Celebrating the Spirit of Man

By Rudolph Lewis

A half moon again lies on its back

no cloud tonight softens its glow

shining through the bare-limbed tree

in this purple night sky the cold

air is crisp and clear like a bubbling

stream running in a dark forest

I shut now the door on books of war

& misery—my eyes well and overflow

hot water on chilled brown cheeks

This constant history of man’s cruelties

is periodic and bloody as an ocean

of monthlies in our world of sacred wealth

Human life and creativity are pulled

down & hoisted with rope & nail

yet bold spirits refuse the certainty

of materialistic prognostications

& theories of the lost of everything

Indeed, suns must rise & mountains

fall, birds fly & seas flow to shore

Man will meet his maker in rhythmic

space in this valley of grabbing

How we walk our blues in dark 

silence, how our heart yearns, a flower

blooms will make all the difference

1 December 2003