RIVERS SONG

for Ruth and Boyd Rivers

Ruth is sure enough pretty
she’a right natural born singer, took her learning rocked steady
strong, in the loving arms of Grandma, all those down home
deep spirituals sung low, to a wide-eyed beautiful
baby black angel, blessed with a musical ear.

Boyd, he knew broiling heat, back worked sore and beat
boss man calling day and night, for
old king cotton stacked high.

He’d be thirsting bad, for cool clear water
fingers cracked and bleeding, picking
a money purse, for that wealthy white man Southern thing.

One more song before sleep they’d sing
and no, never weary, for sweet Jesus is Lord.

Living the blues boy, like you ain’t never seen
but you can sure enough hear them and best believe,
what shines in levee moonlight never lies, truth is found
in listening, feel it in your bones afire,

a rivers song, burning down the delta.

I was born across the bridge from Boston, Massachusetts, in Cambridge, as July 4th fireworks exploded over the Charles River, just a stone’s throw from Harvard University. At age two, my family moved to Somerville, Ma.,where I was raised in a rough blue-collar environment, playing many sports. In 1998 I relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. Here, I work among special needs children and teach martial arts. Poetry began in high school, but took off in a more dedicated way in later years, along with resuming music studies, guitar. My poems are published in various anthologies; including Impressions, Prism, and the Mighty Voices Of Thunder Series, sponsored by the international poetry website, “Allpoetry.” I was a featured poet in Lyrical Somerville February 2015, a Boston based publication, as well as being an “Editor’s Front Page Pick,” for the month of March 2016 on Allpoetry. A defining moment that contributed significantly to further interest in writing was a First Place Award from the International Poetry Fellowship, for my poem, “Among Fields of Cotton.” Presently, I am happy to have the opportunity to explore various forms of poetry with Mr. Bruce Isaacson, Poet Laureate of Clark County Nevada.