The Sloth
Her back is an ecosystem,
algaeic and wrapped
beneath a canopy’s sun.
Arms forever up and out
above her head—she is
this tall. No height,
no dangers below,
will blanch the beast;
she sees no fear.
A fall will seldom kill her.
Nun ordained to pliancy,
she’s slowness made devotion.
The monkeys run
right by her, skitter-shows
their onus; harpy hawks
with sudden plucks
plunge, their hunger flown.
It is true she cannot walk
—when basic need or poor luck
grounds her, she’ll have to
pull herself along the muck
of forest floor. So she hangs,
even after life, from branches,
fool-like, face to sky,
her backward-growing
coat a woolish habit.
Even at the tops
of trees, she blends in.
She is cool, and shy seeming;
Her cry’s a sure ai, ai.
Related quotes
Tall Tall Trees
If you want to drive a big limousine
Ill buy the longest one youve ever seen
Ill buy you tall, tall trees
On all the waters and the seas
Im a fool, fool, fool for you
If you want to own a great big mansion
Well Ill give it my utmost attention
Ill buy you tall, tall trees
On all the waters and the seas
Im a fool, fool, fool for you
Well Im a fool, a fool for you
(it may take awhile, but Ill prove its true
Well if its lovin you want, then Ive got it
If its money you want, then Ill get it
Ill buy you tall, tall trees
On all the waters and the seas
Im a fool, fool, fool for you
(yahoo)
Instrumental break
If you want to take a trip across the ocean
Ill travel anywhere you take a notion
Ill buy you tall, tall trees
On all the waters and the seas
Im a fool, fool, fool for you
If you want to own a great big mansion
Well Ill give it my utmost attention
Ill buy you tall, tall trees
On all the waters and the seas
Im a fool, fool, fool for you
Well Im a fool, a fool for you
(it may take awhile, but Ill prove its true
Well if its lovin you want, then Ive got it
If its money you want, then Ill get it
Ill buy you tall, tall trees
On all the waters and the seas
Im a fool, fool, fool for you
Yeah, Im a fool, fool, fool for you
song performed by by Alan Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Wind Of Change
Life changes quick as a breeze-
Blowing backward through painted porcelain trees
The fake foilage unaware
Of such mighty and mysterious air
Topples and breaks
Into glass mirrored lakes,
Broken pieces reflect
What so few seldom suspect:
All is not secure and safe
Here, in this phony land of sugar plumbs and sweet cakes.
It's all bound to come apart
With the new wind that's blowing,
The fake forest we've been sold gives way
To the true trees of home, forever growing.
The time is at hand,
For the children to retake their promised land.
poem by Smoky Hoss
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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We Kill The World
I see mushrooms, atomic mushrooms.
I see rockets, missiles in the sky.
Day by day, more and more,
Where will this lead to
And what is this good for?
Poor world, poor world.
Concrete's rising up,
Where yearerday was park
You heard the robin's song
Heavy tractor runs
Where air was clean and cool
Make money, bringing fuel.
Where will this lead to
And what is this good for?
A poor world, poor world.
Fishes doomed to die
As people live close by
And oaktree falls with moon
Parking lots will come
With flowerfields were bright
As junkyard covers sight!
Where will this lead to
And what is this good for?
Poor world, is hurting bad,
Poor world, is doomed to die.
We kill the world
Kill the world
We surely do
In peace we do!
We kill the world
Kill the world
'cause we don't know
What we are doing!
We kill it
One by one
Don't realize!
And nuclear piles stand like monuments
Of destruction throughout over the country
Promenades must go
So cars can drive in row
New fact'ry towers tall
Farmhouse had to fall
No flowers in the air
Pollution everywhere.
Where will this lead to
And what is this good for?
A poor world, poor world.
Oceans in despair
There's rubbish everywhere
The seaweed chokes in mud
Nature's had her lot
With nuclear waste and rot
And mushrooms bloom as clouds.
Where will this lead to
And what is this good for?
Poor world, is hurting bad,
Poor world, is doomed to die.
We kill the world...
Don't kill the world
Don't let her down.
Do not destroy basic ground.
Don't kill the world
Our means of life.
Lend ear to nature's cry.
Don't kill the world
She's all we have,
And surely is worth to save.
Don't let her die,
Fight for her trees,
Pollution robs air to breathe.
Don't kill the world
Help her survive
And she'll reward you with life
And don't just talk,
Go on and do the one, who wins is you.
Cherish the world,
A present from god
On behalf of all creatures,
Made by the lord
Care for the earth,
Foundation of life
Slow progress down help her survive
song performed by by Boney M.
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Life Is Cool
life is cool,
with you, i need a pull, my cover
life shows affection, rain and sunlight,
with your kisses, you speak volume
with words not heard, but action cared,
who says, you are not mine,
i tell him every dime of time
you proved true good, life is cool,
who says, you are not real, then,
let him tell me life does not
exist, what about this affection,
those words are infection, cause
this is my detection, life is
cool, so let me pull her to
my bed, and then she knows
am now heard, since am the head
still, respect that life is
cool, cause those affection, rainfall,
sunlight, are too true to be rude,
life is cool
poem by Dare David
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Way I Feel
The way i feel is like a robin
Whose babes have flown to come no more
A tall oak tree alone and cryin'
When her birds have flown and the nest is bare
Now a woman lord is like a young bird
And the tall oak tree is like a young man's heart
Among his boughs you will find her nesting
When the nights are cool she's warm and dry
Your coat of green will protect her
Her wings will grow your love will too
But all too soon your mighty branches
Will cease to hold her she'll fly from you
If i'd wings to fly
I'd follow you
If you'd wait for me
I'd fly away
I'd fly away
song performed by by Gordon Lightfoot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Flames
It's human nature for a bashful bloke
To bottle up, an' hesitate, an' doubt
Till grinnin' Fate plays him some low-down joke;
Then, in excitement, he goes blurtin' out
The tale his sane mind never would impart,
So all the near-by world knows it by heart.
Good luck for me, the near-by world that day,
When I ran sobbin' thro' the scorchin' fern,
Held few to hear the foolish things I say;
No one was there my secret thought to learn,
As I went shoutin' down the mountain spur,
Only the scared birds, an' the trees, an' Her.
In fancy, many men have been thro' Hell,
Tortured by fear, when hope has amost died;
But few have gone thro' that, an' fire as well
To come on Heaven on the other side
With just one angel in it, safe an' well -
A cool, calm angel by the name of Nell.
The day the fire came sweepin' down the hill,
Lickin' the forest up like some mad beast,
We had our work cut out to save the mill;
An', when the wind swung round into the East,
An' blew the roarin' flames along the spur,
Straight for 'The Height,' I gets quick fear for Her.
Flat out I was fightin' all day long
(We saved the mill-shed, but the huts were done)
When some bloke, weak with sprintin' comes along
Comic, it seemed, to me the way he run)
Shoutin' that someone's missin' from 'The Height,'
An' all the forest at the back's alight.
I don't what he thought, an' never cared,
When I grabs at his coat an' starts to yell.
I only know that I was dreadful scared. . . .
In half a minute more, I guessed 'twas Nell.
He tell me when an' where they thought she went,
An' of the useless searchers they had sent.
I never waits for more; but turned an' ran
Straight for the spur, along the scorchin' track.
Behind me, as I went, I hear some man
I think it's Pike - bawlin', 'You fool! Come back!'
What plan was in my mind I cannot tell;
I only know I want to find my Nell.
Next thing I mind, I've left the track, an' turned
Into the blackened scrub - my eyes feel bad -
Above my head the messmate trees still burned.
An' Lord, them awful fancies that I had!
I seen her lyin' there - her face - her hair. . . .
Why, even now, them thoughts give me a scare.
I stumble on. Against a red-hot butt
I burn my hand, but never even swear;
But keep on sayin', 'Make the splitter's hut,
The splitter's hut! Get to the clearin' there.
She's at the splitter's hut; an' if she ain't . . .'
My heart turns over, an' I feel dead faint.
An' as I plug along, I hear some fool
Repeatin' words till they sound like a spell.
'I'm goin' mad,' I thinks. 'Keep cool! Keep cool!'
But still the voice goes on' 'My Nell! My Nell!'
I whips round quick to see who he can be,
This yappin' fool - then realize it's me.
They say I must have gone thro' blazin' ferns.
Perhaps I did; but I don't recollect.
My mind was blank, but, judgin' by my burns,
There's something got to me that took effect.
But once, I know, I saw a flamin' tree
Fall just behind me; but that don't trouble me.
I don't know how the reached the splitter's hut,
I only saw the ragin' fire - an' Nell.
My clothes were torn, my face an' hands were cut,
An' half a dozen times, at least, I fell.
I burst into the clearin' . . . an' I look. . . .
She's sittin' on a log there - with a book!
I seem to cross that clearin' in a stride,
Still sobbin' like a kid: 'My Nell! My nell!'
I was clean mad. But, as I reach her side,
I sort of wake, an' give that song a spell.
But, by her eyes, for all she seemed so cool,
I know she must have heard, an' feel a fool.
'Why, Mister Jim? You do look hot,' says she.
(But still her eyes says oceans more than that).
'Did you come all the way up here for me?'
Coolness? I tell you straight, it knocked me flat.
By rights, she should fall sobbin' in my arms;
But no; there weren't no shrieks an' no alarms.
I pulls myself together with a jerk.
'Oh, just a stroll,' I says. 'Don't mention it.
The mill's half burnt, an' I am out of work;
They missed you so I looked around a bit.'
'Now, that was good of you,' says she, reel bright.
'Wasn't the bush-fire such a splendid sight?'
She looks me up and down. 'Why, Mister Jim,'
She says to me, 'you do look hot, indeed.
If you go strollin' that way for a whim
Whatever would you do in case of need?'
That's what she said. But with her eyes she sent
More than her thanks; an' I was quite content.
I seen her home; or, rather, she seen me,
For I was weak, an' fumbled in my stride.
But, when we reached 'The Height,' I seen that she
Was just in breakin'; an' she went inside. . . .
I stumbles home. 'Well, Jim, lad, anyway,'
I tells myself, 'you've had a fine, full day.
poem by Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Coat Of Many Colors
Back through the years
I go wandering once again
Back to the seasons of my youth
I recall the box of rags
Someone gave us
And how my mama put the rags to use
There were rags of many colors
Every piece was small
And I didnt have a coat
And it was away down in the fall
Mama sewed the rags together
So in every piece with luck
She made my coat of many colors
That I was so proud of
As she sewed, she told a story
From the Bible she had read
About a coat of many colors joseph wore
And then she said,
Perhaps this coat
Will bring you good luck and happiness
And I just couldnt wait to wear it
And my mama blessed it with a kiss
My coat of many colors
That my mama made for me
Made only from rags
That I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money
Well, I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
I hurried off to school
Just to find the others laughing
And making fun of me
In my coat of many colors
My mama made for me
And no, I couldnt understand it
For I felt I was rich
And I told them all the story
Mama told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
Was worth more than all their clothes
But they didnt understand it
And I tried to make them see
But one is only poor
Only if he chooses to be.
Now I know we had no money
In my coat of many colors
My mama made for me
Made just for me
song performed by by Kenny Rogers
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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My little playful monkeys
My little monkeys in the forest are all funny
As usual they jump from vine to vine
And fall and rise, and fall from river to river,
My little monkeys with little tails with little
Mouths and tiny baby-like hands, they wink
And play and chase and run and almost like bats
Flying from top to top of treetops from branch
To branch to twigs to twigs, all these cute
Little monkeys so playfully playful in the forest,
In my mind, I play with all of them throughout
The day, till noon, till afternoon, till nights even,
But no, when darkness comes, these cute little
Monkeys all return to bigger higher trees where
Their big monkey-mothers and big-monkey-fathers
Wait and care for them and all hide them in their arms.
And I am all left alone, like little Tarzan boy in an empty cave
feeling so deserted and betrayed.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Poor Me
Woke up this mornin'
feeling low
where my love one used to live
she ain't there no more.
Poor me, why such bad luck fall on me?
Poor me, I'm livin' in misery
What I gonna do?
Hard to tell
Lord, I'm not going to kill myself
but I might as well
Poor me, I'm so lonely can't you see?
Poor me, I'm livin' in misery.
All I do
the whole day long
fall down on my knees and pray
you'll come back home.
Poor me, why such bad luck fall on me?
Poor me, I'm livin' in misery.
song performed by by Randy Newman
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sequoia Trees
Trees so long that it makes a city look small.
Yet they make the Empire state building look tall.
People can climb this massive trees in the winter or the fall.
I saw pictures of people climbing one Sequoia like a mountain.
One of these days I want to climb a Sequoia tree.
I think these trees will last until the end of time.
No one should ever cut them down in their prime.
The Sequoias bark is so thick that it protects itself against fire.
They can last long winters in the Sierra.
Thick bark serves both causes which makes it unwilling to expire.
The fact that they are continually growing is very profound.
Theses trees are so tall and round.
Most people cant see the sky from the ground.
None should chop it down because it will fall
to pieces on the forest floor.
Try to make wood from those trees and you will be poor.
These famous trees are disease resistant.
One Sequoia is called the President.
On earth this is the second greatest tree giant.
The Sequoias are Americas living monument.
I find the Sequoias so hard to describe,
because they are so magnificent.
Thanks God for creating trees that cause so much excitement.
No Tree Can Stand Tall Without Roots Spread!
Every seed sends roots first,
Finding for soil and ground
where it can stand firm and tall,
stand firm and tall if roots go
deep,
Spread wide to find The sap! single cell that carry life,
Give life to cells and tissues,
Shoot, barks, branches and
leaves,
feed the leaves exposing leaves
to light, Visible tree stands on exposed
roots, not roots visible, Man made boundaries, fence and
compound,
Can't prevent or limit roots or
branches,
Sometimes absorbing soil here,
Branch will extent to neighbouring house,
How one can limit the nature,
or confine growing tree to
narrow circle drawn by man?
So is every life on Earth!
Mankind is like forest of different trees,
Yet all roots of autotrophic trees
deep in the soil,
Only parasitic have those roots,
pierce other tree's heart! Dive deep into yourself,
O man! Can you survive without
Your roots?
know how you are here,
Is it the mortal parent brought
you here, Or your fate,
Only be grateful to their love and
care forever!
poem by Ramdas Bhandarkar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Forest
The edge of the forest stands
Against the grey, white sky
Like a row of colourless headstones
Stripped trees emerge
Tombs of a bleak winter
Silhouetted in the dull light
Against the imaginings of man
No light or life escapes
The depths of the forest
The thoughts which swell there
Creates in them a fear
Some great sadness hidden
Branches reach out like clawed hands
Pointing into a nothingness
Or grabbing, pulling inwards
To the shadows and the darkness
Of the deathly forest floor
The silence that awaits
Far beneath the grey, white sky
The morning becomes forgotten
Beyond the edge of the forest
Where shadows hide
poem by Matthew Holloway
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Afraid To Love
So seldom does she think of love
and seldom does she want to.
It isn't that she's cold or bad,
it's that she cannot hold you.
If she were to allow herself
to hunger for your kiss,
her heart would be like jelly
and many beats would miss.
So seldom she allows herself
this pleasure and this pain
for she would surely die for love
and cannot take the strain.
If you would promise faithfully
to be her true, true friend.
To comfort her and cherish her
and be there at her end.
But life is such a fickle beast
and even though she cares.
She cannot, no she dare not
offer love and be ensnared.
poem by Ruth Walters
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Am
I am a tree,
Amongst many,
Growing in the backwoods,
As a person lost in a world of millions-
I stand proudly, and
Strong against the wind,
Bearing flowers in the spring and
Leaves, so green in the summertime…
In the autumn my foliage
Transforms to oranges, reds and browns an then fall,
Leaving me barren in the wintertime,
The storms that arrive so unexpectedly, I fear-
And even more so,
The forest fires that rage and that I have no power to stop-
Losing my branches, when lightening strikes I fear,
Or losing myself in an upsurge of flames-
I never know when my life could end,
Or when I would become none but a
Pile of sticks or logs
To which someone could light a match-
I am a tree, amongst many,
Though in some ways stronger than the others,
I am a special one, bearing flowers of a different color and
Branches that appear thinner and weaker
Than surrounding trees,
Though mine have yet to fall-
Someday a hurricane shall sweep through the forest and
Every tree shall be fallen to the wind-
Though I shall remain standing alone-
Fires may burn and storms shall come and go-
But my greatest fear is that
I shall never grow tall and scrape the magnificent blue sky,
Where angels sing and stars scintillate, and
That glorious sunrises and sets-
So much like those people who are angry and are
Always in the darkness-
It hurts sometimes to be special, even though unique-
As everyone fears those that are different-
Even if one is none but a tree, for
A tree that is different could be harmful and inevitably-
Someone will cut you down- and the flowers that once adorned you
Shall perish and be forgotten…
poem by Claudia Krizay
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The Royal tiger of India
Stressful chattering of birds,
monkeys jumping from one branch to another.,
fluttering wings of birds,
running around of animals,
a sudden unrest in the jungle,
the news spread like forest fire,
there comes the majestic
yellow and black striped beast,
walked slowly on the dried leaves,
the best catwalk if one could luckily see,
the bold and the beautiful,
its the tiger on the scene,
the Royal tiger of India indeed,
unruffeld by noise around.,
unquestionable the king of jungle,
the wildest cat on earth,
unsocial solitary beast,
make every soul to fear for life,
be it a bird, animal, man or a beast.
poem by renu Vig sharma sharma
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The 3 Monkeys
Three little monkeys, they played about,
Doing all sorts of things, till their mother did shout;
If you don't stop this misbehaving, you'll go to bed,
All this playing up, is giving me a pain in my head.
Three little monkeys, would play hide and seek,
When they heard a secret, they'd be a sticky beak;
Sometimes they'd run away, till their mother called them back,
,
If you three keep playing up, you'll go to bed with a smack.
It reminds me of us children, when I was young growing up,
And mum told us to behave, we'd act like a naughty pup;
But! Most times I remember the great times we did play,
And when it was a holiday, we'd go somewhere to stay.
Yes! It wasn't all bad for those monkeys, those three,
And growing up, there were great times as well for me;
I thank my Mother, as I'm sure the monkeys do too,
Cause a mother can only take so much, oh yes! This is true.
poem by Margaret Haig
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Fool On The Hill
Day after day, alone on the hill
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him
They can see that hes just a fool
As he never gives an answer
But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning around
Well on the way, head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices talking percetly loud
But nobody ever hears him
Or the sound he appears to make
And he never seems to notice
But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning around
And nobody seems to like him
They can tell what he wants to do
And he never shows his feelings
But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning around
He never listen to them
He knows that theyre the fools
They dont like him
The fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning around
song performed by by Paul McCartney
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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See And Feel The Wonder
Leave me in the cool tall grass
With my back against a tree
Tilt my head back a bit
Put soft brush beneath my knee
Put my hands atop one another
For I have the need, you see
To see and feel the wonder
To repose beneath the tree
So journey on…Don’t look back
Think no more of me
Just leave me in the cool tall grass
With my back against a tree
poem by David Whalen
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Hungry
I hunger
lying on my bed
in the shaded dark.
I hunger for you,
my stomach
wrenching
and I verge
on crying
the need so intense.
I roll
sideways
in the bed,
I flail
my arms
lift and slam them down
by my side
as I try to pound
that hunger away.
I hunger for you.
I need.
I walk to the bathroom
and peer at the face
to see what need looks like.
It is gaunt.
It is sleepy eyed.
it is unflattering.
I whirl away;
can't look.
and I sit
down
head in hand;
can't go back to bed
and can't continue to just sit.
I'm already back in the room
my hand on the phone.
It rings.
I say
'Oh nothing
I was just thinking about you.'
poem by Lonnie Hicks
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Coat Of Many Colors
back through the yearsi go wondering once again
back to the seasons of my youth
i recall a box of rags that someone gave us
and how my momma put the rags to use
there were rags of many colors and every piece was small
and i didn't have a coat and it was way down in the fall
momma sewed the rags together sewing every piece with love she made my coat of many colors that i was so proud of
as she sewed she told a story from the bible she had read
about a coat of many colors Josheph wore and then she said
perhaps this coat will bring you good luck and happiness
and i just couldn't wait to wear it and momma blessed it with a kiss
my coat of many colors that my momma made for me
made only from rags but i wore it so proudly
i know we had money but i was rich as i could be in my coat of many colors
my momma made for me
so with patches on my britiches holes in both my shoes
in my coat of many colors i hurried off to school
just to find the others laughing and a making fun of me
in my coat of many colors my momma made for me
and oh i couldn't understand for i felt i was rich
and i told them all the love my momma sewed in every stich
and i told them all the story momma told me while she sewed
and how my coat of many colors was worth more than all their clothes
but they didn't understand and i tried to make them see
one is only poor only if they choose to be
now i know we have no money but i was rich as i could be
in my coat of many colors momma made for me
made just for me
song performed by by Shania Twain
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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