The Gold Key
The speaker in this case
is a middle-aged witch, me-
tangled on my two great arms,
my face in a book
and my mouth wide,
ready to tell you a story or two.
I have come to remind you,
all of you:
Alice, Samuel, Kurt, Eleanor,
Jane, Brian, Maryel,
all of you draw near.
Alice,
at fifty-six do you remember?
Do you remember when you
were read to as a child?
Samuel,
at twenty-two have you forgotten?
Forgotten the ten P.M. dreams
where the wicked king
went up in smoke?
Are you comatose?
Are you undersea?
Attention,
my dears,
let me present to you this boy.
He is sixteen and he wants some answers.
He is each of us.
I mean you.
I mean me.
It is not enough to read Hesse
and drink clam chowder
we must have the answers.
The boy has found a gold key
and he is looking for what it will open.
This boy!
Upon finding a string
he would look for a harp.
Therefore he holds the key tightly.
Its secrets whimper
like a dog in heat.
He turns the key.
Presto!
It opens this book of odd tales
which transform the Brothers Grimm.
Transform?
As if an enlarged paper clip
could be a piece of sculpture.
(And it could.)
poem by Anne Sexton
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Related quotes
I read a book
I read a book
Not to enhance my looks
I read a book
Maybe to avoid being a crook
I read a book
Not just to learn how to cook
I read a book
To ascertain how to defend my rights
Not just to acquire knowledge
Reading a book I pledge,
Is one of the roads to the light
I read a book
To understand how a kings territory
Is defended with pieces such as the rook
I read a book
So there will be no questions asked
When I count correctly what you took
I read a book
So that I play not ignorant
Now on life I’ve a different outlook
I read a book
So if I come up with all the right answers
I will know for sure it is not merely a fluke
Copyright 2006 - Sylvia Chidi
poem by Sylvia Chidi
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Alice In Wonderland
i must remember alice.
and when i remember alice,
i must again remember
the wonderland: where
rabbits talk and caterpillars
smoke where Humpty Dumpty
always has a story to tell
where politics become
but a fantasy, where riddles
come like fables and
parables. after all these
imaginings, i am lost
and then, i forget alice.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Not Forgotten
Not forgotten, although gone,
thoughts of you go on and on.
One clear picture and then another
come to mind as if to smother
any other scene where you're not there.
For I can remember you everywhere.
Not forgotten, although gone,
I awaken and again I'm drawn
back from dreams to reality.
Yes you're gone, not your memory.
Another day that I must face.
I stare again into vacant space.
Not forgotten, not by me.
With open eyes I still can see
every feature, every look.
To me you were an open book.
Nothing hidden on any page,
now I'm trapped in this worldly cage
without you.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Open Book's Monologue Part 3: My Lie
Maybe a lie was told
Believed by all of you now old
If you read the open book
You'd see
The words 'I care nothing about how someone might look'
When searching for love for that girl that I want with me
Remember that and pay attention when the open book says looks are not
An issue
But realizing the lie, this book will need a strong tissue
For, the book will cry
And need support, no spine
Because if I care nothing about looks
Why do I want (maybe crave) to hold her or share a kiss?
How can this
Be true? Why does that matter? It should not!
I should be content with talking....feelings....not if she is hot
I tell myself if she is hot, such things matter to me not
But if that's true why do I want to hug or touch?
Why do I want the physical contact and such
How can I reconcile my claim, when once before
I loved a girl only for how she looked and that made her perfect
Without defect
How can I trust myself after that am I not something to abhor?
What can you do when a book you read does lie
That is the case with this open book, crafty and sly
I can't trust myself, but who else knows how I feel, who knows
Where my heart goes
And to where does it belong?
O how I long for the completion of love and affection
But how can I have that, when I can't handle it, I'm not mature
Plagued by imperfection
The flaw of my nature
What do I love? And what do I love about you?
But also if what I say even to myself can be a lie then just who
Just..... just who am I? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ?
poem by David Knox
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Broken Fairy Tales
Heres a little story that I made up
So let's play make believe
In my castle on the cliff
I look out to sea
I just wanna have some fun
I just wanns have a good time
My party is nothing special
I just can't seem to realize
In my little fairy tale book
That's where my dreams wait for me
In my little own world
My prince waits for me
Broken dreams and fairy tales
One of those things I know so well
My fantasy dreams aren't real anymore
They're just Broken Fairy Tales
The wicked witch dreams in her sleep
She is making green elephants for tea
She cackles and cries
The witch is alive and she's ready for the sun
A white horse rides the waves
His mane is silver and snow
The moon which rides
Along the great tides
Is living his life to the full
In my little fairy tale book
That's where my dreams wait for me
In my little own world
My prince waits for me
Broken dreams and fairy tales
One of those things I know so well
My fantasy dreams aren't real anymore
They're just Broken Fairy Tales
Walking through my winter wonderland
The pine tree's sway, glistened with snow
As we walk along, we hear Santa say
'Welcome to the book of Broken Fairy Tales.'
Broken dreams and fairy tales
One of those things I know so well
My fantasy dreams aren't real anymore
They're just Broken Fairy Tales
As I wake from my dream I realise
That this is my broken fairy tale
poem by AnneMarie Hewlett
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Why Dont You Read The Book
Dont talk to the pilot
When hes flyin
Dont smile at the soldier
Hes on parade
Dont come creeping round, youll
Catch me cryin
No more talkin bout it
Its all been said
You drawn such a fine line baby
Learnin all the rules
Why dont ya read between them sometimes
You wont look such a fool
Why dont you read the book, why dont you read the book
Why dont you read the book, why dont you read the book
Why show all your aces
To the gambler
If he calls your hand
Youre gonna lose
Dont trust first impressions
Of a stranger
Private informations
Just tellin tales
* you draw such a fine line baby
Learnin all the rules
Why dont ya read between them sometimes
You wont look such a fool
** why dont you read the book, why dont you read the book
Why dont you read the book, why dont you read the book
Repeat *
Repeat **
(written and arranged by nazareth)
Copyright 1983 fool circle limited
All rights reserved.
song performed by by Nazareth
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Words Which Hold Me Captive
Told Nici I had finished the first book, with starry eyes
she brought the second volume also, I have almost
finished the third one too, she said, and I could not
withstand the charm of this series written for teens,
beautifully sculpted to keep readers on tenterhooks
as hero and heroine were driven apart
Unwillingly at first, trying to withstand its spell, I began
to read, was sucked deep into the story world, every-
thing disappeared and I read until the second book
came to a discordant end, threatening tragedy, I would
have to read the third book also, no stopping this lovely
sheath of dreams from carrying my spirit away
No realism can penetrate or dispel the beautiful illusion
or destroy the magic words which hold me captive -
and I am such a willing victim…
poem by Margaret Alice Second
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If You Forget Me
If you forget me
Who ever you are?
It will mean nothing to me
Who will go on living
Having forgotten the purpose
To a life
That drags heavy footed
Through grey streets
If you forget me
Just remember,
I have already forgotten
You,
And if you remember this,
Please remind me,
So that I will stop posting you
A christmas card
Whoever you are,
We who are strangers
Who go on living
Because we have forgotten
The pointlessness to our lives
Or why we wear sensible shoes
At a certain age
Or why some eat cereal
While others go empty into the morning
Why where how?
If you forget me
Remember to remind me that,
I have already forgotten you
Then I promise to stop sending you a christmas card
Or wishing you a happy new year
And if I have forgotten that you who are living
Have died and are now dead,
Then forgive me for sending you all those post cards
Without a return to sender
I may have simply forgotten to read the small print
On the invite card
Or maybe it rained
or I had a cold
Or was too busy forgetting the day of the week
And the pointlessness to my existence
Which when forgotten
Along with you, my friend,
Is less bleak
Infact it is quite pleasant
Okay
So let's just forget the whole miserable affair, okay?
poem by Yvette Smith
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Nothing At All
I have fallen out of my life, I am not present
within the outline which indicates where the
real me should be, no feelings, no dreams
The hope I harboured inside proved to be
without meaning – I have forgotten what I
used to hope for, nothing new to replace
What used to be, just cold emptiness in my
heart, wait, my heart is lost, freezing again
like I did as a child, no significance left
Life was like this in the beginning, the great
divide between virtual warmth, a good book,
a piece of music, a story - and -
The emptiness of real life without room for
emotion as an ever-increasing descent in-
to a million small deaths on a daily basis
The pain ought to be gone - yet it is not - the
pain is all that is left, oh yes; even pure
misery is preferable to nothing at all
poem by Margaret Alice Second
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If You Come By
If you come by
And I'm not here
Do not worry with a tear,
But just gives a smile
If just for a while
And remember, that I once was here.
And if you look
And you find my book,
To remember the things I have said,
Just give a thought
For you have caught,
Feelings, I once had read.
For I was here
Not long ago
Along with the freezing snow,
Writing dreams and remembering things
So man wouldn't let go.
But the dreams had died
One gloomy night,
When wishes were no longer made
So they didnt need me to write them down
So my book, they threw away.
If you come by
And I'm not here,
And you have a dream in your mind.
Just open a book
And then you look,
A dream, you might have found.
So write it down
Without a frown,
Or a lonesome tear.
But remember that thought
That you had sought,
For now, you are here.
Randy L. McClave
poem by Randy McClave
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The Chornicles of a Dark Heart Part 16 The open book's monologue
Red what is it to you black the color of death? maybe maybe not? anyone here play video games? FOR CHAOS? ring any bells help spread the taint more quickly? what might an open book write
what would a open book draw
what would an open book think
open books are predictable
so predict what the picture means
why is black black? why is red O infused? what is the meaning only you know maybe only me...
(added years later)
Maybe I'm the book, and maybe you're the reader
but who is you? is it not everyone
since I'm open, for all to point at laugh at, out of malice or for fun
because they know my thoughts, they know i love her? !
what did i do?
i never said i love you! ! !
how can they know?
how did i reap what i did now sow? !
The worst part
about being an open book,
is an open book can't close itself, can't have a heart
anyone can know all from just one look
there seems to be something wrong with being too open and honest
but it's too late a book can't close itself
can't move by its own accord to a shelf
an open book can never rest
so now I'm the book, so since im there just read
just read.... and watch my heart, my purpose, my soul, my life, me
watch.... watch them bleed
poem by David Knox
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A Sick And Twisted Mind In A Rhyme
A sick and twisted mind,
turned by time,
becomes a new story in a twisted rhyme
Come along and read it don't cost a dime
Little Red Ridding Hood
Walking through the woods
The wolf,
mouth drooling,
up to good
Now Little Red dropped a piece of candy
With a jump and sprawl,
her face was in his jaws.
He started shaking breaking her neck,
skin started to tear apart,
and the muscles started to bleed.
The wolf was walking off with her head in his mouth,
Rage in his eyes
He was suprised that
he did succeed.
A sick and twisted mind,
turned by time,
becomes a new story in a twisted rhyme
Come along and read it, it don't cost a dime
Hansel and Gretel got left on a bridge,
scary place,
chilly like a fridge,
Owls howling in the moonlight.
They're so scared,
But they see a bright light,
The ginger bread house,
In it an old witch quiet as a mouse,
As they walk up,
She walks out
Now she invites them to eat the couch
While their back is turned she grabs an axe
Now from behind their skulls are cracked
she starts chopping wack wack wack,
Into the stew their meat goes,
it is so yummy to an old raggity hoe
A sick and twisted mind,
turned by time,
becomes a new story in a twisted rhyme
Come along and read it don't cost a dime
Jack told Jill to come play a game,
When they got up the hill,
He stabbed a knife in her brain,
Her eyes fled in the back of her head.
He pushed her down the well
her body falling dead
A sick and twisted mind,
turned by time,
becomes a new story in a twisted rhyme
Come along and read it don't cost a dime
Alice fell down a rabbit hole into a scary room,
blood on the walls
a wicked gloom
and on the floor
a dead white rabbit
the red queen loves it
killing is her habit
Alice opens the door
the queen was waiting now
Alice can't feel anymore
The cheshire cat watching the gore
He licks the blood of the dead
Then disappears with nothing said.
A sick and twisted mind,
turned by time,
becomes a new story in a twisted rhyme
Come along and read it don't cost a dime
(I Know Gruesome Sorry,
Just trying to make something
cooler than just love poems.
Just added a second part.
Sick and Twisted Mind In a Rhyme II.
If y'all liked this one,
check it out.)
poem by Matthew Petranovich
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I thought, well I can do that. I couldn't be bothered writing a book review, because I'd have to read the book, I haven't got time to read a whole book for a fifty dollar write-up.
quote by Eddie Campbell
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Lost In A Book
SHHH!
don't bother me
I'm lost in a book
mixed up with
the complicated plots
and outrageous characters
when i'm lost in a book
I don't have to think
about my life
I'll get stuck in
a fantasy world
and never
have to come back
home again
one book
after another
I read, read, read
different places
different people
a new world
I start fresh
each time
I open up a new book
when i'm lost in a book
I am safe
no one can hurt me
I'm happy
when I'm lost
in a book
poem by Annie Janine
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Fields Of Gold
There are fields of Gold behind the little house
Filled with the greatest of treasures
Bronze, Gold and Silver
Do you remember?
Remember our childhood, Our life’s
The shinning Silver sparkling in the skies
The brightest Bronze hidden under the ground
The greatest Gold glimmering through the fields
Can you see them?
Picture it in your mind
All the times we danced
Every time we laughed
Where we used to love
Or have you forgotten?
Forgotten the good, Forgotten the bad
Every memory
Every moment
Every word
I wish you’d remember
To turn back time, So you could take me
Take me to the gold
To the fields on a summers day
To our fields, our treasure
The Silver, The Bronze
The Gold
But the treasures gone
The house still remains
The fields just as empty as the day we left
Times have changed
Our life’s have changed
Our Silver gone dull
Our Bronze all rusted
Our Gold long forgotten
It was never there
The winds of time and turns of the earth have seen to that
But I remember
I cry for the children who found the greatest of treasures and those who lost it so soon after
And I dream of dancing and singing and running and laughter, of the treasures that lie in the fields of Gold.
poem by Carrie Halliday
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The Book I Read
Im writing bout the
Book I read
I have to sing about the
Book I read
Im embarassed to admit it hit the soft spot in my heart
When I found out you wrote the
Book I read so
Take my shoulders as they touch your arms ive
Got little cold chills but I feel alright the
Book I read was in your eyes oh oh
Oh...Im living in the future.
I feel wonderful.
Im tipping over backwards
Im so ambitious
Im looking back im
Running a race and youre the book I read so
Feel my fingers as they
Touch your arms
Im spinning around but I feel alright
The book I read was in your eyes
Na na na na...na na na na na na na
Na na na na...na na na na na na na
Na na na na na...na na na na na na na
Na na na na...na na na na na na na
Na na na na...na na na na na na na
Na na na na...na na na na na na na
Na na na na...oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oooooh...Im living in the future
I feel wonderful
Im tipping over backwards
Im so ambitious
Im looking back im
Running a race and youre the books I read so
Feel my fingers as they touch you arms im
Spinning around and I feel alright
The book I read was in your eyes
Na na na na na...na na na na na na na
Na na na na...na na na na na na na na
Na na na na...na na na na na na na na
Na na na na...na na na na na na na na
Na na na na...na na na na na na na na
Na na na na...na na na na na na na na
Na na na na...oh oh oh oh oh oh oooh..
song performed by by Talking Heads
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Forgetting To Never Forget
September 11th 2001,
Only a child of five years,
Now 13,
Now I cant remember,
Now I have forgotten,
I cant remember what I was doing,
I cant remember how I felt,
The worse day of Amarican history,
And I will never remember,
I'll know it was there,
I'll know it was horrid,
I'll just never remember me,
I have forgotten,
To never forget,
poem by Samantha Guinen
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Nonexistent Pharaoh
You're my nonexistent
Mu's pharaoh losing
your powers inside of
me in that place, where
I can keep the secrets
of your life.I'm your sphinx
forgotten on the bottom
of a very blue ocean.
In your blue eyes,
I may read the answers
to my questions about love.
I understand your pyramid
of dreams.
poem by Marieta Maglas
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Open Book's Monologue (revisited the years later portion of part 16)
Maybe I'm the book, and maybe you're the reader
but who is you? is it not everyone
since I'm open, for all to point at laugh at, out of malice or for fun
because they know my thoughts, they know i love her? !
what did i do?
i never said i love you! ! !
how can they know?
how did i reap what i did now sow? !
The worst part
about being an open book,
is an open book can't close itself, can't have a heart
anyone can know all from just one look
there seems to be something wrong with being too open and honest
but it's too late a book can't close itself
can't move by its own accord to a shelf
an open book can never rest
so now I'm the book, so since im there just read
just read.... and watch my heart, my purpose, my soul, my life, me
watch.... watch them bleed
poem by David Knox
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My Education
At school I sometimes read a book,
And learned a lot of lessons;
Some small amount of pains I took,
And showed much acquiescence
In what my masters said, good men!
Yet after all I quite
Forgot the most of it: but then
I learned to write.
At Lincoln's Inn I'd read a brief,
Abstract a title, study
Great paper-piles, beyond belief
Inelegant and muddy:
The whole of these as time went by
I soon forgot: indeed
I tried to: yes: but by and by
I learned to read.
By help of Latin, Greek and Law
I now can write and read too:
Then perish each forgotten saw,
Each fact I do not need too:
But still whichever way I turn
At one sad task I stick:
I fear that I shall never learn
Arithmetic.
poem by James Kenneth Stephen
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