The Beggar of Wu Ma Jie
He’s laid his head on a Chinese street
There’s nothing of dignity here,
He’s bared his soul in a plastic bowl
For the rest of the world to jeer,
His clothes are ragged, his body is torn
With a million kinds of sin,
The sort that everyone walking past
Holds close; hides under the skin.
He lies in dirt on a filthy rag
To keep the cold from his bones,
And never utters a word to beg,
Though often he cries, or groans,
His face is one with the living earth
As he rests his head on the ground,
He’s soaked by the chilling winter rains
And washed by the summer storms.
His bowl holds only a few yuan
That those with a humble heart
Might dropp in shame, then hurry away
From a life that’s fallen apart;
There’s no compassion in passing eyes
Just the hint of a prideful sneer,
That damns us all to the final fall
As we taste of his deep despair.
Our Lord, or Buddha, in heat or cold
You lie in his wretched form,
To feel the toll of a human soul
Who’s lost to his wife and home;
A man walks tall in the morning sun
Is crippled by those held dear,
Then falls to earth, is there no repair
For the beggar of Wu Ma Jie?
13 December 2006
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Fold It All Away
The fire, the heat, the hungry daze -
I will fold it all away.
Like clothes just meant for summer days
It’s winter now - cold here to stay
You made my heart soar and leap
And now my heart will go to sleep
Like clothes just meant for summer days
It’s winter now - cold here to stay
All desire in me is gone -
Another’s touch would just feel wrong
Like clothes just meant for summer days
It’s winter now - cold here to stay
Your smile’s engraved inside my head,
The view of you, touching foreheads
Like clothes just meant for summer days
It’s winter now - cold here to stay
A kiss that made my heart melt,
Feelings I had never felt
Like clothes just meant for summer days
It’s winter now - cold here to stay
I loved to hear your laughter most
But now the sound will be a ghost
Like clothes just meant for summer days
I will fold it all away
Such warmth and love can never stay
I will fold
It all
Away
Higher than I’ve ever been
The fall is here - let it begin
But I will rise again someday
The cold and winter cannot stay
For now that day seems far away
Like clothes just meant for summer days
And I will fold
Every piece
Away
It’s winter now
The cold
Will stay
Sonnet: Let’s Put Our Trust In God
When shattered seems the Lamp of Life in me;
And broken lies the glass-mantle of fame;
My body's wick too half-burnt and sadly;
Heart's fuel gone, in hopelessness and shame!
I ponder if these are my earth's last days,
As weary lie my spirit and my will;
While Death's cold-sneer is laughing at my face;
I feel miserable, so extremely ill!
The God in me goads me to carry on;
For earth's verdicts are not infallible;
New Hope could come with every morning's Dawn;
Nothing to God is ev'r impossible!
I continue to live as God demands,
He holds my hour-glass and its falling-sands!
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Out In The Cold
The day fell down, the air got cold
I walked out in the street
Daydreamed for a mil e or two
Staring at my feet
Like a workin boy, out of luck
Fallin through the cracks
Night rolled in, I turned back home
A hard wind at my back
Im out in the cold (out in the cold)
Body and soul (out in the cold)
Th eres nowhere to go (out in the cold)
Im out in the cold (out in the cold)
Well I woke up
My brain was stunned
I could come around
I reached out to grab my keys
Tumbled to the ground
I thought of you
Starry eyed
I wondered where we stand
Did I just fall from your arms
Down into your hands
Im out in the cold (out in the cold)
Body and soul (out in the cold)
Theres nowhere to go (out in the cold)
Im out in the cold (out in the cold)
Im out
Standin in a doorway
Im out
Walkin around
Hands in my pockets
Im out in the cold (out in the cold)
Body and soul (out in the cold)
Theres nowhere to go (out in the cold)
Im out in the cold (o ut in the cold)
song performed by by Tom Petty
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Who Can Take This Longing?
there is always a longing upon the mouth of an empty bowl
the one that you place beside the house that gapes its gaze towards the sun
when it rains you hope that this longing may be sealed by cold water
dropp by dropp throughout the whole night when the world is not seeing
anything, any ripple in your river
body,
no water can fill it, no rain can boast about its power
to level things with its pouring
there is one thing though that you wish to happen
that a child with a stone hits the body of the bowl so that it can be
broken into pieces
that finds no semblance from anything whatsoever
that it can be beyond repair
so that the longing shall be taken away by the pieces
now with its shattered voice
into the void.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Welcome To My Hell
Broken bones.
All alone.
Scream but nothing comes out.
Shouts falling on deaf ears.
They don't care, they don't care.
A soul filled despair.
Theirs a chill in air.
The end is near.
Your body just disappears.
Where did you go?
Nobody knows.
Dust upon your clothes.
Surrounded by absolute darkness.
Blood dripping from your head.
A fall into the deep.
A life so precious.
Yet it can be so meaningless.
So much yet you wanted to do, but their is no more time.
Lock and buried deep inside.
Making marks with your nails.
Cracking them one by one.
A body torn apart.
A arm ripped out of its socket.
Are you praying for your heavenly depart?
As you lye in wait of that which isn't coming.
What do you think about in your last moments?
Are you spiteful to the very end?
Are you one that cries?
Are you one too pray for forgiveness of all your sins?
Are you one that looks up to the sky?
Will the answers ever come?
Will this ever be done?
Is it all a dream?
So real, from touch, to taste, to smell.
Only sight is lost in the place you dwell.
poem by Ace Of Black Hearts
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Buddha Within....
Buddha's tears...
on the faces of every
hungry child in the world.
Buddha's emptiness,
in the hearts of every
person who has no home.
Buddha's sorrow,
in the eyes of every
victim of the bombings.
Buddha's silence,
at the roar of every
religious fanatic.
Buddha's compassion,
in the dirt of every
human being fallen.
Buddha's forgiveness,
in the anger of every
person driven by prejudice.
Buddha within,
seeks to evolve!
Buddha within,
just to be!
Buddha within,
already there.
Buddha within,
always has been!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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An Easy Winter
winter is working us now
the subtle air holds the hint of snow
we are captured by an irresistible gravity
that demands sleep and disengagement
Bear
torn between hunger and sleep
feels it too
heaviness moves her slowly
toward a somnolence
that encloses
and holds for us
the promise of another Spring
there is an easy winter in your ways
that is cool
and sometimes removed
a wary smile that holds in it
the hint of stirrings
stirrings of deep springs
moving in the languid earth
poem by Joan Woodbridge
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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As I Lay
As I lay there dying
You are somewhere not crying
As you know not where I am.
I ask the Lord to forgive you
Then I ask him my soul to soothe
Finally his glory I do understand.
I think back when we had met
I was full of happiness and no regret
But that was so many years ago.
But then you forgot what I did for love
Not for him or her, but only for us
And the love in my heart that once did flow.
As I lay there bleeding
You are nowhere near not weeping
And how happy I am just for you.
I fought this battle now I’m all alone
Your sins now you must atone
As for me there is nothing else I can do.
I take a walk inside my mind
Once again to a different time
When I wore a smile on my face and heart.
Again your actions come to my brain
As I remember them all once again
How I wish from life I could quickly depart.
As I lay there all alone
Knowing everywhere you go you are known
From the lies and sin that you have done.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath
As though its my last, it I excitably accept
As I wish and hope to see another sun.
But I still see and think about you
As I worry myself with the evils you did do
As I lay there all alone just sighing.
I want to enjoy my last hours on this earth
Before they bury me in the cold, cold dirt
Now I end up with you in my mind denying.
As I lay there with my heart slowly beating
I feel my life from me is fleeting
Slowly I take in my very last breadth.
I think of not the future put the past
How I stood sturdy and steadfast
And how in life I had just one regret.
I close my eyes for the very last time
No more writing poetry or reading a rhyme
As I fall in forever sleep in my bed.
Another day it will come and go
And about me one thing you will never know
That somewhere, I now lay dead.
poem by Randy McClave
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Away The Bowl
Our grateful hearts with temperance burn,
Away, away the bowl,
From dram shops all, our steps we turn,
Away, away the bowl;
Farewell to rum and all its harms,
Farewell the wine-cup's boasted charms,
Away the bowl, away the bowl, away, away the bowl.
See how that staggering drunkard reels!
Away, away the bowl;
Alas, the misery he reveals,
Away, away the bowl;
His children grieve, his wife's in tears!
How sad his once bright home appears!
Away the bowl, away the bowl, away, away the bowl.
We drink no more, nor buy nor sell,
Away, away the bowl!
The grog-shop's offers we repel,
Away, away the bowl.
United in a temperance band,
We 're joined in heart, we 're joined in hand,
Away the bowl, away the bowl, away, away the bowl.
poem by John Pierpont
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The requiem of the flies
The rain is crashing upon my face
Its like God is trying to wash away my pain
I look down upon the puddles of mud
Thinking about all the things I have done
The rain is so cold
The dark grey gloom surrounds me
My life is not as it should be
And I don't care anymore
I find that Living is such a bore
The rain is so cold
My mind is numb, cold and blank
This world is passing me by
This world is cold and dank
And I wonder why I have not died
The rain is so cold
Abaddon holds no surprises for me
Under the pale moon I danced on my grave
And I am on my way to hell
I cant deny what is to be
The rain is so cold
My soul is heavy and stained and
I don't want to carry it no more
I carry two coins in my hand
Waiting upon the water's shore
The rain is so cold
The man in white comes for me
Pretending to walk on water
Feet stuttering, hips jutting
About to fall in and he is getting closer
The rain is so cold
There will be no requiescat for me
My apple of Peru has wilted and
The lord of the flies wont let me be
He crushes the flower in my hand
The rain is so cold
It was my last day on earth
The two coins in my hand my life is not worth
My soul knows will know no reprieve
From hell I will never leave
The rain is so cold
My life is to repand upon itself
It is destined to reprise
My song has not ended
But has repetended
The rain is cold
To the Archean I was sent
Where I was meant to repent
Repentir, pentir, paenitere
Until the worlds' end
The rain is so cold
From the puddles of mud I look up
And realize I have gotten old
All my years spent wondering,
And I have no story to be told
The rain is so cold
I can only hope to die one day
And start it all over again but
The lord of the flies wont let me die
I have become one of his flies to my dismay
poem by Leonid Gonzalez
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The Robes Which Bind
the ropes which bind the human soul
to the mortal earth are frayed and old
the are made filthy and washed by rain
the storms of times passing
the knots like fists cling tightly
while cracks and holes do nothing
the ropes which bind the human soul
to the mortal earth are frayed
weathered, worn, abused and cut
still, still they hold on regardless
like an indomitable spirit
those fist knots, those woven strands
anchor the soul to the earth
as though life itself depends
the day, the night the heavens above
names of faultless graces written
upon the fabricated strands
perhaps those of the fates themselves
the ropes which bind the human soul
to the mortal earth are frayed and old
but still, still they hold
poem by Matthew Holloway
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The Bag Of Bones
When first I dug my garden I thought I heard a groan,
but I continued digging and found a bag of bones.
I emptied the bag of bones cautiously on the ground
and from the human skull came a sighing sound.
The bones moved slowly before my astonished eyes
and took the look of a skeleton of a taller larger size.
The incomplete and missing grew to form a connection
and this completed a full skeletal resurrection.
It stood up tall and strode over to my garden hose,
sprayed water over it’s his head and down to it’s toes.
It grabbed hands full of soil and made a sticky mud
and plastered it’s bones all over the best that it could.
As the brown mud dried it turned to a hard flaky skin
and then a pair of white eyes appeared from within.
Curly black hair grew and features formed on its face,
and it wasn’t by far the prettiest of the human race.
He stared all around as he stood in the shade of the tree
two strides later he took the spade away from me.
Laboriously he began digging more holes in the ground
and out of each, many more bags of bones were found.
Each and every bag of bones became the same as he,
and I gave up counting when I reached twenty three.
Feeling anxious and terrified I backed out of the way,
I certainly didn’t like what I was seeing today.
None of them spoke they just gestured and groaned.
who could have buried these bags of human bone
and why did they reform, and enter this world of ours,
and who gave them their supernatural powers?
When darkness came they went into the street
as though driven on by some evil streak.
Where they were going.., I just didn’t know,
but be it day or night they frightened me so.
At the end of the street they divided and separated,
without a doubt they looked full of hatred.
The following morning I faced up to the garden’s mess,
and filled in the holes where the bones were laid to rest.
I noticed a flat piece of wood half buried in the ground
and on it writing; the answer I had probably found.
‘These bags of bones are those of tormented African slaves
who were washed ashore after suffering watery graves.
They hated every man who had broken their bodies and will,
and promised to return to take revenge and kill,
all the descendents of those who tortured and murdered
the fifty or so whose bodies become dismembered.
One of the slaves who survived this massive slaughter
was a tribal witch-doctor’s gifted only daughter.
She chanted and laid a curse for all the bones of the dead
and before she died, she made sure it was re-said.
And when the last descendent falls from their disgrace,
these wretched souls will go to their final resting place.
poem by Orlando Belo
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Winter blossom
strawberry hues of summer glisten above
In the distance leaves rustle as the wind blows
But far removed from this scene I am
I’m in my world
My cold world
Wet earth clings to naked feet
the sky groans with disapproval at the clouds; close
in this scene I thrive
in my world
my cold world
head bowed, streams of tears devouring my face
my flesh gaining bumps to an inner chill
stuck in polar opposites, your lily to my ice
yet into your eyes you make me decide to leave my world
my cold world behind
poem by Olivia Helmes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Tramp On The Street
The snowflakes fell
like white feathers from heaven
leaving a white blanket on the ground.
He trudged through the lonely streets
with nowhere to go.
A tramp on the street
with only rags to cover his feet,
trying to find a place to sleep
and rest his weary bones.
He passed a frozen river,
it made his cold body shiver
for he could see a pair of hand raise up held
and hear a small voice as it yelled.
Without a moment hesitation,
though barely nothing on his feet
he started to walk
across the sharp iced water
even though the wind fiercely blew.
He had to reach the child
that had fallen through.
He moved as fast as he could
although he was almost crippled.
Reaching down he plucked the child
from the dark waters cold
as the wind blew fierce and wild.
He moved slowly to the shore
as a silent rain began to pour.
Finding shelter beneath some trees
covered the child in what
dry clothes he had.
He forgot about his feet that hurt
as he covers the child
with his ragged coat and shirt.
He made sure the child was warm
before he laid himself to rest.
The child later awoke to find
the tramp stiff and blue
within his snowy bed.
There is no moral to this story
of why one ill treated by society
would willingly forfit his life
so that an unknown child would live.
We can only ponder on the thoughts
that went through his head
as he laid himself down to sleep
on that snowy bed.
12 January 2008
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Dan's Wife
Up in early morning light,
Sweeping, dusting, 'setting right,'
Oiling all the household springs,
Sewing buttons, tying strings,
Telling Bridget what to do,
Mending rips in Johnny's shoe,
Running up and down the stair,
Tying baby in her chair,
Cutting meat and spreading bread,
Dishing out so much per head,
Eating as she can by chance,
Giving husband kindly glance;
Toiling, working, busy life,--
Smart woman,
Dan's wife.
Dan comes home at fall of night,
Home so cheerful, neat, and bright;
Children meet him at the door,
Pull him in and looked him o'er;
Wife asks how the work has gone.
'Busy times with us at home!'
Supper done, Dan reads with ease,--
Happy Dan, but one to please!
Children must be put to bed--
All the little prayers are said;
Little shoes are placed in rows,
Bedclothes tucked o'er little toes;
Busy, noisy, wearing life,--
Tired woman,
Dan's wife.
Dan reads on and falls asleep--
See the woman softly creep;
Baby rests at last, poor dear,
Not a word her heart to cheer;
Mending-basket full to top,
Stockings, shirt, and little frock;
Tired eyes and weary brain,
Side with darting, ugly pain;
'Never mind, 'will pass away,'
She must work, but never play;
Closed piano, unused books,
Done the walks to easy nooks,
Brightness faded out of life,--
Saddened woman,
Dan's wife.
Upstairs, tossing to and fro,
Fever holds the woman low;
Children wander free to play
When and where they will today;
Bridget loiters--dinner's cold,
Dan looks anxious, cross, and old;
Household screws are out of place,
Lacking one dear, patient face;
Steady hands, so weak but true,
Hands that knew just what to do,
Never knowing rest or play,
Folded now--and laid away;
Work of six in one short life,--
Shattered woman,
Dan's wife.
poem by Anonymous Americas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Party In My Bones
party in my bones
I'm shuffling down on the street
this cold night laid me bare
I'm going down with the stream
into the city's blare
Passing by the hooker's row tempting lips,
oh burning curse
Hey babe save yourself for tomorrow
keep your passion in your purse
Came on! I can hear those crazy tones
If I can't find a party,
I'll have a party in my bones
I'm spinning round and round
around my tattooed bones
The dreams are razed to the ground
and covered with heavy stones
Passing by the junky's square
it feels so dizzy, feels so gay
A giddy sniff from the air
and I'm dating fairies right away
Come on! I can hear those crazy tones
If I can't find a party,
I'll have a party in my bones
I'm falling outta my skin
into the midnight glass
The shade of human sin
is walking on magic grass
Bright morning makes me sober
twilight's gone it seems so dull
I fall prey to the brandy soaked suburb
Hey, pour some brandy in my skull!
Come on! I can hear those crazy tones
If I can't find a party,
I'll have a party in my bones
song performed by by Quimby
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Better Man
Send someone to love me
I need to rest in arms
Keep me safe from harm
In pouring rain
Give me endless summer
Lord I fear the cold
Feel I'm getting old
Before my time
As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I'm doing all I can
To be a better man
Go easy on my conscience
'Cause it's not my fault
I know I've been taught
To take the blame
Rest assured my angels
Will catch my tears
Walk me out of here
I'm in pain
As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I'm doing all I can
To be a better man
Once you've found that lover
You're homeward bound
Love is all around
Love is all around
I know some have fallen
On stony ground
But Love is all around
Send someone to love me
I need to rest in arms
Keep me safe from harm
In pouring rain
Give me endless summer
Lord I fear the cold
Feel I'm getting old
Before my time
As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I'm doin' all I can
To be a better man
song performed by by Robbie Williams from Sing When You're Winning
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Pardon my call Lord
Oh! open the gate of heaven, and
Listen to my call my heart has
whisper the silent of the night of my
soul as the key unlock the voice of
surrender of my trusted soul bereaved
in the grave of fading home
dawn come no more, in the shadow
of my grave; loaded with flowers in the
head smell like nobody holds the candid
picture in the window of yesterday and
the silence bold, to come in the light to
admonish my limit
oh! my Dear Creator, patiently wait
you'll come to thy living soul; cleanse
my body and humble my lonely heart;
show me the emptiness of your hatred,
tangle my longing and puzzle in the
wilderness of suffering burning my
immortality
dear Lord of calling, have pardon my
voice and judge my soul of my
wickedness, i trust in you......
poem by Antonio Liao
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Bonescraper
There is no future for us to suture
Your life ill-fated, beat down and hated
Shot in the head, walking undead
Numb to the world, around your head
Rip my skin from my bone, I won't bleed
Rip my heart from my chest, I won't scream
Hide in the shadows, deep black, and hollow
Empty void of light cuts clean, like a knife
Damaged and torn, punctured by thorns
I've felt nothing since I was born
Rip my skins from my bones, I won't bleed
Rip my heart from my chest, I won't scream
My flesh <-> Your flesh
Your eyes <-> My sight
My pain <-> Your shame
We are the same ...
Rip my skin from my bones, I won't bleed
Rip my heart from my chest, I won't scream
Rip my skin ...
song performed by by Fear Factory
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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No One Like Her
(8/18/12)
There is no one like her- her fires burn deep inside
And her feelings she tries to hide.
But I - I know her oh so well
And about her love I can tell.
Like an Arabian woman who hides
Her body and face
But her eyes carry you to a different place.
Her eyes are like whirl pools which
Take a hold of you and doesn't let go
Till you reach the depths of her soul.
She puts you on a journey that you've never been
And in her heart you just can't win.
She is covered from head to toe
And with that veil you'll never know
What she holds in store for you
Until she allows you to follow thru.
Now that I have been allowed to see this sight
I've fallen in love with all my might
She showed herself in all her glory
And this is the end of my story.
poem by Louis Rams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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