Prejudice and discrimination have always been a big part of my life. When I was 6, I got beat up and called dirty Jew boy because they thought I looked Jewish.
quote by Philip Zimbardo
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Discrimination Here's You Come and Go
Discrimination’s like a snake
Its teeth in poisoned prejudice,
Causing ache
Discrimination abolished all warmth and spirit
And returned with a new hate
Relishing its pain brought
Never thought of halt
Hey
Discrimination’s the new law
Stony and steel and
Square without feelings
Like window frames
Of the Hall
In court
I wonder where the White’s Purity all gone.
Tears and Fears
Now the norm
In the name
Of discrimination
now
Gladly Discrimination has gone
Kicked out hard,
square and fair
Yet-
It left a hole
In everyone’s hearts.
What Is A Jewish Poem?
WHAT IS A JEWISH POEM?
What is a Jewish poem?
‘Shema’ is a Jewish poem
Perhaps the Jewish poem-
'Shmoneh Esreh' is comprised of Jewish poems
Nineteen prayers as one-
Our history is filled with Jewish poems-
From the beginning with Abraham and Sarah
Those who have given so much beyond our understanding -
Jewish poems everywhere -
Is each Jewish life a poem and a story also?
Or is it only those who give something to our people and history
Who are worthy of Poetry?
I have known many Jewish poems
People the great world will not know the names of
People who whether they walked humbly or not
Made the lives of others better in some way –
Kindness is perhaps the ultimate Jewish poem
And Justice also-
And Jewish poems are not without their contradictions –
As I write this poem in Jerusalem in the land of Israel
I think of the small Jewish world of Troy New York where I came from so many years ago
And miss so many people no longer of that and this world –
Longing for Israel for two thousand years was the Jewish poem
Living here now is a blessing and a gift
I thank God for.
poem by Shalom Freedman
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I Met A Man.
Along the road called Life I met a man today,
He asked if I were going his way.
I took a minute and looked him up and down,
Just to ask myself if he were someone I wanted to be around.
His heart was black with sin,
There seemed very little if any goodness within.
The years had etched upon his face,
And you my friend are failure and disgrace.
Now I noticed him looking back into me,
I was not going to be allowed to think my thoughts for free.
He looked at me and read my thought,
He spoke and this is what he taught.
You my son are me and I am you,
Your skin brown or your eyes deepest blue.
Each has choices to make,
And doors with paths to take.
The more I looked upon this ragged old man,
The more I understood this was part of God's plan.
Fair to say a God given plea,
That I see this old man was me.
[RKH] 2/07/2003
Ryan's Journey
There cannot be something bigger than me.
My body and mind it would say.
The things I see and the things I hear.
They must be the only way.
For years I truly believed this.
And then one day I did fall.
The things that I thought were the truth and were right.
It wasn’t the truth at all.
I then set out on a journey.
To places that I’d never known.
It was a journey to go in my mind and my heart.
And to soften my heart made of stone.
I was given a book and some angels.
To lead me on my new quest.
My old journey it brought the worst out of me.
I hoped this new one could bring out the best.
The journey began dark and was painful.
The hurts that were hidden inside.
It was then I reached the first destination.
This place it was called “Ryan’s Pride”.
I thought I was bigger then everything.
But something was bigger than me.
As I walked through the town that was called Ryan’s pride.
I thought to myself how could this be?
In this town I saw so many people.
And they all looked just like myself.
Everything they said they were right, I was wrong.
Time to put this town up on a shelf.
I said farewell to this town.
Down another path is where I went.
It was then I came across another big town.
This town it was called “I Resent”.
Everyone in this town was so bitter.
And the language they spoke was called hate.
They carried these things they called “grudges”.
On a dirty and tarnished old slate.
So I went and I purchased some “grudges”.
Saw the dirtiest slate I’d ever seen.
Then I went and purchased some bleach and some cloths.
And I wiped my dirty slate clean.
I left 'I Resent' shortly after.
I was glad it was bitter and cold.
The next stop on my journey of life.
Was a town that was called “I Controlled”.
Everyone in this place was so bossy.
And they picked each other apart.
Not letting anyone try to be themselves.
A town beating with only one heart.
I tried to fit into this town here.
But nobody would just let me be.
It just didn’t matter, I was never right.
These people they wouldn’t accept me.
In this town I saw a girl fall and get hurt.
I went and helped her to her feet.
And she said, “I am such a failure”.
This girl she looked truly beat.
I told her she was not a failure.
There was a lesson she learned from her fall.
I encouraged her for she had so many strengths.
And then this humble girl stood very tall.
I pondered the paths I had walked down.
And the cities that I came across.
I realized when I came to these cities in these towns.
That my heart and my mind they were lost.
All the people I hurt and battered.
The promises I never kept.
The burdens I placed on the people I loved.
It was me that I didn’t accept.
There were many more towns that I visited.
In the journey of my heart and my mind.
It wasn’t until the final stop I would reach.
It is where the Truth I would find.
This town it sat very empty.
Not a soul in this place did I see.
It was a beautiful town, it was called 'Love'.
This peaceful place was just for me.
Our world it is filled with seekers.
And we each were given a quest.
Sometimes you have to see the worst in yourself.
And just know it can bring out the best.
I am thankful that I took my journey.
I am thankful for my loving guide.
For the destination He wanted me to reach.
It came from my journey inside.
poem by Ryan Lee Morris
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Folk Singer's Blues
Well, I'd like to sing a song about the chain gang
And swingin' twelve pound hammers all the day,
And how a I'd like to kill my captain
And how a black man works his life away, but...
What do you do if you're young and white and Jewish?
And you've never swung a hammer against a spike?
And you've never called a water boy
Early in the morning
And your only chain is the chain that's on your bike? Yes,
Your only chain is the chain on your bike.
Now I'd like to go a-walkin up the highway
Feelin' cold and wet and hungry all night long,
Doin' some hard ramblin', hard gamblin', hard smamblin', hard blamblin'
But always takin' time to write a song. But...
What do you do if you're young and white and Jewish?
And you never heard an old freight whistle blow?
And you've never slept the night
In a cold and empty box car
And you take a subway everywhere you go? Oh, oh...
You take the subway everywhere you go.
Now I'd like to sing a song about the coal mine
A-chippin' away in tunnel 22
And when I hear that timber crack, why I support it with my back
Until my comrades all crawl safely through, but...
What do you do if you're young and white and Jewish?
And you've got to be in class at half-past nine
And in spite of all your urgin', and your pleadin' and your cryin'
Your mother says it's too dirty down in a mine, That what she says,
Your mother says it's too dirty down in a mine.
Well now, I'd like to sing about the Mississippi,
Workin' on the levee all the day
And when them cotton bolls get rotten
You got a lotta rotten cotton
And on Saturday you go and spend your pay, but
What do you do if you're young and white and Jewish?
And you've never loaded cotton on the dock?
And you've never worked a day
Or drunk up all your pay
And the only levee you know is the Levy who lives on the block, Yes
The only levee you know is the Levy who lives on the block.
poem by Sheldon Allan Silverstein
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Dirty White Boy
Hey, baby, if youre feelin down
I know whats good for you all day
Are you worried what your friends see
Will it ruin your reputation lovin me
cause Im a dirty white boy
Yeah a dirty white boy
A dirty white boy
Dont drive no big black car
Dont like no hollywood movie star
You want me to be true to you
You dont give a damn what I do to you
Im just a dirty white boy
Dirty white boy, dirty white boy
Dirty white boy, dirty white boy
Dirty white boy
Well, Im a dirty white boy
Dirty white boy, dirty white boy
Dirty white boy, yeah, dirty white boy
A dirty white boy
Ive been in trouble since I dont know when
Im in trouble now and I now somehow Ill find trouble again
Im a loner, but Im never alone
Every night I get one step closer to the danger zone
cause Im a dirty white boy
Dirty white boy, yeah, dirty white boy
Dirty white boy, Im a dirty white boy
Dirty white boy
Cmon, cmon boy
Dirty white boy, white boy
Dirty white boy, Im a dirty white boy
Dirty white boy
Hey, Im a dirty white boy
Dirty white boy, yeah, Im a dirty white boy
Dirty white boy, dirty white boy, yeah
song performed by by Foreigner
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Battle.... (We Have Fought)
the battle we have fought for so long,
as a 'free' society...
in the name of justice, equality, diversity,
responsibility, and freedom...
has reached the point of decision.
we either move forward no matter
what the cost...
believing the dream is worth the price...
or we crawl back into the cave
of self-fulfillment at the cost of all others.
prejudice and discrimination have gone from color
to religion to sex and sexual orientation,
and now to those enslaved by poverty.
we cannot turn our backs on each other...
we cannot allow the few to destroy the world.
we are responsible, we are a part of each other.
when one is hungry, we are all hungry.
when one family is homeless, we are all homeless.
when one person is a victim
of prejudice, hatred, and injustice...
we all are!
when one eats, all should eat.
when one has a chance to work,
all should have that chance...
when one child gets an education,
all should have that right.
this is the time, and this is the place...
it is now that we must choose!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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I Looked Out at Life with Holocaust Eyes
I looked out at life with Holocaust eyes
And what better did I know that I had been
looking through the lens of guilt and affliction,
Seeing life amiss and askew through my Holocaust guilt,
This fatal flaw was burning in my eyes
and how it lay siege to my Jewish heart,
A Greek tragedy in the making all of these years,
The guilt rose from deeply sealed vaults
inside my Jewish eyes and heart,
I could not help but see life through my Holocaust eyes,
Until these Holocaust pangs smoldered and burned
its acrid smoke in my eye sockets,
I peeled away its painful gauze and ace bandages,
My eyes had once lamented over the Holocaust afflictions,
But now I could see with clarion eyes and feel anew
with my Jewish heart by virtue of Holocaust healing balm,
As it clarified the lens, fluid and muscles of my eyes,
And now this healing balm paved a shimmering path within me,
For my Jewish heart to emerge and then shine its splendor
outwards on straight and forward path of life.
poem by Alan Freshman
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Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the greatest violence.
I don't really know of the Jewish tradition of comedy, only the Jewish tradition of not keeping your mouth shut. Complaining about all that is hard, unfair or ridiculous in life-having strong feelings, and not being able to suppress them. That, to me, is Jewish.
quote by Fred Melamed
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Nervous Shakedown
freeze, said the man cruisin the beat
you get your hands up and spread your feet
dont you move an inch, I heard him say
or youll be doin time until the judgement day
And he said, dont tell me no lies, give me alibis
cause if you cross my path, youll be doin life
Its a dirty lie
Chorus:
Its a shakedown
And its a nervous shakedown
A nervous shakedown
Another nervous shakedown
Its a shakedown
And its a nervous shakedown
We got a shakedown
Another nervous shakedown
(its more like a set-up)
take a dime, said the man, you can make one call
You got a one-way ticket to the county hall
Well, the judge looked high and I looked low
And when he smiled at me it was a one-man show
He said, two to five, the jury decides
Double parole if you survive
Its a dirty lie
Chorus
Law is gonna get you this time
And throw away the key
Chorus
Its a shakedown on - you
song performed by by AC-DC
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Down And Dirty
She's a dancing girl who brings up the heat
Hits on all the men
She knows how to move and make you feel
Like you want to get into sin
A chocolate bar was going really far
Really made me catch my breath
So she had an unordinary glance
I got down tools in the chest
Down and dirty
You're down and dirty, alright
She's down and dirty
You're down and dirty
She twisted her ass around drinks
While the dirty works the girl's booty
Whispered in my ear what I want to hear
Says, "Come with me baby, let's play." (Okay!)
She went to the back to get her traps
My sixth sense was bothering me
She came to work and something I heard
Makes me want to get comfy
Down and dirty
She's down and dirty, alright
Get down and dirty
Get down (Listen)
Down and dirty
Woo!
Alright
Ooh yeah
Well there's something going on
Something I've never known before
Leather and lace is all that I can see
I lost my power of will
You know she should be still
Never thought I'd get hit by some teen, no
I start to bleed, have mercy on me
I'm feelin' a bit distressed
What you're doing to me is so obscene
Got myself into a mess
She started to dance, I grabbed my pants
Found my way to the door
Hot on my trail, a thousand females
Saying, "Baby, more more more!"
Down and dirty
(Hurt me)
Down and dirty
(Well, well, well)
Down and dirty
(Oh yeah)
Get down and dirty
(She is)
Get down (Down)
Get dirty (Dirty)
Take me down (Alright)
One more
Get down (Oh yeah)
Get dirty (Turn around)
Get down (Come over here)-
song performed by by Quiet Riot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Dirty Old Town
I met my love by the gas works wall
Dreamed a dream by the old canal
Kissed a girl by the factory wall
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Clouds a drifting across the moon
Cats a prowling on their beat
Springs a girl in the street at night
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Heard a siren from the docks
Saw a train set the night on fire
Smelled the spring on the smoky wind
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Im going to make me a good sharp axe
Shining steel tempered in the fire
Will chop you down like an old dead tree
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
song performed by by Pogues
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Better Resurrection
there is a larger life
than life, my life
and i am glad to be a part
i am a torso that speaks out
when the water dries out
i would beat a step out
when the axis ceases to turn
i too would beat a step out
when the plants all
make their exit
i too would follow suit
this creature called earth
- the trees, river, air,
humans, animals -
the laws that govern it
run this physique too
god turns the earth
and pumps our hearts
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
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Beat of the Drum from the Ole Salvation Army
Listen oh Listen as you hear a faint the sound of horns and a strong beat,
As you start to wonder what it is, it wants to make to move around up and down the street.
This causes you to move closer until you find it and the beat of it is getting very strong,
You realize that is a band and you have people around them and you and make you feel like you belong.
A few of them sing songs about a man called Jesus,
And this is something that makes you curious.
Hmmm the thought goes through your head as you listen to a man speak of how this man came and gave his life,
He speaks of how a man named Satan will try to struggle with you causing a heck of strife.
A person that you do not know comes to you and ask, if you want the man called Christ in your heart,
This made you happy to think about this question and makes you wish you had known of him from the very start.
After a lot of them accepted Him in them life, then we could all hear the beat of the drum from the good Ole Salvation Army,
So in the future and you heart that strong ole beat, then it will remind you that there is a reason to be spiritually.
poem by Frank Pulver
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My Cousin broke my heart
i thought i looked up 2 you
i thought i called you my cuz
that i'll never forget
how wrong was i
i thought you were great
i thought you were my older cuz
sumone and the only person
i could look up 2
then you go a pull ur shit
i cant get over how wrong i was
you not a person i can look up 2
cuz a person i could look up 2
would talk to me when i call
and no make up excuses 2 not talk 2 me
so all i have 2 say is
icant believe i ever looked up 2 you
poem by Heather Noble
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Life is Give and Take
There was a lady I once knew
who lived in a house all alone.
She never ventured far from there,
this place where she had grown.
She never called me by my name.
She only called me friend.
We'd talk a while and then were quiet.
But before the visit would end
she'd place her hand inside of mine
and hold it tenderly.
As I left I always felt
her touch I'd take with me.
I looked forward to these times
and knew that she did too.
When she died I cried a little
and was glad she never knew
that I had lost my vision
and was blind just like she.
I'm glad I never told her that.
She thought that I could see.
Life is give and take I know.
Nothing else matters much.
The part of her that stays with me
is her friendly touch.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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As long as Nazi violence was unleashed only, or mainly, against the Jews, the rest of the world looked on passively and even treaties and agreements were made with the patently criminal government of the Third Reich.... The doors of Palestine were closed to Jewish immigrants, and no country could be found that would admit those forsaken people. They were left to perish like their brothers and sisters in the occupied countries. We shall never forget the heroic efforts of the small countries, of the Scandinavian, the Dutch, the Swiss nations, and of individuals in the occupied part of Europe who did all in their power to protect Jewish lives.
quote by Albert Einstein
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Discrimination
Racism a nasty word
that conjures thoughts
of oppressive deeds
made by man because
of creed.
Discrimination another one
that binds our minds
and sharpens tongues
because of some elitist thought
that's unjust and plainly wrong.
Fighting wars because of God?
Trampling on the underdog.
But we have legislation
to banish discrimination.
'Equal opportunity'
is the current phrase; our incantation.
The rules and laws
are needed where
some of us would dare
to think in ways that denigrate
others on this Earth; our place.
Racism? There is just one human race
no matter what form the face.
And discrimination
a faculty we all posses
to separate what's bad from best.
Discrimination would be good
if it were used for what it does;
revealing what unites ALL of us.
poem by David Taylor
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Standing Beside Fay One Saturday.
It was Saturday morning
and Fay stood beside you
on the balcony of the flats
looking over the Square
she pointed at the baker
and his horse drawn cart
down by the wall below
my daddy says he's Jewish
she said
those who asked
for the death of Christ
you followed the baker
as he made his way to the stairs
carrying his bread basket
I don't think he was involved
you said watching the baker
until he disappeared up the stairs
she looked right over the balcony
gripping the brick wall
with her hands
I don't think he's Jewish at all
she said letting her feet
dropp back on the floor
and it doesn't matter if he is
I think he's a nice man
she added
looking at you
with her bright blue eyes
and you gazed at her
standing there
her flowered dress
colourful and coming
just below her knees
her battered sandals
having seen
better days
and her fair hair
tied into a ponytail
at the back
she looked over
the balcony again
I like to feed his horse
with sugar cubes
I get from home
she said thoughtfully
you lean over the balcony
beside her
your elbow touching hers
the pulse of her being
vibrating into your arm
you imagine
don't your parents mind
you taking their sugar?
you asked
she looked guiltily away
they don't know
she said softly
daddy would punish
if he knew
she paused and then said
you won't tell them will you?
the baker came along
the balcony behind you both
whistling happily
of course not
you said
taking in her
trembling jaw line
her blue eyes
and her lips slightly open
her words gone
it's a nice day
the baker called
yes
you both replied
I don't think he's Jewish
she said
anyway.
poem by Terry Collett
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