise to meet the occasion
Removing doubt from the voices
Who flee from their own persuasion

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Milford"

He has always been handled
With gentle care
Milford the duck
Who I won on a dare
Last summer down on the beach
I ran a race for the fuzzy fellow
Now he lives at the house with me
Where things are pretty mellow
Mr.Perkins my old tomcat
Naps with Milford each day
On weekends he goes to the beach
With always something to say
Pelicans fly and Milford watches
Although he has never flown
I don't think he knows he's a duck
As he mutters in monotone
He's a pretty cool guy if I say so myself
Showing off to get a few laughs
Quite a celebrity in his own right
But he can't give out autographs

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Involuntary Servitude"

Origins of life
Flocks gather
Migration makes its demands
Departure to other places
Where once were welcoming hands
Places of solitude
Close to extinction
Unable to be saved by grace
Unrelenting pace
Thriving within the insult
Of waste
Poured upon the land

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Black Crown of Death"

He knows his world has changed
Covered in the pitch of tar
Black death until his final breath
Upon this scourge
That defiles the land
Caused by the hand of man
Until his final breath
He floats upon the sea
Folded wings with open eyes
Behind him a world dies
Celestial bodies shine down
He only questions why
In remembrance of
The blackened royal crown


~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Invasion"

Giant Anaconda coils
Sucking black blood
From peaceful lagoons
Rest upon the banks
Constricted in the deluge
Brought on by the ooze
That engulfs
Drawn by hands
Stretching out
Over wetlands
Upon beaches
Into the far reaches
Poison flows
Into what it blankly bestows
Crushing what remains
In the wake of blackened days
Far from the cities without pity
Instead of feet pounding
Upon concrete pavements
Intaglio engravements
In the once golden sand
Where quiet bliss engaged
Life fluttered in the moment
Alas the invasion begins

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Inertia"

Velocity abides in sanguine motion
A disposition of characteristics flows
Throbbing pulsations within the vein
Concealed in the outer barriers
Of the androgynous city
Stamen and pistil thrive ambiguously
Alongside of each other
Untagged emotion within heartless objects
Stifled in the temporal moment
From the blazing yellow eye
Like melody that flows from the violin

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Birth"

Blower of the horn
Such was the day
Mass exodus of all life
Sowing of seeds
Ripe for planting
In search of its own midwife
Before all signs
Or the meaning of symbols
Sweet music freely flows
Teeming with life
Electrified energy
Truly the show of all shows
Primordial ooze upon the place
Surrounding ether above
Such is the Horn of fruitful compassion
In likeness to the pure white dove

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Menace in the Clouds"

There was a school of angel fish
Only three remain
It looks as though they will not make it
Before the coming rain
That big crocodile waits patiently
For them to come his way
It looks as though he's going to have
Those angel fish today
But wait here comes a gust of wind
As I sit upon this log
The crocodile is changing
Into a harmless frog
It looks as though the fish are smiling
Maybe all along they knew
The crocodile would not get them
The magic wind had told those fish
And calmed them with a clue

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Silent Friend"

Bare limbed trees
October days
Auburn leaves released
The crow sentinel ponders
On quiet coldish morns
Sloughed flowers
Blankness in its stare
Such are the ways
Visitations from the corvid
Deep beauty
In the silence
Upon the window pane
From that which must refrain
Bent boughs pose
Posterior limbs reach out
Grasping in their hold
Gentle winds in cold rain
The sentinel observes
In that which remains

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Rain"

Beneath the folding hands of Heaven
Underlying provocation within the sky
Anticipation of the revelation
Within my own disguise
In realization of wanton
To dancing in the rain
Celebration of joy and sorrow
The bliss of knowing pain
Crows invade my inner mind
Along the Oregon coast
Where trees speak only to me
My sight of a shadowing ghost
Solitude a cherished thing
From childhood dreams
Not yet realized
In such things concealed
From whence it had materialized

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved
(Inspired by IsaacLonetree)

"Friends"

He merrily washes her every spring
Never missing a stroke
They've been friends since childhood
Since their eyes had met
On warm days they slumber
Under the rays of the sun
At night she sleeps by his cage
A friendship that's never done

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Silent Companion"

Weeping for me
Although in my presence
I reside in your heart
Everything in life is temporal
The essence shall never depart
Comparison to what is mundane
Nothing can ever possess
All that is placed in our care
Not meant to cause regress
What exists continues forward
Beyond the limit of decay
Energy disperses back to its origins
Swiftly it goes;
As if riding upon a Galloway

© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Dreaming in the Field"

Tall grass reaching out
In the field of chirping crickets
Coarse blades attempt to cling
What might lurk in thickets
Imagination runs rampant
Unlike wheat mingled with chaff
Far off is the trail
With its epitaph
Although a bird looks horizontal
To see open skies
Tall pines near mountaintops
A song that never dies
In this place of silence
Nature coexists in tranquil peace
Distantly is heard the bleating ewe
In this gracious masterpiece

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Destiny of Fate"

Only the eyes are left intact
Ravaged in time to disrepair
Few would notice what's inside
Even less would care
The real beauty that resides
Within my silent heart
Of broken dreams and promises
Which are never kept
In latter days
The sun shone through
As though I'd never wept
Hope dashed many times
Still this child inside
Quietly trembling in my waiting
My heart will softly abide

© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Enduring Love"

As if their fate had always been
A planted sapling long ago
Located on the silk road
Before the days of Marco Polo
The tree grew strong and true
Many things passed before it
In days of dark and morning dew
Generations came and went
Wars were fought in discontent
Yet the tree remained
It knew itself in gracious times
Hiding in invisibility
Quietly as its great trunk climbed
Great storms could not prevail
Yet lightnings could not avoid
It struck the great tree one day
Ending what it had enjoyed
Slowly it died as it roots gave way
Until it fell as some say
A peasant passing by gave notice
Seeing its beauty even in death
Sensing all that was united
Until its last breath
With loving care he carved from it
Through out casting winds that blew
For in the work he poured his heart
As this he always knew
Fate would keep his work together
In days of dark and morning dew
Two chairs were formed
One for virtue-One for strength
Carefully he carved them out
Endurance in each length
Together they have always been
And this will always be

© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Tremblings"

Familiarity in the air
Last chance to savor the odors of it
On my train ride to destinations unknown
Far off from what has been mine
A voice from the man who brings my hay
Laughter of children in the park
Others of my own kind alongside
There is more fear in the trembling
Of others compared to my own
Cold steel doors encase me
The rumbling of these wheels is not friendly
Anxious for the time when they will cease
Observing the moon that follows
Wondering if there will be one
When this journey ends
Will there be laughter in the air
Are there others of my own kind
Someone remarked that I would be reunited
But I do not know what this means
The smell of the herd fills my trunk
Thickness in the air and in my throat
I am at the mercy of the steel monster
As it pulls me to my next horizon
Far beyond the limits of these tracks

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Unquenchable Desire"

Each day that passes
Taken for granted
Although such days that seem to go
Details under a crescent moon
That seem to somehow know
In the passing of time
Of a twinkling star
Although its beacon seems afar
An insignificance in the total array
Surely the light that enters the eye
Is sweetness unto the mind
Furthermore unto the soul
Water is not missed from the great well
Until the well has run dry
Yet the thirst is much greater
Than what can quench the thought
Earthly delights within the meaning
Of a heaven burdened with frought

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Nomadic Rains"

Engulfing rains pursue just out the window
Reflections into the mind of the nomad
Into what has been seen
Once exposed to such elements
Never able to place things in reverse
In the unrelenting noise of the machine
Thunder's voice remains unresolved
A mystery which cannot be solved
Familiar patterns reappear
Into prisms of another dimension
Beyond the realm of all fear
Addictions dissapear within the abyss
Unto the nomad who has seen all of this
Hounds and jackals howling as in like
Of the voices in corridors
Relentless water pushing against the dyke
The golden bowl disintegrates
Voicing its rage
Until the integrity of the mind
Surrenders to its cage

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Hummingbird"

My spirit lives within the roots
Of this dying tree
A hummingbird senses
Touching what's left of me
Essence of nectar within reach
Yet my presence concerns
What must beseech
An inner calling
Hidden in silence
The gentle whispering
That floats across the meadows
Then upon flower petals
Resting upon these wounded branches
That have fallen to the ground
Light halfheartedness that flutters
Yet no tear is shed
Or greater happiness found

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Barren Lands"

On this vast plane of measureless intensity
Where all flesh has sought out to be dust
Blown away like traveling tumbleweeds
The intellect remains intact somewhat
Contemplation begins to set in
Deep reflections within reach
In the great expanse of time
All earthly desire becomes extinct
On other plateaus there remains
A desire of connectivity
With the upper energies
That flow like rivers
Over the hills of far away

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Silent Noise"

Parallel platforms of rust
On vertical walls that clutch
Stench from laundry permeates
Looking down on the street below
Sirens crush the air
Destruction of peace
Only the deaf can survive
Untouched by surroundings
As the radio plays
Vain attempts to squelch
Sounds in the city
There are no violent screams
It is much more subtle than that
Sirens blare
Whatever their cause
No moment is captured
Where something is not alive
Woe unto such places
Where only the deaf can survive

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Metamorphosis"

Gentle rushing sweet breath
Soft wind beneath my wings
Transformation has brought this
The cocoon withers upon the branch
Shimmering as though
It were saying farewell
Soon it will crumble into dust
As the new journey begins
Fragrances of spring's aroma
Flowers that sway in tandem
Dalliance flourishes beneath skies
Touching my newborn wings
Distantly the whippoorwill sings
Flaunting its plumage openly
Living in dark forests of the countryside
By its ways many will abide
My wings flutter momentarily
In this my season under the sun
Until one day when I return
My season will be done

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Uncharted Destination"

There are no dark forests in my realm
In places I go where no other has been
In times when melancholy begins to set in
Rather it is mistaken by others as sadness
On my path to the place
In my quiet heart
Dried tears upon my pillow
Mistaken for tears of pain
When they are really tears of joy
Still-it must all be concealed
Behind my eyes which see
Beyond the horizons of what others look at
Yet they do no see me
The noise in the streets evades me
I am there but not really here
Muddy colored clouds fill the grey skies
Into my heart which denies
All sadness from making its home
In the travels within my mind
Wherever I may roam

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"City of Souls"

Through the fog
A belltower rings
In this city of silence
A voice faintly sings
Beneath the fog in the lull
Energy stirs
In heaven and hell
Judgement is sustained
In the countless monuments
Built for those who impose
Mourning not for their souls
Only for the loss
Of their physical presence
Within the power they do not possess
Better to pray for their souls
Than to remember the last kiss

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Cloaked Wilderness"

Regardless of where I may be
In a city of lights
Or a farm in the country
Wandering aimlessly at night
In untraveled paths
Only familiar to me
Other animals may come and go
Aware of my presence in passing
Yet they continue to graze
Traveling in their ways
Knowing there is no impending threat
In my cloak under the guise of the night
Moon shining bright
Concealed in thoughts that take me
To places where I must go
In the unspoken languages
That are often misunderstood
Where words do not mingle with actions
Actions that speak louder
Than any tongue can begin
The utter loneliness also brings solitude
Which clasps onto peaceful melodies
Into the ears of those who can hear it
Traveling softly in the fields
Seeking out those who desire
Solitude that comes with loneliness
After the stars have risen
In a most forgiving way

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Hidden Pathways"

Other than the sound of the train in the distance
That rumbles along on the track
Many times I've succumbed to its pull
Never bothering to look back
Endless hills that met with fields
Miles of silent corn
Grazing cattle looking on
A scarecrow in the shadows forlorn
Old farm homes that seem to know
Paths of the wayfaring man
Who wanders aimlessly over the prairies
Like tumbleweeds upon flagstone
That smolder in the sand
This field of dreams over a horizon
That never seems to end
Along the old dirt trail and beyond
Where a heart can slowly mend
Flowers do not offend me
Neither do the trees
Quietly observing the rabbit in the distance
Absorbing the slight of a breeze
Timeless chapters in an open book
Under skies of blue
Dirt trails hidden in time
In the midst of the morning dew

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Parallels"

A thing of beauty which may exist
Alongside the same of another
Does not exalt in its difference
Coexisting with the other
Moon and stars
Sun and sky
Each sways in the wind
Each shall live and die
Side by side
Their compliment is brief
A season passes swiftly
Yet it is not a thing of grief
Their season has been spent
In the winds of summer days
One embracing the other
In spite of different ways

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Hidden Meaning"

By someone who thought
Them to be flowers
Their meaning meant more
Than just mere weeds
Given to me with innocence
With no other reason in mind
Having been taken to such places
Nevertheless I find
Staring up at silent walls
Contemplating that which verily falls
In truth my heart is absent
From places that thrive within

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Humble Bird"

On this dreary day
I cry in the rain
To help me forget
The inner pain
Upon these rooftops
Engulfed in shadows
Far from the scent
Of flowers in meadows
In my observance of these
Nimble towers in concrete
Domes of glass which
Reflect in light
It is dimmed by the rain
Upon the solemn window pane
From places within
Where nobody peers out
Into the street
Where the struggle moves forward
Amidst the sirens
The complaint of trees
Swaying in the wind
Their branches seem to speak
Yet nobody bothers to listen
Upon my place I see it all
An evasive sun refuses to glisten
Amongst the commotion
Delirium sets in quickly
It can be seen in the pace
Of those who walk the avenues
Stumbling over the pathways
That which seem to lead nowhere
Except where it all begins and ends
To this I say:
Fluttering in this wind
With these tired feathers
I caress the air
Touching the sky as far as I may go
The wind shall moan
Acknowledging my presence
Giving way unto my wings

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Sentinel"

Faceless in the expanse of time
Its extent is vast
As my sphinx like form
Thorns bruised me
Deeply into the abyss
Like plundering harpoons
Seeking out fleshly desires
Remaining embedded
Refusing to succumb
For in such despair
There also remains hope
From the place where I reside
Those who may wonder
Seeking out truth over desire
Such purposes remain unrealized
Great riddles flow
Begging to be resolved

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Silent Rose"

Each day comes with morning dew
Emergence from the evening darkness
Under crescent moons that labor
Stars that glitter in eons of time
In the ether of continual flux it thrives
Yet the single crimson rose survives
As the only thing of beauty
In a world of monochrome
Amidst multitudes of fauna
That cannot answer back
Unable to return such compliments
From whence the horizon begins or ends
Regardless of the crimson rose
In messages it sends
It stands in solitude momentarily
In the flora which it offends

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"In Regards"

Although viewed in highest of esteem
Greatly overshadowed
Or so it would seem
Found upon rungs in ladders
Or lingering on stairways
It very seldom speaks out
Flaunting in the shadows at times
Yet it seeks out the light
Briefly as it may be
The rays of the sun shine
Upon such the stoic figure
Encased in its own fashion
Content to ride upon the wind
Loosed by chains
Which might otherwise
Hold it from within

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Bruno"

We found him on a mountaintop
Many years ago
Frozen in a block of ice
Buried deep in snow
We thawed him out
Then gave him food
Hoping he would change his mood
He only grunted
Then stared at us in silence
~
Soon it came time to leave
We decided to take him along
Giving him a name-Bruno
Dressing him in a thong
Next day came and we were home
New York City here we come!
Bruno looked at all those lights
Smiling at everything
~
Next Sunday we took him to Times Square
We gave him Rum to drink
After five quarts he'd had enough
Now he lays there on the sidewalk
Barely does he wink
Occasionally he grunts a bit
Refusing to depart
Onlookers go about their business
As Bruno lays there on the sidewalk
Oblivious as a fart

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"En amour, écrire est dangereux, sans compter que c'est inutile"

In dedication to her spirit
To that which I have known
Erected by these humble hands
Unto her heart enthroned
Upon a mast her garment
In margins of silence
Abstract in its many ways
It flourishes in defiance
To all that has ever been
Or all that ever will
The never ending throb within
Of which will never fill
In the heart of my hearts
There is nothing more to say
No tears except for joy
Under skies of gray

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Wandering Dreams"

Carried by gentle winds
Dreams reach out in frolic
Touching our hearts
In ways only known to those
That allow them in
In likeness to the tumbleweed
It rolls across the prairies
Over haunted mesas
With ferocity in its gallop
Under the burning sun
Its spirit coaxes the mind
Inviting those who journey
Over such horizons
That flourish in the wind

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Secret Wish"

Upon such spans of time
Where leaps of faith require
Unspoken words steeped in symbolism
Bridges patiently wait
For crossings into the abyss
Beyond dunes of sand
Other dimensions exist
Where bliss transcends the present
What is known and cherished
Places where tears are shed no longer
The silent voices
Heaped into one place
A solo journey
Derived from secret wishes
Unfulfilled dreams become null
It is a place provided
Where a searching soul
Can find its rest

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Kisses"

Nowadays I receive many kisses
But it was not always so
Laying in the sun thinking back
To the many years ago
Abandoned in the city park
Under an old oak tree
Nearby a tree line
By the baseball field
Where no one could hear my plea
I found shelter under the bleachers
Far away from the many creatures
Living off scraps thrown in the park
The warmth of the sun
Versus shivering in the dark
Countless days that turned to weeks
Hunger pangs screaming out
The rest is history
As you well might know
Stumbling towards voices heard
Before the winter snow
I was taken in
By those whom like you also know
Where I receive many kisses
Laying in the sun

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Disassociation"

Profound journey since childhood
Grace seems over each horizon
Far from light at the end of my tunnel
Desire to retraite from any cliques
Knowing full well the intentions
Yet the chain does not loose its hold
Living in darkness
Much of the time in paralytic chaos
Demons knock upon my door
Refusing to flee
Deprivation of my dreams
Instead hauntings from childhood
Creep in unaware
Their resolute of carnal ways
Tears at my heart
In reaction I flee to the place
Where my inner heart may find
A temporal place of retreat
Far removed from beasts
Who claw ravenously
Quenching their thirst
Blocking out the sun's rays
Neither its warmth can be felt
Upon my face
Yet neither can it reach
Such woes within my heart

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Silent Tree"

A tree that poses nakedly
Bending in the wind
Even though it stands in silence
To the utterances of chagrin
Observance of its many leaves
Shimmering in the sun
Each leaf moves in its own way
As it has always done
Some leaves sit in silence
As though in contemplation
Others dance in the wind
For that is their salvation
No leaf is regarded
For the movement of its pose
Reaching out and touching
In the only way it knows
Seasons pass by swiftly
Giving way unto winds
To dust upon the ground
Yet no leaf has ever sinned

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Jane Doe"

Jane Doe was what I named her
She was saved from sudden death
Discarded from a moving car
As nature held its breath
In the cold rain
Along that lonely road
She slept the forty miles
Until I got her home
Now she sleeps in my palm
All her worries gone
Upon my pillow she will rest
Slumbering safely from dusk to dawn

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Beginnings"

She has a song within her heart
Down such trodden paths she goes
Through villages in their silence
Until her voice is heard
In likeness to the softness
Of the gentle warbling bird
Each one returns unto its nest
But only long enough to rest
For it has much work to be done
Its song which must be sung
Lifting up the spirits
Who hear the gentle song
Where two hearts have met
In such happiness
After wandering in their search
The sound once found
Is only the beginning of the journey

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Wandering Vessel"

It all began as a paper moon
Sailing over a cloudless sea
The world paused on its own axis
As the music believed in me
Each note struck lit a star
Until the night was gone
A vessel floats outside my window
Waiting for the dawn
Over horizons never seen
Until the notes shall fade
Once again it vanishes
Amidst the melody played

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Perseverance"

Winding streets of layered passion
It followed me down the path
Demonic dragon of latter times
When days were filled with wrath
Burning desire lurked in the mire
That ugly breath of molten fire
Relentlessly in my shadow
Angel of death with trumpet in hand
From edges within the dark forest
Invasion within dreams
To and fro over the land
Desolation upon the rooftops
Unable to any longer hide
Face to face with the dragon
Stripped of human pride
Wandering spirit that drove my soul
Such cries of pain in the dark hole
Emergence under guise of night
No journey planned into the light
The dragon hounds me
Into streets where chaos awaits
The monster licks at my heels
It knows the hiding places
Where it lurks till the fallen man kneels

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Bridges"

Wherein lays the fear in such happiness
Albeit the joy found in thine sorrow
Thriving in streets of broken pavements
Which nobody can ever borrow
Day unto night
Positives unto negatives
Beholding to one another
Each needs its opposite to exist
Grumbling in the streets
Of protesting mutter
Its thickness produces chapters
Events in each life
Memories alive which still survive
Through waves crashing that bring strife
The girl with sclerosis who struggles
To move her hand in a wave
The man in the airport during segregation
Who is now in his lonely grave
Crossing over bridges that link
In remembrance of lessons learned
Yet the journey to the crossroads
In such places that have been yearned
Bridges that connect past with present
Revealing the entire mind set
Onwards it trudges over the bridges
With no expressions of regret

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Familiar Places"

Of all my hopes and all my dreams
Written my songs for many years
Seldom are they played by others
Who have not felt my tears
Down in the Quarter
The energy is smooth
The slow motion train
Runs smooth in the groove
~
There is no place though
Like the home place
Near by the railroad tracks
Where I can play
To my sweetest friends
To the sound of the clickety clacks

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Welcome to Brooklyn"

Welcome to Brooklyn
Don't let the door
Hit you where the sun won't shine
We didn't invite you here in the first place
We don't want to hear you whine
Pay your parking tickets
And any other fines
We feel like putting on you
If that's not enough
We'll think of some others
All we know is you owe
Us our just due
The city runs on everyone's misery
Without it no feather in our cap
Our reputation precedes us greatly
We're the city that dishes out the crap
Millions are spent convincing people
To visit us because it's so fine
Once we got you in our vice grip
What is yours belongs to us so don't whine
Spend your money then get the hell out
There's millions more just like you
Who will innocently visit our waiting jaws
To pay us what we feel is due

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved

"Parliament Hill Fields"

Parliament Hill Fields

On this bald hill the new year hones its edge.
Faceless and pale as china
The round sky goes on minding its business.
Your absence is inconspicuous;
Nobody can tell what I lack.

Gulls have threaded the river's mud bed back
To this crest of grass. Inland, they argue,
Settling and stirring like blown paper
Or the hands of an invalid. The wan
Sun manages to strike such tin glints

From the linked ponds that my eyes wince
And brim; the city melts like sugar.
A crocodile of small girls
Knotting and stopping, ill-assorted, in blue uniforms,
Opens to swallow me. I'm a stone, a stick,

One child drops a barrette of pink plastic;
None of them seem to notice.
Their shrill, gravelly gossip's funneled off.
Now silence after silence offers itself.
The wind stops my breath like a bandage.

Southward, over Kentish Town, an ashen smudge
Swaddles roof and tree.
It could be a snowfield or a cloudbank.
I suppose it's pointless to think of you at all.
Already your doll grip lets go.

The tumulus, even at noon, guards its black shadow:
You know me less constant,
Ghost of a leaf, ghost of a bird.
I circle the writhen trees. I am too happy.
These faithful dark-boughed cypresses

Brood, rooted in their heaped losses.
Your cry fades like the cry of a gnat.
I lose sight of you on your blind journey,
While the heath grass glitters and the spindling rivulets
Unspool and spend themselves. My mind runs with them,

Pooling in heel-prints, fumbling pebble and stem.
The day empties its images
Like a cup or a room. The moon's crook whitens,
Thin as the skin seaming a scar.
Now, on the nursery wall,

The blue night plants, the little pale blue hill
In your sister's birthday picture start to glow.
The orange pompons, the Egyptian papyrus
Light up. Each rabbit-eared
Blue shrub behind the glass

Exhales an indigo nimbus,
A sort of cellophane balloon.
The old dregs, the old difficulties take me to wife.
Gulls stiffen to their chill vigil in the drafty half-light;
I enter the lit house.

~Sylvia Plath~

"Chapters"

A magpie sits upon the railing
Watching a smattering of crows
Howling in the midst
In the fog upon the ship
An ocean engulfs it
With loneliness in the dream
Odd as this all may seem
In the journey
Of never ending chapters
In life that approaches
Heavy hearts
Cautious ways
My folding hands await
Accepting what comes forth
It is the journey of a lifetime
Upon the moving ship
Trudging onwards in this ocean
Such thoughts overwhelm
In greater numbers than plankton
Much farther than what is seen

~Moses~
© 2010 Moses Lestz - All Rights Reserved