We are all tourists in history, and irony is what we win in wars.
quote by Anatole Broyard
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Prayer for many is like a foreign land. When we go there, we go as tourists. Like most tourists, we feel uncomfortable and out of place. Like most tourists, we therefore move on before too long and go somewhere else.
quote by Robert McAfee Brown
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In the long term we can hope that religion will change the nature of man and reduce conflict. But history is not encouraging in this respect. The bloodiest wars in history have been religious wars.
quote by Richard M. Nixon
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Real art is without irony. Irony distances the author from his material. Irony is a product of something. It's not the reason for doing something. Irony is a cheap shot.
quote by Robert Altman
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Natural Reaction
A reprobate? Who, me?
What's up with that?
Don't ask me to cozy up
and be your pal, please!
If I wanted, I could wreak
havoc on the whole crew!
By the way, can you define
irony for me?
Yes, I said irony!
I don't think you understand
the uses of irony, do you?
poem by Michael Pruchnicki
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Justify
To add justice,
I did not scream nor cry,
I instead called,
“Irony.”
Yes,
Irony.
The strange noun that bites and slaps when least expected.
So, to justify,
I called Irony.
I would like it to be shown, to the court at least, that I did nothing wrong,
nor nothing right.
I called his name,
when he was gone from sight.
I whispered my wisdom,
to a deaf and blind old fool,
I gave my only love,
To one who would never love at all.
So,
To justify,
I believe I did not lose,
I just didn't win.
That is often the case with irony.
poem by Kaitey Cat
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Peace Protesters Must Be Arrested
writing under political radar
unpublished under search radar
equates to more censor escapes
knowing freedom of formal speech
does not extend to anti-war protests
if such protests might trigger
an uprising in anti-invasion protests
peace protesters must be arrested
humiliated beaten pepper sprayed
how dare such righteous individuals
dare interfere with planned sanctioned
profit mounting oil invasion wars
situational irony calling wars right
necessary to healthy growth prosperity
calling peace wrong threat to security
time to reevaluate restructure economy?
situational irony armies meant to ensure peace?
used to intimidate dominate exploit war fleece?
poem by Terence George Craddock
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Thanks for the Memory
Thanks for the memory,
For a man; golden history,
Lived a life full of misery,
A true man; soul of ivory,
A riddle; unsolved irony,
A hunter, an artist, a Dad,
Truly had given me all he had,
And me? Were I that bad?
Did I really made him sad?
No, he didn't curse me in his bed,
But had forgiven his wayward lad,
A talent, a poet a musician mad,
And he'll forever remember that,
His last wish; in all that he'd said...
Thanks for the memory; I really appreciate your sympathy...And this is for history...
poem by Jimmy Zepp
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In the middle ages people were tourists because of their religion, whereas now they are tourists because tourism is their religion.
quote by Robert Runcie
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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History Repeats Itself
We only hear of war and terrorism and crimes against humanity
In the World news headlines every day on radio and t v
Systematic abuse by so called soldiers on their prisoners of such we hear and see
And history repeats itself or so 'twould seem to me.
Of a war between the good guys and the bad guys there is no such a thing
For only death and suffering war has been known to bring
To the people of the Country where war is waged in many civilians in the cross fire die
As between the warring parties bullets to and fro do fly.
We've heard it said that war brings peace but with such I don't agree
As the World seems more divided now than at anytime in history
The cultural and religious divide it only seems to grow
And for centuries of fighting wars we do not have much to show.
In the news headlines only bad news or so it would appear
And of war and death and suffering we only see and hear
Yet the war that was to end all wars was waged nine decades ago
And of the lessons we should have learned from history we do not wish to know.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Got To Know
(Jean-Paul Maunick)
We've got so little time on our hands to make all the changes
That we're needin'
Can't leave until tomorrow what we need to do today, oh no
We just can't leave it
War is not the answer to the problems that we're facin'
Gotta learn to live together
Prejudice and pride, ignorance for our defence is not the way
If we wanna have a future
Turn back the pages of our history
Learn from our mistakes
Got to know, got to know, got to know
People got to know it
Got to know, got to know, got to know
What we reap is what we sow
The writin's on the wall and it's clear for all to see the danger
Won't you heed it
We can use the power of expression choose our destination
What it is, What it is
Let's send a message loud and clear to the leaders of the world, there's no excuse
For this abuse
No more wars, no more wars, no more wars, don't want to fight no more
No more, no more, no more
Turn back the pages of our history
Learn from our mistakes
Got to know, got to know, got to know
People got to know it
Got to know, got to know, got to know
What we reap is what we sow
There is no shame and all to gain
Gotta give peace a chance
Woh oh oh, do right
song performed by by Incognito
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Stop And Wait/For A Poem
I Stop And Wait/ For A Poem
I stop and wait
For a poem.
The poem does not come
The city says ‘Morning beauty’
The silence is a sadness unsayable -
Light is lovely
Isn’t it?
Irony Irony Irony-
I write these lines
As if I actually believe
I am writing poetry
And doing something.
poem by Shalom Freedman
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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From History We've Not Learned
Men crucified the one millions now worship more than two thousand years ago
Yet many men they are as cruel today and any compassion towards others they never seem to show
And the gifts of compassion and empathy to the special few belong
And many far too many seemingly cannot tell right from wrong
Two thousand and seven years ago Jesus Christ was crucified
And nailed to a timber cross on Calvary slowly and painfully he died
Yet we have not learned from human history and it does seem sad to say
That nowadays many decent people die in the foulest way,
The war supposed to end all wars did not live up to it's tag
Young people dying in war zones every day for God and Land and Flag
Before we learn the lesson of history how many more must die
War men mock the sacredness of human life and many wars based on a lie
It has been more than two thousand years since Christ died on Calvary
And from history we've not learned a thing that's how 'twould seem to be.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Fate and freedom alike play a part in history; and there are times, as in wars and revolutions, when fate is the stronger of the two. Freedom — the freedom of man and of nations — could never have been the origin of two world wars. These latter were brought about by fate, which exercises its power owing to the weakness and decline of freedom and of the creative spirit of man. Almost all contemporary political ideologies, with their characteristic tendency to state-idolatry, are likewise largely a product of two world wars, begotten as they are of the inexorability's of fate.
quote by Nikolai Berdyaev
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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American Wild West: Cattle Rustlers
there was a time
in American history
when cattle rustlers
were shot or hung
stealing beef on the hoof
hot irons changing brands
fast rustled up retribution
justice from a rope hung
there was a time
in American history
when cruel range wars
were fought with guns
settlers driven off farmland
starved their crops ruined
their homes stolen burned
cattle grazed homesteaders
land cattle barons prospered
water rights grazing rights
unfenced unowned range land
farmers ranchers fought wars
frontier justice lynchings
local residents fought
gunmen hired bought
no weak law range wars
poem by Terence George Craddock
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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War and Peace
Wars cannot give a lasting peace;
Wars cause much hatred and ill-will;
Wars are futile and costly too;
Wars break existing peace with ease!
Wars cause deep wounds of hearts and minds
–That can’t be healed except by time;
Wars lead to loss of lives untold
–That cannot be ever regained.
Wars serve to foment more troubles;
Wars make the world more insecure;
Wars shift the balance of powers;
Wars do not solve the world’s problems.
Love only solves great differences;
Love only bonds the earth’s peoples;
Love only brings peace with much ease;
Love is the key to global peace.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 8-29-2008
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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23feb10 The Day After: Garden City
many hotels
damaged
shocked guests
evacuated?
Christchurch
mortally wounded
garden mourns
no rooms
for tourists
now to stay
tourists evacuated
troubles fly away
holiday memories
took
an earth shattering
turn
poem by Terence George Craddock
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Black History Month
In January...
There they are making history.
In February...
There they are making history.
In March...
There they are making history.
In April...
There they are making history.
In May...
There they are making history.
In June...
There they are making history.
In July...
There they are making history.
In August...
There they are making history.
In September...
There they are making history.
In October...
There they are making history.
In November...
There they are making history.
In December...
There they are making history.
But...
It's nice to know
The shortest month of the year
Was chosen to celebrate
The great deeds of African-Americans!
However...
It is those LEAP YEARS,
That really have the blacks jumping for joy!
Note: 'Black History Month' along with other
works of interest can be found in...
*'MindPrints from Untouched Places-VOL I'*
~Now available online at a PC near you~
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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For long, history was mainly political history, and historical narrative was confined to an account of the most important crises in political life, or to an account of wars and great generals.
quote by Michael I. Rostovtzeff
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A taste for irony has kept more hearts from breaking than a sense of humor, for it takes irony to appreciate the joke which is on oneself.
quote by Jessamyn West
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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What Have We Learned From History
What have we learned from history little if anything
Of war men and war heroes their praises we still sing
Humankind have come far in technology and on the moon surface have trod
And still we fight for our Nation's flag and go to war for our God.
What have we learned from history not much if you ask me
We still have wars and famines and we still have poverty
And we still have this awful thing called ethnic cleansing and we still have refugees
And we still wage war on Mother Earth and we still pollute her seas.
What have we learned from history if anything at all
Before the baby has to walk the baby has to learn to crawl
And life is just a learning curve or so we have been told
But few of those who lack wisdom in their twenties grow wiser as they grow old.
What have we learned from history we have learned to populate
And by bulldozing more virgin woodlands more diseases we create
We pollute Mother Earth who feeds us and our successes seem so few
And that the World would do nicely without us only happens to be true.
What have we learned from history go ask one wiser than I
The World is far more polluted now than when I was a boy
And history has a habit of repeating itself a wise one once did say
And I've not learned from history though I grow old and gray.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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