Richard Moss, M.D.

Articles/Blog

The Golden Thread

By Richard M Moss MD

February 2 2025

The hypnosis of the wind dispels the myth,

In the era of disbelief.

Over the sacred cloth that blessed the fields,

Against the tyranny of the thief.

Sodom spoke of a failed kingdom,

Laughter betrayed the rage of the holy.

It was the desert that awakened the forsaken,

But the sun did not raise the lowly.

A crucible merged the metals of time,

Forgotten thresholds did not betray.

Who beholds the empire of sand?

A disciple grasps a cloud to pray.

A song crosses the inheritance of dust,

Time did not reject the law of the temple.

The holy garment was forged in the sun,

Did the language make the heavens tremble?

The canopy of space was the blessing.

The senses ignored the winds of the dream,

A golden thread recalled the testimony,

Even the Sabbath did not salvage the stream.

It was the divine flattery of the priest,

He, the herald of the sanctuary.

Prepare, thou brother of Moses,

Onyx stones recall the estuary.



Forget not, the sons of Jacob, 

The love of God wrestled with the universe.

A poem cannot ignore Genesis,

The wind brought wisdom and a curse.

The seasons feast on the lessons of sleep,

Gold was woven in time.

The sanctuary recalled the righteousness of Adam,

O, priest, the arc committed no crime.

Wilt thou carry the thread of Israel,

The clouds recall the day of rest.

The embrace of the Lord saved the dawn,

In six days, the tapestry was blessed.

Twelve stones shall recall the sons of Jacob,

The tribes were written into the ceremony.

Numbers fled the sky of turmoil,

The laws of heaven knew the patrimony.

O, Aaron, forget not the golden thread,

Which binds the laws of the tabernacle.

Administer the science of the origin,

Recall the testament is not a shackle.

The opacities of memory are in the words,

Eden does not forsake the partition of the sky.

Oblique tragedies set the heavenly orbits,

A golden thread will not lie.

The breastplate blesses the gathering,

Embroider the coat with fine linen.

The sons shall recall the commandments,

Thy turban is holy and not a villain.

The priest bears the iniquity of the offering,

The signet adorns the terrain of a dream.

Consecrate the wounded, O Moses,

The sons will not assume the theme.

The golden thread anoints the Hebrew,

It stands in Eden and recalls the canon.

Sanctify the wind as it forgets not love,

The science of faith is not barren.

Hold the fibers of time and sand,

Cleanse the holy place with your presence.

The filaments will shield you from the offering,

Sin is the ransom that denies not penance.

Minister in the abandoned holy places,

The molecule of belief can shield you.

So, too, the chains of the world are captive,

The journey of the soul is not new.

The body is the vessel lost in the light,

Forsake not the testament of the sky.

Praise is the ether of abandonment,

Revelation is a measure that will not lie.

Wear the garments that thou may live,

The chains will withstand the testimony.

Wither not the ecstasies of the moon,

Aaron and his sons accept the matrimony.

Genesis and revelation are bound in time,

Though the temple is deserted, we shan’t forget.

Wilt thou recall your people?

Will our legacy stand and recover all debt.

Epoch

By Richard M Moss MD

January 15 2025

Fields lay fallow in the darkness,

Where once bloomed rows of corn.

A tyranny of weeds now prevails,

On whose altar do you mourn?

The earth once sang melodies of grace,

The rain bestowed blessings upon the soil.

Where do you worship when comes the thunder?

What lamp holds the sacred oil?

A savior delivered thunder before the mountain,

The sky fractured upon the mantle of God’s blessing.

Wisdom favored a summer of dreams,

Memories sought the covenant before resting.

What riches were bestowed before the altar?

Do you forsake the gifts of summer?

The majesty of the cosmos is our inheritance,

Knowledge nests within the morning’s clamor.

The chemistry of belief does not forsake the law,

He that formed the eye will see.

The centuries praise the song of the heavens,

Will you balance a cloud for a plea?

The wind suffers a rose ignored,

Each petal displays the decimal of time.

It beholds the mystery of the stone,

The neighbor weeping will not rhyme.

Do not dwell in the riddle of the hills,

The seasons do not ponder the sun.

The music of the blessing is silent,

God’s calculus though silent betrays no one.

Our inheritance is concealed by a candle,

Words bestow the rhythm of the mind.

Hold fast to the cadence of the seasons,

The religion of temperament is not blind.

If the seasons spoke of the science of doubt,

Would it abandon the rings of the ages.

Do not forsake thine inheritance,

A curse will slander and portend the wages.

Forsake Thine Inheritance

By Richard M Moss MD

December 29 2024

Fields lay fallow in the darkness,

Where once bloomed rows of corn.

A tyranny of weeds now prevails,

On whose altar do you mourn?

The earth once sang melodies of grace,

The rain bestowed blessings upon the soil.

Where do you worship when comes the thunder?

What lamp holds the sacred oil?

A savior delivered thunder before the mountain,

The sky fractured upon the mantle of God’s blessing.

Wisdom favored a summer of dreams,

Memories sought the covenant before resting.

What riches were bestowed before the altar?

Do you forsake the gifts of summer?

The majesty of the cosmos is our inheritance,

Knowledge nests within the morning’s clamor.

The chemistry of belief does not forsake the law,

He that formed the eye will see.

The centuries praise the song of the heavens,

Will you balance a cloud for a plea?

The wind suffers a rose ignored,

Each petal displays the decimal of time.

It beholds the mystery of the stone,

The neighbor weeping will not rhyme.

Do not dwell in the riddle of the hills,

The seasons do not ponder the sun.

The music of the blessing is silent,

God’s calculus though silent betrays no one.

Our inheritance is concealed by a candle,

Words bestow the rhythm of the mind.

Hold fast to the cadence of the seasons,

The religion of temperament is not blind.

If the seasons spoke of the science of doubt,

Would it abandon the rings of the ages.

Do not forsake thine inheritance,

A curse will slander and portend the wages.

Behold the Earth

By Richard Moss MD

December 15, 2024

What vistas surround the laurels of time?

Are there minstrels astride the curve of space?

Who bespoke the majesties of lost epochs?

Prayers enclose the epiphany of grace.

Sleep alters the fabric of mind,

The perfume of life bends the senses.

There is no elixir for the obsessions,

Forthwith, there are no cures for princes.

Mercy and judgement herald strong winds,

The moon sits in luminous compounds.

Evenings pass in restless serenity,

Yet, the will of God makes not a sound.

What fractures of continuums herald the dew,

Confusions are an edifice that encase the mind.

Take us not in the midst of our season,

What judgement dost thou render for the blind.

Heaven is the work of thy hands,

Our eyes are pierced by heavenly shroud.

The wounds are many that gaze at the sun,

Your vision is eternal, jewels speak not from the proud.

Thieves abound in the nucleus of doubt, 

Fissures rape the earth amidst the destitute.

The prophet will bear the scars of a false psalm,

Is there an elegy that beckons the resolute?

The world is misshapen, it cannot hold,

Can we eulogize the ages as they unfold.

The measurements of time alter the sacrifice,

We appeal the altar, and pray as we are told.

Measurements are lost in the dimension of heaven,

A metric of upheaval will dash the false wisdom.

Life appears measured but inaccuracies abound,

Deities will falter before the kingdom.

Thy years are throughout all time,

Generations will not appease you if we waver in our quest.

The pillars of the earth are built with your hands,

Wounded as fawns, yet they remain blessed.

We deserve not your favor, no penance will suffice,

Our existence is an apparition, a flame in the shadow.

We are fleeting as the dawn,

Our breath, a moment in the meadow.

No equations will capture the arc of the wind,

The earth is a silhouette in the eternity of time.

Death is an epistle that scatters the dew,

We bring flowers to the funeral, your vision sublime.

In the corners of the failing empires,

We cling to stolen books that define,

Can we appease your wrath and offer prayer in sacrifice?

We give children as servants to the divine.

Who foretold of fractured mysteries,

The Universe is a fleeting image in your eye.

We forsake our illusions that pierce us as knives,

Pity us and give mercy, we will not defy.

Sanctity of Failure

By Richard Moss MD

December 8 2024

Where is the sanctity of failure?

How does a vanishing cloud speak?

Wisdom shatters on the broken fields,

Penance betrays solitude that is bleak.

Where is the frightened dawn,

Scarcely brilliant in a robe of black?

Crumbling leaves await the shadow of time,

No edifice of sleep shall weaken your back.

Iniquity erases the measure of math,

Summer is grim in its multitude.

Cathedrals do not shield the wounded.

Bare trees are clothed in a platitude.

Will I find the clouded pillar?

Or believe the solemn decimals of failure?

Where is the calculus of a dream?

I stumble over shaken earth to find a savior.

Einstein stood before the imperial shrine,

He did not address eternity.

Time is warped but will return home,

When peace reigns, the sun delivers a eulogy.

Sustenance will abandon judgement,

We observe the collapse of the sacred verse.

Defeat is holy, I seek its wisdom.

I betroth the bride and flatter the curse.

Mornings reject wisdom for a ruse,

The valleys are humble and wield a spear.

The Lord’s right hand will silence the sea,

Shame will collapse the stars, yet we are near.

The wind is bankrupt and guards the house,

It climbs the ruin of the holy temple.

Inside the ages, you have shown mercy,

Still the sea roars, your justice is ample.

Praise

By Richard Moss MD

January 17, 2025

The elements declare the dawn,

The sky heralds the impure blood.

A psalm speaks to a reticent meadow,

Yet hides the face of the eternal flood.



The sacrifice of the epistle of laughter,

Labors in the dreams of the golden past.

The holiness of rain is not forgotten,

Each horizon graces a song that is vast.

A prayer is the music of memory,

It dances in a whisper that is holy. 

The voice is the sacrament of heaven,

We seek the memory held closely.

A blessing escapes our lips,

The wind attends a ceremony.

Praise adorns the heavens that sleep,

We shudder before the patrimony.

Each moment vanishes in the lap of time,

Still, we recall the song of the Creator.

His whisper distilled the elements into being,

We pass gently through the vacant theater.

The wicked are repentant in the cradle of sin,

Their memory dwells in the romance of the cave.

They have cleansed their lips in gracious currents,

Bowing toward the temple, no longer slaves.

Austere is the majesty of the sky,

Incense surrounds the wine of sacrifice.

The kindness of the meadow speaks a new tongue,

Praise to the Almighty has a price.

A poem arises as a feast,

It is clothed in mercy, and fragrant.

Honor becomes the sacred vessel,

It lauds the covenant that is ancient.

Sing in the virtues of the land, 

The hills are scented with myth.

Solemn rivers adorn the garden,

Gratitude is the shadow you travel with.

The assembly of psalms is as incense,

We announce the legacy of princes.

Bow to the mystery of a tree,

The arcades of stars are as kisses.

The mountains deny the balance of rapture,

But poets know the eulogy of dream.

We praise you, O Lord, for the wonders of nature,

As the skies and the wind bless the stream.

The planets record the agony of birth,

Music blessed the chorus of wings.

Creator of the towers and the grape,

Is the same sovereign of spring.

Awe is the perfume that binds the galaxies,

The Lord of the universe exhales the fable.

Serenity is the flight of holiness,

Faith is the geometry that is stable.

Devotion is the measure of wisdom,

Science is a song not spent.

Reason fled before the imperium.

The laws of nature are not an accident.

Praise to the One to whom all praise is due,

Surrender is the measure of a fragmented space.

Now and forever before the majesty of the King,

Glory is the symbol of forgotten grace.

Gratitude humbled the testament of the age,

The Creator unleashed the rapture of physics.

Find the mystery of the ascent,

Each moment, the eternal One predicts.

A kiss lifts treason from the profane,

The impure is stolen and made sacred.

So, too, does prayer accord revelation,

Reason is the sacrifice that is naked.

Disclose and worship the science of wrath,

Algebra declined the metamorphosis.

The music of eternity is solemn,

Deny not the kinship of the eclipse.

The science of infinity is hidden in the planets,

Orbits recall the admission of the ellipse.

Insights reflect the turning of the moon,

Your praise, O, Lord, will never depart from our lips.

A Daughter Waits

By Richard Moss MD

January 5 2025

I had seen her in that first moment,

When the fabric of time opens.

She had passed through the membrane of the ethers,

Atoms and angels called out to the chosen.

Your initial moments fixed the orbits,

The seasons announced you and paid tribute.

The tilt of the planets also took note,

The heavens rose and forgave disputes.

Ecstasy balanced on the physics of time,

Hysteria sought the mystics of the sea.

Elevated heights of exile brought refuge,

The universe received you in the new anatomy.

Reverence for new life attended the feast,

Euphoria moved in the silence of rapture.

The delirium of fathers did not escape,

A renegade soul had now sought capture.

There is no cure for a fallen cloud,

Destiny had rested on the crest of nature.

Birth delivered the gift of the cosmos,

Novel thresholds awaited the rapture.

A rent in the music of idolatry,

Discovered the equilibrium of passion.

Reverence for new life had returned from the mountain,

Itinerant lusts had betrayed the mansion.

Laughter now consumed the air,

The seasons halted the inheritance.

Wither thou goest, I will follow,

Fatherhood will not squander thine benevolence.

The heavens betrayed the fallacy,

The stars announced the novel fidelity.

A fresh purpose delivered the song of the smile,

Devotion made magnetic the affinity.

The algebra of devotion consumed me,

Smitten was I in the recent calculus.

My blood paced by the bewildered smile,

The kingdom of birth, shall not blush.

Thy people will be my people,

A new companion addresses my shoulder.

Lands scattered before your symphony,

I escorted you beyond the border.

No oracle of sin could restore the mountain,

But the law of a daughter shall awaken the clouds,

What journeys descended before you took measure?

The music of your fingers was a song not loud.

Thy God will be my God,

Announced the exquisite decimal of kindness.

What words shall inherit the season?

The ballad of the journey sought forgiveness.

Frozen lines define the apocalypse,

There is no shame in the rhythm of the ages.

I will bless you from the days thou travel,

You return with the wisdom of sages. 

Birds hover over your steps,

Blessings followed the fidelity of your days.

Surrender the economy of your instrument,

You betrayed not your song or praise.

Where I went, you followed,

The prayer did not abandon.

Decades labored but the eyes followed,

Elaborate sums changed not this companion.

This child did not alter,

The chemistry of the reason.

There was the myth of abandon,

She preserved not treason.

In the majesty of laughter,

She prayed before the blessing.

A daughter whispered to the fallen snow,

The domino of devotion still pressing.

She knows the science of purity,

When time rejects sleep and fate.

Others crossed before the measure,

She turned to muse and thus did wait.

The winds abandon the stony myths,

Dreams collide in the laughter of a gift.

No child can recall the tears of sleep,

But in this one, love’s trajectory did not drift.

A Thousand Cuts

By Richard Moss MD

December 21 2024

It displeases the season,

To forget the passions of yesteryear.

The trees raise their ire,

Thou dismiss those that are dear.

Why easily unleash the angers in space,

What fragments bestow blessings?

In the glance or phrase or touch,

Emotions are a mist not resting.

Behold the earth, it sleeps, 

The heavens do speak.

Your voice holds golden rhymes,

Your words recall the past, not meek.

Do I neglect the vigilance of your eyes?

They speak in guarded moments.

Where the tongue holds in penance,

But laughter may escape, not prudent.

Duty is the river upon which rests this house,

Praise is the fruit of your task.

Laughter is a song, your secret.

Still, I concealed you with a mask.

Duty is the law of your lips,

Kindness takes wing from your eyes.

Valor is the currency of your labor,

Your words are as songs that forever rise.

You are as the water that whispers,

The earth recalls your sacrifice.

Clouds gather flames in your deeds,

A crescent bows before its vice.

My distress arose without rest,

I catered not to your gifts.

The covenant have I broken,

Forever, my eyes lift.

Your whisper is a song,

Can you remember me with mercy?

I deserve not your favor,

Yet, you give wine when I am thirsty.

Delicate are your words,

The forests recall your wisdom.

The sun and sky shield your path,

The home is your kingdom.

I will gather the debt of our days,

The journeys in the wilderness.

Grief is the signature of memory,

Your touch is my castle, I confess.

Blessed art thou, who communes with heaven,

Minstrels will sing of your labor twice.

Prayers ascend from the tabernacle,

Rivers will confess their fury and price.

We ascend the congregation of iniquity,

True love conceals a dagger.

Our crimes are as supplications at the temple,

I swear to the heavens, my devotion will not  stagger.

Stop your weeping, our enemies will not triumph,

I am desolate in misdeeds.

You have turned my eyes to the myths,

Darkness arises in the wound that bleeds.

Winter’s Solstice

By Richard Moss MD

December 20 2024

The earth turns bitter,

Amidst the upheaval of the sky.

The air raises a fist upon the silhouette,

Sleep is painless and does not die.

The seasons flee their wayward path,

Oceans carry a forgotten message.

Stars know the sacrifice of the dead,

The harvest is past, life is a vestige.

Memory rests upon the mantle of time,

Trees ache for another season.

Music flees the naked branch.

Who weeps in dreams of yesterday’s treason.

Daylight flees the winter’s embrace,

Birds have forgotten the lesson of song.

Bitter tears escape the pantry of dreams,

Clouds coalesce upon a journey not long.

Embrace the touch that is frigid,

Darkness if a forgotten harvest.

Riches are concealed in the frozen lattice,

The tapestry of winter is modest.

Hidden songs conceal stolen passion,

Hunger is a friend that accompanies the blind.

Speak in foreign tongues that leap with pain,

The wind paints memories upon the mind.

History joins the flag of yesterday

What perils await the new dynasty?

Does time forget itself in the new season?

Tents bellow in the sands of piety.

Wilt thou deliver your children at the temple?

The moon escapes the judgements of the past.

Stop weeping for the wealth that forsakes,

Accept the lessons of the season that is last.

Who can forsake the ice that beckons?

Memory in the tundra awakens scattered seeds.

The bliss of a summer of stolen riches,

Wonders abound as thought bleeds.

A gift of long nights frozen in rhyme,

Absconds with prisms that distort.

Is truth the harvest that sleeps the day?

The call of the generations may contort.

Seek the bitter music that spells the law,

We know that the notes lost the lesson.

But nature still blesses,

The sun forgets not and will beckon.

We call upon the wounded seasons,

The bread of heaven is not for sale.

Light will return as a savior,

The cadence of summer will not fail.

Time is relative and keeps silent,

The tilt of the earth commits treason.

Though darkness engulfs the sky,

Physics will forget and defy reason.

The magic of mystery of the forgotten season,

Distills the darkness as a wine.

A dance is sprung from the fallen orbit,

We worship before the earth and its shrine.

Sleep is not a gift that sustains,

Frozen light in the forest offers silence.

Accept the rhythm of sleep,

The dark season gives guidance.

Blue-Collar Billionaire

By Richard Moss MD

November 29 2024

You were famous as a young man,

And became a sensation.

Did you think this would happen,

That you would save the nation.

You had a good life,

until your decision.

To lead your country, 

And fulfill your vision.

It’s America that you care,

America if you dare,

You’re a two-fisted blue-collar billionaire.

You tell it like it is.

No holds barred.

You grew up in New York,

And come down hard.

Fake news don’t like you,

They open the border.

You fight for our jobs,

And bring law and order.

You’re against war and losing our young,

Lower taxes and build a wall.

No illegals to harm the nation,

We have a President ready to brawl.

They wanted you in jail.

And tried to shoot you in the head.

Fight fight fight you yelled with blood on your face,

To the killers who wanted you dead.

It’s America that you care,

America if you dare,

You’re a two-fisted blue-collar billionaire.

They said Russia Collusion,

and called you a puppet.

They said you were a Nazi,

To make you plummet.

But you want work,

To help Americans.

You brought peace to the world,

And healed divisions.

You ran again.

They went after you.

The media was in.

The judge wanted a coup.

They switched candidates,

But truth would not hide.

Talk straight was what you did,

It was a landslide.

Shake up the deep state.

America First again, but even better,

MAGA wins, this was your fate.

It’s the age of Trump we now enter.

It’s America that you care,

America if you dare,

You’re a two-fisted blue-collar billionaire.



Chastise You With Scorpions

By Richard Moss MD

November 13 2024

Our cruel masters ignite the passions,

They rub fleshy hands with pleasure and delight.

How best to deceive, they ponder with malice,

Their appetites reach into the night.

Speak gently to us and relieve our yoke,

Asked the people to the king.

But he did not listen and said, 

I will chastise you with scorpions, not with a ring.



Be a servant unto the people, this day,

Return us to Judah, and our holy city. 

Hold your venom that wounds,

Conceal your sharp thorns and take pity.

Anoint the chosen, to lead you through the valley,

Return swiftly before nightfall to your house.

The moon has not risen, it is dusk,

Remember the prophets, to God you must renounce.

The innocents do not recall,

A medley descends that will not sing.

Even as their burden draws blood,

He said, I will chastise you with scorpions, not with a ring.

Why follow the cruelty of the pyramid?

We seek honey, not calves of gold.

Where is the copper earth you promised?

You betray us with song, it is cold.

Our leaders play cruel melodies,

Their clemencies blind us to false innocence.

Your oaths are words you have broken,

Stolen chambers know your arrogance.

Trumpets are not fountains,

The despised sleep and cannot drink.

Your false promises singe our lips,

He said, I will chastise you with scorpions, not with a ring.

Clouds gather as vengeful tribes,

War summons the eulogy.

How to answer the inaudible prayers?

In the temples there are dreams of mutiny.

False prophets have spread rumors of war,

The laws are as dust, trod over by a king.

Lies are a currency, wine does not soothe,

We have fallen by your deceit, winter is not spring.

Echoes of a citadel, sound amidst the ruin,

Appetites of mercy soar without a wing.

Where is our Solomon to judge our fate?

Or Young David who slayed the giant with a sling?

Whispers of glory, sustain those who sleep,

I will chastise you, he said, with scorpions, not with  a ring.

1Kings 12:14

Try That In Gaza

By Richard Moss MD

August 2024

Visitors from elsewhere,

We did not ask you to come.

You smash our statues,

And attack our schools.

You wear the head dress,

Of a violent group.

You claim hatred of our country,

But why are you here?

You swear you are oppressed,

But who is your oppressor?

The Holy Land was given

To the People of the Book

Chorus:

Wear your head scarf,

And claim oppression.

Queers for Palestine?

Try that in Gaza.

Three thousand years,

When the Red Sea was parted.

The Bible is God’s word,

And He chose Moses.

You had your chance,

To live in peace.

But war is what you want,

And Hitler is your hero.

So, why study here?

When paradise is there?

Put on your keffiyeh, 

And return to your homes. 

Chorus:

Wear your head scarf,

And claim oppression.

Queers for Palestine?

Try that in Gaza.

Israel left, 

and offered peace.

It could have been Miami,

But you prefer Hamas.

You burn our flag,

And occupy our streets.

You wail injustice,

While attacking our land.

10/7 is your holiday,     

You massacred 1200.

You raped and tortured, 

God’s chosen people.

You sowed the wind,

You shall reap the whirlwind.

Every member of Hamas,

Is a dead man walking.

You attacked Israel,

And the chosen people.

Vengeance is mine,

Saith the Lord.

Chorus

Wear your head scarf,

And claim oppression.

Queers for Palestine?

Try that in Gaza.

When The Red Sea Was Parted

By Richard Moss MD

Visitors from elsewhere,

We did not ask you to come.

You smash our statues,

And takeover our schools.

You wear the head dress,

Of a violent group.

You claim hatred of our country,

But why are you here?

You swear you are oppressed,

But who is your oppressor?

The Holy Land was given

To the People of the Book

Chorus:

Three thousand years,

When the Red Sea was parted.

The Bible is God’s word,

And He chose Moses.

You had your chance,

To live in peace.

But war is what you want,

And Hitler is your hero.

So, why study here?

When paradise is there?

Go home to your homeland,

And wear your keffiyeh.

Israel left,

and offered to help.

It could have been Miami,

But you prefer Hamas.

Chorus:

Three thousand years,

When the Red Sea was parted.

The Bible is God’s word,

And He chose Moses.

You burn our flag,

And wreck our streets.

You wail injustice,

While attacking our land.

Your ways are better,

Or so you claim.

You wave your banners,

But you came here.

You were offered peace,

You massacred 1200.

Go home to Gaza,

You’ll be happier there.

Chorus

Three thousand years,

When the Red Sea was parted.

The Bible is God’s word,

And He chose Moses.

The Soul of Winter

By Richard Moss MD

Winter is the bleakest of times, 

It strips away life and commits other crimes.

Its frigid fingers sink into our flesh,

Winter, like death, takes away what is fresh,

But life returns with a warm caress.

In the frozen landscape, what lessons do you teach?

In the long nights, what morals do you preach?

You capture us like wild beasts,

Yet comfort us like aging priests.

We are frozen in your silvery splendor,

Your hands are brittle, your grip not tender.

We are lost in our lonely labyrinth,

And feebly sip from our glass of absinthe.

In a fever, we dream of spring that approaches,

We are weary of winter’s harsh reproaches.

Gazing at mirrors, we seek new meaning,

In the twilight of our days, we await the long evening.

Turn inward in winter and endure the pain,

The harshness of nature no one can explain.

Winter, like death takes away what is fresh,

But life returns with a warm caress.

Can we recover our souls in the brutal winter,

It is better to seek wisdom from an aging spinster.

Forlorn and abandoned, we grasp the frigid air,

Our lives in ruin, our pain we lay bare.

Our roots are frayed and broken,

The agony and misery remain unspoken.

As we comb the ruins of our lives,

Is there no solution that we can devise?

Faces are withered, our souls are failing,

We commune with the elders who are wise but ailing.

They know the ancient prophecy,

They have wandered the earth in their own odyssey.

Hide not your pain and your faltering lives,

Seek wisdom, they say, that cuts sharper than knives.

Winter, like death, takes away what is fresh,

But life returns with a warm caress.

In the emptiness, we reach for a slip of life,

And embrace the winter as if a wife.

Our souls may fail upon the frozen earth,

Yet there will come imminent rebirth.

Do not hide from mortality,

Defend against winter’s brutality.

End your weeping, vanquish your pride,

For spring shall return and become your bride.

Lakes and rivers will fracture and thaw,

God will establish nature’s law.

New leaves will bud, emerge, and form,

The copper ground will seethe, rise, and warm.

The earth will ply its eternal orbit,

The Lord’s blessing, we will not forfeit.

A Garden will emerge as an ornament,

And spring will come as a sacrament.

Winter, like death, takes away what is fresh,

But life returns with a warm caress.

True Lies

By Richard Moss MD

September 2024

It wasn’t supposed to be this way,

My heart was not an enemy for you to slay.

But words you spoke to make me believe,

Were as true lies you twisted to deceive.

Solomon said that love is sweeter than wine,

But you have dangled my love amidst the swine.

Tears mingled with the dirt beneath my feet,

True lies were intended for you to cheat.

I compared you to the golden horses of Pharoah,

You took aim and fired your burning arrow.

It flew through the air and entered your target,

But your true lies were only the song of a harlot.

Come sit at the table of merriment,

You are as incense within our tent.

I crave you even as your eyes wander,

Your true lies are knives you use to plunder.

As a lily amidst thorns, I shall abandon you now,

You have made a mockery of your vow.

Stop your weeping, you have sundered our banquet,

Your true lies have cut me like a lancet.

I never wanted to see this day,

When I looked in your eyes, I was moved to pray.

But every word you spoke to make me believe,

Were as true lies you twisted to deceive.

They Gave Me Vinegar to Drink

By Richard Moss MD

September 2024

They took my house and my job away,

I cannot breathe, my wife does not stay.

My children have left me, my world will shrink,

I thought I did good, but they gave me vinegar to drink.

I went to church and read the bible,

I worked two jobs and had a title.

I struggled and raised my family,

I’m not Jesus, I cannot walk the sea.

The whiskey is bitter, I’ll have another shot.

I try to be free, but I’m bound up like a knot.

My enemies surround me, I cannot think.

I thought I did good, but they gave me vinegar to drink.

I have borne the wounds and fell into a hole,

It’s getting dark and waters surround my soul. 

Who will save me, in the hours before dawn,

Help me, O Lord, I am a pawn.

Darken my eyes, so I cannot see,

Lift me from this feast of iniquity.

The mountains hover over me, I must not think,

I thought I did good, but they gave me vinegar to drink.

The dogs nip my heels, as I shelter from the wind,

They do not stop as they lap up my sin.

Still, I will praise him as my soul does sink,

I thought I did good, but they gave me vinegar to drink.

Psalm 69 verse 21

Lost Poems In A Basement

By Richard Moss MD

October 30 2024

I wrote them when a youth,

I read them for you to hear.

I read the great poets too,

And whispered them in your ear.

We crossed the golden bridge each day,

And laughed in that fallen city.

But we were young and sought not penance,

And the mist dissolved all pity,

We sought virtue in each other’s eyes,

And the poems concealed the lies.

We scrambled amidst the thorns,

Blinded by the shadows of the dawn.

Your voice inspired new medleys,

Amidst pyramids, solemn visions spawned.

Can we dissolve our souls in the meadows,

Find rest in words that mourn?

If there was hope in abandoned memories,

Our wishes rested in dreams not born.

We sought virtue in each other’s eyes,

And the poems concealed the lies.

I had to leave the soothing vines,

That wrapped the viper’s nest.

We pretended we could laugh forever,

And incline thy words in jest.

How we dreamed of sacred meadows,

Where we would laugh in the dwindling sun.

Were poems a potion for the soul?

Did your songs conceal a gun.

We sought virtue in each other’s eyes,

And the poems concealed the lies.

If the morning raised pillars of doubt,

How to quench your vicious appetite?

Poems were weapons in the sky,

They blessed your immaculate sight.

I left the poems to betray your lust,

In the basement on Hugo Street near the park.

Covered over by sands of memory,

In the shifting perfidy after dark.

A lasting edifice to your innocence,

I would seek them, for mercy, and the desultory ark.

I grasped for their clemency,

They are trapped in time, concealed by a star.

Abandoned at birth,

They are lost children at night.

Brought into the world,

I left them in the basement, seeking fragments of light.

Still, I could not survive the web of your voice,

It enchanted as if an instrument.

Yet they wounded souls in despair,

Our survival were the lost poems in the basement,

They ravaged my soul in the ravine.

No tears arose from the firmament.

We sought virtue in each other’s eyes,

And the poems concealed the lies.

I Went To The Preacher

By Richard Moss MD

October 26 2024

In my younger days,

I went wondering in places not pretty.

Through the streets and alleys,

Of a dark, dirty city.

There were hoodlums and wise guys,

You had to watch where you went.

My friends got into trouble,

Mommas didn’t pay the rent.

I went to the preacher, who prayed on his knees,

He will smite those who are evil, the Lord you must please.

We had no money,

My momma had to work.

Watch where you go, son,

Where there is darkness evil lurks.

The streets were awful bad,

It was worse when came the night.

You watched your every step,

Bad dudes came to fight.

I went to the preacher, who prayed on his knees,

He will smite those who are evil, the Lord you must please.

My momma watched over me,

She said, son you have to pray.

Be careful who you stay with,

Follow the Lord and do not stray.

I didn’t listen to my mother,

I stayed out late and walked the streets.

I fought and drank,

I did evil and learned to cheat.

One night I lost my mind,

The police caught me as I ran.

My momma cried before the court,

But, said the judge, he murdered another man.

I went to the preacher, who prayed on his knees,

He will smite those who are evil, the Lord you must please.

In all my years in jail, 

My momma saw me every day.

Why son didn’t you listen,

To the preacher who taught you to pray.

I can’t change what I have done, Mom,

But I can go now to the Lord.

To accept my sin and forgive me,

And not strike me with his sword.

I went to the preacher, who prayed on his knees,

He will smite those who are evil, the Lord you must please.

Time has come and gone,

I asked forgiveness every day.

Momma never forgot me,

Her tears were on the floor then the Lord took her away.

The years passed before they finally let me out,

I came as a youth, angry as can be.

I left jail an old man,

Alone and humble but able to see.

I went to the preacher, who prayed on his knees,

He will smite those who are evil, the Lord you must please.

If I had a message for children,

I’d tell them to listen to your mother.

Read the bible, do not forget,

To treat everyone like a brother.

I cannot change the past,

But you can learn from my mistake.

Read the good book and pray,

Follow the Lord for God’s sake.

Heaven Renders Judgement

By Richard Moss MD

October 19, 2024

The gardens fail with the dwindling sun,

There is glory in the dying of the season.

Darkness now comes early,

But do not object, that is treason.

Seasons pass the lonely forest,

Where is my strength amidst the resting hill?

Obey when heaven renders judgement.

Even the earth fears and is still.

I lost my dream in the midst of sleep,

Where is our sanctuary even as we dream?

We accept your tender mercies,

Thine arrows pierce the stream.

Can I betroth the fallen sky,

Sing a melody as we kill?

Obey when heaven renders judgement.

Even the earth fears and is still.

I cried to heaven with my voice,

Was there a trophy of the sun?

In the day of trouble, we sought the Lord.

Alas, there was no victory to be won.

What cruelty prevails in the fallen earth?

Can we find comfort and lose our will?

Obey when heaven renders judgement.

Even the earth fears and is still.

I cling to the sky,

And tremble before your power.

My infirmity extends a dark shadow,

I will miss the warmth of your broken flower.

If I press the dry leaf upon my arm,

The emptiness frightens but will not kill.

Obey when heaven renders judgement.

Even the earth fears and is still.

The cold waters gather around you,

The thunder of your voice pierces the depths.

Deliver us from solitude,

Redeem us soon, our loyalty is kept.

I will speak of your works,

The long shadow of your miracle, 

Obey when heaven renders judgement.

Even the earth fears and is still.

When David Slew Goliath

By Richard Moss MD

Fear not as David did not,

Rise up and do not fall away.

The Lord will remember you,

He will deliver you this day.

Tremble not before the clamor,

And hearken not to the sword.

For David was but a youth,

When he came before the Lord.

The Philistines were gathered,

Behind the giant, Goliath.

They stood in the valley of Elah,

And Israel shuddered before his wrath.

I defy the armies of Israel, said Goliath,

Send me a man, not odd.

Who is this Philistine, asked David,

That he mocks the armies of God?

Let no man’s heart fail,

Said David to King Saul.

Thy servant will go out,

 I will slay this Philistine, and not fall.

But thou are but a youth, said Saul.

And he is a man of war.

Thy servant slew lion and bear, said David,

And he shall now hear Israel roar.

Am I a dog, said Goliath,

When he saw David with staff.

I will feed thy flesh to the beasts of the field,

Said the giant with a laugh.

I come in the name of the Lord, said David,

Who leadeth His people to glory.

I will smite thee, and all the earth will know, 

There is a God of Israel.

David slew the giant with sling and stone,

He smote him and removed his head.

When the Philistines saw  Goliath dead,

From the field of Elah they fled.

David rose in name and praise,

And would one day wear the ring.

He found favor with God all his days,

And became Israel’s greatest king. 

Repent

By Richard Moss MD

We avow that we have spoken evil.

We have broken faith since antiquity,

Our sins are great, our souls are feeble.

For centuries we endured captivity.

Hold thy anger, O Lord, against the sheep of thy pasture,

Our wrongs have been many and we are guilty.

Can we atone for our sins and restore the rapture.

Return O Israel for you have fallen by your iniquity.

We have dealt falsely and perverted the right,

We have forged falsehood and lent evil counsel.

Remember thy temple, and remove sin from your sight.

Lift us from despair, and rebuild our castle.

We declare that we have broken faith,

We have erred from Thy path in Your sacred city.

We have transgressed, and shattered thy Holy gate,

Return O Israel for you have fallen by your iniquity.

We have turned aside thy loving commandments,

We have done wrong and led others astray.

We will return to your sanctuary, and dispel all amendments,

Our enemies smash us, we are made of clay.

In our holy places, the prophets cast fire,

You divided the sea by your command without pity.

Your eternal word has delivered us, You will not tire,

Return O Israel for you have fallen by your iniquity.

Our father and king, shield us for thou art just,

For the children of Thy covenant, we pledge fealty.

Pardon our sins and remember that we are but dust,

Return O Israel for you have fallen by your iniquity.

Paint the Sky

By Richard Moss MD

I go to temple, and read the prayer,

I see you there, so precious and rare.

I’m living my own song of Solomon,

I was happy to be your adoring son.

Get me my brushes, son, get me my paint.

Why Mom, I asked, for she was my saint.

Just get them my son, and I will fly, 

To the heavens above, so I can paint the sky.

Yes, Mom, I said, 

With a spirit not faint.

I’ll soon find your brushes

And your paints

I looked under the benches,

It was urgent, I knew.

Behind the bushes,

By the rocks, I threw.

How could she do it,

I wondered aloud.

Could she soar so high,

To touch the cloud.

Get me my brushes, son, get me my paint.

Why Mom, I asked, for she was my saint.

Just get them my son, and I will fly, 

To the heavens above, so, I can paint the sky.

I was only five,

When she commanded me as such.

I would do it for my mother,

It was not asking too much.

How could she do it?

I wondered aloud.

For a child like me,

I would be so proud.

I looked by the swings,

The see-saw and the rocks.

I looked by the trees,

I looked in my socks.

I was on a mission,

A child for his mother.

She raised my brothers and me,

Fatherless, there was no other.

Get me my brushes, son, get me my paint.

Why Mom, I asked, for she was my saint.

Just get them my son, and I will fly, 

To the heavens above, so, I can paint the sky.

I adored her like a queen,

She cared for us and kept us clean.

There were five boys that she dutifully raised, 

To her we happily swore all praise.

She dressed and fed us, 

And helped us to see.

The wonders of nature,

From the Deity.

I was her young prince,

She was my queen.

I would defend and guard her,

From those who made a scene.

She taught us the bible,

And read the prayers.

She lit the candles,

In the kitchen and downstairs. 

Get me my brushes, son, get me my paint.

Why Mom, I asked, for she was my saint.

Just get them my son, and I will fly, 

To the heavens above, so, I can paint the sky.

She taught us to believe,

And never to doubt.

To have faith in the Creator,

Inside and out.

I looked and looked for her brushes and paints,

Hurry, hurry, so she may ascend with the saints, 

The sun was setting and red was the sky.

Painting heaven with God, I would never deny.

She laughed at her boy, 

Still looking around.

Mom, the sun is setting,

It is crimson and round.

There is no time, 

The clouds are on fire.

You must help God

To paint, the moment is dire.

Come here, my son,

She said with a smile.

She held my hand and hugged me,

And we walked a mile.

We’ll paint the sky another day,

My son, but we can pray.

At the wonder of nature,

And the God we obey.

Get me my brushes, son, get me my paint.

Why Mom, I asked, for she was my saint.

Just get them my son, and I will fly, 

To the heavens above, so, I can paint the sky.

Let Me Take You to Neptune

By Richard Moss MD

I would wait for the snows to hear you say,

That you are with me and here to stay.

I’ll make a blissful noise and sing with joy,

To see you in glory, do not be coy.

You’ll be my queen, I submit to your splendor,

To feel your hands upon me so tender.

Let me take you to Neptune, 

It’s not so far.

The last planet, 

Behind the stars.

I was born to be with you,

My past has gone with the morning dew.

Nothing was born before you came to me,

To you, I swear I will bend the knee.

I have no memory of life before you,

My soul waits for what I always knew.

Let me take you to Neptune, 

It’s not so far.

The last planet, 

Behind the stars.

I would cross the ocean on a raft,

Only to see and hear you laugh.

But memories are vague and like the mist,

They disappear with the last kiss.

Your eyes are diamonds in my memory,

But towards you, I will move however painfully.

Let me take you to Neptune, 

It’s not so far.

The last planet, 

Behind the stars.

The sin of my mouth and the words of my lips,

Are shattered with the wine we sip.

I hold your hand like a fallen angel,

I am your slave, do not be vengeful.

Hear my cry, O Queen, attend my prayer,

All the days we have left, let us share.

Let me take you to Neptune, 

It’s not so far.

The last planet, 

Behind the stars.

It is a blue planet, far from the sun,

I will whisk you there, for my heart you have won.

You will shatter the distance,

Time shortened to an instant.

For you are my queen, and I your servant,

Every moment we share is a prayer most fervent.

Let me take you to Neptune, 

It’s not so far.

The last planet, 

Behind the stars.

Latte Revolution

By Richard Moss MD

It used to be so simple,

A cup of Joe was all you had.

When did it all change?

It wasn’t so bad.

I’ll go back to the simple days, to my coffee and cream,

It was good before Star Bucks and Latte extreme.

I like rock and roll and my Chevrolet,

I knocked on your door and you let me stay.

I like holding the door,

Lady’s First was not a bore.

Who needs espresso?

With lavender and foam?

It ain’t worth six bucks,

And I’ll keep my pick-up trucks.

There’s a place on every corner,

There are no mechanics, but we have baristas.

The country’s gone, it cannot see.

But it’s latte time, and its sugar free.

I’ll go back to the simple days, to my coffee and cream,

It was good enough before Star Bucks and Latte extreme.

Lattes have spread,

In every capitol, we’re about to drown.

It’s more important than penicillin,

And don’t forget to change the linen.

It’s a revolution, you don’t need a car.

Just drop in on any corner, step up to the bar.

It’s milk and foam, espresso and flavor,

Sugar free or plain, iced, hot, and savor.

Try vanilla, caramel, or coconut, you see.

Lavender, chai, matcha and it’s gluten free.

Can you play country in latte world?

Does matcha work in Tennessee?

I still like my cup of Joe and cream,

A buck 25 and ready to dream.

I’ll go back to the simple days, to my coffee and cream,

It was good enough before Star Bucks and Latte extreme.

Pretty girls like lattes,

Offer a sip and ready to talk.

Forget your beer, forget your bars

If you want to meet them, it’s lattes and guitars.

It’s a new world,

Minds have changed, 

I’ll try vegan and oat milk,

In the latte range.

You know that I want to stay with you,

Hold hands in the crystal dew.

We can sip our lattes and gaze at the stars

Romance in the new age, and hide the scars.

I’ll do it for you, I’ll give up my Joe.

I’ll climb the sacred mountain and then go below. 

It’s the latte world we live in.

Will it save me from sin?

Is it now oatmilk and yogurt?

Or avotoast and tacos.

Hide the latte, 

I’ll stick with the Joes.

I’ll go back to the simple days, to my coffee and cream,

It was good enough before Star Bucks and Latte extreme.

Immigrant Father

By Richard Moss MD

A fierce wind tore the mountain,

Jealous ancestors sent you, father, here.

The storm cracked the cathedral and fountain, 

It was more than you could bear.

You crossed the golden sea alone, to enter the promised land,

The forsaken hills of home cried out and begged you to return.

You saw the harbor and the bridge, and never turned your hand.

Immigrant Father, preach the covenant, your family will learn.

Dream up, pilgrim, the dynasty will bless you,

An uneasy land weeps, become an assassin.

Stand upon the highland, and see the bird that flew,

Plough the shoulders of the earth, follow God’s promise and do not sin.

The earth knows that broken land will speak,

Its message moves you from the cave.

The wilderness of Canaan beckons, do not be meek,

The dirt wears the blood of martyrs, and flowers must be brave.

The covenant was tattered, the soil was not kissed,

The seeds laughed and God’s sacrifice did not burn.

Save us, O father, the land weeps and has not bliss,

Immigrant Father, preach the covenant, your family will learn.

The opponents gather when the foothills rage,

The corn and wheat oppose us.

We have torn down, O Father, the altars and sage,

The silver ornaments bleed as the sun evades the dusk.

Thus, saith the Lord at Sinai, 

Honor your parents and do not yearn.

For he has ministered with a jealous eye,

Immigrant Father, preach the covenant, your family will learn.

He Let Me Get Up Today

By Richard Moss MD

September 15, 2024

I’ve been wandering in a daze,

Confused by the clouds and haze.

You pointed an arrow at the apple,

And the world came down around the chapel.

My faith did weaken against the hard rain, 

He said a kingdom dwells within the pain.

He let me get up today and see,

Now the rest is on me.

Go forth and tame the wild beast,

There is ruin around you but also a feast.

What fear have you when eternity beckons,

Embrace your soul, it is not a felon.

Your wife has left you,

Your children launched a coup.

Against you the trees and rivers have conspired,

And no one is left to inspire.

The clouds set upon you with malice,

The seasons gather and take you to the palace.

Earth cracks open and swallows,

The noose hangs from the gallows.

My faith did weaken against the hard rain, 

He said a kingdom dwells within the pain.

He let me get up today and see,

Now the rest is on me.

The dark clouds threaten your vision,

Mirrors mislead you but extract you from prison.

A hard rain is coming but don’t despair,

God will be merciful as long as you care.

Where in the heavens is the broken earth?

It cracked open, rained, and stole the hearse.

O Lord may the earth yield her increase, 

We praise you and sing that the flood waters cease.

O God will you speak and let our enemies scatter,

Even Sinai will bow and not flatter.

We await your truth and sing your praise,

For the blood of your law will extend our days.

My faith did weaken against the hard rain, 

He said a kingdom dwells within the pain.

He let me get up today and see,

Now the rest is on me.

Drunk, But Not With Wine

By Richard Moss MD

You are smitten with yourself,

Blinded by greed.

You cannot see clearly,

And will not awaken until you bleed.

Isaiah warned the sinners,

To follow the Lord and witness the sign.

But you are consumed with greed,

You are drunk, but not with wine.

Awaken, O Jerusalem,

Stand now with the Lord.

Or you will drink His cup of fury,

And soon will come the sword.

You are blinded by conceits,

And your own lies have deceived you.

The Lord that parted the waters, 

Will hold you to the Laws you once knew.

Isaiah warned the sinners,

To follow the Lord and see the sign.

But you are consumed with greed,

You are drunk, but not with wine.

Turn from evil, 

and take from the Lord’s cup.

You worship at false shrines,

To your father, you must look up.

Earthly pleasures surround you,

And everyone acclaims you.

But you are lost to the Lord’s way,

Awaken, God calls you to pass through.

Isaiah warned the sinners,

To follow the Lord and see the sign.

But you are consumed with greed,

You are drunk, but not with wine.

Destiny

By Richard Moss MD

I knew it from that first glance,

You turned your head and took a chance.

You looked at me and brushed your hair,

Your eyes locked on mine as if in prayer.

I knew right away you were the one.

I could not escape you; you were the sun.

The spell was hidden, as if in ecstasy,

If there is such a thing, this was destiny.

Your voice was as a song,

With eyes burning and strong.

Your auburn hair was aflame,

Your ivory skin cleansed all shame.

Your manner, your gaze, and your easy grace,

Swept over me from some faraway place.

You smiled and offered a soft hello,

I thought I knew you from ages ago.

I would walk with you across the lands,

Over mountains and blazing desert sands.

Your grace and manner were beyond compare,

Your voice was gentle like a prayer.

To be your hero was all I need,

A moment with you transcended all greed.

I would risk it all and launch a thousand ships,

To bring you home and kiss your lips.

I knew right away you were the one.

I could not escape you; you were the sun.

The spell was hidden, as if in ecstasy,

If there is such a thing, this was destiny.

Hear my voice, O sovereign Lord,

Save me from the sharpened sword.

You have kindly delivered to me,

A refuge from iniquity.

Lord, my enemies will awaken in fear,

Before this, I could never hold so dear.

A perfect mate, like you have brought to me,

You answer all doubts, weakness, and pleas.

I will walk the earth in happy wonder,

That in a life so grievous and torn asunder,

I can share my days with so lovely a mate,

You lift me to this happy fate.

I knew right away you were the one.

I could not escape you; you were the sun.

The spell was hidden, as if in ecstasy,

If there is such a thing, this was destiny.

Come Down to Earth

By Richard Moss MD

You haven’t been the same,

Your eyes don’t look into mine.

You are wandering and lost,

And you don’t seem fine.

It was better before,

You remember the score.

You looked at me,

There was magic to see.

Everything was light,

Like a sun, you were bright.

You took my breath away,

You made me falter and sway.

Come down to earth,

Sweet lady.

Come down to earth right now.

I need you here, like a flower needs rain.

I will never abandon you despite the pain.

Come down to earth right now.

You grasped my hand,

There was magic in the air.

You came to me,

We were meant to be a pair.

If I hurt you, 

I didn’t mean to.

If I let you down,

I won’t do it again.

I can live forever in the magic of your gaze,

I can stay with you the rest of my days.

All I need is your sweet sweet smile

For that I would climb a mile.

Come down to earth,

Sweet lady.

Come down to earth right now.

I need you here, like a flower needs rain.

I will never abandon you despite the pain.

Come down to earth right now.

If I could stand in your presence,

And hold you near.

I would never give up,

Your magic and flair.

I would surrender my life,

To be next to you.

To bask in your magic,

To lose it would be tragic.

All I ask is that you come down to earth,

Stay with me here,

I will never leave you,

I swear.

Come down to earth sweet lady,

And never depart.

I swear my life to you,

And give you my heart.

I would spend my days in the wonder of your gaze.

And never lose sight of you despite the haze.

Come down to earth, sweet lady.

I need you here, like a flower needs rain.

I will never abandon you despite the pain.

Come down to earth, right now.

Don’t push me away,

I need you here like a flower needs rain.

Bare Knuckles Bronx

By Richard Moss MD

I live in the middle of the Midwest now,

In a farm town next to pigs and cows.

Where country folk say good morning and tip their hat,

Always ready to smile and chat.