Upekkha
Looking with dispassion,
with equanimity,
doesn't it shine brighter than a thousand suns?
The broken wing,
the severed finger,
the uncompleted life
'the smyler with the knife'
the smell of fear
spirochaetes, viruses and germs
and the ever-chewing sepulchral worms?
And don't we see a thousand times and more
that what we build and try to hold in place
disintegrates, vanishes without trace?
And what we hoard up
and try to store
provides a breeding ground for rats?
And this which is the Past
is also Evermore?
And what we cannot preserve here
when we have felt the betrayal of the breath
we save for heaven,
taking our joys and pains
across the no-man's land of death
and there, in finer, subtler, intellectual realms
plant our standards.
and still the Eternal, empty wind
blows them down.
poem by Brian Taylor
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Poem (‘It Doesn’t Look Like A Finger...’)
It doesn’t look like a finger it looks like a feather of broken glass
It doesn’t look like something to eat it looks like something eaten
It doesn’t look like an empty chair it looks like an old woman
searching in a heap of stones
It doesn’t look like a heap of stones it looks like an estuary where
the drifting filth is swept to and fro on the tide
It doesn’t look like a finger it looks like a feather with broken teeth
The spaces between the stones are made of stone
It doesn’t look like a revolver it looks like a convolvulus
It doesn’t look like a living convolvulus it looks like a dead one
KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY FRIENDS USE THEM ON
YOUR BITCHES OR
YOURSELVES BUT KEEP THEM OFF MY FRIENDS
The faces between the stones are made of bone
It doesn’t look like an eye it looks like a bowl of rotten fruit
It doesn’t look like my mother in the garden it looks like my father
when he came up from the sea covered in shells and tangle
It doesn’t look like a feather it looks like a finger with broken wings
It doesn’t look like the old woman’s mouth it looks like a handful
of broken feathers or a revolver buried in cinders
The faces beneath the stones are made of stone
It doesn’t look like a broken cup it looks like a cut lip
It doesn’t look like yours it looks like mine
BUT IT IS YOURS NOW
SOON IT WILL LOOK LIKE YOURS
AND ANYTHING YOU SEE WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU
London Bulletin, No. 2 (May 1938), 7.
poem by Hugh Sykes Davies
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Sun Doesn't Shine Forever
At the end of the rainbow, found each other there
Strange we never thought the colors would fade
Be easy to walk, but it's much harder to stay
Why, oh why are we reckless today
You and I, got to hold on together, cause in this life
Maybe the sun doesn't shine forever
Could say I'm sorry, but theres no one to blame
Anger seems to dissolve into tears
Been so many good times, not only despair
Somehow we'll find the love we can share
You and I, got to hold on together
Cause in this life, maybe the sun doesn't shine forever
You and I, make this life for each other
Cause I believe we've got enough for when the sun doesn't shine
You and I, got to hold on together
Cause in this life, maybe the sun doesn't shine forever
song performed by by Duran Duran
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Broken Wing
She loved like he was the last man on earth. gave him everything she ever had.
Hed break her spirit down, then come lovin up on her. give a little, then
Take it back. shed tell him about her dreams - hed just shoot em down. lord,
He loved to make her cry. youre crazy for believin youll ever leave the
Ground. he said only angels know how to fly.
And with a broken wing, she still sings. she keeps an eye on the sky. with a
Broken wing, she carries her dreams. man, you ought to see her fly.
One sunday mornin, she didnt go to church. he wondered why she didnt leave.
He went up to her bedroom, found a note by the window, with the curtains
Blowin in the breeze, and with a broken wing, she still sings. she keeps an
Eye on the sky. with a broken wing, she carries her dreams. man, you ought to
See her fly. with a broken wing, she carries her dreams. man, you ought to see
Her fly. (with a broken wing oooooh)
song performed by by Martina Mcbride
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Koala Sprint
And out from the echoes of the night
Concrete caverns catch the sky and hold the stars to ransom
A thousand dreams its getting late
Thousand runners standing still
I can smell the sand and sea again
Ive had enough away
City times down down
Ive got to go
Lord dont let me wait
Stay low
cause Im going up north again
Its a long way from chatswood to the top of the gulf
Ill be hitching pacific when the morning suns up
Its mile after mile on the long coast road
Smell of frangipani ocean sky blue
But Im sick of seeing those beer can caravans
Im getting even sicker of the thong drive-in
Im feeling worse and worse at the chiko locallo
And the pubs all close at ten
Summer suns got me stopping
Summer suns got me trying
Im waiting round for those waves and days
I hope it never ends
Well theres a new world bricking in the old world charm
Suburbs highway pass cicada-coloured farms
Buy a car, sell a car, lead a car away
20 hours to brisbane on night prowl play
20 hours to brisbane...wheres brisbane...
(garrett/moginie/rotsey)
song performed by by Midnight Oil
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Fear In The Middle Of The Night
FEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
Fear in the middle of the night-
Fear and horrible imaginings-
Fear of my life,
Fear for those I love and our world,
Fear in the early morning
Fear and more fear-
Fear broken a bit by the light,
Fear broken a bit by morning prayer,
Fear broken a bit by ‘learning’,
Fear broken a bit by writing,
Fear broken a bit by morning coffee,
Fear less-
Fear in the neck and in the mind-
Fear down the spine-
Fear less in the light,
Fear of the night
Fear of the morning,
Fear of my life,
Fear for those I love and our world,
Fear.
Fear and fear less-
In the writing
In the prayer before prayer-
In the walking outside up to Shul
In the morning light
Fear gone for now,
Fear.
poem by Shalom Freedman
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Void
I've seen so many faces
These hands have lied before
I've kissed so many lips it's blocked my mind
I've whispered bullshit, nothings
I've cried alone in night
I thought I'd found the one a million times
But doesn't anyone fill the void?
Doesn't anyone kill the joy?
Doesn't anyone take the place of you in my heart?
And doesn't anyone fill the void?
Doesn't anyone kill the joy?
Doesn't anyone take the place of you?
I let a stranger love me
I gave away my pride
I bit my lips, so I could block my mind
I've called your name to others
Just like a spinal chord
Severed and broken but the spark still tries
And doesn't anyone fill the void?
Doesn't anyone kill the joy?
Doesn't anyone take the place of you in my heart?
Doesn't anyone fill the void?
Doesn't anyone kill the noise?
Doesn't anyone take the place of you?
They don't know you like I do
They don't see the good inside you
They don't lie with you in bed and join you when you're dreaming
They don't see your softer side
Who'll be there to turn your light on?
Who will try to wash away the stain that love has left us?
Doesn't anyone fill the void?
Doesn't anyone kill the joy?
Doesn't anyone kill the place of you in my heart?
Doesn't anyone bring the noise?
Doesn't anyone kill the joy?
Doesn't anyone take the place of you?
song performed by by Darren Hayes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Thanksgiving
The man who stands above the bird, his knife
Sharp as a Turkish scimitar, first removes
A thigh and leg, half the support
On which the turkey used to stand. This
Leg and thigh he sets on an extra
Plate. All his weight now on
One leg, he lunges for the wing, the wing
On the same side of the bird from which
He has just removed the leg and thigh.
He frees the wing enough to expose
The breast, the wing not severed but
Collapsed down to the platter. One hand
Holding the fork, piercing the turkey
Anywhere, he now beings to slice the breast,
Afflicted by small pains in his chest,
A kind of heartburn for which there is no
Cure. He serves the hostess breast, her
Own breast rising and falling. And so on,
Till all the guests are served, the turkey
Now a wreck, the carver exhausted, a
Mere carcass of his former self. Everyone
Says thanks to the turkey carver and begins
To eat, thankful for the cold turkey
And the Republic for which it stands.
poem by Mac Hammond
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Nothing To Fear
What freezes love in your eyes
What steals the force from your life
What holds us ransom tonight
What stops you seeing yourself?
Only fear can stand
On potentials hands
This is the greatest day of your life
If you make it
And the old spells you know
They can be broken
Nothing to fear
Nothing to fear
The greatest faults can be beaten
The grandest problems defeated
Impossible choices completed
Infinite pain will be treated
Only fear can stand
On potentials hands
This is the greatest day of your life
And we made it
And the old spells you know
cause they can be broken
Nothing to fear
Nothing to fear
This is the greatest day of your life
And weve made it
Break the old spells
Oh, let them be broken
Nothing to fear
No, nothing to fear
This is the greatest day
Break the old spells and throw them away
Break the old spells
Dont yknow they can be broken
No, nothing to fear
Nothing to fear
Nothing to fear
Nothing to fear
song performed by by Howard Jones
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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An Angel With A Broken Wing
You flew too high for any mortal,
when love first struck you,
but then one-day love didn’t sing,
and you ended up, an angel with a broken wing.
Your tears flow with every hour;
your cries are filled with pain.
You played at the game of love and lost;
now you’re an angel with a broken wing.
Like almost everything in loves game,
you will find that with time,
life can be wonderful again,
and mend an angel with a broken wing.
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Can't Put My Finger On It
Is it alive, does it writhe
Can it survive under the sun?
I can't put my finger on it.
Is it green, is it red
Is it alive or is it dead
I can't put my finger on it
Scathe with a lathe
All the days in the past
I can't put my finger on it
Is it brown, is it white
Is it really outta sight
I can't put my finger on it
Can it squeal, does it squirm
If it's fresh will it burn?
I can't put my finger on it
Can it fly, will it try
If the wings are still wet?
I can't put my finger on it
Can it heal, is it real
Can it feel the threads of time?
I can't put my finger on it
Does it glow, will it shine
Does it leave a trail of slime
I can't put my finger on it
Are you surprised when I touch the dwarf inside?
(Repeat three times)
(Repeat first verse
song performed by by Ween
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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(W – 2011) Random Musings – 007
Passion breeds poetry
Poetry feeds passion
But mine is dispassionate passion
And passionate dispassion
So I breed nothing
I feed nothing
I remain
Passion, dispassion and poetry
All rolled into one.
The Fear__
I want the fear,
because it's comforting.
I need the fear,
because it doesn't need me.
I love the fear,
because it hates me.
I stay with the fear,
because it leaves me.
I captured the fear,
because it escaped me.
I feed the fear,
because it make me.
The fear controls us,
the fear is our weakness.
the fear is a sanctuary,
the fear is hell.
I want the fear,
because it's comforting.
I need the fear,
because it doesn't need me.
poem by Hailey Elizabeth
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Can't Put My Finger On It
[chanting]
Is it alive, does it writhe
Can it survive under the sun?
I can't put my finger on it
Is it green, is it red
Is it alive or is it dead
I can't put my finger on it
Scathe with a lathe
All the days in the past
I can't put my finger on it
Is it brown, is it white
Is it really outta sight
I can't put my finger on it
Do you know what i'm saying?
Do you know what i'm saying, people?
Can it squeal, does it squirm
If it's fresh will it burn?
I can't put my finger on it
Can it fly, will it try
If the wings are still wet?
I can't put my finger on it
Can it heal, is it real
Can it feel the threads of time?
I can't put my finger on it
Does it glow, will it shine
Does it leave a trail of slime
I can't put my finger on it
I tell you one time...
Are you surprised when i touch the dwarf inside?
(repeat three times)
(repeat first verse)
Ha ha ha...oh yeah, oh yeah!
song performed by by Ween
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Broken Wing
Today I watched a robin
In our front yard
I thought by now that they schold all be gone.
With winter round the corner
Snow on its way
Surely something must be wrong.
Then in that old oak tree I finally saw her
Where she sat gazing down upon her mate
And the song that she was singing
Seemed to say Ill be right here
Id like to go, but your loves made me stay.
Hes got a broken wing
And thats why he cant fly
She just cant leave him there
So she stays by his side
Theyre just like you and me
Oh you shouldve heard her sing
They wont give up
Its just a broken wing.
I wish we all could learn
What they seem to have found
To love our families
When trouble comes around
Ill bet that God saw fit
To show them unto me
Him on the ground
Her in that tree.
Hes got a broken wing
And thats why he cant fly
She just cant leave him there
So she stays by his side
Theyre just like you and me
Oh you shouldve heard her sing
They wont give up
We wont give up
They wont give up
Its just a broken wing.
Ooooooooh...
Its just a broken wing.
song performed by by LeAnn Rimes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Alone
Wind blew, light drew them all.
New songs revive their mornings.
Only I, small bird, am forsaken
under the Shekhina’s wing.
Alone. I remain alone.
The Shekhina’s broken wing
trembled over my head. My heart knew hers:
her fear for her only son.
Driven from every ridge –
one desolate corner left –
in the House of Study she hides in shadow,
and I alone share her pain.
Imprisoned beneath her wing
my heart longed for the light.
She buried her face on my shoulder
and a tear fell on my page.
Dumbly she clung and wept.
Her broken wing sheltered me:
“scattered to the four winds of heaven;
they are gone, and I am alone”.
It was an ancient lament
a suppliant cry I heard
in that lost and silent weeping,
and in that scalding tear.
poem by Hayyim Nahman Bialik
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Button We Fear
the nuclear threat,
most often unspoken,
looming in the shadows,
the smell and the stink.
the aggressive thrust
of men long impotent,
of men whose gods
cant be touched or seen.
the hand that snatches the bowl
from the starving child,
that signs the foreclosure notice
on a family of five...
flexes and balls up,
one finger extended,
the finger that rests
on the button we fear!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Epic Smile
Time slows;
then stops.
You have an epic smile,
shining brightly to challenge the sun.
You laugh with your soul,
eyes sparkling in the light.
You have an epic smile,
one I will never forget.
My heart leaps at your voice,
a smile shattering the gloom of life.
You have an epic smile,
brighter than a thousand suns.
I will think of you often,
though truthfully I already do.
You have an epic smile, my muse,
one that will always be with me.
poem by Brian Hinckley
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Hope I Can Feel
Sweet red bird on a wing
Transformed by joy bells
The sense that life is okay
Upon the dreams of prayers I live
Future blue with brighter noonday suns
Flowers sing forever
Don’t you want to be with honest people?
The sea gave up its dead
Gentle as lambs wise as serpents
Lilies arrayed in glory
Roses thrive on kisses
Art with real giving
She has lovely eyes
I long for warmth
Let me feel Christ in you
Let me feel eternal life in you
Touch my very soul with your heart
The cognitive is so shallow
I need hope I can feel
poem by Joseph Narusiewicz
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Let’s Live and Love: to Lesbia
Let us live, my Lesbia, let us love,
and all the words of the old, and so moral,
may they be worth less than nothing to us!
Suns may set, and suns may rise again:
but when our brief light has set,
night is one long everlasting sleep.
Give me a thousand kisses, a hundred more,
another thousand, and another hundred,
and, when we’ve counted up the many thousands,
confuse them so as not to know them all,
so that no enemy may cast an evil eye,
by knowing that there were so many kisses.
poem by Gaius Valerius Catullus
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Breathren
I smell it in my finger,
I feel it in my veins,
If this isn't indigestion,
Love is haunting me!
At times i vision Amin Dada
at Ten.Standing in the rain,
Wandering if anyone really cares,
Puzzled about loves true colors,
His innocence slowly melting away.
The gap's left you omniscient!
Can you define strain?
Its smelling your rapists breathe,
Kissing his sticky -sweaty chest,
Surrendering innocence to ignorance.
Every rose is burdened by thorns.
Love is an art
Not a science.
Its the small things
Not the bulky ones,
Self denial verses Self love.
Sexuality drains the mind,
Youths dear sower pleasure,
There number one poverty trap,
Rush and Crush!
Inside of every man
There is a question unanswered,
That's easy: open your ears,
Close your eyes, breathe deep,
Let the music heal your soul.
Regardless of past experiences,
those you'd rather i know not,
i believe your a shinning star,
shine brighter and brighter.
AMEN.
poem by Kabagambe Moses
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