The corals do not look much worn, but still appear to have been dead. There are some delicate shells of molluscs from depths beyond 500 fathoms, where they were certainly living.
quote by Edward Forbes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
The Free Trader's Lament
Oft from a trading-boat I purchased spice
And shells and corals, brought for my inspection
From the fair tropics-paid a Christian price
And was content in my fool's paradise,
Where never had been heard the word 'Protection.'
'T was my sole island; there I dwelt alone
No customs-house, collector nor collection,
But a man came, who, in a pious tone
Condoled with me that I had never known
The manifest advantage of Protection.
So, when the trading-boat arrived one day,
He threw a stink-pot into its mid-section.
The traders paddled for their lives away,
Nor came again into that haunted bay,
The blessed home thereafter of Protection.
Then down he sat, that philanthropic man,
And spat upon some mud of his selection,
And worked it, with his knuckles in a pan,
To shapes of shells and coral things, and span
A thread of song in glory of Protection.
He baked them in the sun. His air devout
Enchanted me. I made a genuflexion:
'God help you, gentle sir,' I said. 'No doubt,'
He answered gravely, 'I'll get on without
Assistance now that we have got Protection.'
Thenceforth I bought his wares-at what a price
For shells and corals of such imperfection!
'Ah, now,' said he, 'your lot is truly nice.'
But still in all that isle there was no spice
To season to my taste that dish, Protection.
poem by Ambrose Bierce
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
mountain holiday
we walk looking for shells
and corals
haiku by John Tiong Chunghoo
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
In The Shallows
AMONG the shallows where the sand
Is golden and the waves are small,
I love to lie, and to my hand
How many little treasures fall!
What shells and seaweed grace the shore,
What happy birds on happy wings,
And for companions, what a store
Of humble, happy, living things!
Yet the sea's depths are also mine,
And in the old days I used to dive
Into the caves, where corals shine
And where the shimmering mer-folk live.
I am the master of the sea
In deeps where fairy flowers uncurl;
That treasure-house belongs to me,
Those amber halls, those stairs of pearl.
But now thereto I go no more,
Because of all the argosies,
Deep sunk upon the ocean floor,
Where all the world's lost treasure lies.
Where loveless laughter curls the lips
Of wild sea creatures at their sport
About the bones of noble ships,
My ships, that never came to port.
poem by Edith Nesbit
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Duplicitous in Needs
Adorning shells.
Teased with temptations,
To physically update...
What is worn on their backs,
To impress and attract...
Those with eyes on fashion.
Fads and quick existences.
Trained to accept,
Themselves as domesticated.
Duplicitous in needs...
Adorning shells this human species.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Everlasting Gaze
You know I'm not dead
Now you know where I've been
As you sleep
Torn I am
Weighted down
Patiently
Born of love
You know I'm not dead
I'm just living in my head
Forever waiting
On the ways of your desire
You always find a way
And thru it all
Into us all you move
Forgotten touch
Forbidden thought
We can never have enough
You know I'm not dead
Found below
The creatures scream
Stranglehold
A god machine
Begging to
Tear us out
Worn as hope
You know I'm not dead I'm just the tears inside your head
Forever waiting
On the ways of your desire
You always find a way
And thru it all into us all you move
Forgotten touch
Forbidden thought
We can never have enough
You know I'm not dead
We all want to hold in the everlasting gaze
Enchanted in the rapture of his sentimental sway
But underneath the wheels lie the skulls of every c.o.g.
The fickle fascination of an everlasting god
You know I'm not dead
I'm just living in my head
Forever waiting
Forever waiting on cruel death
You know I'm not dead
I'm just living for myself
Forever waiting
You know I'm not dead
song performed by by Smashing Pumpkins
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Plunge
i have taken the plunge
deep in the bosom of the blue sea
into the depths of the ocean
to be with the fish and the
corals of this sandy floor
there is no coming back
there are no reasons on the surface
there is this final plunge
searching for eternity
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Your Words Of Love
I am seemingly missing your words of love,
Those words that were written on the sand
And erased by the first wave.
Do you remember, my love?
I have enclosed them hermetically
with that last kiss.
And, after that,
Another kiss
And another exotic beach
And another feeling, autumnal feeling,
Of another ostensible seemingly love
Fulfilled my nothingness...
Among corals and shells,
Dried by the winds of the sea,
I awake in following my lost steps,
Taken by the waves
And redirected to the great unknown in the sea,
That great eternal.....
I still love you,
I love you more, miss you more.
Yes, I still miss you
And I realize that all I can do now
Is to lodge near the moan of the sea sand,
Which feels like a silk slipped worn-out dress,
When I touch it.
And slantingly I elect the oblivion,
When
I want to kiss again and again
Your gray-haired temple,
But, in reverting, I receive only
The kiss of our child...
poem by Marieta Maglas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Final Plunge
i have taken the plunge
deep in the bosom of the blue sea
into the depths of the ocean
to be with the fish and the
corals of this sandy floor
there is no coming back
there are no reasons on the surface
there is this final plunge
searching for eternity
forget me then, creature of light
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Barnacles
My soul is sailing through the sea,
But the Past is heavy and hindereth me.
The Past hath crusted cumbrous shells
That hold the flesh of cold sea-mells
About my soul.
The huge waves wash, the high waves roll,
Each barnacle clingeth and worketh dole
And hindereth me from sailing!
Old Past let go, and drop i' the sea
Till fathomless waters cover thee!
For I am living but thou art dead;
Thou drawest back, I strive ahead
The Day to find.
Thy shells unbind! Night comes behind,
I needs must hurry with the wind
And trim me best for sailing.
poem by Sidney Lanier
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
When Cap'n Tom Comes Home
WHEN Cap'n Tom comes home, and his sea chest
Is opened, oh, the shells that rainbow foam
Tossed on far shores, by us to be possessed
When Cap'n Tom comes home!
Cocoanuts for which gray, chattering monkeys clomb;
Tamarinds, and dates, and luscious sweetmeats pressed
Into blue jars of quaint pagoda dome!
Canaries, corals, shimmering shawls and, best
Of all, keepsakes that on wild seas a-roam
He carved from whale's tooth for a village blest
When Cap'n Tom comes home!
poem by Katharine Lee Bates
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A Brief Moment Out of Time
A year ends under a monstrous wave.
Eleven countries bury their dead, and
Cry for the hopelessness of what is.
Water recedes, spitting out what once was
Mother, sister, brother, new born, friend.
Like small broken shells they wash to the shore,
Picked over carefully by the living.
They look for what was theirs,
In a brief moment out of time.
Nature clawing back centuries of structure,
Ecosystems of every kind, fallen.
Into the maw of an ocean starved,
Proven by its savage molestation of the land.
Showing no discrimination while it swallowed
Cities, islands, and all that inhabited.
Then, fully gorged sluggishly withdrew
Leaving the remnants of its meal behind.
Tears of the living, blood of the dead,
Mingled with the salt of sea.
New rivers were born,
In a brief moment out of time.
poem by Kathy Koppang
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Dead End Street
Theres a crack up in the ceiling,
And the kitchen sink is leaking.
Out of work and got no money,
A sunday joint of bread and honey.
What are we living for?
Two-roomed apartment on the second floor.
No money coming in,
The rent collectors knocking, trying to get in.
We are strictly second class,
We dont understand,
(dead end!)
Why we should be on dead end street.
(dead end!)
People are living on dead end street.
(dead end!)
Gonna die on dead end street.
Dead end street (yeah)
Dead end street (yeah)
On a cold and frosty morning,
Wipe my eyes and stop me yawning.
And my feet are nearly frozen,
Boil the tea and put some toast on.
What are we living for?
Two-roomed apartment on the second floor.
No chance to emigrate,
Im deep in debt and now its much too late.
We both want to work so hard,
We cant get the chance,
(dead end!)
People live on dead end street.
(dead end!)
People are dying on dead end street.
(dead end!)
Gonna die on dead end street.
Dead end street (yeah)
Dead end street (yeah)
(dead end!)
People live on dead end street.
(dead end!)
People are dying on dead end street.
(dead end!)
Gonna die on dead end street.
Dead end street (yeah)
Dead end street (yeah)
Dead end street (yeah)
Head to my feet (yeah)
Dead end street (yeah)
Dead end street (yeah)
Dead end street (yeah)
Hows it feel? (yeah)
Hows it feel? (yeah)
Dead end street (yeah)
Dead end street (yeah)
song performed by by Kinks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
The Soil And Stone Too Are Living Things
the hair on its own
is a line of dead cells
but when it's on the head
it's part of a living spirit
the sand on its own is a
startling patch of the reality
of the non living
but put in the water, put in air
light and seeds and it
becomes a part of the living world
take away any of these the living entity
dwindles into a dead plane
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Gates To Hell
I know that in the depths beneath
Guilty are the saved.
I know living through pain
You will obey. you lie.
Living out this day your body begins to rot.
Low down here beneath living is dying.
Woe can feed by thoughts of the dead.
Find your way to escape. you cant even try, try.
Enter the gates to hell.
It is. is where we must dwell.
Fear, fear of fate, then your fate is getting , is getting into grind.
Even as weve begun youre decomposing as youre dying.
When youre paying for life after life.
Thoughts are incinerated. life is a crime.
Burning out.
song performed by by Obituary
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Festive Time
Hey Devotee!
It is festive time
For you,
To please yourself
And me.
Yet, I’m sorry to say
It doesn’t appease me.
You must be
Really enjoying
The cacophony
Of drums and beats
That scare away the birds
And animals on the streets.
May be, there are old people
Resting nearby in the very same
Streets through which your
Clamorous procession proceeds.
May be, a baby is in deep slumber.
May be, a child is having his exams.
May be, someone is reeling under
High fever. Needs some rest, if only
You could feel and see their stress
That keeps rising…the more your
Blaring mikes reach their crescendos.
What about the waters of my rivers
That swell up with tears…they know
At the end of the day, when the
Pooja culminates, the Pratima is
Immersed for Visarjan,
Their flora and fauna will take the brunt
Of all the plastic, the lead and mercuric
Colours, the numerous poly bags,
That float all over…
My waters blow up with carcasses
In the burning ghats, as if that wasn’t
Enough, now you do it all the year
Through…some Pooja or the other,
And my fish and crabs, turtles and frogs,
The shells and corals, the molluscs, you name it,
I have it in varied forms: my aquatic life
Pays the price for your water pollution.
Not to mention the noise pollution -
That comes with every Pooja celebration.
Why make a hue and cry, why publicise
Religion, why commercialise it, why not
Offer silent prayers to your temple deity?
I’m omniscient. I know it all…
Your desires and wishes.
I know you love me.
No need to overflow with so many emotions
That disturb the peace and tranquility
Of the environment.
Please preserve its sanctity.
Do not detonate it with all your commotion.
Religion should be heartfelt devotion.
Not a razzmatazz of pomp and show.
Remember me in your silent prayers,
Why upset the eco balance with your
Irreverent actions of religious fervour?
Worship me as Kali, Durga, Lakshmi.
I may be also your Saraswati. You also
See me as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha.
So many forms, myriad tales of my myths.
But leave out nature from the pain and agony
You inflict on its plants, birds and animals.
Don’t malign religion
With noise pollution
And water pollution.
poem by Aparna Chatterjee
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Song be Delicate
Let your song be delicate.
The skies declare
No war — the eyes of lovers
Wake everywhere.
Let your voice be delicate.
How faint a thing
Is Love, little Love crying
Under the Spring.
Let your song be delicate.
The flowers can hear:
Too well they know the tremble,
Of the hollow year.
Let your voice be delicate.
The bees are home:
All their day's love is sunken
Safe in the comb.
Let your song be delicate.
Sing no loud hymn:
Death is abroad . . . Oh, the black season!
The deep — the dim!
poem by John Shaw Neilson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Dead And Broken
Too many things I've never spoken
I'm not feeling fine
I never told you what to do
I never made you a promise that you could hold me to
That'll be the day you see me crying
Everyday, I still say you're dead and broken
Everyday, I still say you're dead and broken
You're dead and broken
How many different faces can you show me?
How many times can you be right?
Another world of fantasy
Another reason for dramatizing everything
Taking it all in just one more time
I'm dying
Everyday, I still say you're dead and broken
Everyday, I still say you're dead and broken
You're dead and broken
Sorry to see that you're underestimated lately
I'd rather be dead and broken than living in your grace
Everyday, I still say you're dead and broken
Everyday, I still say you're dead and broken
You're dead and broken
You're dead and broken
You're dead and broken
You're dead and broken
You're dead and broken
You're dead and broken
You're dead and broken
song performed by by Godsmack
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Soul On Fire
Theres a flame that leads our souls astray
No ones safe from its tender touch of pain
And every day its looking for new slaves
To celebrate the beauty of the grave
We are like the living dead
Sacrificing all we have
For a frozen heart and a soul on fire
We are like the living dead
Craving for deliverance
With a frozen heart and a soul on fire
And again were falling for disgrace
And hate will shelter us from the rain
We are enslaved by the sacred heart of shame
And gently raped by the light of day
We are like the living dead
Sacrificing all we have
For a frozen heart and a soul on fire
We are like the living dead
Craving for deliverence
With a frozen heart and a soul on fire
Addicted to our divine despair
(? )
But you will follow us to death
We are like the living dead
Sacrificing all we have
For a frozen heart and a soul on fire
We are like the living dead
Craving for deliverence
With a frozen heart and a soul on fire
With a soul on
Soul on
Soul on
Fire
Soul on fire
song performed by by H.i.m. (his Infernal Majesty)
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Soul On Fire
There's a flame that leads our souls astray
No one's safe from its tender touch of pain
And every day it's looking for new slaves
To celebrate the beauty of the grave
We are like the living dead
Sacrificing all we have
For a frozen heart and a soul on fire
We are like the living dead
Craving for deliverance
With a frozen heart and a soul on fire
And again we're falling for disgrace
And hate will shelter us from the rain
We are enslaved by the sacred heart of shame
And gently raped by the light of day
We are like the living dead
Sacrificing all we have
For a frozen heart and a soul on fire
We are like the living dead
Craving for deliverence
With a frozen heart and a soul on fire
Addicted to our divine despair
The venom of the cross we bear
The guilt will follow us to death
We are like the living dead
Sacrificing all we have
For a frozen heart and a soul on fire
We are like the living dead
Craving for deliverence
With a frozen heart and a soul on fire
With a soul on
Soul on
Soul on
Fire
Soul on fire
song performed by by H.I.M.
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Uniforms
(3/9/12)
So many uniforms worn in this life, and inside them
You'll find your loved ones -your soul mate
Son, daughter, husband, or wife.
Firemen, policemen, nurses, and military too
They all have a job to do.
And as you look at them with pride
You thank god they're by your side.
The uniform does not make the person
But the person makes the uniform.
Because in it they pour the heart and soul
And it's there where they belong.
The firemen and women who run into a burning house
The cop who goes into the line of fire
The nurse who held their hand on you to stop the bleeding
And of course the military soldier
Who protects our country day and night
And will give up their lives in a fight.
Yet we do not stop and say:
"Thank you for all that you do
I am very proud to know you."
Their uniforms are just their shells
And at times they go thru hell.
But there is a person who never wore a uniform
But created all of them who wear it.
He is all these people rolled into one
He is "GODS SON".
He made these uniforms so that we can see their worth
And it was given to them from their birth.
So many uniforms to show what we do
But it doesn't show the inner you.
This uniform is seen only by god
It is called the human heart.
This uniform can not be replaced
by anything on this earth
For it was given by god at our birth.
We can be as beautiful or as vicious
As any animal on this earth, or as
Soft and sensitive as the most delicate flower
This is given to us from the lords powers.
Let us rejoice in what he has given
And make this life " worth living".
© L.Rams
poem by Louis Rams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!