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By suggestion, a place for the poets among us to post their words.
Sunset
In afternoon, sunbecomes more precious, spare
near evening, as it falls
toward that spot, there
on the mountain. That far
spot, where trees thin
and shale shows through.
You can see the shape
of the world there
at the curving edge
of sky.
In the last moment
sagebrush burns
red. Then
stars. Pale
and countless
as dust
as ashes.
- Sharon Brogan
What creature really am I now?
In a week I tried to be almost like a goat;Eating all leafy food.
And in a day, I tried to be like a vampire
Eating a half cook liver pork
I tried to become like those two creatures in one person
chemical change, as it should be
I want to hold your hand,my Michelle
and
Eleanor Rigby,
in a sea of green
in a yellow submarine
in strawberry fields forever
in a boat on a river
with tangerine trees
and marmalade skies
while I'm fixing a hole
where the rain gets in and
stops my mind from wandering
where it will go
from
Dear Prudence
to
mean Mr. Mustard
to
polyethylene Pam
who knew that
all you need is love,
and always
remembered
that in the end,
the love you take
is equal to
the love you make.
- John, Paul, George, Ringo, thc, and lsd....
Another fantastic combination of nouns.
journals, diaries, notebooks, poems...
laying the mind outon a white sheet
sometimes in modest bedclothes
sometimes naked
flabby and flatulent
sometimes in a dark shroud
look at it there
pennies on the eyes
breasts nuzzling the armpits
waiting to be washed
- Sharon Brogan
Daddy Long Legs
Here, on fine long legs springy as steel,a life rides, sealed in a small brown pill
that skims along over the basement floor
wrapped up in a simple obsession.
Eight legs reach out like the master ribs
of a web in which some thought is caught
dead center in its own small world,
a thought so far from the touch of things
that we can only guess at it. If mine,
it would be the secret dream
of walking alone across the floor of my life
with an easy grace, and with love enough
to live on at the center of myself.
- Ted Kooser
Spring Equinox 02005
Each morning I remind myself what day this is, to place myself within the human
community. These calendars, these dates
are not real things, but merely human
impositions on the sun, the moon,
the stars, all of which follow their own paths
whether we name them or not. These weeks past
our blue earth's path is changed by its own
deep spasm. We walk along its surface
pretending not to notice that it can
dispose of us at a whim. It reclaims
us millimeter by millimeter, loose
flesh and slow bones, smoky dusks and brilliant
noons -- all sacrificial celebrants.
- Sharon Brogan
* * *
Simple Blessings
Ain't got no money
Ain't got no girl
Ain't got no home
In this world
But I got Faith
That it's all-right
The Son will shine
After the night
I'd like to have
A good ol' time
But suffering is
All I find
I'm in the bottom
One percent
And everyday I
Pay the rent
But I love Jah
And I love you
Just need a dollar
Or maybe two
And I'll be fine
Another day
Until the Good Lord
Lets me play
And I'll remember you
And how you helped to pull me through
While I sing my blues away
I feel the sunshine
On my face
I hear the birds
Stating their case
We're spinning here
In outer space
Love one another
Amazing grace
And I'll remember you
And how you helped to pull me through
While I sing my blues away
* * *
Shine & Rise
rise oh rise, we're spirits in disguise
rise oh rise, so let your beauty shine
rise oh rise, love is a gold mine
So dry your eyes on the wind
rise oh rise, above the hate and lies
rise oh rise, for peace the greatest prize
rise oh rise, like thunder in the sky
We're dancing in the rain
rise oh rise, you might find a surprise
rise oh rise, one you can't deny
rise oh rise, we build a nest then fly
and rainbows never end
i love this site.
Good things here. Thank you everyone. Nice writing trailbird!
Dream Big
one fine daywarm and bright
I tried to hitch a ride but no one's passing by
and suddenly
I saw the light
took to the river and I floated out of sight
into the forest
where rhythms rhyme
it's peaceful here but there's a jungle in my mind
I floated up
to the spring of wine
and raised a toast to all the friends of summertime
Here's to laughter and songs in the trees
Here's to love on a warm summer breeze
Here's to those who were born to be free
us and them , you and me
one fine day
so make it right
this ol' world could use some afternoon delight
it's time to climb
the great divide
so come on everybody to the mountainside
and let us dream
away the night
hand in hand we need to Dream with all our might
Here's to laughter and songs in the trees
Here's to love on a warm summer breeze
Here's to those who were born to be free
us and them , you and me
Dream Team
I'm looking for a rhymeI'm looking for a reason
I'm checking out the times and the
Pulse of the season
You could ask me why?
But I don't need a reason
I'll do it all for Love
Ain't worried 'bout the money
Don't care about the fame
Baby I just want to be a
Part of the game
We got the right coach and the team
and the name
We could go all the way
You need a smart offense
You need a tough D
You need the right plays
to make some history
You're gonna need some help
from the special teams
Just play for Victory
I know that we'll see snow
I know that we'll see rain
And we'll enjoy the good times
and we'll battle through the pain
Don't worry 'bout the time
Just keep moving the chains
And don't forget to pray
Country Getaway
I'm sitting on the couch watching the evening newsSeeing all the mayhem just gives me the blues
I'm waiting for a story that'll make me smile
I know it's gonna come but it might take awhile
How I wish the earth was just a big dance floor
And everybody knew there's nothing holy about war
I say a little prayer that it'll be that way
Then turn off the TV and make my getaway
I got to find some dancing room
Underneath the summer moon
So come and dance with me and we'll all let it be
And hope the world starts dancing too
Time to hit the road and leave the fog behind
There's a party up the river after dinnertime
The boys are gonna be there doin' what they do
And you can bet the girls will be there doing it too
I'm looking for ten thousand of my closest friends
I know they're in the field just up around the bend
I feel a little tingle going in my toes
And when I hear the music it's just gonna grow
Dancing to those country tunes
There's a smile growing wider on the moon
So come and dance with me in the land of the free
And hope the world starts dancing too
Little girl don't cry about the things you're told
We're gonna grow up but we don't got to grow old
You can spend a lifetime looking for a truth
But music and laughter are the fountain of youth
We're dancing to those country tunes
Underneath the summer moon
So come and dance with me at the hootenanny
And we'll hope the world starts dancing too
oops,word change
line 16 should read : And you can bet the girls will be there doin' it too my bad
@trailbird
I've been enjoying your work. Note: there is edit capability. If you are so inclined, tap the handy dandy 'edit' button. Keep up the nice work. It is a delight to read. :-)
The Quest-tion
Well some say I'm goodAnd some say I'm bad
Some say that I'm smart
Some think that I'm mad
Some say that I'm right
Some say that I'm wrong
But all that I ask
Is that we get along
Some say that it's false
Some say that it's true
Some can't figure out just
What they should do
Some want me to stay
Some want me to leave
I'll let you decide
What you want to believe
It's getting hot around here
And it's not just the time the of year
The winds begin to blow
Which way are you gonna go?
Some say I'm a friend
Some say I'm a foe
Some say that I'm fast
And some that I'm slow
Some think that I'm nice
Some say that I'm mean
And sometimes they miss me
The days in between
Some say that I'm gone
Some say I'll be back
And some want to pray
And some to attack
Some look to me
But I look to you
Whatever you ask
Is what I will do
It's getting hot around here
And it's not just the time of the year
The winds begin to blow
Which way are you gonna go?
Well some like to rock
And some like to roll
And some want to keep it
All under control
Some like to sing
And some like to dance
Some play it safe
And some take the chance
Some live for love
And some love to hate
And sometimes it's early
And sometimes it's late
Sometimes we're rich
And sometimes we're poor
And sometimes we just
Put our foot in the door
It's getting hot around here
And it's not just the time of the year
The winds begin to blow
Which way are we gonna go?
in the beginning...
In the garden of Eden sat Adam,massaging the bust of his madam,
he chuckled with mirth,
for he knew that on earth,
there were only two boobs and he had 'em.
-Ann Ahneemus
...and the End[ing]
In the Garden of Eden wept Adam
A half-eaten apple beside 'im
"It looked good on the tree",
He cried ruefully,
Said Eve, "You wouldn't follow directions if you had 'em",
"Oh, wait..."
/k
Nothing Important
I am born by Caesarian section at 9:30 amin Princess Mary's Maternity Hospital
on the 24th May, sixty years ago today,
dangled by the ankle, smacked across the bum,
swaddled in a blanket howling like a wheel.
My big brother lain on his tip-toes hisses 'I don't like him'.
He's Maradona, I'm Peter Beardsley, chasing a ball through the mud
followed by the kitchen window, bellowing through the fern:
'Boys! Dinner's ready!'
Dad is tuning in the telly beyond a heaving mountain of spaghetti hoops.
I am nothing
You are nothing
Nothing important
Death within a dream
Petrified on the back of a pedallo in the Balearic Sea off Alcudia
I can see the ghost of my uncle Derek waving to us from the beach,
gently drifting out of reach,
the telephone receiver swinging by its cord,
a glass of broken beer expanding on the lino.
My mam slips into the coffin
a polaroid of his sweetheart
Clutching Good-Luck Bear I peer gingerly over the side,
press my nose up to the tide,
and there behold a barracuda chewing on a chrysanthemum
and a family of clownfish hovering in the corpse's hair.
In the scullery of the cub-hut my clarinet falls
into a sack of flour - a flurry of pins
squashed into the leather handle
a crescent moon of stricken fig-wasps.
Drizzling my fingers with The Magic Sponge
Dad says 'we'll probably have to chop them off'.
He collapses like a canvas tent on the floodlit astroturf
rent with a fibula guide-rod poking a hole through his shin
There are teardrops in his moustache
charging a flute of champagne
down the aisle and out for a throw-in
A St.John ambulance careers between the sugary pillars of the wedding cake
A crystal spoon
A pewter tankard
these words inscribed upon the base:
HAPPY RETIREMENT BEST GRANDDAD IN THE WORLD
A toby jug filled to the brim with curtain hooks
A sheepskin rug discoloured with tobacco smoke
within it's braids concealed a rank
of plastic soldiers set to burst underfoot
Berwick in oils: a skiff on the swollen tweed
cradling a false pearl
a ceramic seraph
with an astray for a brain
- and I don't care about these things
Why do they remain so clear while the faces of my loved ones disappear?
A Rington's plate
a forking hairline seam of superglue through the Black Gate
a digital photoframe
frozen on an blurry orange thumb
I remember all these things
Old karate trophies
I am tethered by these things
Thimbles and pesatas
I remember all these things
A roll of Woolworth's price stickers
I can see all these things but
where have all my people gone?
In the end it wasn't meant to be.
He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
He survived for seven days
before he slipped away
- Richard Dawson
Saving Time
#GThe day goes slow then it starts to fly
And pretty soon it's gone in the blink of an eye
The time is now and now it's then
And everyday we start again
I watch the river flowing by
I see the clouds up in the sky
The sun comes up the sun goes down
Or maybe we're just spinning 'round
Across the Universe
Around the Galaxy
The lights are there for us to see
Ice caps melt and the oceans rise
We're all in for a surprise
The scientists say it's too late
Nothing left to do but wait
Maybe that's why we need faith
It fills in the empty place
Full of hope and full of grace
Surrounded by eternal space
Across the Universe
Around the Galaxy
The lights are there for us to see
Blessed are the merciful
And God is on the side of love
And if there is one thing I've found
Love needs help the whole world 'round
So come on now and spread the Word
'till all have seen and all have heard
Volunteers across the Earth
May our love always endure
Across the Universe
Around the Galaxy
the Light was made for you and me
a dream of being an owl
i am in a dream
i see a mirror
a face and lights
Those features are not mine but they suit me anyway
i am in your dream
i am mirror you are watching
i give you new eyes and you will learn the language of animals and to see in the dark
i am in a dream
i hear someone saying "you have an owl's face so we'll take you flying
with us...let's fly past that corpse, it's human and human flesh tastes
bad"
i am in a dream
i see a forest and a glimmer of light
that light is not the sun
but fire
i can already feel it's warmth on my skin
i am in your dream
i am the fire that you see
i give you new arms
with these you will engrave an image of a bird
who builds her nest
in a flaming tree
- Islaja
............
Dream Variations
To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.
Then rest at cool evening
Beneath a tall tree.
While night comes on gently,
Dark like me-
That is my dream!
To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance! Whirl! Whirl!
Till the quick day is done.
Rest at pale evening...
A tall, slim tree...
Night coming tenderly,
Black like me.
- Langston Hughes
River of Souls
The River
born of clay and coal
Baptized in the river of souls
ashes to ashes
flesh to bones
no ferryman to guide me
return to the river of souls
Recycled Butterfly
Easy how a soul can fabricate, in stillness wanderSeasoned cities tethered true, a soft secret lover
Midnight's sorcery, her pristine machine envelops me
Intrinsic yet free, loving language, a beauties decree
Universal dialect, romance of the mystique, resurrect
Recycled butterfly, woven wonders nigh, wings cradle courageous wind
Brilliant breeze, freedom's lullaby, her natural ecstasies, never to descend
World's but a whisper, malevolent betrayal never to kiss her, one with blameless flight
Beauties surrender, soulful invent, a soaring flame quells, cures winters nameless night
Perhaps the world was yours all along
As the sparrow brilliantly sewn to breeze
Lose yourself in rapturous midnight song
Ancient language, dance of souls revelries
Wind blown, time flown, immaculate suggestion
Do we deserve the world or her protection?
-mz
Loose
blindsidedthe tether fades from sight
life preserver intact
accidentally
worry waits it's turn
patiently
slivers of hope up on stage
for now
that old familiar feeling
showing up
like a dealer
at your parent's house
unexpected and unwelcome
drifting
again
into the dark
hoping to see
the sunrise
but expecting the sharks
Soul's Design
Audible to a worthy soul,The road,
Her many majestic volumes
Ripple gently, eternal eve
Spirited lifetime in bloom
Listen,
Knowing wind's whispers unfold
Now say a farewell to goodbyes
Burn your essence, warm promise
In the light, once a strangers eyes
Such a virtuous reveal
All is one, wake, truly feel
Steeped dreams that linger still
Reckonings silhouette intertwined
A harmonious invent,
Pure pathways intent
A righteous souls design
-mz
Stardust Senses
This night, awakenedStardust senses
Eternal heaven's
Hallowed altar
Magical, infinite
When she loses
Her defenses
A universal pass, collapse
Doorways imagined latch
We are all innocent here
Infinite wisdom burning near
Natural, freeing
All seasons come to being,
Gleam angelic flown
Living not existing,
Surrender, pure reminiscing
Realms thought unknown
All soulful songs simply sewn
Midnight roses, come quiet
Under star, stone
Timeless magic, closer home
-mz
Deadheads Ain't Zombies
Thanks. The '60s was a decade of music, protest, and progress. I'd like to see activists come out for the July concert 'cause the country is shifting left again.
I am one with the fair, common man
I will stand with my working class clan
I believe justice, isn't just, in this land
Greed's our creed but I'd think before Ayn Rand.
A court of supreme jesters aid the plan
Where rule by fossil fuel is in the can
Earth warmin' ain't a left wing scam
Kooks cook us with oil in a frying pan.
Mind eyes see the glory of the common man
Oligarchs and politicians are butt grains of sand
Their base is a cacophony that should be banned
As we search for Eden in a gulf that is Iran.
Equality will ripple throughout this land
As we be Dylangent and aghast again
From July forth, be a retro Garcia fan
Will you be there with us my Undead friend.
Time to be like the Mo' hot man
To march as King to north Lincolnland
To remember the poor and forgotten
Please come to Chicago and take a stand.
Insight Out
I'm a poet, a nonprophet, thought set freeI'm a loner, a teacher, confusing even me
I may not know myself, but does anybody.
Do you have the inside straight for eternity?
Sometimes we look outside to know who we are
To ponder our place in the face of dark stars
Wondering if light reflects on us to see afar.
Does your vision still include from Earth to Mars?
Free food for thought does not feed us alone
We travel this forked road to choose then atone
Working to nourish the seeds that we’ve sown.
Will you grow to sell the only soul you will own?
We humiliate those humbled by humanity
When posing ideas less profound than profanity
Not vanquishing grains of our own ingrained vanity.
Can you help the healing, appealing to sanity?
2B Verse Free Is Not 2B, But 2 Free Verse is 2B 3D
This is not a Shakespearian Sonnet, but a Constant Sonnet in Iambivalent Pentameter.
Shakespeare, famous for Cleo of the Nile
Heard a young poet, whose words made him smile
"Old poets may wish me into exile
All sonnets, I do not dare to defile
Synchronizing syllables suggest guile
But many meters are meant to beguile.
No poem rules, a poet is an isle."
Shakespeare said suddenly, after awhile
"My first act is a tame, yet shrewd, denial
Rhyme without reason is what I revile
Use some discipline before you compile
One can not time rhythm with a sundial.
I write, therefore, Iambic measured style."
Not to be, a Shakespeare bibliophile.
Possession(s)
I'm Far Sight from my First Daze.Thought it might be Pupil Haze.
Blew my Fusion in Half Phase.
Realized my Soul been Razed.
I found God the other Night.
He can Blind the Mind with Bright.
Shown Within and Out of Sight.
Shed the Fat and Joint the Light.
Matter, in fact, Weighed a Lot!
Spent my Life, Got what is Not!
Purge my Loot like Pus and Snot?
Lift my Life, 'fore I eye Rot?
I lost God the other Day.
Livin' just got in the Way.
Possessions, Power, and Pay
Are the Stuff of which I Prey.
Such a sad, sad, sadder Day.
Search no mo' fo' hopeful Rays.
Lord knows no such sadder Way
Least 'til comes the End of Days.
Who's Your Presidaddy?
Which commanding chief takes preeminenceOf twentieth century presidents?
Think of all those who rose to prominence
Crusading in rosy white residence.
Look before you leap that unsecured fence
As free range execs fall from innocence.
Some wisdom still waxes and never relents
A precious prescience over mind bents.
Teddy preserved nature for present tents
And Franklin's new deal made poverty dents.
Ike warned of business neocon dements
Then Lyndon advanced civil rights events.
Last in class, with a "Tricky Dick" defense
Nixon, destroyer of our common sense!
I thought we'd go retro one week before the big show(s).
* * *
You Are
You are my light out of the dark
You are the fire to my spark
You are the apple of my eye
You make me laugh you make me cry
You are the root that grows the vine
You always love me all the time
You are the filling to my soul
You are the Rock that makes me roll
You're like the stars that fill the sky
You are the sunshine of my mind
You are my hope you are my faith
And it's for you that I will wait
Turn It Into A Love Song
I'm gonna take the ups with the downsI'm gonna take the ins with the outs
I'm gonna take the happy with the sad
And I'll take the good with the bad
I'm gonna take the yes with the no
Gonna take the fast with the slow
I'm gonna take the right with the wrong
And turn it into a Love song
I'm gonna take the stop with the go
I'm gonna take the highs with the lows
I'm gonna take the heat with the cold
And I'll take the new with the old
Gonna take the thick with the thin
I'm gonna take the loss with the win
Gonna take the short with the long
And turn it into a Love song
Chorus
And when the winds are blowing
And the rain is pouring down
I'll just keep on singing Love songs
Until the sunshine comes around
I'm gonna take the first with the last
I'm gonna take the cries with the laughs
I'm gonna take the push with the pull
And I'll take the empty with the full
I'm gonna take the on with the off
Gonna take the found with the lost
I'm gonna take the weak with the strong
And turn it into a Love song
Chorus
And when the winds are blowing
And the rain is pouring down
I'll just keep on singing Love songs
Until the sunshine comes around
And we've got to keep on singing
No matter how long it might take
Just keep on singing and the clouds are gonna part
And the storm is sure to break
written 12/24 & 25 2015
The Odds
Clergy of safe sects say they know GodQuestion their spoils, they're hot with the rod
Return their bling with a knowing nod
Passively aggressive, evenly odd.
Did Jesus' sermon on a mount do it for you
Was Buddha enlightened in sight of Kathmandu
Did Mohammed move mountains as his core ran through
Was every mountain climbed by just a few?
Reaching the summit is just a peek at God
Don't know how it started nor what's up under sod
Yet the pious, sell fright to us, pushin' their prod
Not even passive, aggressively odd.
Dare I say, before you book me for Hell
Stop, drop, and think of those that might have fell
When an inquisitor tried to compel
A recant in favor of their seer's spell.
Advice is plentiful in search of God
Some focus on the profit from the tripod
Picture the world sans the Messiah squad
Aggressive gets passive even to the odd.
If you're looking for God, try deep inside
Where the worlds of light and dark collide
You, and you alone, must one day decide
Are you coming along on a stellar ride?
apart from fatrasies
A large red herringHad besieged Gisors
On both sides
And two dead men
Came with great difficulty
Carrying a door
Without an old hunchback
Who went around crying: 'A! outside'
The cry of a dead quail
Would have taken them with great difficulty
Underneath a felt hat.
- Philippe de Beaumanoir
A Short Retort
Thought this place was for those trying to createEven if the poems can't always be great
Why send nonsensical poems from long before
Intending contempt while smugly obscure
There's better ways to let one know you're kind
Next time, tell us what's really on your mind
Share with us how to be a better bard
Not just references from a house of lard.
Longer
Since when does a poem need meaning to be enjoyed?! Can not the simple play of words be poetic enough?!Your judgement that I/it shows contempt is decidedly misplaced.
The fact you find something smug because it is not to your taste is rather baffling. Amazing how something so gentle can draw out people's prejudices!
Lighten up, mate - life's too short!
dealing? no
Molecular Consulting, yes...
get with the times, mate ;-)
(Ultraspaz - that's my Asperger's shining through; thanks for noticing).
The Bus Is Not Coming The Bus Is Not Coming The Bus Is Not Com
Molecular Consulting?
Smug prick.
The New Phone Book Is Here The New Phone Book Is Here The New Ph
...can't blame a guy for trying