Neither believed nor understood is the poor who's offended.
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To Be Understood
Nothing believed comes,
If one should run from it.
And...
Nothing believed comes,
If one is stunned by it.
Nothing is comprehended,
To understand.
And...
Those who become offended,
Often demand...
To be understood.
Observe and listen with a sitting,
Not too many do.
Too many are quick with their lips,
And...
Prove they are rude.
To then to accuse,
Someone to be abusive.
Nothing is comprehended,
To understand.
And...
Those who become offended,
Often demand...
To be understood.
And wounds are never mended.
With a healing recommended...
'Cause...
People wish to brood as they choose.
Nothing is comprehended,
To understand.
And...
Those who are offended,
Often demand...
To be understood.
But they aren't listening,
As they could and they should.
No they're not listening as they should and they could.
And if they listen they would be understood.
No they don't listen to,
Be understood.
No they don't listen like they could and should.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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Not Understood
Not understood, we move along asunder;
Our paths grow wider as the seasons creep
Along the years; we marvel and we wonder
Why life is life, and then we fall asleep
Not understood.
Not understood, we gather false impressions
And hug them closer as the years go by;
Till virtues often seem to us transgressions;
And thus men rise and fall, and live and die
Not understood.
Not understood! Poor souls with stunted vision
Oft measure giants with their narrow gauge;
The poisoned shafts of falsehood and derision
Are oft impelled 'gainst those who mould the age,
Not understood.
Not understood! The secret springs of action
Which lie beneath the surface and the show,
Are disregarded; with self-satisfaction
We judge our neighbours, and they often go
Not understood.
Not understood! How trifles often change us!
The thoughtless sentence and the fancied slight
Destroy long years of friendship, and estrange us,
And on our souls there falls a freezing blight;
Not understood.
Not understood! How many breasts are aching
For lack of sympathy! Ah! day by day
How many cheerless, lonely hearts are breaking!
How many noble spirits pass away,
Not understood.
O God! that men would see a little clearer,
Or judge less harshly where they cannot see!
O God! that men would draw a little nearer
To one another, -- they'd be nearer Thee,
And understood.
poem by Thomas Bracken

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In The Picture, Near It Or Close To The Frame
No matter what is said,
To another with words believed understood...
There will be a misinterpretation,
That is explained to someone else...
For that person to comprehend,
Within the limits of what they have experienced.
And everyone knows those experiences are different.
And if an experience is limited with no sense to make,
Eventually there will be yet another someone...
Who becomes offended,
By what was intentionally not meant to escalate...
For anyone else to hear in the first place.
But in small towns,
Nothing is left as it had initially originated.
'I just want you to know,
I heard what you said.
But I'll go ahead and forgive you anyway.'
~What did you hear that I said?
When you weren't there or in the conversation.~
'It doesn't matter.
Although you could have come to me first.'
~But what I said wasn't about you at all.
Nor were you,
In the picture, near it or close to the frame.~
'That's not what I heard.
And you don't have to explain.
I'm not into photography.
Or words I heard you want to now change.'
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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Strong Hand
(Emmylou Harris)
He was a tall man
Raised up from the fields out pickin' cotton
In a hard land Where the ground was poor and the wood was rotten
But when he saw her
All those bad times were forgotten
And he believed, he believed
She was the strong hand
A good sister and a daughter
Lookin' for one man
To love the way that her mama'd taught her
And when she saw him
She thanked God for what he'd brought her She believed, she believed
And it's a miracle
How one soul finds another
Just one miracle
Is all it took my brother
For l have seen them
As they walk this world together
And i believe, l believe
It's a sad thing
When one must leave the other
And fly up where the voice rings
Out with all the multitudes that gather
But for a short while
Down here no song ever sounded sweeter
And we believed, we believed
For it's a miracle
How one soul finds another
Just one miracle
Is all it took my brother
And l will see them
Someday they'll walk again together
l believe, l believe
This l believe, l believe
song performed by by Emmylou Harris

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Never Believed Me
Feelings just want to dance here and there
Nothing is permanent, even if feelings want to rest still
Nothing seems to be lasting forever in this world
Life, I am not able to understand
Not even true love is ever understood
Only lies are believed, as truth always remains unnoticed
How should I live my life?
My love has even taken her shadow away from me
I wish that if you actually believed, then now we would have been one
Truth, my truth you never believed
Pain of my crying heart, you never believed
Never ever you believed me
Tell me please my love, did I treat you this bad?
Only you ruled my life, while I was with you
Never did I claim to be a perfect person.
Feelings, my feelings only wanted to dance with you
Love you I truly did, my twinkling star I really did want to make you mine
Sadly you are not mine anymore, because you thought I will hurt you and use you
Truth, my truth you were.
poem by Rohit Sapra

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Deceit They Perceive Is Hidden
I have never believed,
I was always right.
Or believed my opinions expressed,
Were the best.
No! An operating done on fumes of ego,
Is such a waste of reality.
And seeking excuses to make for my actions,
Is too exhausting for my peace of mind.
And there are more offended,
By the appearance of truth.
Than they are disrespecting someone,
With a deceit they perceive is hidden from others.
And the concealing of truth is difficult to do,
For anyone keeping it with them to introduce.
Since a truth introduced is not to be disputed.
It is what it is to defeat deceit each and every time.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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I Have Written Many Poor Poems
I have written many poor poems
That may not be poems at all -
They are single in dimension
Prose
In short lines of seemingly poetic form-
They do not call for their rereading
They are not difficult in ambiguities-
They seem to me only one simple clearly understood thing-
Like this poem
They can be understood at once
And forgotten soon after.
I have written many poor poems
That may not be poems at all
And this is another one.
poem by Shalom Freedman

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That 'Rubbing' Done That Has Appalled You
If you really want to feel offended by anything done,
To you that is believed is directed.
Be you offended,
By being deceived, manipulated and used.
By those who have thrown that up in your face.
Then compared that to something you've heard,
That you have felt...
Rubbed you the wrong way.
Now...
With that 'rubbing' done that has appalled you,
Connect that something said...
To that which is actually happening to you.
On a daily basis that you have blindly accepted.
With that false faith you project to protect.
That accepts being deceived, manipulated and used.
What words have you heard has directly affected your life?
The words you don't like?
Or the people honest enough to say them?
Now...which do you prefer when being stabbed in the back?
Being able to selected the instrument used?
Or do you have a preference for a certain color?
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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Suspicious Of Others With An Opinion
You know...?
How can I say this?
'Just say it.
Get it out of the way.'
You wont be offended?
'I can't promise that.
But at least what you say,
Is out of the way.
And you can sigh with relief.'
You know...?
Your conversations of late,
Are making to me less sense.
'Whew.
You had me frightened for a moment.
I thought you were beginning to comprehend,
My motives not to be understood.'
But...
Shouldn't you be wishing to be understood?
With my paying of attention?
'Are you kidding?
And have you believe I am intelligent?
Do you know what a threat that could present,
To those already suspicious of others with an opinion.
No!
Trust me.
The more you believe I am crazy...
And you tell others that.
The more I can enjoy my peace of mind.'
Huh?
'I have more loose and mixed nuts in my head,
Than a holiday fruit cake.'
Oh.
Well...
I could have told you that!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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Not Understood
Not understood, we move along asunder;
Our paths grow wider as the seasons creep
Along the years; we marvel and we wonder
Why life is life, and then we fall asleep
Not understood.
Not understood, we gather false impressions
And hug them closer as the years go by;
Till virtues often seem to us transgressions;
And thus men rise and fall, and live and die
Not understood.
Not understood! Poor souls with stunted vision
Oft measure giants with their narrow gauge;
The poisoned shafts of falsehood and derision
Are oft impelled 'gainst those who mould the age,
Not understood.
Not understood! The secret springs of action
Which lie beneath the surface and the show,
Are disregarded; with self-satisfaction
We judge our neighbours, and they often go
Not understood.
Not understood! How trifles often change us!
The thoughtless sentence and the fancied slight
Destroy long years of friendship, and estrange us,
And on our souls there falls a freezing blight;
Not understood.
Not understood! How many breasts are aching
For lack of sympathy! Ah! day by day
How many cheerless, lonely hearts are breaking!
How many noble spirits pass away,
Not understood.
O God! that men would see a little clearer,
Or judge less harshly where they cannot see!
O God! that men would draw a little nearer
To one another, -- they'd be nearer Thee,
And understood.
poem by James Brunton Stephens

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The Hands Of A Teacher
Optimism,
Optimism perished from the face of my earth
And then you came along, came along and swept me away,
She kissed me, as we stood on the edge,
The night made the day as we made for the bridge
It started raining hard, and I saw we may live to regret
No I never really understood
No I never really understood why,
Because Ive never been given,
Never been given two tries,
No I never really understood,
Understood why...
Pessimism,
Pessimism perished from the face of my earth,
And then you came along, came along and swept me away,
Did you miss me? did you miss me as we walked
Through the pain, attached the chain so you could
See me again
I started asking myself, did I teach you right?
No I never really understood
No I never really understood why,
Because Ive never been given,
Never been given two tries,
No I never really understood,
Understood why...
Understood why...
You came to me, you broke the bonds,
You set me free
And then the love that you promised me
Came a tumblin tumblin tumblin down
Into my hands...
No I never really understood
No I never really understood why,
Because Ive never been given,
Never been given two tries,
No I never really understood,
Understood why...
So teacher teach me...
song performed by by Live

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Believed You
I believed you
I believed you
Now its up to me
I believed you
I believed you
Now its up to me
I believed what you said
The lovin days were through
But you were fooling around
I found somebody who,
Will never never take your place
Will never give me your embrace
But now that youve shown your face
Youve broken her heart too.
I believed you
I believed you
Now its up to me
I believed you
I believed you
Now its up to me
Now what am I to do?
Now that you want me so
I just cant leave her blue
Or else Ill be alone
Well I just cant leave her now
It wouldnt be fair somehow
She loved me when my luck was down
Now youve broken her heart too
I believed you
I believed you
Now its up to me
I believed you
I believed you
Now its up to me
Now what am I to do?
Now that you want me so
I just cant leave her blue
Or else Ill be alone
Well I just cant leave her now
It wouldnt be fair somehow
She loved me when my luck was down
Now youve broken her heart too
I believed you
I believed you
Now its up to me
I believed you
I believed you
Now its up to me
song performed by by Kinks

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If...
If ev'ryone believed in adulthood,
We would not behave like impish children.
If ev'ryone believed in something good,
Perhaps our evils would never happen.
If ev'ryone believed in honesty,
Thoughts would not require representation.
If ev'ryone believed in identity,
Each person would not crave affirmation.
If ev'ryone believed in truthfulness,
We would not follow laws of hypocrites.
If ev'ryone believed in wanting less,
Maybe we could learn to want what we get.
If ev'ryone believed in how they feel,
What is imagination would be real.
poem by Tim Stensloff

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Hidden Agendas
Perhaps I can attribute it,
To my imagination.
Or my daring to take chances.
But it seems to me,
Those who express wishes...
For being understood,
Are the least considerate of others.
With the same respect they expect to get.
And yet can find sympathizers,
To protect them from harsh winds believed...
Blown from those,
Who do not sit with wishes of being understood...
As much as they tell it like it is.
From a perspective unprotected by a self censorship...
Of hidden agendas unsuspected.
And gone undetected,
By those equally inexperienced...
To live a life that is honest, bold and daring.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.
Understanding is only misunderstanding
When you say
“I understand”
You simply confess
That you are only trying
To understand
And you affirm
To guard against
Misunderstanding
Though this may not be true
In a technical discussion
This is always true
When attempts are made
To evaluate issues
Pertaining to minds and emotions
Let us admit
We have not understood
Any one and
Any of the thought processes
Associated with any individual
How many of us
Have understood our parents?
How many of us
Have understood our spouses?
How many of us
Have understood our brothers
And sisters?
How many of us
Have understood our sons
And daughters?
How many of us
Have understood our customers,
Employers and employees
Bosses and sub-ordinates
More you are confident
About these understandings
More likely
You have misunderstood them
Do not ever claim
That you have
Understood others
As you now understand
That
Understanding is only
Misunderstanding
poem by Bashyam Narayanan

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An Obscure Writer
Philo with twelve years' study hath been grieved
To be understood ; when will he be believed?
poem by John Donne

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Unaccustomed to Having An Identity
Have you ever been in a situation,
In which you insulted others...
When you had a preference,
To begin to use your own given name?
And others became offended by that?
Others became offended...
Because you announced a clarity of your identity.
AND...
This offended?
AND...
You then became so proud of who you were,
Your entire presence began to threaten?
Especially those unaccustomed to having an identity!
The ones from birth until death,
Are only known by their nicknames.
And they are related to people who will never know,
Their real names.
Ever!
Have you ever been in a situation,
In which you insulted others...
When you had a preference,
To begin to use your own given name?
And the next thing they want you to do,
Is to get 'right' with God.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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False Hope
Give me your tired. Give me your poor.
So many flocked to an elusive door
that enslaves the masses through endless war.
And that's not what they came here for.
They came for the ideals they believed were here.
They came with good intentions to a new frontier.
They worked with pride to persevere
and never in their minds did they adhere
to all of the scenes that are here today.
For the thought of what's happening in the USA
was fantasy that could never come their way.
And now that they're here they think and say.
'We escaped our past with hope in our eyes.
But our past followed us and it falsifies
the reason we came for we now realize
that what we believed turned out to be lies.
This country's not free and neither are we.
It's filled with corruption and tyranny.'
So the tired and poor have been made to see
that the Lady in the harbor cries incessantly.
poem by Edwina Reizer

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One Of Your Relatives
I remember there was a time,
I enjoyed sniffing your hair.
Wherever it was.
And when it was weaved.
I believed in you.
I remember there was a time,
I thought I committed a crime...
Without you near.
And if I was cheerful,
It was you who did it!
I remember there was a time,
Every guy you introduced as your cousin...
I actually believed you,
When I saw them leaving your home.
However...
When you tried to pass my brother off,
As one of your cousins...
I knew then,
Neither one of you knew me at all.
That is the reason both of you have been hospitalized,
With my love.
And the judge understood me completely.
Since she too had been one of your relatives!
But not a fan of your lack of taste or diversity.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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