Do It All Again!
empty water buckets
on a porch long deserted,
the old house falling down
like a tree sheds its leaves.
the chimney stands cold,
almost roaring with silence...
and there's still a marker
in the back yard where we buried the dog.
love yellowed sheets,
and maggots in the flour.
spiders march on the outhouse walls.
empty mason jars that remember green beans,
a hoe, and a shovel with a broken handle.
ghosts walk cobwebbed halls,
the old floor sags.
and the sounds of two young lovers
haunt the ticking of an unseen clock.
damn! to go back...
[...] Read more
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
They Killed Them!
my hero when i was a kid
was Crazy Horse.... they killed him!
my mother wanted me to be
a preacher, so i read about Jesus,
and His life... they killed Him!
when i was nine years old,
and in the fourth grade,
they killed JFK in Dallas....
just before he pulled us
out of the Vietnam lie......
by this time i had questions,
i knew something was wrong....
they went on to kill Martin Luther King,
Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X......
anybody that stood up for
what they believed.....
they killed them!
the fear of ignorant apathy,
[...] Read more
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Turn, and Walk Away
i gave you all the dreams i had
i gave you all i am
now the times are hard and bad
dreams have crumbled in the sand
you turn and walk away
you turn and walk away
you turn and walk away...
hungry eyes are distant now
you're lost inside yourself
you only feel what you allow
you've put me on the shelf
you turn and walk away
you turn and walk away
you turn and walk away...
autumn slowly turns to winter
as leaves fall from the trees
you're staring through the window
as your tears begin to freeze
[...] Read more
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
What Color Is Justice?
what color is justice?
(does it have a face) ?
what language does it speak?
what does it smell like?
what kind of house does it live in?
how many cars does it own?
is it Republican, or Democrat?
does it pray in tongues?
or sit cross-legged and chant?
is it male or female?
straight or gay?
does it have a degree?
or does it work in a factory?
does it work in a mine?
does it drill for oil?
does it draw unemployment?
does it stay at the mission?
tell me! show me!
cant find a link,
cant find a trace...
[...] Read more
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Animal Eyes Staring
we have become hunger,
animal eyes staring,
waiting on movement.
there are shadows that talk,
and those that have nothing to say,
when time itself becomes an enemy.
do we walk on water,
do we dive and swim?
or do we drown with hesitation?
when illusions become empty plates,
filling stained cups with nothingness.
there's always another door,
another path yet untrodden.
and there are small victories
in footprints in fresh fallen snow.
for now we watch the cat,
and pray for those in the news.
following the trail of the ants,
to the edge of the spider's web!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Dream In B Minor
i dreamt Jesus came back last night
& walked thru the tents & tarps
& the mud & the cholera of Haiti...
amidst the bodies & the children crying;
and He turned back towards Jerusalem,
weeping for the sins of apathy
to be crucified again.
i dreamt Jesus came back last night
& walked thru the streets & the cities of America...
thru the addiction & the poverty,
the homelessness, the prejudice, the lostness...
to the halls & cathedrals of Washington
where life is bought & sold & blood is cheaper
than oil...
& He turned away from the cross,
and went fishing!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Clouds Blow Away!
vomit stained lips quivering
on a street corner lost
between human and forgotten....
clouds blow away!
bloody feet children walking
behind despair blinded bodies
not even pretending to be alive.
clouds blow away!
gun in the belt rogues
behind blacked out windows
snorting forever dust, wild eyed....
clouds blow away!
old man eating canned dog food
with a rusted spoon,
[...] Read more
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Hunters And Gatherers
rooster crowing,
dogs barking, rain falling,
almost a tease...
the price of gas rising,
the cost of life rising,
Wall Street speculates...
gambling with human lives.
so many walk the edge,
teetering with every blow...
the sound of distant trumpets!
small people have big hearts,
picking up pieces of lives,
scattered like trash
on highways that devour.
strong candles stay lit,
[...] Read more
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Children Of Dreams!
contraception, or conception?
diversity defined.
religious, or spiritual?
walk the fine line!
sexual, or sensual?
erection of the soul.
what they fear most
is what they cant control!
truth, or illusion?
which is easier to sell?
war, or peace?
profit paves the road to hell.
skin color, or blood?
the differences the same!
too easy to forget,
the people without names!
the moment of truth upon us!
we choose now what tomorrow brings!
[...] Read more
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Fifty Eight Years
fifty eight years,
step after step...
pathways of stone,
of water, of wind...
no footprints behind.
small fires on dark nights,
waves of stillness opening...
the eyes of the breathing surround.
touch! touch!
echoing against the roar.
words sealed on paper
for future fires!
when scars become gifts
left on strangers' doorsteps...
for there are no strangers,
soul unto soul.
step after step,
rain falling softly.
[...] Read more
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!