The Daisy Bree
I stood back on the quay and watched them
Raise the anchor, trim the sail,
Haul the spinnaker up to catch
The gusting breeze once under way;
They slipped out past the Harbour gates
And with them went my heart, my dreams,
As bitter fortune made it plain
That life is never all it seems.
My friend from childhood, Roger Cain,
My childhood sweetheart, Alice Drew,
They'd tied the knot an hour before
In secrecy, I never knew!
I'd thought that we had time enough
To sort it out, she'd made it plain:
'You either marry me, or else...'
She'd patted down the counterpane.
I didn't see her then for days,
She'd said that she was overdue,
I mulled it over in my mind
Not knowing what to say, or do.
I should have said I'd marry her,
I should have said a lot of things,
It's only through our own mistakes
We find out what misfortune brings!
I'd thought that I could trust a friend,
That love was steadfast, strong and true,
I'd thought that I could make amends
Not knowing what she'd think or do.
She'd thought more of her name, it seemed,
The fear of scandal muted love,
And Roger, he just took his chance,
Proposed, and she just thought, 'Enough! '
We'd sailed as boys out in the bay,
We'd dreamed of owning ketches, yachts,
When Roger's father died, he left
Him everything, and that was lots!
He bought an old-time sailing yacht
With work to do, the 'Daisy Bree',
And left me on the shore while he
Went gallivanting out to sea.
We'd grown apart, for well I knew
That he had lit a torch for her,
My Alice Drew, who thought it sweet
But I... I felt my anger stir!
He showed her over the 'Daisy Bree',
She helped him clean the galley there,
I should have nipped it in the bud,
Or at the least, been more aware!
Now they had gone, a honeymoon,
To sail away to Hobart Town,
I wandered off the quay in tears,
I drank until my feelings drowned.
I heard they'd got there safely, then
Were heading out to sail due west,
And that was all! Three weeks went by,
The 'Daisy Bree' was listed - 'Lost! '
My mind was in a torment, bleeding
Blamed myself each day, anew,
She came into my dreams, just pleading,
'Rescue me! ' said Alice Drew.
Thinking of the seed she'd carried,
Of the child I'd never see,
I cursed the name of Roger Cain
For bringing on this misery.
The Search and Rescue people flew
A thousand miles of ocean squared,
But not a sign of the 'Daisy Bree'
Was seen, or so I overheard.
'They may have been blown way off course, '
I heard a captain tell his mate,
'Down in Antarctic waters there,
I can't think of a crueler fate! '
I flew the fifth week down to Hobart,
Phantoms roamed my tired mind,
Alice now was lean and drawn,
With sunken eyes, she looked quite blind.
Every time I slept she came
And glared at me across the sea,
Icebergs floated by in dreams
As she croaked: 'Find the Daisy Bree! '
I went to rent a yacht myself,
One I could manage on my own,
I didn't want to raise alarms
My destination, then unknown!
I sailed out in the dead of night
And headed south, so I could see
If I could put to bed at night
All hope, or find the 'Daisy Bree'.
For days I sailed, the seas grew high
The 'Aspen' wallowed in each trough,
I rugged up well and stayed awake
Invigored by the coffee pot.
I started seeing floating icebergs
Broken from some distant shore,
My eyes grew weaker by the day...
I wondered what I'd come here for?
Another week went by, and I
Had turned to rest my weary head
When out to starboard, there I saw
A sight that filled my soul with dread!
A yacht with sails that blew in tatters,
Stripped and iced, it wallowed free,
Straining through a 'scope, I saw
The legend there, the 'Daisy Bree'.
Waiting 'til the wind had dropped
I pulled along the side to check,
Lashed her fast to 'Aspen's' side
Then leapt aboard the ice bound deck.
Kicked the cabin door to break
The ice that sealed it from the sea,
Down the steps, into the cabin,
Down inside the 'Daisy Bree'.
Roger lay there in the passage
Stripped and cold and very dead,
One arm missing from the shoulder,
One great gash across his head.
Alice sat both fat and wizened
Blind, but wary in the dark,
'Listen child, ' she whispered, 'Harken! '
Then picked up her knife and fork!
3 August 2009
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Who Licked The Frosting Off The Cake
They would love to place all of their fading decorations,
With undenied insecurities on his shoulders.
And blame him,
For all of the things that had gone wrong at the party,
They discreetly created that failed.
They would love to do this,
Since it is something they easily do.
And have done in the past.
But those with eyes that are opened now,
Know what the screwers have chosen to pursue.
And who those screwers are!
And who those screwers foolishly screwed.
Themselves!
With an overdosing of pretensions.
Unfortunately,
The ones denied the 'keys'...
To live lives to prosper.
And respected for their identities,
Indiscriminately!
Were not the ones invited to the dance.
Some were 'selected' to clean and 'spruce'.
But few could bear the stares and left.
So how can anyone seriously accuse a representative,
For not supplying the meal to continue a feast!
When those too greedy,
Had selfishly isolated themselves in self righteousness.
Not caring when indulged,
If it had been one of their own to see defeat.
'What a silly notion!
Do you have more 'bree'? '
BREE?
'Yes...
Bree. The cheese? Bree? '
OH?
Why don't you just say cheese?
'Excuse me?
Do I detect a bit of insolence here? '
Look...
Let's understand this,
If you want the 'bree'
You get the damn 'bree'.
I ain't no servant here!
They would love to place
All of their insecurities on his shoulders.
And blame him as president,
For all of the things that are wrong...
They have discreetly created that failed.
And anyone who has been consciously awake,
Knows exactly who licked the frosting off the cake.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Am Fred Astaire
I'm under the assumption
that I'm gonna be the one thats leaving you
tonight, tonight...
Well I flipped every switch
that I could find on my way out just to upset you more
(just to keep you busy) just to make you angry (just because you were right) just because you were...
All tired scream safe haven,
Let's get this out and on the table...
Fast forward to say four o'clock,
I'm keeping time, I'm holdin', we're always holdin',
(we're always holdin), we're always holdin, holding out...
And that's what got us here in the first place,
you should have never come here alone
(you should have never bothered at all), bothered at all...
Scream older and wiser, still filled with resentment
We get it, we get it...Oh (I haven't been happier since)
Older and wiser, still filled with resentment
We get it, we get it...Oh, Bree Ann (I haven't been happier since, I haven't been happier, not since.)
Well five o'clock the floor caught fire with footsteps (my footsteps)
And spread like a disease to the door
(I'm stuttering through it but I hear it) I-I-I hear its good t-t-to stick to what you know
And you know a whole lot of this, it all could have been avoided when
you were courtside for this nightmare,
Well since then I got myself come and listen...
Older and wiser, still filled with resentment
We get it, we get it...Oh (I haven't been happier since)
Older and wiser, still filled with resentment
We get it, we get it...Oh, Bree Ann (I haven't been happier since)
I haven't been happier since (Bree Ann)
I haven't been happier since (Bree Ann)
I haven't been happier since (Bree Ann)
I haven't been happier not since...
Well, it used to take so much more (I used to, I used to too)
It used to take so much more (I used to, I used to too)
I used to, I used to too...
song performed by by Taking Back Sunday
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Does my character hate Bree? Well, let's just put it this way. Bree hasn't seen the last of me. I gave that drunk gal a ride home a few episodes ago and she turned on me!
quote by Alfre Woodard
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Oh! Daisy
Oh Daisy won't you tell me a secret
Tell me something everyone wants to know
I've been sitting here inside thelittle box in my head
Waiting for an answer, waiting to understand
Oh Daisy won't you tell me a fortune
Living out my dreams of sunny days
I've been living there inside the little box in my head
Waiting for an answer, but Daisy she never talks back
(Chorus)
What you expect from someone who is named after a cow yeah
Go figure
I won't get an answer from someone who is named after a flower
Go figure
Oh Daisy won't you stop acting stupid
I'm getting sick of your whole attitude
Come and sit with me inside the little box in my head
Waiting for an answer, but Daisy she never talks back
Chorus x3
Oh Daisy won't you tell me a secret
Tell me something everyone wants to know
I've been sitting here inside the little box in my head
Waiting for an answer, but Daisy she never talks back
song performed by by Zed
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Daisy
Daisy, you came into my life,
Delivered to me by my wife,
You carried me through a time of strife,
No more boots, I wish you a peaceful life,
Daisy, oh my Daisy,
You drive me crazy,
You're a little bit lazy,
My Sweetheart,
Looking at me with those big eyes,
Pointy ears hear the human lies,
When I am down, only you hear my cries,
In my darkest hours, you were there,
Just a look to show you care,
Your warmth my only consolation,
In my time of great trepidation,
Daisy, oh my Daisy,
You drive me crazy,
You're a little bit lazy,
My Sweetheart,
When your sister drives you to despair,
Back you go to your lair,
I always try to be fair,
Everywhere your dark hair,
Only you know how much I care,
Your sister gives me inspiration,
But your heart always brings me elation,
You have saved our nation, from great tribulation!
April 2012
poem by David Andre' Klopper
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Humble Daisy
Humble daisy
Form a chain to hold all battleships in check
Humble daisy
Knit a ladder down to natures sunken wreck
Ragged rug unbound
Tangle trip the lovers
Royal barge aground
Brighter than all of the others on the window sill
Ill sing about you if nobody else will
Humble daisy
Cast the milk and coins of mornings cash about
Humble daisy
I fell down to heaven as you picked me out
Well look up together
Browsing through some old sky
Sipping in the weather
Youve got me dizzy, the fly that climbed the sugar hill
Ill lay upon you till somebody else will
Humble daisy
Well look up together
song performed by by Xtc
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Humble Daisy
Humble daisy
Form a chain to hold all battleships in check
Humble daisy
Knit a ladder down to natures sunken wreck
Ragged rug unbound
Tangle trip the lovers
Royal barge aground
Brighter than all of the others on the window sill
Ill sing about you if nobody else will
Humble daisy
Cast the milk and coins of mornings cash about
Humble daisy
I fell down to heaven as you picked me out
Well look up together
Browsing through some old sky
Sipping in the weather
Youve got me dizzy, the fly that climbed the sugar hill
Ill lay upon you till somebody else will
Humble daisy
Well look up together
song performed by by Xtc
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Strip Jack!
We'd been caught out in the yacht that day,
A storm blew up in the lee,
The clouds had gathered at four o'clock
In the wake of a rising sea,
'It's looking grim, ' I had said to her
As we spun the bows around,
And headed in to the distant shore
As the first of the rain came down.
The sun went in and the sky was black
As I reefed the sail in short,
While Linda pulled in the spinnaker,
And clung to the rail's support,
She made her way to the cabin then
As my phone began to ring,
I heard, 'It's done! ' and my mind went numb,
It was time to do my thing!
She stood with her back toward me as
I lunged with the marlin spike,
She dropped like a faded butterfly
In search of its last midnight,
I dragged her out to the afterdeck
And bound her up in the chain,
Then sent her down with the anchor where
She never would wake again!
I cast off the anchor chain and then
I retched all over the deck,
It had to be done, I told myself,
And I thought of her cousin, Beck,
She'd done the deed we'd agreed upon,
Had seen off her husband, Ben,
So Beck would be mine to have and hold
As I'd dreamed and I'd schemed, back when.
We'd always been close, the four of us,
Had holidayed in the snow,
We'd sat in a dark secluded bar
In the aftermath of a show,
We'd played Strip Jack in the garden 'til
The women were stripped to the waist,
Then each of us swapped, and went to bed,
And woke to a different face!
We thought we could get away with it,
Old friends, just casual sex,
We'd been together so long, we had
No clue what would happen next,
I thought that Linda was furtive,
Making eyes at Ben in the dark,
And I was caught in a whisper then,
With Beck in our local park.
Then Ben and I found the silences
Embarrassing, hard to bear,
Where once we'd laughed and we'd joked
That camaraderie wasn't there,
Then Beck had told me he'd soured on her,
And Linda, too, went strange,
So when we swapped, we schemed and planned
With our partners out of range.
'I think he's planning to murder me, '
Said Beck, on a tearful night,
When she curled up tight in the sheets and cried,
And seemed in an awful plight,
'I wonder what they're planning now, '
She said, in the early dawn,
Then I thought of Linda's silences,
And Ben, and I felt forlorn.
Then Beck had told me she loved me so,
And drove me out of my mind,
I knew that I'd do most anything
For the wife of my former friend,
She said one day that she had a plan,
To rid herself of Ben,
'But you must do what you have to do
When I phone, and tell you when! '
I tied the yacht to the outer Quay
Drove homeward, just as we'd planned,
I thought to report the following day
That she'd left for another man,
But when I opened the old front door
I saw them sitting there,
Both Ben, alive, in the dining room,
And Beck with a frightened stare!
'Where's Linda, ' Ben was the first to speak,
And I just froze - he knew!
But Beck said, 'I tried phoning her,
I thought she was with you.'
And then she showed me the frosted cake
She'd worked on all day through,
'It's for your anniversary,
She'd planned a surprise for you! '
I pulled the cell phone out, and stared,
The phone had been my wife's,
My own I'd left in the den downstairs,
That message cost her life.
'It's done! ' meant the anniversary cake,
I hadn't said a word,
Now Ben looked long and hard at me,
'Where's Linda? ' - then he stared!
I said that she must be out somewhere,
Then opened a cask of wine,
Sat back, as Ben filled the tumblers full
I knew, for the final time.
'Here's to your anniversary, '
He said, as we drank the toast,
And I thought I could see by the window there
The shape of my Linda's ghost.
But Beck had choked on the wine, and gasped,
Her mouth a purple hue,
She stared and sighed in a faint surprise
As the truth came into view.
'She's dead, my friend, did you think I'd lend
My wife for the sake of yours?
I knew the play and it ends today,
Where's Linda - Dead? Of course! '
There wasn't another word to say,
We sat and drank in the dark,
With Beck spread over the table like
Some rag doll, left in the park.
I read the anniversary card
That Linda had left for me:
'To the only man I have ever loved...
On our anniversary! '
14 February 2010
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Close to the Edge
My father was a sailor
He was always off the shore,
And I’d watch his sailboat ‘Ransom’
As it gaff-rigged past our door,
And he told me – ‘When you’re old enough
I’ll show you where they dwell,
The mermaids, with their necklaces,
Made out of cockleshells!
Then out on the verandah
He would stare straight out to sea,
Where the sun meets the horizon
Then he’d sit me on his knee,
And he’d tell me tales of Morgan,
Tales of Captain Kidd and Co.,
When they roamed the Caribbean
In the days of long ago.
He would sail out in the summer,
He would sail out in the fall,
He would sail to the horizon
In the mist, and through a squall,
And he always took his bo’sun
‘Shifty’ Dick, who trimmed the sail,
Drank the ‘Ransom’ dry of whiskey,
Lashed his wrist, hard to the rail.
Then one winter, storm capped waters
Beat unceasing on our shore,
And my mother lit the lantern
Kept a vigil by the door.
But the ‘Ransom’ kept its secrets
Never came to shore again,
And my father joined the history
Of all seafaring men!
I grew and took my lessons
In a little trailer-sail,
When my mother wasn’t watching;
She would cry, and she would wail:
‘Don’t you ever let me catch you,
Staring, looking at the sea,
It’s enough I lost your father…’
‘Never fret! You won’t lose me! ’
For years I watched them leaving,
All the magic sailing boats,
Some were worth a clear million,
While some could barely float!
I watched as they sailed out, and then
I watched on their return,
But some were lost forever,
Sunk – Exploded - Overturned!
I bought a gaff-rigged schooner,
It had seen far better days,
But I patched it and I painted it,
I called it the ‘Sea Haze’;
I took it out with friends -
We didn’t venture out too far -
But learnt to jib, and trim the sail,
To run along the shore!
Then finally I headed out
To where it all began,
Beyond the far horizon
Where the ‘Ransom’ cut and ran,
The clouds began to gather
And the shades began to steal,
The waves broke on the forward deck
And I clung to the wheel.
The storm clouds that had gathered
Opened up and thundered rain,
It beat upon the masthead, and it
Lashed the sagging main,
It soaked my tiny cabin and it
Churned the heaving sea,
The waves on the horizon
Lay in wait out there, for me!
I sailed right through some warp of space
Or time, or so it seemed,
For then it was I caught a sight
Out there – a Quinquereme!
The rows of oars were stilled, I saw,
But some unholy moan,
Broke through the madness of the storm
And chilled me to the bone!
And then I saw a Galleass,
And then I saw a tramp,
To port there was a Brigantine
To starboard there, a lamp!
A single lamp to light the way
I took my bearings then,
No sign of a horizon there,
I sailed toward the end!
The sea, it fell away just there
And all I saw was space,
The ancients said the earth was flat,
My heart began to race.
A thousand ships lay still out there
A Cruiser, Barque, a Dredge!
They’d sailed in space there since the day
They sailed right off the edge!
The ‘Sea Haze’ raced along a line
Just inches from dismay,
I turned the wheel to head back home,
To live another day,
And then I saw the ‘Ransom’ turning
Slowly in the sky,
While ‘Shifty’ Dick, still tethered,
Floated wide and still and dry!
The ‘Sea Haze’ sits at anchor still
Just out from my back door,
She sank a dozen years ago,
Sat down, hard on the shore.
I never stare out at the sea,
The sea I thought I knew,
For who’d believe the earth was flat?
That’s right! – Not even you!
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Our Good Friend Roger
Roger belongs to the chosen few
Who are far more accomplished than me or you,
While we are uncertain, they know what to do
Should they be feeling lonely or anxious or blue.
Roger's a winner, he knows where to go
And who to take with him to the latest show,
If he offers you a drink it's rude to say 'No' -
There's no doubt about it, Roger's a pro.
Some women are smitten by the look in his eyes
And fall for the man with the perfect disguise;
I was like them myself, taken in by his lies -
I didn't want to be someone Roger would despise.
He's no time for weakness, our immaculate friend,
There aren't many people Roger can't bend
To follow his instructions right to the end
Whatever the dictates of conscience pretend.
So, if you're like me, you may get a surprise
When you're down on your luck with tears in your eyes,
Suddenly Roger won't answer the phone,
Your hero will vanish and leave you alone.
Roger's no time for negative things,
The responsibilities that friendship brings,
He thinks complications are an awful bore
So please don't come running and knock on his door.
While you're swallowing pills washed down with some gin
Roger's just longing for the fun to begin,
He's throwing a party on his fabulous yacht,
Did you think he would ring you? Perhaps he forgot.
poem by John Thorkild Ellison
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Single Daisy
One day I encountered;
A single daisy with snowy
White petals splayed proudly
Was standing in a sea of dandelions
Although taunted and tormented she did not falter
Unafraid, to be a different shape ‘n color
With a clear voice inside my head,
she spoke to me;
“Take me from this place of angst ‘n suffering”
For this;
I’ll answer any question you may ask”
I thought for a moment and blurted;
Does she really love me?
“Indeed she does dear friend,
Ask for her hand in marriage
You’ll both know joy, without end”
“Now quickly tear me from this dust,
Toss my stem and petals to the wind
Shed salty tears of pity, if you must
Free at last I’ll be, lest you rescind”
Reaching down, at last freed from hell I
Scattered her soft petals to the breeze
Her voice inside my head said
“Farewell”
I was content to know, her will was appeased
These days, for every daisy encountered,
I smile, and pause to listen for a voice
ROTMS
poem by Ray Lucero
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Written In The Cottage Where Burns Was Born
This mortal body of a thousand days
Now fills, O Burns, a space in thine own room,
Where thou didst dream alone on budded bays,
Happy and thoughtless of thy day of doom!
My pulse is warm with thine old barley-bree,
My head is light with pledging a great soul,
My eyes are wandering, and I cannot see,
Fancy is dead and drunken at its goal;
Yet can I stamp my foot upon thy floor,
Yet can I ope thy window-sash to find
The meadow thou hast tramped o'er and o'er,--
Yet can I think of thee till thought is blind,--
Yet can I gulp a bumper to thy name,--
O smile among the shades, for this is fame!
poem by John Keats
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Daisy
daisy, give yourself away
look up at the rain
the beautiful display
of power and surrender
giving us today
when you yourself away
rain, another rainy day
it comes up from the ocean
to give herself away
she comes down even
and all of us the same name
when you give yourself away
let it go
daisy let it go
open up your fists
this fallen world
doesn't hold your interest
doesn't hold your soul
daisy let it go
pain, give yourself a name
call yourself contrition
aberits of fame
giving isn't easy
if anybody'd like to say
if you give yourself away
daisy, why another day
why another sunrise
who's gonna take the blame
for our redemptive motion
and every rainy day
when he gives himself away
let it go
daisy let it go
open your fists
this fallen world
it doesn't hold your interest
it doesn't hold your soul
daisy let it go
song performed by by Switchfoot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Highland Hospitality
Unto his housemaid spoke the Laird:
"Tonight the Bishop is our guest;
The spare room must be warmed and aired:
To please him we will do our best.
A worthy haggis you must make,
And serve a bowl of barley bree;
We must be hearty for the sake
Of Highland Hospitality.
The feast was set, the candles lit,
The Bishop came with modest mien,
And (one surmised) was glad to sit
And sup in this ancestral scene.
A noble haggis graced the board;
The Laird proposed a toast or two,
And ever and anon he poured
His guest a glass of Mountain Dew.
Then to his maid the Laird gave tongue:
"My sonsie Jean, my friend is old.
Comparatively you are young,
And not so sensitive to cold.
Poor chiel! His blood austerely beats,
Though it be sped by barley bree . . .
Slip half an hour between the sheets,
Brave lass, and warm his bed a wee.
Said she: "I'll do the best I can
So that his couch may cosy be,
And as a human warming pan
Prove Highland Hospitality."
So hearing sounds of mild carouse,
As in the down she pillowed deep:
"In half an hour I will arouse,"
She vowed, then soundly went to sleep.
So when the morn was amber-orbed
The Bishop from a dream awoke,
And as his parritch he absorbed,
Unto his host he slyly spoke:
"Your haggis, Laird, was nobly bred,
And braw your brew of barley bree -
But oh your thought to warm the bed!
That's Highland Hospitality.
poem by Robert William Service
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Come Sail Away
Written by dennis deyoung
Lead vocals by dennis deyoung
Im sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea
Ive got to be free, free to face the life thats ahead of me
On board, Im the captain, so climb aboard
Well search for tomorrow on every shore
And Ill try, oh lord, Ill try to carry on
I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had
We live happily forever, so the story goes
But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold
But well try best that we can to carry on
A gathering of angels appeared above my head
They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said
They said come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise
They climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies
Singing come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
song performed by by Styx
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Relativity
I looked down on a daisied lawn
To where a host of tiny eyes
Of snow and gold from velvet shone
And made me think of starry skies.
I looked up to the vasty night
Where stars were very small indeed,
And in their galaxy of light
They made me think of daised mead.
I took a daisy in my hold;
Its snowy rays were tipped with rose,
And with its tiny boss of gold
I thought--how like a star it glows!
I dreamt I plucked from Heaven's field
A star and held it in my hand.
Said I: "The might of God I wield,
The Great and Small I understand."
For when the All is said and done,
In Time and Space I seem to see
A daisy equal to a sun,
Between heart-beats--Eternity
poem by Robert William Service
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Monster & Captain Kreel
We were out in the North Atlantic
When the storm began to blow,
We reefed in the tops and gallants so
We wouldn't end down below,
The ship was tossed in a fury,
The mate was strapped to the wheel,
There wasn't a dry man left aboard,
Not even Captain Kreel.
The Captain, he was a bully,
He would flog 'til his arm was sore,
He drove the men at their stations 'til
They couldn't have taken more,
He kept a rope at the yardarm,
A warning to every man,
His word was not to be questioned if
A tar didn't want to hang!
Each wave was a liquid mountain
That crashed on the after deck,
The wind was a screaming banshee that
Would threaten, despair and wreck,
When out from below there came a scream,
A woman, so fair of face,
But the Captain swore an ugly oath
That the ship was in disgrace!
The wife of an able seaman,
He'd smuggled the girl aboard,
He'd thought he could keep her hidden there
Until they went ashore,
But the men with their superstitions
Then blamed her for the storm,
They seized her, dragged to the gunnels
And would hurry her overboard!
The Captain barked out an order,
The jack tars staggered back,
They wouldn't defy their Captain if
The ship was under attack!
The mate then seized the woman
And bared her at the breast,
Turned her to face the heaving sea
As she stood there, half undressed.
Bare breasted, like the figurehead
They carried on the prow,
A woman was known to calm the seas
If she shamed its gods somehow,
The wind died down in the stays and yards
And the sea died down as well,
But she little knew as she covered up
She approached the gates of hell!
The seaman was court-martialled,
Up there, on the quarter deck,
Where the Captain gave no quarter,
It was keel haul, or his neck!
They tied the rope around his chest
And flung him overboard,
We heaved on the rope, and prayed he'd hold
His breath 'til he came aboard.
We dragged him under the water,
And felt him under the keel,
The rope was a little bit lighter
Than the brow of Captain Kreel,
For he was a livid monster
Who just wanted the seaman dead,
His plans for the wife were plain to see
As he sent her to his bed!
The seaman's body surfaced,
It wasn't going well,
We hauled him over the side of the ship
'Til we caught a glimpse of hell,
The rope was knotted about his chest
And twisted around his neck,
There was nothing at all below the waist,
As his entrails sprayed the deck!
Even the Captain blanched at this
But he motioned us away,
'Toss the remains all overboard
Then swab the decks - Belay! '
We wondered how Jones was cut in half,
It couldn't have been the keel,
But kept our mutterings to ourselves,
For fear of the monster, Kreel.
Out on the starboard side we saw
A giant head appear,
Just as the body hit the waves
It reared, and sniffed the air,
Then pounced on the human morsel,
Picked it up in its savage jaw,
As we shrank on back at its evil eye
It gave out a primitive roar.
There wasn't a moment from then on
We weren't all chilled inside,
The monster followed and circled us
As we rode the heaving tide,
It must have been eighty feet or more,
A great, carnivorous beast,
The serpent had tasted human flesh
And we were a human feast!
The wind had dropped, the sails were limp,
We couldn't sail for home,
We were caught in the theme of a nightmare dream
Where the beasts of the world could roam,
The Captain kept to his cabin then,
We could hear the woman plead,
With a monster within, a monster without
We were caught in a monstrous creed.
'It's all the fault of that woman there! '
I knew what the ratings thought,
'We need to be throwing her overboard
To escape the luck she brought! '
The mate came down and roused them out,
'There'll be no talk of this,
We have to get under sail tonight
When the wind begins to rise.'
The Captain showed on the quarter-deck
Just after the seventh bell,
The sun was down in the west, the moon
Was riding high, as well.
We raised the sails as the shadows loomed,
Unfurled topgallant stays,
I was watching the Captain against the moon
His back to the after rail.
The serpent's head loomed large above
The figure of Captain Kreel,
The hairs rose up on the back of my neck
As I watched the shadows steal.
It opened up with its mighty jaw
Clamped down on the Captain's head,
Lifted him clear of the quarter deck
As he screamed - 'Oh God! I'm dead! '
We never saw Captain Kreel again,
But nobody seemed to care,
We sailed for the Falkland Islands then,
And we left the woman there,
I heard she married again, sometime,
To a sailor known as Kip,
And dreams of her home in Pompey, but -
They won't let her onto a ship!
24 December 2009
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Daisy.
Daisy.
So lazy.
In a field.
A sunlit shield
Of meadow green.
Bows
To fan your beauty.
Vows
It's never a duty.
So serene.
An open portrait
For the sky
To paint
With cumulus billowed white.
As skylarks duet
In choral flight.
With floral smile
Of sweet delight.
Daisy.
So crazy.
All now is revealed.
As Heaven peeled
The sun away
Your moondance lit,
In beam you sway.
White petals gleam
In every ray.
A tiny flower
That lives one hour
In hidden bouquet.
That sea of colour
Could lose a minnow
It's true.
Yet daisy I know
Again
I will find you
In midnight blue.
poem by Kevin East
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Letters
i had a problem on my mind,
the answer to which was hard to find.
i tossed and turned throughout the night
and a knot in my stomach, which i could not fight.
i layed in bed, just abiding my time
waiting for daylight to arrive.
morning finally did come, sleep i had gotten some.
i got up out of bed, picked up the letter
that yesterday i had read.
there it was plain as day.
'sweetheart i love you, but i can't stay.
i must find what i am destined to do.
even if i must hurt my family and you.
i do not want to have a regret on my mind
because i did'nt get up to try.
so i leave you with my heart in hand
it was'nt something that i had planned.
i know that it will hurt my family and you
for i am going through the same hurt too.
you showed me all the beauties in the world
and i grew just like a pearl, but just like a pearl
i have to be shown and admired, and other
hearts, to be set on fire.
so i leave with tears in my eyes, and i must abide my time.
'this is the letter that i had read.'
and my heart was torn and bled.
weeks went by without a word, and to her family
she was not heard.
then i received a letter today, and in it she did say:
i searched the big cities and the towns
but the love i had gotten from all of you, was not to be found.
i did find something that touched my heart
and in me, has become a big part.
the love of a blind child, who was born without sight
who touched my heart with so much might.
he touched my face with his hands, and pulled them back right away
and with that he did say:
i am blind and i can not see, but i feel so much
pain etched in your face, and you left loved
ones without a trace.
you left loved ones with your heart in your hands
and it's something that they can not understand.
you left in search of something that you had all along
and that was a place that you could belong.
i survive because of the love that is shown
and eyes i do not need to see, something that may be hurting me.
if you are searching for something more
then go help the NEEDY AND POOR.
they need love and comfort too, and they belong to me and you.
i turned from the child and AGAIN ran away.
then that night to the LORD i cried and prayed.
when i fell asleep that night, in my dream
all of you were in plain sight.
all of you were beckoning me home, and your broken
hearts were shown.
so i ask you on bended knees, help me with what i've seen.
help me to help the poor, for this is my destiny
of which i'm sure.
she came home and we did marry, and now my baby she carries.
we are helping all in need, for in her
GOD did plant the seed.
poem by Louis Rams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Fire And Rain
Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this mornin' and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to
[chorus]
I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again
Won't you like down upon me Jesus
You gotta help me make a stand
You just got to see me through another day
My body's achin'and my time is at hand
I won't make it any other way
[chorus]
I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again
Been walkin' my mind to an easy time
My back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around
Well there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things to come
Sweet dreams and fine machines in pieces on the ground
[chorus]
Oh I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you baby, one more time again
Thought I'd see you one more time again
There's just a few things comin' my way this time around
Thought I'd see, thought I'd see you...
song performed by by Isley Brothers
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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