There Are Silences
There are silences
born of stillness;
others that are discovered
when something snaps:
a cloud,
a stick,
a thought.
(A life) .
Some voluntary.
Some enforced.
That boat
on the horizon
makes no sound
though it cuts the sea
in two.
poem by Brian Taylor
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GINGER SNAPS...by talile ali
ONE OF THE STRANGEST TRUTHS, I GUESS
I ALWAYS KNOW GIRLS THAT I WANT TO UNDRESS
IT SEEMS KINDA STRANGE, BUT WHAT CAN I SAY
IF THEY LIKE GINGER SNAP'S, I KNOW THAT I'LL GET MY WAY
CHORUS
GINGER SNAPS
GINGER SNAPS
I AM SUCH A FAN OF THOSE GINGER SNAPS
GINGER SNAPS
GINGER SNAPS
SEND ME THE WOMEN I NEED
I SAID IT WAS STRANGE, BUT I'M NOT MAKING IT UP
IF THEY LIKE GINGER SNAPS, I'LL BE EATIN THEM UP
MAYBE IT'S JUST MY THINKIN, BUT I CAN SAY I FEEL
THE SIMPLE FACT TO ME STEPS INTO THE SURREAL
CHORUS
GINGER SNAPS
GINGER SNAPS
I AM SUCH A FAN OF THOSE GINGER SNAPS
GINGER SNAPS
GINGER SNAPS
SEND ME THE WOMEN I NEED
poem by Talile Ali
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Follow The Sea
'What is it makes a man follow the sea?
Ask me another!' says Billy Magee:
'Maybe it's liquor and maybe it's love -
Maybe it's likin' to be on the move -
Maybe the salt drop that runs in his blood
Won't let his killick lie snug in the mud:
What is it makes such poor idjits as me
Follow the sea -follow the sea? . . .
Jiggered if I know!' says Billy Magee.
'What is it keeps a chap rollin' around
All his life long from the Skaw to the Sound?
Samplin' the weathers from Hull to Rangoon -
Doldrums an' westerlies, Trade an' typhoon -
Hurricane, cyclone an' southerly buster -
In any old drogher as flies the Red Duster?
What is it makes a chap follow the sea -
Follow the sea - follow the sea -
Bust me if I know!' says Billy Magee.
'What is it makes a man stick to the sea?
Ah, you may ask me!' says Billy Magee.
'Stick to it hungry and stick to it cold,
Stick to it after he's broken and old,
Freeze in the Forties an' sweat on the Line,
Shiver an' burn in the rain an' the shine,
Stick it until he can't stick it no more -
Curse it an' leave it for something ashore -
Chuck up his shore job an' follow the sea -
Stick to an' live by an' die by the sea -
Search me if I know!' says Billy Magee.
poem by Cicely Fox Smith
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When It Cuts
cannot justify your envy
But I will be understanding when you stay
Then I will satisfy you in every (way)
But I'm not feeling coherent when you say
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I die again
Again
Though I'm right, I don't think I'll win this fight
But I'm trying though it's ripping me inside
Just in case that I'm taking up your space
I'll be feeling too, whatever's left inside
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I die again
I can't go on
I'm not that strong
I'm so alone
You just gotta set me free
I'm still living day, no way
I don't care what you say
Your eyes dispise my lies
Just say goodbye
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I die again
Again, again
Waste your breath
song performed by by Ill NiO
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When It Cuts
cannot justify your envy
But I will be understanding when you stay
Then I will satisfy you in every (way)
But I'm not feeling coherent when you say
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I die again
Again
Though I'm right, I don't think I'll win this fight
But I'm trying though it's ripping me inside
Just in case that I'm taking up your space
I'll be feeling too, whatever's left inside
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I die again
I can't go on
I'm not that strong
I'm so alone
You just gotta set me free
I'm still living day, no way
I don't care what you say
Your eyes dispise my lies
Just say goodbye
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I
When it cuts, it cuts, it cuts hard
And I die again
Again, again
Waste your breath
song performed by by Ill NiO
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Wake Me A Song
Out of the silences wake me a song,
Beautiful, sad, and soft, and low;
Let the loveliest music sound along,
And wing each note with a wail of woe:
Dim and drear
As hope's last tear;
Out of the silences wake me a hymn,
Whose sounds are like shadows soft and dim.
Out of the stillness in your heart --
A thousand songs are sleeping there --
Wake me a song, thou child of art!
The song of a hope in a last despair:
Dark and low,
A chant of woe;
Out of the stillness, tone by tone,
Cold as a snowflake, low as a moan.
Out of the darkness flash me a song,
Brightly dark and darkly bright;
Let it sweep as a lone star sweeps along
The mystical shadows of the night:
Sing it sweet;
Where nothing is drear, or dark, or dim,
And earth-song soars into heavenly hymn.
poem by Abram Joseph Ryan
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Gulf Crisis Lullaby
Space is always getting bigger
Time just keeps moving on
Take your finger off the trigger
You aint gonna shoot that gun
Roads are always leading somewhere
Dreams are always being dreamed
That black cloud on the horizon
Its not as big as it seems
No, you may believe it or not, but hear what I say
This old boat of ours is bound for better days
Fools will always have an answer
Cheats will always tell a lie
They dont have to take us over
Just let them pass you by
Luck is always being lucky
Fate is always being fate
Theres really no need to hurry
You aint gonna be late
No, you may believe it or not, but hear what I say
This old boat of ours is bound for better days
Age is always getting older
Youth is always being born
Come on climb in here beside me
And keep your lover warm
song performed by by Waterboys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Did Music Sound
Stillness around
Gently
From somewhere
Notes of sweet music sound.
Sound
From surroundings
Or within
Can't pronounce
That huge peak
With white mantle
Or that mantle
With halo of clouds
Or the chill of moon's light
Or the stillness around
Around or stillness within
Music did sound.
poem by Sanjay Mehta
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Miseryhead
christ, your head. what's it become?
while the whole world's out having fun
i'm in a cloud, it's pulling me down, breaking me down
i'm in a cloud, it feels like a crowd of a hundred, it's five degrees here
nobody sees, somebody please, save me
this is the sound of my miseryhead
choke on the taste of my miseryhead
dance to the words of my miseryhead
this is the sound of my miseryhead
i'm in a cloud, it's pulling me down, breaking me down
turn around
what's that sound?
i'm in your head
i thought i heard him say, he'd rather be dead, than
live life apart...we're apart...we're apart
[chorus]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
song performed by by Ours
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Life of a Cloud
Warming thermals whisper as they rise,
To tell us they are soon to bring to view
In cooler air aloft before your eyes:
A gentle wisp to counterpoint the blue.
Powder puffs emerge to grant her grace
That further bloom as would for stately tree, and
Yield a sight that calls for our embrace:
Another cloud anew above the lea.
Cruising forth, she yearns for ageless life.
O how her hopes will soon be dashed in vain,
For up there in the cold she courts her strife,
To fade away as drops of closing rain.
Scant and lacy speak her living span,
And fair among us could be brought to mourn,
But she was there to populate her clan:
From fallen tears, new daughters will be born.
Copyright © Mark R slaughter 2010
A cloudy sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
sky cloud sky cloud sky cloud sky
poem by Mark R Slaughter
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November 28,2007 is the International Day of Stillness: A Poem for the day
'Stillness is my beloved teacher.
From her, I learn new things every day.'
I said to Stillness,
How can you teach me so well?
Stillness said,
By being with you always.
I said to Stillness,
How can you teach me so much?
Stillness said,
Because you have much within you;
I, but a mirror for your mind;
I, but a mirror for your heart.
I said to Stillness,
O my beloved teacher, will you
promise me you will never leave me?
Stillness said,
I cannot leave you;
though you can leave me..
but what is stillness without a companion?
I said to Stillness,
Is your work hard?
Stillness said,
I have the most wonderful task that I could wish for:
I sit with babies while they smile;
I sit with children in the classroom
as they delight to learn;
I sit with the angry and disturbed,
and watch them grow to peace;
I sit with the sad and lonely and bereaved
and watch them rediscover happiness and joy;
I sit with kings and queens and rulers
while they find wisdom and mercy;
I sit with governments and committees
while they find reason and justice;
I sit with artists and scientists,
and watch them find new things outside themselves,
and find new things within themselves;
I sit with those who pray or meditate,
as they find God in themselves;
I sit at the feet of saints
while they become perfection;
I walk in the gardens of the dawn,
I walk in the gardens of the dusk;
in the deep of the night, I watch;
I fly with birds, in the silence of the air;
I watch the animals as they explore the earth;
I listen to the growing of the trees and plants;
I listen to the opening of the flowers;
Said Stillness,
I am the friend and the companion of all;
who would not love to share my life with me?
I said to Stillness,
May I never leave you.
And Stillness looked me in the eye,
and Stillness smiled at me:
‘I am born with every creature born
to be their friend for life.’
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Stillness: a Poem for the International Day of Stillness, November 28
'Stillness is my beloved teacher.
From her, I learn new things every day.'
I said to Stillness,
how can you teach me so well?
Stillness said,
By being with you always.
I said to Stillness,
How can you teach me so much?
Stillness said,
Because you have much within you;
I, but a mirror for your mind;
I, but a mirror for your heart.
I said to Stillness,
O my beloved teacher, will you
promise me you will never leave me?
Stillness said,
I cannot leave you;
though you can leave me..
but what is stillness without a companion?
I said to Stillness,
Is your work hard?
Stillness said,
I have the most wonderful task that I could wish for:
I sit with babies while they smile;
I sit with children in the classroom
as they delight to learn;
I sit with the angry and disturbed,
And watch them grow to peace;
I sit with the sad and lonely and bereaved
and watch them rediscover happiness and joy;
I sit with kings and queens and rulers
while they find wisdom and mercy;
I sit with governments and committees
while they find reason and justice;
I sit with artists and scientists,
and watch them find new things outside themselves,
and find new things within themselves;
I sit with those who pray or meditate,
and watch them find God in themselves;
I sit at the feet of saints
while they become perfection;
I fly with birds, in the silence of the air;
I watch the animals as they explore the earth;
I hear the growing of the trees and plants;
I listen to the opening of the flowers;
I walk in the gardens of the dawn;
I walk in the gardens of the dusk;
in the deep of the night, I watch.
Said Stillness,
I am the friend and the companion of all;
who would not love to share my life with me?
I said to Stillness,
may I never leave you.
And Stillness looked me in the eye,
and Stillness smiled at me:
‘I am born with every creature born
to be their friend for life.’
*
(With acknowledgements to Iain Trousdell of New Zealand, whose poem quoted from in the first two lines inspired this extension..)
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Night Boat To Cairo
Night boat to cairo !!.....
Its just gone noon
Half past monsoon
On the banks of the river nile
Here comes the boat
Only half-afloat
Oarsman grins a toothless smile
Only just one more
To this desolate shore
Last boat along the river nile
Doesnt seem to care
No more wind in his hair
As he reaches his last half mile
The oar snaps in his hand
Before he reaches dry land
But the sound doesnt deafen his smile
Just pokes at wet sand
With an oar in his hand
Floats off down the river nile
Floats off down the river nile
song performed by by Madness
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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His Silence
He still wears the glass skin of childhood.
Under his hands, the stones turn mirrors.
His eyes are knives.
Who froze the ground to his feet?
Who locked his mouth into an horizon?
Why does the sun set when we touch?
I look for the lines between the silences.
He looks only for the silences.
Cram this page under his tongue.
Open him as if for surgery.
Let the red knife love slide in
poem by Erica Jong
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A New Day
In the stillness around
I can hear the sound
Of life being born once more
A new day knocking on my door.
A day anything can happen
Some smooth some uneven
Whatever it would be
I want you to be happy!
poem by Pradip Chattopadhyay
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In the radiance of I?
When you gaze at your own reflection in a pool of water
That I that you thought was you has continually moved
For you are as a cloud seated to envelope a mountain
With just a changing of thought you are as if a rainbow
On a path of the enlightenment your true river is an arc
A waterfall reaching inward minerals in a universe of I's
You are an earth mother a widow a sister a daughter
You are also another's wife another's new born child
You are a thousand unsung, unheard I's awaiting one
Final burst of flourishing stillness in the radiance of I?
poem by Mark Heathcote
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In A State Of Nothing
i know it is wrong to stick to a job
that does not please me anymore
it will be entirely tiresome
feeling like a rubber bond stretched to its maximum limit
until it snaps out
you told me, it is a waste of my lifetime
like you
a bright star in the heavens now
i could have changed my course
and went out from that sinking boat
you are laughing
you have sacrificed a lot
you swam into that ocean of uncertainty
until you found your destiny
i am not less courageous than you
i once dropped myself from that boat
left my comfort zone
and too, found my own kind of joy
been there, as i want to say
look! i can't leap now,
i have learned and savored joy and it is not giving me enough
it has become an irrelevant state
i am steady now, pain and joy do not have any effect at all
i am moving but not changing any course
i know it cannot change me
i am in a state of numbness
i do not know what pleases me
and i cannot feel that usual pain anymore
there is no fear neither calm
and i am figuring out what i really am
this could be nirvana, i don't know.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Held Up With Just A Stick
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick,
It seems...
Held up with just a stick,
One's head...
Held up with just a stick,
Their arms and their legs...
Needing to be fed.
And...
Held up with just a stick,
One's pride...
Held up with just a stick,
Two eyes and two ears...
Living poverty so near,
To...
Famish it is clear.
And...
Held up with just a stick,
Hunger.
Held up with just a stick,
Life!
Held up with just a stick,
Blight!
And those who fight death in their sight.
Held up with just a stick,
Life!
Held up with just a stick,
Pride!
Held up with just a stick,
Blight!
And those who fight death in their sight.
Held up with just a stick,
And...
There's no benefit to it.
Held up with just a stick,
Life!
Held up with just a stick,
Pride!
Held up with just a stick,
Blight!
And living this is NOT a gift.
Held up with just a stick,
And...
There's no benefit to it.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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The Three Silences Of Molinos
Three Silences there are: the first of speech,
The second of desire, the third of thought;
This is the lore a Spanish monk, distraught
With dreams and visions, was the first to teach.
These Silences, commingling each with each,
Made up the perfect Silence, that he sought
And prayed for, and wherein at times he caught
Mysterious sounds from realms beyond our reach.
O thou, whose daily life anticipates
The life to come, and in whose thought and word
The spiritual world preponderates.
Hermit of Amesbury! thou too hast heard
Voices and melodies from beyond the gates,
And speakest only when thy soul is stirred!
poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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The Shadow Of Dawn
The shadow of Dawn;
Stillness and stars and over-mastering dreams
Of Life and Death and Sleep;
Heard over gleaming flats, the old, unchanging sound
Of the old, unchanging Sea.
My soul and yours -
O, hand in hand let us fare forth, two ghosts,
Into the ghostliness,
The infinite and abounding solitudes,
Beyond--O, beyond!--beyond . . .
Here in the porch
Upon the multitudinous silences
Of the kingdoms of the grave,
We twain are you and I--two ghosts Omnipotence
Can touch no more . . . no more!
poem by William Ernest Henley
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Goldrush
Bless my heart and soul
I've discovered gold
Spread the news around
Get the ship afloat
A rock and roll the boat
Let's get into town
I am living down by the creek
Getting mired in the mud
No liquor for a week
I feel the cold in my blood
Here's a very busy lady
On her knees in the sludge
Well I do believe she's crazy
You know she's working like a drudge
Bless my heart and soul
She's discovered gold
Spread the news around
Get the ship afloat
A rock and roll the boat
And let's get into town
Even though she smelt like a drain
She's an angel to me
Her intentions are plain
And the whiskey is free
Breaking out another bottle
Keep it cool in the dirt
Well it's a water baby heaven
I got the papers in my shirt
Bless my heart and soul
We've discovered gold
Spread the news around
Get the ship afloat
A rock and roll the boat
And let's get into town
Bless my heart and soul
We've discovered gold
Spread the news around
Get the ship afloat
A rock and roll the boat
And let's get into town
You work hard all your life little honey
But you can't afford to save any money
You lay it down you leave the town
To see what you could find
For more than 20 years you're a diggin'
Then you can't believe what you are a pickin'
It's a piece of change just like a mountain range
Whoopee we're gonna lay it down
song performed by by Supertramp
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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