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Why does evil always Creep back When I least want it It invades And fills my eyes With hot tears Destroying the world I thought I knew Destroying the thought That I could be something better I thought I was stronger Than this But I m not Powerful enough G d I m not Strong enough I can t defeat the darkness Is there a light side Past what I see Because all I can discern Is unyielding devastation It encircles my head Stabs at the very walls Of my mind Defeating me at last And subduing the reality I dreamed as the truth How could I have been So na ve Finally I give up I concede to you Evil you re mightiest Beyond all I can do Wait I found it again I see the goodness Within me It s so strong That it can t be Subdued My power is a flame Burning brightly In devastation My power is everlasting G d s immortal creation I thought I was weak I really did But that was before I realized my strength That lay hid My power is so great That when all seems Lost and hopeless It reemerges anew Holding fast against The diabolical schemes Of despair Abomination Of an emotion Is what you are A vexation of the spirit With whom I shall spar You re a wicked Devious cruel Living creature That lurks within me Unknowingly my teacher Despair you ve Taught me How to strengthen My powerful WILL My inner willpower Fierce and bold Rekindles my spirit More valued Than gold I am Yonatan Meir Schwartzman Without falsehoods Or doubts That are strong enough To defeat Me
Praise His Sun Bless His stars Shinning above the clouds Master of Death Bringer of Birth Lifter of wedding shrouds Praise His harp Strung by the king Bless the music which He gave Healer of hurt Made man from dirt Puller of ocean s wave Praise His trees Flowers and fruit Fragrant upon the breeze Sender of storms Howling Their winds across the seas Praise his sword Bless his shield Blue star embossed it shines Lover of love Wiser than life Hardener of bones and spines Praise His thunder Prelude to bolts Of lighting in the sky Painter of hills Carver of dales Singer of eagle s cry Praise His might That molded me With light and dark to see O mighty king of The Universe My voice belongs to thee
Amongst the rotting carrion Who fell in battle overrun By the teaming beasts that lay at bay Circling and swooping every which way A knight alone views his comrades lost Their pale gray eyes upon his embossed Staring into the horror they saw Defiled by the beast s disgusting claw Into the light he raised his gaze Towards the red sun high and ablaze Then to the archers in the gloom He turned around to face his doom The golden shield at his friend s feet Now grasped firmly hot from the heat Shined brightly into the arrow s cry That blocked the sun high in the sky His sword in hand he charged ahead Past all he knew that now was dead Into the swarm of enemies Standing erect beneath the trees He was the army of his lost brothers The last who donned their bright colors He slew their killers for their crimes The trees around shook from his battle cries And when his vanguard finally arrived They saw the lone knight who had survived Leaning against his sword he wept For no matter how many heads he swept The dead stayed dead
Something New A Spoken Word poem Something new Something revolutionary This is what I want From my mind But I cannot find It though I ve searched Into the far reaches I pulled up old memories Tried to piece together Mediocre stories Into something more I look upon people Like Tiffany and Angelou Who created beautiful works That were fresh and new That no one ever Thought of before Until they brought their ideas To the floor I want a brain That can squeeze itself Until all of its knowledge and potential Ooze out in rivers of inventions I long for a new lamp idea Or to write a poem About a subject That you never dreamed Of putting on paper 2
The world is too big mom There are too many people Who have walked the path I want to walk Everything innovative Has been created So make the world Into an island Focus your energy On what you Know best Create a lamp Give it time You ll write The perfect poem With majestic words and rhyme Only you Can create a masterpiece If you put your heart Into your work It will be unlike anything The world has ever seen 3
Man Alongside Hashem In God do I trust I will not be afraid What can man do unto me For the greater good I shall harness Your wisdom Pain and anger Are mankind s Devilry Blessed is the match Consumed in kindling flame Blessed is the spirit That began life s vast chain Life undying Freedom Wisdom Are His cavalry An army that He sent forth From the gates Of purest Zion He who hath Delivered me A burning spirit Proud as a lion O Almighty Lord Who blessed the light With equalizing Darkness Bestow unto me Divine knowledge Power lies in evil Who balances the right Power lies in the righteous A white rider in the night Toughest is he Who can withstand The falsehoods of humanity Wisest is she Who can understand Them as concocted vanity Mightiest is the One That drives our souls together Celestial is the One Whose reign shall last forever
Let Freedom Reign Freedom flies Across the land From Old City walls To Western sands Driving the wills Of fighting men Who go to war Defending them Without war Without oppressed Let freedom reign And thoughts expressed Let G G d be Worshipped everyway Let everyone In their way pray Oppression is An evil disease That floats abroad Across the seas Equality For all mankind Please freedom reign In all our minds Challenging Freedom with every move Oppression strikes Without cause to prove Send peace and Love all in a clutch To humanity To all you touch Leading men To search and seek With evil hearts To kill the weak Across the Mountains and over seas Cure the world of Oppression s disease Let freedom Reign from shore to shore Stay in our hearts For evermore Infect the Hearts of the ill ill willed Bring them peace Take back the killed Cure those whose Evil won t abate Destroy the walls Of anger and hate Let freedom reign Across the land Across the Seas Across the sands Unify the Whole World anew Show us what We all can do Let freedom reign Let freedom reign 4
Eyes and Tears They sang The Hope cried out in terror high pitched as children s screams The evil stabbed me sending their knives deep into my chest I painfully bleed their tears A little girl looks up at me with wide eyes she s five years old with a horrifying innocence in the face of such malevolence That stares through the heart and cuts through the mind her picture remains but she is dead My family is dead Heavy tears streaming down my cheeks Suddenly light on fire Bursting into red rage My anger sends me hurtling into despair For I cannot bring her back She was butchered She was murdered She is dead I m so sorry I couldn t save you Ruth I m so so sorry
Last Flight The luscious forest with its entangled tree roots diving in and out of the moss covered ground Is home to many living creatures generations of paws claws and feet have stomped their shape into the fine dirt leaving behind new life when theirs end The tree tops swayed in the warm breeze carrying the sounds of magnificent cries sung by the beautiful blue inhabitants long ago He lands on a flimsy branch far above the hubbub bellow and opens his beak to solely sing the song of his ancestors Wrinkled fingers and greying feathers fail to hinder the spectacular majesty of his beautiful coat that led to his name His large glazed black eyes survey the dense jungle as he soars through the air to his empty nest He puffs his feathers and relaxes covering his aged face with his right wing and closes his eyes one last time the last slumber of the Blue Macaw 5
I tell myself That there s no such thing As separation But really every thought Is my opinion That separates me From the world I experience Life differently Than you And being different Is separating myself And giving into the illusion We are not all Disconnected pieces In a vast world But one spark That is whole And beautiful The only way To experience Endless love
To reach Limitless Undying light No more racism No more hate To be one With G d Him THE ONE Is to be One with the world And meditate Block all Thoughts Out of your mind Clear everything Let go of your humanity And let the darkness Hit you like a shockwave And then Inner Peace
My Lord With you by my side From whom shall I fear I will walk through The halls of the world And whose power Will rival yours Your language spoken Is older than any other Strongest of all Are your words When you speak Are there none who can t hear 6
The Road Goes Ever On And On The road goes ever on and on Paved by my choices that have gone Into the west where the moon lies Yet I walk to the next sunrise Upon the brink of the boulevard I stand and stare there long and hard To perceive where my choices proceed Whilst paying my history great heed For my past ever a memory Shines the clearer for me to see My future lies in mystery Soon I shall discover the key Where the long lane leads beyond the door I shan t find the answer in deep lore But in my heart the key remains Until I ve walked all of the plains I will persue the perils ahead No matter what lies on the path I tread I will make true my passionate dreams Whilst the world continues its many schemes The road goes ever on and on I ll journey through fog into the beyond Until I reach its end concealed When G d Himself shall be revealed 7
I wander through the world alone Untampered by Aggression s throne The evil hearted he controls Infec ng men with weaker souls In my chambers I nd despair And hopelessness without compare Releasing my fears long kept at bay Unleashed when the sun runs away Anger manifests himself dis nc vely Derailing my once robust sanity Yet Anger lacks the strength to sway My strong will not to obey If I allowed Anger supremacy Over the limbs of my body What menace would he make of me An enraged monstrosity I walk the path of righteous joy Stronger than the tac cs Hate employs Pursuing knowledge of the world I seek to see white blue ags unfurled
Some mes I nd Joy s mo ves clandes ne Bringing me to lo y heights new and pris ne Only to drop my heart into the maw Of Despair my deepest aw But Happiness from Joy apart Even Rage cannot force her to depart She s an insurgency I venerate Her ongoing war will never abate Rising above my greatest fears Happiness opposes my fallen tears I exalt you my greatest treasure I love you beyond all measure Herald of Malice s defeat Above Despair s throne lies your great seat For you render his vigor inert You heal every single human hurt Vain a4empts to possess my whims Anger shall fall when Joy begins The armada of Despair defeated by her light Shall sha4er against Happiness s might
Come here m_y child Return Atop the wall5 an ann_y 5tood li5ten do5e their shields bearing a blue device to what J have to tell an arm_y that seemed to never fail of a beautiful cit_y paved with gold of ringing silver bells 1 A wall it has Her markets bustled surrounding it arched gates skillfull_y hewn tumed to soon I stark white tower almo5t ever_y da_y with shoppers both old and _young n w G u with golden ro s an gelden 6alls that ll be til the da_y of its demise e onl_y on the seventh da_y the_y peaceful and calm C bn the tfiree Y _high holida_ys r __ the nation came so ve strong where the lord proclaimed his ho looms in its center hite columns and walls of stene dressed in w ite gleamjng with light I f r the_y pra_yed to G n teitesong its Western o e one with huge r The utensils within fv _y d ear son like the cit_y made of gold R etum to Jerusalem soon which is ver_y seldom shown so skillfull_y hewn A lavish palace And so m_y son housing our wise kings for that is where it lies the old silver bells again ring the smoke again shall rise Shall shine forevermore an ark is in the holiest place stood in the cit_y once its halls remain empt_y until J hope that _y ou ll J II meet _you at its massive gates look to the West for in the walled cit_y of gold
1ne Prophet The Davldlc Shmuel appointed A king to rule across the land He chose Shaul of Benyamin To rule from sand to sand r Became king at eight And restored the Temple s grace He walked in the ways of King David His heart in the right place Insanity Claimed his weak mind So David rose in his place He killed Goliath with a stone Aimed at his horrid face King David s line Endured in time Ending with Israel s sin When they wronged the great crown fell From the head ofYehoyakin He reclaimed Jerusalem and Built the shining Eer Daviid He fathered the wise King Shlomo Who soon would one day lead The Maccabim Priests of Judea Hasmonean was their name Reclaimed the land from their foes And so began their reign Ever wise King Solomon Paved the city s streets with gold His judgement was just was good to trust A majesty to behold Antinogus Was the last king Of pure Maccabi descent Who fell under the Roman sword From the hand of Herod sent Rechovam Failed to unite His father s mighty domain And soYerovam broke away Taking the Israel name Kingless now The Jews wandered Away from their ancient home Forgotten was the Davidic Line Wherein lies the one true throne Chizkiyahu Saw the defeat Of the North Israel nation He fortified the city walls Against foreign invasion Jerusalem Fair city of gold Hopes for what the future brings Awaiting their return to the Promised Land The mighty Davidic Kings
Banners waving In the wind Painted a golden blue Shine brightly in the rising sun Standing tall and true Returned The armies abate Their onslaught of war To behold the bejeweled knight Unaware of Death himself Flying into the fight Across the plain Lay evil hoods Blood red against the sky Worn by the disciples of Death Who doom the Earth to die Behind his cloak Trailed a piercing scream The sound of tortured cries Sent by all of man s evil crimes To join the Ender of Lives With each advance The masses make Light and dark collide Clashing whilst the soldiers fight As lightning in the sky During the clash Of light and dark The sword and scythe collide Ringing above the sounds of war Renewed by either side The strength of Evil Atop the wall Hardly wanes The Western Wall Against the fading light The foes met each other s gaze Swallowing the golden flags whole The King and Death prepared to strike Replacing them with fright Amidst the battle s craze A wave of white A flash of gold Ripples across the sea Upon a wave the king returns As a molten cavalry Sword outstretched The King advanced Towards the ender of lives Piercing his evil darkened heart Ending his twisted cries Behind the King The third temple stands As his golden blue flag flies From within the walled city of gold The smoke begins to rise 12
Humanity Light years away unfathomable distances Lay worlds and galaxies filled with stars by the billions In a vacuum that we cannot perceive Extending towards the beyond Out of sight the infinite glow travels Through space science and time We have traveled and we will travel further Farther and farther into the abyss To try and find the answers to undiscovered questions In our hands clenched tightly are our values Our humanity will always stay true While our path in time remains undiscovered Until the future becomes our past And we discover the answers To undiscovered questions 13
Strength s Source Where does true power On Earth reside In which people Does it linger and hide I know G d s strength Is unsurpassed Yet he bestowed His grace On kings long past So today There must exist A man of valor who can resist Temptation s perverted snare Invoking death Choking the air He is YOU And he is ME For we are ONE In harmony One mind With differing shells For POWER is mankind In us it dwells
Arise flame of the West Jerusalem do not crumble into the sea Israel do not stay oppressed Israel rise flame of the West and be free Beat the drums let the silver trumpets cry Send fourth your strength take back the East Bring down the terror that rains across the sky Drive your sword through the mouth of the beast Zion lift your hands from your stones Stand above the hatred and realize your power With His mighty power strengthening your bones Have you ever any reason to cower Judah do not string your harps of gold Judea return to the world in all your grace Judah send fourth your sword as in the times of old Judea reveal your majesty to the human race My brothers arise fire of the nations Archers bend back your mighty bows concealed Jews His most abused creations Lay dormant til their strength need be revealed Now is the time flame of the West To witness the return of the king Fight now to see the Davidic crest Wave in the wind as the trumpets sing
Illusions A Spoken Word Poem Fake realities Surround us Illusions that we All trust Racism is insanity Mankind s greatest vanity Inflating people s egos And destroying all of Humanity Keep us from Thinking clearly About our Living planet What we care for Are what makes us Who we are Separation Eats away At the feeble minded Poisoning their view Of their fellow man Our passions Drive our karma To push us further Down the road paved Before us We all were Created equal Without need for evil To truly change your life You must change Every aspect And question every action You ve ever committed
Unlearn what you know Of time and death Life itself is bound to them As long as you view them As a reality Be free of The lies They ve woven In your psyche For they do not Exist Your soul will live FOREVER And EVER As long as there is a bright Side of the universe Your actions in this world Will always remain Starting a chain that Will endure For an eternity Work on Bettering yourself Before bettering the world If you reach near perfection Those around you Will feel the impact You too will Become something more Once you break free Of the lies Humanity fed you And see the light And bring about True change Within yourself That will bring fourth peace On Earth
I look upon umbrellas and kites past the people to nature s sights Into the blue of the great deeps to unlock the secrets that she keeps Yet I walk here along the shore admiring you forevermore Your splashing sound brings me great bliss their peaceful sound and high tide s kiss Into the sea flies my soul amongst the seagulls it stays whole Without the Ocean in my heart my sanity would break apart For when the moon shines bright and high in deepest night in darkest sky She sends her fingers groping for me sending her waters from the deep sea I long for her beauty of her waves the seashells waiting that she saves Collecting many creature s homes upon the rocks amongst the foams Oh mighty Ocean horizon s end eroding bays with waves you send I see your power the might of Him beneath your vail where the fish swim Oh Ocean blue with seaweed green millions of creatures hidden unseen Lie in your depths beyond my sight whose eyes never have seen day s light And above your heart where flies the kite you retreat from time s great bite Your waters on fire from the setting sun across the horizon where your waters run
Oh G d above You have my love til end of time every word and rhyme I give to you my one and true Lord in all His might guiding me through life into the night I will charge ahead through the valley of the dead without fear at all I will never fall With You by my side I shan t need to hide from the darkness I see for you re always with me You are the definition of power I m the fruition of your strength
Kung Fu Lion moves His great torso forwards Extending his gigantic claw towards The incoming attacker T he horse rider Standing rigidly in place Prepares to strike His target s face To move in a circle Round and round Gently yet swiftly Without making a sound Feel the energy Flow into your hands To jump and strike forwards To let go of fear s strands Unlock your full potential And realize your inner strength Obtain true inner peace And meditate at long length You re discipline Of my body and my mind Steering me to help others To be benevolent and kind Kung Fu a martial art Ba Gua a sect apart Circle walking and defending Power coursing through the heart
Morning Rising The birds arose from their deep slumber Breaking the brutal chill air asunder With their songs sang from high In the pale blue morning sky Whilst pink rabbit s noses shiver Searching for food along the river Jumping over glossy stones Serving as salamander s homes A roaring grizzly bear rises Opening his two massive eyelids To look for swimming red salmon To beat his early morning famine Dew covered flowers bloom Revealing colors to the fading moon Their perfume inviting honey bees To buzz down from the towering trees Quick and steady run the dear Stopping thrice to lift an ear To the hubbub waking all around Listening for a dangerous sound The man rises last but not least To the rising sun in the East Ignoring the life emerging too And the beauty that he never knew 22
Haikai No Ku You re an amazing Cement binding all my thoughts Into a poem A sparrow flying Gracefully across the page On warm summer winds You flow like water Reflecting an orange sun Shining through my mind In short sequences Presenting complex subjects Through simplistic form Your poetic power Appears in all languages Universally Artist of paintings Of sorrow love happiness Wisdom and action You ll always be used Until the very end of Divine creation The great Unifier The entrancing rhythm The ancient Haiku 26
A Fenced Blaze Anger is a Fire which can be used for warmth when it s properly controlled Or Fire can be a conflagration ignited by the smallest match Anger and Fire share the same roots as being created by mankind We re able to command and benefit from a calming flame So to can we restrict the intensity and longevity of our Anger Utilize its constructive power And turn a force of hatred Into a force for good 27
Sang the bird that flew so free Why do you remain in your tree Can t you see the world s beauty And enjoy tranquility Go fly away free bird Rid me of the lies you ve heard You will not pierce my solid heart For it s already been cured I will not abandon those Who have lived long before me In this nest they made they re home In this nest I will feel free The world is black and white No details to be mined We ve discovered what is good With no desire to further find No you shan t if you re held down By the antique ideals of old You must break free from the deceptions It s time for you to be bold Redeem yourself from hatred That has taken root so strong Sing the songs of flying freedom And I will come and sing along I am free right here Said the nested bird allowed Screaming at the free free flying bird Descending from a cloud And so the chained bird left his nest To join the free bird in the sky Perching on newfound trees Being free to roam and fly The free bird sang that I am free And that one day this world will be A paradise for you and me Once you see with clarity They discovered all the world And learned all there was to see And passed on being fulfilled Completing life s journey Knock down the walls of hatred That your parents built in your mind Rebuild your nest anew With the values you shall find 16
I am Yonatan Meir Schwartzman I am a wolf eyes gleaming in the night As a beacon of hope In a world filled with fright A wolf with paws firmly gripping the ground Pushing forwards against the chilling gales Threatening to send me stumbling backwards Into the world s chaotic hellish forests Clutching my inner passions Fueling my endeavors my hunt is never ending Every sharp breath adding meaning to My dark green eyes that pierce the fogs descending With teeth barred my keen head tucked down I shall charge ahead no matter the foe And howl at the moon when he has risen In zealous anger I shall become the wolf
The Pursuit Of Happiness a Spoken Word poem Happiness Why is it That you possess me so often I mean you didn t before What have I done To earn so much of you Is it my attitude in life Towards everything I do If you can stay positive You can accomplish anything But what s perhaps more important Is having self worth It s pursuing your dreams AND TOPLING DOWN The barriers that stand in your way Finding the motivation To FINALLY try those scary new things Takes time to find It s like a key in the middle of a jawbreaker You have to enjoy a small taste of the sweetness that Waits for you in the center To take what you can get Until you ve built up the strength To break through the shell And release the key To unlock your passion And then you ll discover That being an achiever Is being a secret artist Making lamps that started as Dreams in the late hours of the night And taking them into the physical world of achievement It s starting to learn kung Fu after all these years While your friends were taking karate It s hiking and biking and enjoying the world By going out and seeing it firsthand Instead of lying in bed until 12 every Sunday 18
What happiness has taught me Is that Once you push yourself to Start all the little projects You know the ones you said you d do over the summer 3 summers ago Life is your talents undiscovered So check off those to do lists And become a do r Gain pride in yourself YOU SEE because it doesn t matter What you look like When you ve worked out for a year It s how strong you ve become That s truly important Because it s not the strength Of the body that counts But the strength Of the spirit Sometimes you ll emerge victorious With battle scars stretching From ear to chin Some people might look at you in disgust Ignore them you ll look totally awesome And if you keep writing poem after poem Trying your best to prepare for the next slam AND YOU LOSE Say hi to Regret for me Tell him that I don t regret coming to this slam Because if the grass isn t greener on the other side Then you bet your grass I m going to plant it myself In the pursuit of my happiness 19
Day 1 There was nothing Neither darkness nor light Before man s foot emblazoned itself Upon the cold harsh World t dl What began first were feelings Empowered emotions converted Into thoughts Swirling on and on Amongst each other in the vast expanse Permeating the vacuity Good and vil nger despair Love and happiness Iogether as I coexisted here i Be tore the physieal world s creation In tlle Ying Yang of spiritual harmony In the conclusion Of the Earth s establishment There was Darkness And there was an opposing Light On the 1 st day of Creation
Emergence a Spoken Word poem Everything just spins around me The world it goes on and on Forever and for always Spinning the Chaotic threads of The Circle of life Bringing destruction Because it exists Because we choose to remain So is the turmoil which Rots the core of the Earth And humanity s sight Are we blind To the possible destructive power Residing within every newborn Who can tell What one man will do In his lifetime In the way of good or evil What tethers us To this world As a balloon tied down To this treacherous Earth It s passion Our love For all that is good Lost Love and friendships Families torn apart By mankind s malevolence And Death s scythe They re those whose spirits will never die Who will endure In the collective consciousness Of the world 23
Transcending lifetimes Embossed upon the inner construct Of our interconnected souls From where does The devastation spew As a hatred from the darkest depths Of mankind s foul mouth Humanity is a passion A light in the dark A fire burning ferociously Against the downpour of hatred The animosity of our being Was conceived alongside our affection As a contrasting inevitability As long as we Continue to love We will continue to hate In the words Of Martin Luther King Jr Hate cannot drive out hate Only love can do that For the two are the Ying Yang Of the human psyche One cannot exist without the other Which is why love Will always find a way Even when all seems lost It shall rise in the wake Of the greatest evil In the End of Days Love will triumph More powerful than the strongest atrocity Mankind has ever known 24
Its strength will outmatch Our hysterical wickedness Uncorrupted amidst the greatest deception of mankind In that generation the illusion Of Separation shall fall Ushering in an era of peace In the beginning of the End of Days How have we Let the world slip Into its chaotic state Enlightening now Are the words of a Jew In the face of the evils upon his race The world is a dangerous place Not because of those who do evil But because of those who look on and do nothing We can defeat war Differences time Barriers that are nonexistent This power always Resides within us all To break away from our own lies The lies that we tell ourselves Are the hardest to decipher For what they really truly are The true mind Can weather all the lies and illusions Without being lost The true heart Can touch the poison of hatred Without being harmed Since beginning less time Darkness thrives in the void But always yields to purifying light 25
My heart yearns for the pull of the waves Crashing against the sand of the bays Her foam gushing amongst the rocks The ocean s water dampening my socks The trees along the path s green glow Shading my journey that I take so slow So as to carefully listen for the sound Of the symphony all around Along the Hudson Palisades I pier above her deep green glades Upon the shores I hear her song The Hudson River moving along Up to the northern Adirondacks Through Valleys and woods she runs away Yet I am grateful that she began Her trek north passed the world of man For she travels through the big city Into the forests unknown to me Thank you great Hudson for passing by Singing your song a lullaby Thank you fair moon of blessed light For pulling her tide highest at night As a conductor you direct her wave To the river a voice you gave
And now her melody fills the air Igniting tranquility beyond compare At high tide she sings the chorus of her tunes Amongst the sea gulls and sand dunes Yet I can t ignore your great mother Whose waters are larger than any other Her waves crash and sing the loudest cry Of hope and joy and times gone by Most beautiful when the sun goes down The Ocean s blue compared to your brown Hudson you pale to her unspoiled splendor Her majesty bares no contender Knowing from whence your choir came Reveals a kindled spark of a greater flame The Ocean s majesty I see in you From your beaches and diverse view As your mother queen of the seas You traverse differing peoples and scenes Winding your way out of city skyline Into the valleys of snowy pine In whose hand are the depths of the Earth The peaks of the mountains are His The sea is His for it was He who made it I see the green leaves rustle peacefully To your wave s sweet fine melody O Great River s chorus with the wren I long to hear your voice again
She s taken my heart She s holding it in her hand Tormenting me Without end Sending me flying Into insanity Because I don t understand Why I ever Asked Her To love Me
Let the tears Stream down Like rivers overflowing Out of your eyes Let them rain Upon your cheeks So they can Wash away Your anger Embrace sadness Know that it won t Endure Let the tears Flow like the water Whose current leads To a brighter tomorrow In lands of darkness For who can tell What lies across The sea of tears All I know Is that the sun will shine brighter After the darkest night A blazing ball Of strongest light Sent forth By the ocean waters The tears streaming Down your cheeks Will sail you To happier waters
I just can t pinpoint it There s something about My focus My concentration It s hell bent on believing That the world Is how it perceives it You can take As long as you need To better yourself Start small Plant the seed And you will become Something amazing Come on brain we just learned in Kung Fu That true change in our life will come When we alter the most fundamental Aspects of ourselves Be mindful Obtain inner peace And enjoy your two most Favorite things in the world Love and happiness You have A good point brain I guess it did sound Better in my head But I want to transform because I want to be the best me there ever was the greatest Yoni needs to be fueled by change You re right Yoni So think where you want To better yourself most And take baby steps Because Kung Fu Also taught you That time is an illusion Question everything But do not abandon What you think you know Until you ve answered Your questions Do not abandon religion Because your doubts Can t all be remedied At the same time Work on improving yourself If you want to have Stronger relationships You keep thinking It s their fault Did you ever stop and think And say hey Maybe it s yours
Finally motivate yourself With positive energy Uncap your happiness That you love so dearly And let it carry you in life To new heights Unleash your inner strength Change yourself In the best way possible And become a beacon of power A powerful Yonatan Meir Schwartzman Grow into the man You were meant to be And not the man that society told you to become After you change yourself Change the world Evolve into the greatest Yoni Eyes gleaming in the night In a world filled with fright As a beacon of hope To the lost souls of the world Who could use A bit of love and happiness Which is perfect right Because that s something You have plenty of Even when you re upset It s still hiding within your heart You will fear nothing Even Death himself Because your actions Of love and kindness Will create a chain Of love towards others That will live Forever
Power Corrupts There once lived Two men who were bestowed With divine powers They traveled the lands Searching for knowledge in high towers And so the rst Brother was killed In the armor he constructed For no divine power Could control people s hearts so corrupted The rst Brother fashioned A blue gleaming suit of armor To protect his love From foes who would harm her He gained Many followers Who professed to adore him But their hearts were yearning For the power he wielded But the Second brother With wisdom in tow Learned all that he could As to bring joy where he d go No one Dared challenge His eventual kingdom Yet evil s ll crept Into the hearts of his people For they longed So intensely To usurp his dominion That they stormed his great castle To overthrow his great kingdom He used His unsurpassed intellect To create peace between foes No ma er the strife He d bring them to a close The second Brother welcomed death A er he lived for long years Accomplished and happy He passed forgo en without fears One sought glory Fooled that he was Protec ng his love While the other found humility And found peace up above
Hunched from our journeys He leans on the side of my shelf Looking into my deep green eyes With his glowing wooden skin He entrances me Sending me hurtling into Mountain views and starry nights When he stopped Growing as a tree He began to grow With me After all that you and I conquered We have much to look back upon And much to look forward to my hiking stick
Time vanquishes My quivering soul Swallowing my sanity whole He brings death Where there is life He rushes days And causes strife You re not real You never were For death is a door Into heaven s pure Unending light I can t perceive To Him I ll go In Him I believe Time like Separation Is created by me Revealed by a calmed Mind Every endeavor And effort Has an infinite Worldly reaction I now clearly see That Time and Death Are mankind s crushing Vanity Immortality Is mine forevermore As soon as I let go Of my human core
I won t be remembered For eternity But my actions Enjoy immortality Without Time s Choking insanity Memories lost Let them go If you understand Which life to lead Live in the NOW For you can t change What passed And what will be Control your mind At this moment Don t give into Time the opponent Live life At your own pace It s not a competitive Relay race Smell the roses Hike the woods Witness the world s Lovely goods The almighty Time Our ultimate barrier That doesn t exist
I don t need Any prayers To guide me Point me In the right direction The one less traveled by I just need To live life Myself With more risk More adrenaline Maybe even more pain I need to Experience Everything under the sun But in the end I will have lived A life worth living Sure I ll make mistakes But they ll be worth it Filled with greatest Joy Empowering love And devastating anger So yah I need someone To guide me A life endowed With a blast of compassion A life worth living
Shine bright As the blazing Sunlight Entrancing me With your dazzling colors You are more beautiful Than all the others I say my favorite Is blue But in my mind It was always you You are the sun And banana skins Subway signs And Teaneck trash bins And in this poem You are my inspiration A beautiful spectacle An outstanding creation
The wind howling ceaselessly into the mountain pass sends an old oak toppling down crashing against the grass A sonic boom reverberates across the forest floor shaking the nearby shrubbery drooping from the downpour Surrounding trees bent inwards circling their fallen friend the old oak who stood so long finally met his end Rain drop tears fell heavily down all of the tree s bark raising her head her chicks were dead and so wailed the meadowlark Desperate squirrels searched in vain to find their fallen kin death s silence hung in the air louder than the din Out of the clouds rained the eagle with fish caught for his love his cry filled the air to see her there crushed by the oak above
Roots flailing In the air the oak waves his goodbye his green leaves shriveled brown when light escaped the sky Underneath the old tree a bright green sprout awoke his buds groping gingerly in the wake of the oak Whence a year came the eagle returned with baby eaglets in tow while the meadowlark sang her tune the squirrels foraged below The tree of life never died and lived on in his sprout undying while the world changed he survived storm and drought Stabbed and cut the tree bled his sap oozed over his stump as his brothers fell in turn with a deafening thump On that day the forest fell along with the immortal tree man had come unaware of the life that ceased to be
Why does money hold worth above friends peace and harmony hold worth above love A spectacular life Of ultimate bliss Is accomplished by becoming A man of ignorance If more of us valued cheer and song above hoarded gold it would be a merrier world The Indians Ultra Orthodox Monks And Amish peoples as well Looked down upon for abandoning Technology s evil hell Deceptions plague our very humanity poisoning the world with another crushing vanity Yet I honor them though their ways seem demeaning People fear what they don t understand and hate what they can t conquer If only we could be satisfied with ordinary yet we strive for more making real the imaginary They live in a world apart have obtained a happiness from the start They were born into it depart with it a bliss uncontaminated Is innovation a devastation For in much wisdom is much vexation and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow A love for their fellow man above hoards of gold and leave us outsiders unhealed by their wisdom untold The answer defeats me for I know it in my heart a prison surrounds me threatening to tear my sanity apart Please G d loosen your grip around humanity your outstretched arm in the form of technology remains a crushing vanity Technology Currency Give back Our freedom
To meditate And leave my mind I m required not to find A single speck of attention In order to complete my ascension For without My thoughts expressed I will discover deepest rest That lingers out of my farthest reach No matter how much of my brain I breach The more I Think think no longer Stilling my mind becomes harder The more I want the less I get The more I try the more I fret How can I Reach this lofty goal When in my skull lies a deep hole That inner peace escapes through While I vainly grope at the blue And suddenly The blue turns black Fades away without turning back Tranquility rushes in Here meditation shall begin
Time Defeated Time always seems to defeat me to end my happiness to make my sadness endure Time are you invincible You re arrival can t be halted When you re least wanted You cause death where there is life You cause my memories to fade both good and bad To fly away out of my recollections reach Still only One has no limit to His power And He is not you I just need to delve deeper to find your flaws You can t end love Love and happiness will always rise again Like a warm bright orange sunrise After a long winter night Now I realize that death isn t a thing of your creation It s a fear of man for we don t understand it How can death be an end It s not a brick wall finishing life s great hall But rather a door that remains ajar Leading to the next journey unseen by our primitive minds 28
Time you govern the hallway I walk through now So to fight you isn t worth devoting my life to When I shall spend an eternity Without you constricting my endeavors Your strength can t conquer love even Anger For they do not have an end Such emotions are an everlasting heirloom of mankind They re passed from person to person Shared at every encounter And continued through ever new being that enters this world Time I believe I can see through the mist that has shrouded your identity Into the heart of the web of fears that you have woven into my mind Which now hangs before my eyes but does not hinder my body Time I will always fear you Lest I come to the realization That you re not a reality 29
True happiness is Unobtainable in this World for it s not true True happiness is A vexation of spirit Without real meaning Joy everlasting Can never exist on Earth With humanity Without our evil Wholesome goodness can exist With it death persists So I will stay true To my passion of nature Through which I love G d I will love people They deserve my affection Despite our deep flaws Affection for life Brings me greatest happiness Everlasting joy Life is undying So the joy is always there For me to procure
We are a collective Consciousness As one we feel and see The world around Us We are One A power that Can never be undone Mankind is like A many faceted sapphire We like the facets see different views Experience life with distinct passions Yet we are all cut from the same stone Our consciousness Is a united psyche That burns With an inner flame Of a higher power Life s spark Is fueled by it The Chinese call it Qi I call it G d
Life Life is in the cool air that you breath In the towering trees silhouettes against the deep blue sky It is in the fragrance of a flower inducing a feeling of tranquility It is in the tiniest honey bees architects of colossal hives In the sightless fish living in unfathomable depths of the dark sea It is in the high flying eagle whose whaling song penetrates the heart Life is never ending As death is ever failing To stifle the continuation of life For death is a thing of time Time is man s most deceptive foe The toughest barrier barring our soul Whose fog has long enveloped our minds From the truth shining behind the edge of beyond 32
The almighty time Our ultimate The Wallbarrier Pull up a chair That doesn t exist place your hands on the wall and look beyond its stony vale Try to imagine every soul that prayed here for health happiness and for strength to enrich their lives in the service of G d An unfathomable amount of notes lie folded within its crevices like grey cement between rows of red brick unifying every stone together This wall is a jewel to many of the nations of the world sought for and fought for by many generations who seek to bask in its unexplainable riches Until now the wall has had to endure disgrace like an unkempt garden waiting to be tended to The Wall stood patiently until we returned 33
Heaven My actions in this world Are the stuff of the world to come My actions are blossoms That sprout from the Heavens As roots who feed great flowers Upon a massive world tree There must be a barrier Though I don t believe it to be A Gateway into heaven The hindrance that keeps me From the purity and warmth Of molten light is unseen Just to think of the so called Gate As unseen doesn t seem Apt enough to describe the barrier For you can t see heaven And therefore it can t be described Using human senses The piece of my heart That belongs amongst the beautiful roots Doesn t need to see feel or hear My soul and my humanity Can t travel to the Beyond together So there s no barrier blocking my way There s only an anchor 30
My soul is chained to the raging inferno That will burn with unprecedented ferocity Until its strength is utterly spent Such is my physical form The valleys and mountains of my life My humanity My Neshama is immortal Free of all the restrictions That my underprivileged body endures SO THEN what is it What is my soul Soul you are my compass my emotion My love and my happiness While my material self needs anger and sorrow For these positive sensations to coexist My soul is pure unending light Without a single shred of darkness It doesn t need anger To be happy again For it is pure light So the next world Is quite possibly this world In which we have a restricted element of the light Our soul My Neshama will experience life Through my human psyche Which nourishes my inner flame Until it is ready to burst into fire Alit forever more 31
O Israel From the Kinneret to the Tichon To Yerushalayim of golden stone Over the mountains of the Chermon To the valleys of Mitzpei Ramon With beautifully knotted olive trees Giving the striped Ibex shade and ease Listen to the cries of the birds of prey Stare at the beautiful sunset ending everyday Our holy Torah everywhere taught Down to the blue sea of southern Eilat See the towering city of Tel Aviv See the crumbling Eer David Pray at the protected Kever Rachel Once on the ancient road to the Kotel O Israel my home my sword and shield I long to see your war scars healed 34
The Power Within Get up Do not let go of your hope Do not let the world fall into despair Fight now fight here at the end of all that exists upon this traitorous Earth Grip your inner strength lying dormant in the abyss that is your mind for it has known nothing but fear He has given you the power to overcome darkness a power that can only be realized when all that is good has faded from memory You cry out into the most horrifying demon the essence of evil and the ender of lives The voice that has just emanated from within your cradle of hope cracks and falters Before your flame is extinguished light blasts through the dark skies with a blinding flash and an outlandish boom Mankind comes in chorus to your battle cry We raise our swords gleaming bright blue against a blazing orange sun and point them at our cowering enemy Every soul rushes towards Evil as if our human limbs were an exoskeleton of the mist that now lifts us Heat vibrates in rings as disturbed water in a vast lake Tranquility fills every molecule of your body and radiates from every face around you as evil crashes down with the force of a thousand quakes upon the battle scarred face of the Earth
Ocean The water flowing Runs into the horizon To the lands beyond Holocaust Their Voice together Remembered for their splendor Jews are forever Tree Green tree canopy branches groping gingerly Brings the world beauty Time The almighty Time Our ultimate barrier That doesn t exist Peace Peace in our time will Be achieved by releasing Freedom from it s cage 36
C Feel I take risks to express mY creativity And to go on an adventure I try to always be happy so that others around me can be happy too when I m not I look forward to being happy again I enjoy knowledge it makes my I ife more interesting it helps me appreciate the world around me I appreciate the need to set goals I love the feeling that I receive When I accomplish them I savor my freedom it allows me to express my feelings through my actions I am confident in myself and my confidence helps me recognize my true limitations I can t describe the feeling of love love has no boundaries love has no end it s a feeling that is passed from one person to another I know that there is no better feeling than love I love my family more than anythin9 in this universe Both in this world and my family that has gone to the next
Beyond The History I passed through the rusted gates I walked amongst the sca ered graves with peeling black paint and I looked up at the sun through the and bent hinges that gnarled tree s haze forced them to stay ajar then I saw to my right an old growth of ivy crawling up an ancient oak I looked behind me at the busy city street I walked towards the twisted mass with cars speeding past looking deep into the gaps between the vines ignoring the history beyond the gates searching for a forgo en piece of the past hidden from the world to be found at last I walked on a road a lane of elevated moss I grab at the undergrowth with patches of cracked concrete with a strong yank the nal res ng place is protruding from beneath revealed Julia Freiman was forgo en minutes ago I look ahead of me but now she will be remembered upon a vast expanse of space li ered with defaced markers I look up a er I ve untangled the grave and gnarled withered trees at the rusted gate to the outside world a di erent world where life is lived Branches li ered the ground while behind the gates life is remembered they covered many of the stones beneath layers of leaves from seasons long gone Many stones were already uncovered people s ll care about them though the stones can t return the favor they ll always be remembered 38
Writers Block Sickness I feel so sick there is a rock in the river of my mind it has rolled into the front of my head and its blocking the ow of thoughts from where they are formed to the ocean in which they will be put into ac on I think i have a bad case of writers block and it s making my head feel so sick I can feel the thoughts the ideas the expressions hi ng the boulder in the front of my head but I can t gure out what they are because they can t ow to the ocean that is my head and un l I feel be er I don t think that the thoughts will ever reach the ocean because before my head is unblocked the ideas will have washed away 39
Mashiach The sky grows dark The Western Wall shakes Lightning and Thunder crash in the distance As the entire world quakes Dark and hooded The Servant of Death and his army arrives The very essence of Evil The Ender of Lives And Then a light flashes Over the Western Wall The glowi ng Angels of Life Will not let it fall Both armies collide Swords li t by the ri si ng Sun They cling and they wring against each other The fi nal battle has begun The nation gathers And looks on standing tall As the pale li ght grows stronger And as the EviI fal Is Suddenly the gates of Heaven open The once lost souls return to the land of the Living There s dancing in the streets And many beautiful voices singing
The Light of Hashem And all of His wisdom is bestowed Upon king David s son 1 And so Mashiach s reign has begun And behind him the shining white Temple stands tall A pillar of smoke rises from within And there s peace for the Nation There s peace for all
DOD
Y thff 1ongen Of the Year ii118Gl 1ll tree are covered fQr the deer n
A Bird s Eye View and eo I m In th aky On my n Wlnp I fig ll a Hmi for thla Po Creni to aag
As the snow falls down There is no frown Unless you find your dad For the snow that comes down Is a man and shovel all around town On the snow day As the snow falls down The kids go to hill And climb the tall fence With the help of a snow stool Which the giant plow created On the snow day 49
F A N G He was once a brick Like the rest that carn e after Just like a cute poem He d create endless laughter He awaited the cutter To separate hini from the crowd One who is individual Saying his thought s aloud He was engulfed by two hands One after the other And in his new world He considered them his father He was rolled into a sphere To create his foundation In molding his character He becarn e an inspiration He suddenly saw light A good and a right When two fingers poked two holes Giving him sight He smelled the cool air Using his newly sculpted nose He enjoyed smelling flowers Particularly a red rose Then carn e his feeling Of absolute laughter When carefully engraved A smiling mouth erupted thereafter Last was his narn e
Written on his back F A N G then Yoni Then he was put on a rack He waited a week To see he creator again But by then he dried out And a hand chipped his fang He wait ed a weekend To meet a new set of hands Vhich carried him gently To a hot oven pan He relaxed as he hardened As hard as a rock As water inside him escaped And from cracking he was pardoned He at for a fe Y owto 1 ever masks He saw kids look athim thrt And one behind a made nA J te was greeted by his Two af1 To be p oothly In a state of relaxation He was painted dark red With white eyes and black pupils With an orangey mouth And teeth as white as a bed He was then given a smear Of a green sort of paint And after another firing The green became clear He C3llle out of the oven Into the hands of his father He was a laughing clay ball However like Fang there s no other
SPRING TIME IS Spring time is Summers rhyme Summers shine And summers fine Spring time Is Flower time The years prime And many wind chimes Spring time Is New grown limes Mountain climbs And birthday signs
Straight and true Is what my dogs do They pull the sled My eyes turn red From the shinning snow bed Into the storm The strongest form The team has ever faced And even the cold Will not stop their pace Over the ice We skid like mice Some fell in twice But through the lonely weather We ll always work together It is so fun Under the sun Such a good feeling when we run Even at night We still keep up the fight Life is good The way it should be When my dogs run When they run with ME 48
All through my dreams The wind blows true As I think about the days When I walked down the busy crowded road With my older brother All through my dreams All through my dreams I collect the pine cones That would soon be flying In the exciting battles Between other homes All through my dreams All through my dreams I play with that dog In her young puppy days As she licked my face And scratched her ball All through my dreams All gone are my dreams The wind stopped blowing My dreams stopped showing And my brain stopped sewing my memory quilt together Which kept me warm all through the lonely weather Good bye dreams 50
CHAINED They came to us With guns and metal And peace was something they didn t settle Without putting us in chains Their white skin They re not our kin Just cause a what s On the outside Hatred and foe No No No We don t even get a chance For a fight between the black and white On the way Cramped in a space Can t move in this place With chains on my ankles Through the cold And death We make it to What is left Of our long slave ery Try to run But there is none That return unharmed Before they re back in CHAINS 51
I wonder why the sun runs away Or how it sends its ray s Maybe its light goes real fast Around the Milky Way I wonder why the moon makes waves Or how it erodes the bays Taking the slowest slow there is Each and every day I wonder why space goes on Or how it made the atom s electron As it goes to forever and beyond Passing the limited understandings of man I wonder why the questions start But never end at all For everything is a wonder Their answers we try to plunder From God s amazing universe 54
F l Y Fly To the end Fly From the start Fly Like an eagle who Flies From the heart Fly Like a bird Who flies like the wind Fly Like a dream That s about to begin 56
CAN YOU HEAR ME Are you there Will you here my story My dear Leis the girl I knew She was sent away To death and to doom Can you hear me Are there still Jews Will my part be strewn And get lost in history or will it be remembered I stayed in bed hating my luck Hating the Annex and the Franks who shared it Can you hear me Did we survive Is it over just as it began Anne Frank s voice That I so wish to can Was the only thing that Had held down my anger In the very very dark Can you hear me Is she still there Is my Anne alive Her love and words were My only light To keep my soul alive In those gloomy days Can you hear me 52
What will happen to all the JEWS that work to their fall in the lonely camps What will happen to me Anne s diary kept those sad days recorded Even when a our hideaway was reported it Still stayed alive Can you hear me Will I ever come back to that lonely place Or will the Nazis erase the face of all the Jews in my race It all ended they took us away My mother and Anne to one camp Our fathers and I to another It has begun Can you hear me Are you there Can you believe it I hear the faintest Of cries that we are free And now my time has come To travel to the place that is where The light always shines Even on those who committed terrible crimes Are you still there Are you still listening YES 53
As I lay on you So warm and so soft Like a pillow made out of a hay loft Bugs none For they all run As I lay on you As I lay on you So green and so bright As if you glow like the sunlight Wind none Under the sun As I lay on you As I lay on you I rest in peace As if you are a very soft fleece Geese none In the shade As I lay on you As I lay on you So quiet without sound As if you are as quiet as an ant Going into its mound Rain none Things come undone As I lay on you 55
Darkness retreats As the morning chill Descends when a Glass blanket covers The bends Fall frost hits As the moon rises All living stay still For this is when There is that chill Of the fall frost And comes the cars passing by As they bring forth the commute Though there insides are filled with an acute cold From the shining fall frost As the sun reaches out To stretch its rays The glass blanket gleams To form a galaxy of stars Beaming across the fall frost Though hours go by Until the sun is high And the rainbow fades With all the fall frost Good bye frost I am longing to see you lie The next night when the dark will die And when the plants pedals are shy In tomorrows fall frost 57
I WANT TO BE I see Muslims They pray five times Each day In their very own way Apart from the rest of the universe I see Christians With their very lofty churches And colorful stain glass windows that create just the right environment To practice their spirituality I see Arabs They re not so bad At least that s how it seems And yet some of them still terrorize Continuing civilian screams I see American Indians Totem poles and tools And surviving on the resources That nature gives Struggling to keep their tradition alive I am Jewish Pray Peace Homeland Spirituality Those are my ways And that is why we aren t cruel to others I BELIEVE IN PEACE 58
I Dream I dream of the day The light showing the way I dream of the day The sun s showing its ray I dream of the night The dark filled with fight I dream of the night The moon pale as white I dream of the day The flag waving away I dream of the day The heart knows what to say I dream of the night The darkness in sight I dream of the night The evil seems right I dream of the day The heavens here lay I dream of the day The wave s beauty on the bay I dream of the night As I dream of the day I dream of the night As I dream of today 59
Family Is Knowing that the care you Share goes to those you love Feeling like you re one a Whole that anything can be done Spending time with those you Favot a memory to save Family is helping Out that is what it s c1II about Eclmily is what you holq Dear what you think of in times of fear Family is maqe of the ones that you Tteasute even your trienc ls ate with you together You re a Family
The Tihilim Box Silver hand Melted blue The sky in the middle The metal box Has a riddle What is inside it Words of prayer Told by a say 1er From a book inside Feels so cool A l umpy skin The color of blue and tin It is small Don t let it fall It is special to me Smells like iron A weak scent of ink It is my link to G d
GUTS I see now I now know how To seek the chow I crave Hunting is precise I ve only missed one twice With my K 41 Snipe Gun Got to run My gear weighs a ton But the sun won t stop my next catch I m nature s link My parents drink And about them I never think I m on my own I eat till the bone So I still have some left for home The sunrise No surprise When you wake up with the skies The first birds tweet I m on my feet Running in the deep summer heat I ve made my catch Now my folk will have a batch Of twelve great suppers in a row That is my life With gun and knife I hike and bike AND WHAT FUELS MY FIGHT GUTS 62
The Pen Look at the pen So smooth and shiny Look at the pen In my fingers so tiny Look at the pen So graceful is your ink Look at the pen It writes down what you think Look at the pen So smart yet simplistic Look at the pen Which is very artistic Look at the pen An overused creation Look at the pen That needs a vacation 65
An Idea An Idea Rew i FroM M I leFt side ea When M I Mind received it I started to dtur An Idea was horn Not get f IAt iftto actioft My hn ift kept 4ggi J Do a it was ask I So I f IA t tl e idea I notebook tt cluttered tl e pages Flowi 9 lib a brook I IASed tl e idea a project oF clay tMIAglilt to rulity It switcNd o tMt day And f roM And so eNls die idea s Slilot t life in My For 11 0W its got plans Or so it Nl t said
A hero can be Someone with super powers But a hero can also be the one who stopped the airplane from hi ng the towers A hero can be Someone with lots of bravery But being brave doesn t come naturally It needs fear to overcome and to be A hero can be Someone who saves someone s cat But a hero can also do something small Like giving someone else a turn at bat A hero can be Someone just like you and I But you have to take ac on And not just Stand By You are the hero If you choose to be Be a friend not a bully And answer to your call to duty 66
I awoke in my tent Pitched between two massive oak trees And packed up my backpack With my everyday needs I went up yet again Reaching an even higher summit And I was reminded of life How it has peaks and has plummets I started on the path Now straight and bright What a great morning To begin my hike I continued my hike On an old moss covered road Until I reached a cave A sight to behold The path became rocky A zigzagging fright I was looking down constantly To get my footing right I went inside the cavern Feeling the dark enclose me behind But if I didn t go in I wouldn t know what on the other side I might find But when I looked up At a chirping bird I took in my surroundings And all that I heard I emerged from the gloom Onto a ledge beside a roaring creek And on the other side of the water Lay the destination still bleak I started to ascend Up a steep hill with care But life is like this It Ain t no crystal stair I continued to push on Though after each step pain would ensue Knowing that at the end of the climb I d see an amazing view I got to the top And dropped with a bang The hard part was over So out of happiness I sang As I waded through the water Squinting through the fog My eyes slowly adjusted In time to see a jumping frog And when I stepped forward Onto hard ground My destination shown in the sunlight And I happily sat down I found my warm tent between the two old oak trees And I curled up into my sleeping bag To the soft distant buzzing of bees After walking a while On the down going trail I saw looming in front of me Another mountain larger in scale 67
Believe Believe in peace For the human race Don t judge somebody By their face Believe in hope For it can move mountains When you suspect a crime Tell somebody before it happens Believe in G d Contribute to your nation For if we respect religion We are fighting discrimination Believe in no disliking Even to those who are disabled Because they are always happy Like the old kings which are fabled Believe in love For a family is a treasure Though love for one s friend Is what makes friendship such a pleasure Believe in giving Help those that are in need Because without acts of kindness Despair and anger can t be relieved Believe in your dreams For they re just over the sun And be sure that when they re completed That you share your happiness with everyone 68
Can you see through the eyes of the enemy Or can he see through your eyes and see your view Can you speak the very words of the wiser Or can the wiser speak words from you too Can you hold the rich man s golden worth Or can the rich man hold the riches he sees in you that you never knew Can you feel the suffering of one so far away Or can he feel your joy when the skies are bright and blue Can you already know what will be taught by a teacher Or can the teacher already know what he ll learn from you Can you not see inspiration when an artist does Or can he see your inspiration in a different hue Just think and act the way that you usually do Because it s what you think and do that defines you 69
The Mind s Eyes Unseeing Trees of Green in the night Like silhouettes upon the brink Of the darkness that lay beyond My eye s weak and hindered sight They shall lose their leaves Like a royal king conceding his crown Their bright autumn colors litter the ground Until the spring follows winter s bite Flowers Pollen Blossoming All a bright soothing pink Fruit Berries following The buds within a week 70
Jerusalem Of Gold Jerusalem of gold Of copper and of light For all of your songs I am a harp I love your Cobblestone maze Of weathered stones You re my rock Golden domed Are your mosques Zion stoned Are your temples Jerusalem of gold Of copper and of light For all of your songs I am a harp I walk under Your many gates Emerge from Sha ar Yaffo Upon the wall The secrets You hold in Your tunnels You guard for us Jerusalem of gold Of copper and of light For all of your songs I am a harp 71
The photographs In the background of Most of the pages in this book Including the Front Cover Were taken by the author Yoni Schwartzman MANschwartz Artisan Productions 2015 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 72
Poetic Acknowledgments The following authors works are quoted in and led to the inspiration of many of the poems in this book J R R Tolkien The Lord Of The Rings The Hobbit Naomi Shemer Jerusalem Of Gold King David Psalms Chana Senesh Blessed Is The Match Albert Einstein quoted Martin Luther King Jr quoted Robert Frost The Road Not Taken Maya Angelou Caged Bird Still I Rise Langston Hughes Mother To Son Dream Differed King Solomon Ecclesiastes Bob Marley Redemption Songs 73
In memory of Zayde In honor of Grandma Saba and Savta You are my inspiration
About The Authot Published in September of 2015 Yoni Schwartzman s The Pursuit of Happiness contains a dazzling array of poems spanning from the writer s early formative years 2009 2013 which include A Meaningful Journey and An Idea to his more recent works 2014 2015 such as Morning Rising and Something New During a span of over five years Yoni not only blossomed into a writer but as an artist as well His most prominent works in lighting are his Stained Tree Hand Lamp Chobani Chandelier and Desk Lamp His most notable works of clay are Fang Stained Tree Base and Dotted Bowl Yoni Schwartzman is also a veteran photographer who mainly focuses on scenery and nature This book encompasses his passion for creativity love of photography and veneration for the power of language Currently living in Teaneck New Jersey Yoni Schwartzman s prowess in arts and language will only improve as he comes to new milestones in his life
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The Pursuit Of Happiness (2
Yoni Schwartzman
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