BY THE RIVER MERCED

From two distant plains,
Two birds did appear,
Gracefully they lit upon a dogwood branch,
There by a spring, which waters flowed,
Into the river Merced.

There upon this flowering branch,
Where they took their rest,
And in their loving Spanish tongue, they sang,
Their song rose above the rest,
There by the river Merced.

Their song was not of sorrows,
But sang of hope and light,
Their voices raised for justice,
There by the spring, which waters flowed,
Into the river Merced.

There to the waters edge,
Came a woman with a child,
Above her head a halo arose,
And upon a rock she did sat,
There by the river Merced.

Winter had ended upon the land,
The sky was filled with Springs new light,
And from the woman's eyes tears did flow,
There into the spring, which water flowed,
Into the river Merced.

There by the waters edge,
There upon a branch did they sat,
Two birds from distant plains,
Whose songs rose above the rest,
There by the river Merced.  ©
 

Island In The Sabine

Waters flow all about,
both sides, carrying its passage,
down to the Gulf,
Trees of ancients stand most bold,
upon both shores,
as I, a solitude Island,
stand in this midst,
an ancient grove of mixed trees,
as those that navigate both sides,
have often stop for the night, to sleep,
to fish upon my banks,
to gather thoughts as they rest.

As days breaks upon the eastern shore,
Niblett's Landing,
the rested set to travel,
further up this stream,
that flows so mighty,
whose mighty current,
carrying those pines, cypresses,
fallen to build,
cities upon those grass prairies,
and I, this island,
am the only keeper of the secrets,
shared around the circle of light of night,
of those that slept beneath, the trees.

OH Lafitte, OH Lafitte,
I will forever keep your secret,
as where you place your gold,
far, far away from those that sought,
those you helped their liberty,
now, they sent out searchers for you,
your usage immediately expired.

OH Lafitte, OH Lafitte,
I welcomed you upon my muddy banks,
for rest, rest for those that dared,
and as you, casted as an undesirable,
constantly in chase, for they wanted,
no more than your bounty, your head,
to claim that they were the just,
and your efforts were just a pirate.