That Song In My Head – a poem for Parsha Nitzavim-Vayelech

And now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel. ~ Deuteronomy 31:19

I’d like to be told to write a song
like Moses was told. This is the kind of
assignment I’ve been waiting for.

Free reign to be an artist and
use my sensibility to pluck the
right notes out of the air.

Does it have to rhyme or will
the mouths I put it in be okay
with a little free verse?

I hope it’s not the last thing I do
like it was the last thing that
Moses did. He got to sing it, at least.

I always think the last thing I wrote
is the best thing I wrote, but
I keep breathing and another week

goes by and I write something else.
This was Moses’ last best thing
before he sent us off to

where we’ve been going.
It’s not like sending your kid
off to college. They can visit.

And if you did your job right
they probably will. Our kid is
about to get his driver’s license

so soon he’ll transport himself
to his own holy land. It’s not like that.
We never saw Moses again.

We couldn’t if we wanted to.
I want to. I want to tell him
his song is still in my mouth –

that we’re a little lost without him.

Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 28 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Find him online at www.JewishPoetry.net