The Valley Of Dry Bones
With crow bones all the land is white,
From the gates of morn to the gates of night.
Picked clean, they lie on the cumbered ground,
And the politician's paunch is round;
And he strokes it down and across as he sings:
'I've eaten my fill of the legs and wings,
The neck, the back, the pontifical nose,
Breast, belly and gizzard, for everything goes.
The meat that's dark (and there's none that's white)
Exceeded the need of my appetite,
But I've bravely stuck to the needful work
That a hungry domestic hog would shirk.
I've eaten the fowl that the Fates commend
To reluctant lips of the People's Friend.
Rank unspeakably, bitter as gall,
Is the bird, but I've eaten it, feathers and all.
I'm a dutiful statesman, I am, although
I really don't like a diet of crow.
So I've dined all alone in a furtive way,
But my platter I've cleaned every blessed day.
They say that I bolt; so I do-my bird;
They say that I sulk, but they've widely erred!
O Lord! if my enemies only knew
How I'm full to the throat with the corvic stew
They'd open their ears to hear me profess
The faith compelled by the corvic stress,
(For, alas! necessity knows no law)
In the heavenly caucus-'Caw! Caw! Caw!''
And that ornithanthropical person tried
By flapping his arms on the air to ride;
But I knew by the way that he clacked his bill
He was just the poor, featherless biped, Dave Hill.
poem by Ambrose Bierce
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Related quotes
Does Anyone Wish to Gargle With Mint
Well...
Now that we all are here,
And seem to have eaten...
Reluctantly,
A bit of unsweetened crow.
Let us keep in mind,
We still have heights to climb.
And although it is known,
We all have eaten a bit of crow...
Let's not stop,
Removing other stumbling blocks.
Too much is still there,
To keep out awareness expanding.
Well...
Now that we all are here,
And seem to have eaten...
Reluctantly,
A bit of unsweetened crow.
Does anyone wish to gargle with...
Mint or lime flavored mouthwash?
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Dave Hill 'Flapping His Arms On The Air To Ride
If anyone knows de origin of the feud between bitter Ambrose Bierce
ref rib 'poor, featherless biped, Dave Hill' hated politician fierce
then 'The Valley Of Dry Bones' 'Caw! Caw! Caw! ' words please pierce?
Quotation from the poem 'The Valley Of Dry Bones' by Ambrose Bierce.
poem by Terence George Craddock
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Bird Life
Perched upon an old wheelbarrow-
Scrutinizing Crow,
commentated long, on all he saw.
Feathered friends, who came to wallow,
splashing in the bird-bath hollow
disregarded Crow's bizarre guffaw.
'Are you starling, from the meadow'?
asked the puzzled crow.
'You fit the bill and yet I see a flaw'.
'Tail feathers, long and narrow,
sharp as swallow's twin-pronged arrow,
force me to admit, I'm quite unsure'.
'I'm the Swarling from the plateau',
bird replied, 'Hello'.
'My plumage is unique and furthermore'-
'Meet my friend, the warbling Starlow,
deft in flight as dancing shadow,
blessed with starling beak and swallow claw'.
'Preposterous'! said crow with gusto,
'strange imbroglio'.
'You must be one or other, it's the law'.
To which the enigmatic duo,
chirped a ringing manifesto.
Crow could think of nowt to say, but 'Caw'.
poem by Diane Hine
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The Crow
I have sat the wily beast
rode in the darkest night
eaten from the trough
of death;
lay down
and kissed
Evil's Lips.
Found myself screeching at night
distended hopes
lying all around;
and witch-like
cackles all in my ear
coming from
my own throat.
I rely upon
artifice
dark clothing
and obscured intent
to pluck weaknesses
from other's heart
upon which
I then feast.
You can hear the flapping
of my Crow's Wings
as I light
upon the next house
in the dead of night
silent, skulking
as my eyes pierce
chimney down
to see
just who is home
and who is gone.
And then
I drop
my cargo;
it lands inside the fireplace
to burn like incense
to infest the house;
but suddenly
my throat
runs dry
my Crows eyes fog
I dropp down
dead;
killed by
by laughter
below
and a Christmas Tree
which lit me aflame.
poem by Lonnie Hicks
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To a Sleeping Child
Lips, lips, open!
Up comes a little bird that lives inside
Up comes a little bird, and peeps, and out he flies.
All the day he sits inside, and sometimes he sings,
Up he comes, and out he goes at night to spread his wings.
Little bird, little bird, whither will you go?
Round about the world, while nobody can know.
Little bird, little bird, whither do you flee?
Far away around the world, while nobody can see.
Little bird, little bird, how long will you roam?
All round the world and around again home;
Round the round world, and back through the air,
When the morning comes, the little bird is there.
Back comes the little bird and looks and in he flies,
Up wakes the little boy, and opens both his eyes.
Sleep, sleep, little boy, little bird’s away,
Little bird will come again, by the peep of day;
Sleep, little boy, the little bird must go
Round about the world, while nobody can know.
Sleep, sleep sound, little bird goes round,
Round and round he goes; sleep, sleep sound.
poem by Arthur Hugh Clough
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Mr. Crow And Sir Norman
Ventrilloquist was he, little boy sat on his knee
The people knew that the show was but the best one in the land
Until the night before the act
The dummy's clothes had all been packed away - he'd gone
And he'd left poor mr. crow right in the lurch
You know he's gone far away
I hear his voice go laughing
What of all the years we shared?
Hello mr. crow has your little boy left home - did he run away
Well i hope he'll soon be back to do the show
I'm sorry you must feel quite sad when your dummy runs away without a word
That is all old mr. crow had heard
You know he's gone far away
I hear his voice go laughing
What of all the years we shared?
Now come on mr. crow my dear
We'd better have this gottle o' geer
Then one fateful night into the dressing room so bright
Walked our friend tabledoll
Mr. crow cried tears of joy all in his tea
The bad doll said kindly address me as sir norman little man i am a star
And if you weren't so old maybe i'd let you be my doll
You know i've been far away
I've heard the people laugh
Now i'm a great big star
song performed by by Electric Light Orchestra
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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As the Crow flies
There are certain species in the crow family.
This entirely glossy black bird never sings.
Carrion crow feeds on grain and the house crow is a reputed scavenger.
Fish crow eats fish and all these species live in the handsome and dangerous Man-crow who sings at all but never flies?
poem by Nimal Dunuhinga
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Sad Sad Sorrow
The crow sits there
Atop a willow branch
Singing the sad sad song
Of sorrow
Warning you
The end is near
You dismiss the thought
And cover your ears
From the retched cawing
Of the crow
It follows you
Where ever you go
It's a burden
On your shoulder's low
You try to understand
What the crow means
You're sitting on your bed
And you hear
A distant tapping
On your window
The crow
You see it crying
Tears of a dark angel
You jump back
Startled
And try to catch your breath
You go to the window
But the crow's gone
And you begin to feel
All alone
You look down
And see one of its feathers
With its dark magic
And mystic wonder
You roll it over
Between your fingertips
And hear it singing
The song
Of sad sad sorrow
You piece together the puzzle
Tears of an angel
Feathers of dark magic
And the sad sad sorrow song
It's the end
The end is near
The day the crow left
So did you
And now all you hear
Is the song of
Sad sad sorrow
Tierra Bradley
poem by Tierra Bradley
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Eve, Oh Eve
Why wouldn't Eve have eaten of the fruit?
Didn't she have a hand to reach out with,
Fingers with which to make a fist?
Didn't Eve have a stomach for feeling hunger,
A tongue for feeling thirst,
A heart with which to love?
Well, then, why wouldn't Eve have eaten of the fruit?
Why would she merely have suppressed her wishes,
Regulated her steps,
Subdued her thirst?
Why would she have been so compelled
To keep Adam moving around in the Garden of Eden all their lives?
Because Eve did eat of the fruit,
There is sky and earth.
Because she has eaten,
There are moon, sun, rivers, seas,
Because she has eaten, trees, plans and vines.
because Eve has eaten of the fruit
there is joy, because she has eaten there is joy.
joy, joy-
Eating of the fruit, Eve made a heaven of the earth.
Eve, if you get hold of the fruit
don't ever refrain from eating.
poem by Taslima Nasrin
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Funny - Fat Cat
Once, there was a white cat
Who was really, really fat
So fat
She looked like a bat
Who has eaten a huge rat.
The cat was walking in the street
Following a beat, with her feet
Tic, tac, tic, tac
Tictactictactictac
Looking for anything to eat
Milk, fish, tuna, meat...
But what a pity
The street was empty
So empty
Not even a birdie
To make her get nasty.
The cat kept walking in the street
Following a beat, with her feet
Tic, tac, tic, tac
Tic, tac, tic, tac
Looking for somewhere to sleep
Bed'n'sheets? Get real! Just a seat...
But she didn't find any, what a shame
Because she was really lame
So lame
She had forgotten her own name
And from where she originally came.
So she kept walking in the street
Feeling the heat, and pain in her feet
Tic, tac, tic, tac
Tic, tac
Looking for someone to blame
Same situation, same game...
Then, the white cat
Saw a tiny red hat
One hat
She ran, jumped and sat
In it, what a lucky cat!
But since she was really fat
She got stuck in the hat
So stuck
She looked like a rat
In a cheese trap.
A dog came walking in the street
Following a beat, with his feet
Tic, tac, tictac
Tic, tac, tictac
He saw something red
So he stopped near the cat's head:
'Haha! Cat, you pay the fees
For acting so bad with your peers! '
'Help, please'
'Call me bad boy, I love to tease
I'm getting outta here, say cheers! '
Then a bird came flying in the street
With his wings, following a beat
Tictactictactictac
Tictactictactictac
He saw something red
So he stopped above the cat's head:
'Oh, poor white cat
Are you trapped in this hat? '
'Damn I am! '
'Let me help you, sad little cat
Here, you're out, care for a chat? '
Rumors I heard
Say the cat ate the bird.
poem by by unknown author
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The Anomalous...
when an anomaly exposes itself
like a face
when wrinkles before did not
destroy it
soon you will tremble about
what you cannot believe
a man rises from the sea
with a tail of a dragon and his arms
soon turn into the wings of
a giant bat and if you are not
careful enough
because you have been too complacent
or too trustful in such a stupidity of
the foulest of all fools
you can be one of those gobbled up
eaten raw
like the way he had wantonly eaten
his last best friend
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Two Sides, One Coin
White bird of peace,
won't you please come save me,
since I'm swallowed by grief and I need sweet release.
Black bird of death,
won't you wrap 'round my neck,
as the ace, king, and queen fall away from the deck.
The caged bird sings,
but the lone bird dies;
Set it free, let it be, let it open your eyes.
poem by William Blake Beckett
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The bird that has eaten cannot fly with the bird that is hungry.
Native American Omaha proverbs
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The bird who has eaten cannot fly with the bird that is hungry.
Native American Omaha proverbs
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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What Bird So Sings, Yet So Does Wail?
What bird so sings, yet so does wail?
Oh, 'tis the ravished nightingale.
Jug, jug, jug, jug, tereu, she cries,
And still her woes at midnight rise.
Brave prick-song! Who is't now we hear?
None but the lark so shrill and clear;
How at heaven's gates she claps her wings,
The morn not waking till she sings.
Hark, hark, with what a pretty throat
Poor robin redbreast tunes his note;
Hark how the jolly cuckoos sing
Cuckoo, to welcome in the spring,
Cuckoo, to welcome in the spring.
The Stairway To Heaven
Defiant dreams begin at night
Before the brightest dawn,
As if one's soul was in a fight
So new hopes could be born...
And so it was, that this poor soul,
Began the upward climb,
Beyond both space and time's control
To Heaven's Gates sublime...
The hours passed and days passed, too,
As sun and moon decreed...
Regardless of my point of view,
Regardless of my need.
Starvation, thirst and peace of mind
All struggled side-by-side,
Yet I had left the world behind,
In Heaven to abide...
Christ promised me a mansion there,
How could I doubt His word?
I knew how deeply He must care
And faith within me stirred.
My arms and legs were tired out
And all my strength had gone...
Desparate prayers led to a shout,
For strength to carry on...
I stared on high and saw two wings
Come floating near to me...
Now I know why each angel sings
Throughout eternity...
I put them on, then flew above,
I soared like eagles can...
To Heaven's Gates, to meet my love,
My friend, the Son of Man...
We wept like babes, both truly blessed,
As trumps and harps now played...
Then we walked on, to meet the rest,
Who by their faith obeyed...
poem by Denis Martindale
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The Skylark's Message
SWEET little upturned faces,
Poor little hands and feet,
Little eyes that are careworn and anxious
From hunger and want in the street,
Hear ye that skylark singing
5
Like an angel far away?
'Tis bringing to you a message
From the Golden Gates of day.
Ah, little know ye of the meadows,
Poor little blistered feet,
10
Down in the smoke of the city,
Down in the noise of the street!
But it sings of a better country,
Where tired little hearts can rest;
Of a sun that shines for ever,
15
And the love of a Father's breast.
O poor little weary spirits,
I would that ye knew its song,
For the world is very heartless,
And your journey may be long;
20
And ye need such heavenly music
To cheer you in the night,
Little hearts that are now so noble,
Little souls that are now so white.
I would that ye heard it always,
25
That sweet bird's voice within,
When the heart is sad and lonely
In the long, long struggle with sin;
Till a rest comes out of the sunset
For the labouring hands and feet,
30
And a silence has fallen for ever
On the noise and the dust of the street.
poem by Frederick George Scott
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The Crow and The Butterfly
Ever wonder why the Crow chases the Butterfly?
Have you ever heard the Crow let out it's cry?
I think I found out why...
It's quite the interesting story, I had to pry..
The Butterfly's beauty, the Crow's will never match.
The Crow's life is nothing compared the the Butterfly's since it's first hatch.
If you are good enough to get a Butterfly, that is quite a catch.
Get a Crow somehow and it gets thrown right back out to the patch.
The Crow has had it so much easier than the Butterfly.
Straight jealousy from the Crow because they have to share the sky.
The Butterfly's flight is reason to stare, the Crow's just reason to cry.
Everyone stops to get a glance of a Buttflies, a few Crows and people pass by.
So if you ever hear a Crow cry,
Or see a Butterfly being chased by a Crow,
Just think how bad that Crow wants to be a Butterfly.....
poem by Joe Gosart
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A Cautious Crow
A cautious crow
Strolled across my car roof
Casually glancing through the windshield
I watched him from inside the car
Carelessly he started to stumble
I cracked open the window
Waved a finger or two
That crow didn't budge
He came over to my window
Cawed a mighty caw
And deposited a tiny white flower into my hand
I looked in confussion
Then went to ask the bird what this was
But all in one second
He picked himself up and
Caustiously flew away
poem by Cheyenne Ashley
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Old Jim Crow
Ron vander groef, jackie alper, nina simone
Old jim crow
Where you been baby
Down mississippi and back again
Old jim crow dont you know
Its all over now
Old jim crow
Whats wrong with you
It aint your name
Its the things you do
Old jim crow dont you know
Its all over now
Old jim crow
Youve been around too long
Gotta work the devil
til your dead and gone
Old jim crow
Yes, dont you know
Its all over now
Its all over now
Old jim crow
You know its true
When you hurt my brother
You hurt me too
Old jim crow dont you know
Its all over now
Old jim crow
I thought I had you beat
Now I see you walkin
And talkin up and down my street
Old jim crow dont you know
Its all over now
Old jim crow
Youve been around too long
Gotta work the devil
til your dead and gone
Old jim crow dont you know
Its all over
All over
Oh lord, its all over
All over
Its all over
Its all over
Its all over now.
song performed by by Nina Simone
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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