Pantoum Of The Great Depression
Our lives avoided tragedy
Simply by going on and on,
Without end and with little apparent meaning.
Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.
Simply by going on and on
We managed. No need for the heroic.
Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.
I don't remember all the particulars.
We managed. No need for the heroic.
There were the usual celebrations, the usual sorrows.
I don't remember all the particulars.
Across the fence, the neighbors were our chorus.
There were the usual celebrations, the usual sorrows
Thank god no one said anything in verse.
The neighbors were our only chorus,
And if we suffered we kept quiet about it.
At no time did anyone say anything in verse.
It was the ordinary pities and fears consumed us,
And if we suffered we kept quiet about it.
No audience would ever know our story.
It was the ordinary pities and fears consumed us.
We gathered on porches; the moon rose; we were poor.
What audience would ever know our story?
Beyond our windows shone the actual world.
We gathered on porches; the moon rose; we were poor.
And time went by, drawn by slow horses.
Somewhere beyond our windows shone the actual world.
The Great Depression had entered our souls like fog.
And time went by, drawn by slow horses.
We did not ourselves know what the end was.
The Great Depression had entered our souls like fog.
We had our flaws, perhaps a few private virtues.
But we did not ourselves know what the end was.
People like us simply go on.
We had our flaws, perhaps a few private virtues,
But it is by blind chance only that we escape tragedy.
And there is no plot in that; it is devoid of poetry.
Anonymous submission.
poem by Donald Justice
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Related quotes
So Unusual (Live @ Java Joes - 06.27.02)
This is the most unusual story, of a most unusual girl
she stood painting my picture, of a most unusual world
she can crawl out of frame while shes hanging on the wall
and shes calling my name
shes not so usual
shes most unusual
shes not so usual
shes so unusual
shes mostly a ghost, the way she watches over me
she complains when i smoke, but then you do the same to me
shes controlling my brain activity, knowing when i go to sleep
she'll catch you when I'm falling hard
shes so unusual
shes not so usual
shes not so usual
shes so unusual
shes not so hooked on the drugs like i thought she was
and never sucking on the lime, and hardly sipping on the wine
and dispite of her biopolar rollercoastering
i think i can try, she'll keep me singing differently
and its fine cause shes with me now, most all of the time
trying to saving the light, thinking not of her own
and always kissing me goodnight when i just need to be alone
shes so sweet, so discrete, shes exactly what i need
not even make believe
shes not so usual
so unusual
shes not so usual
so unusual
not so usual, and not to practical either
but shes not so mystical, but not to magical either
but shes not so outta control, and not so used to the flow
shes not so usual
nah, shes a natural
ohhh, shes not so usual
shes most unusual
shes so unusual
shes so unusual
shes gonna use me ohhh
shes not so u...
shes not so u...
not so u...
not so....
song performed by by Jason Mraz
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Not So Usual
This is the most unusual story, of a most unusual girl
she's the paint in my picture, of a most unusual world
she can crawl out the frame while shes hanging on the wall
and shes calling my name
shes not so usual, wo
shes most unusual
shes not so usual
shes so unusual
shes mostly a ghost, the way she watches over me
she complains when I smoke, but then you do the same to me
shes controlling my brain activity, knowing when i go to sleep
she'll catch you when I'm falling hard
shes so unusual
shes not so usual
shes not so usual
shes so unusual
shes not so hooked on the drugs like I thought that she was
and never sucking on the lime, and hardly sipping on the wine
and dispite of her bipolar rollercoastering
I think I can trust, she'll keep me singing differently
and its fine cause shes with me now, most all of the time
trying to saving my life, thinking none of her own
and always kissing me goodnight when i just need to be alone
shes so sweet, so discrete, shes exactly what I need
not even make believe
shes not so usual
so unusual
shes not so usual
so unusual
not so usual, and not to practical either
but shes not so mystical, but not to magical either
but shes not so outta control, and not so used to the flow
shes not so usual
nah, shes a natural
ohhh, shes not so usual
shes most unusual
shes so unusual
shes so unusual
shes gonna use me ohhh
shes not so u...
shes not so u...
not so u...
not so....
song performed by by Jason Mraz
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Happy New Year 2011
Let it not be another new year
With the same usual celebrations
With the same usual great wishes
With the same usual demonstrations
Of happiness and gay
Instead of the New Year showering you joy
You shower it
With a vouch to
Keep yourself happy
Keep yourself healthy
Keep yourself enthusiastic
Keep yourself at peace
Keep yourself cheerful
Keep yourself loveable
Keep yourself simple and least complicated
Keep yourself non-complaining
Keep yourself ever in a ‘growth’ path
And
Keep yourself all that
Which will pave way
For a really lived-life
For years and decades ahead
With you at the centre
And the entire universe around you
Watching with wonder and
Cheering you
At each of your earnest effort
poem by Bashyam Narayanan
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Inside My Study Room
five o'clock, the usual time
but i already woke up at 3: 45
too early really
but i could not go back to
sleep
the words arrive
riding on the boat
such wind
hovering
disembarking in my
brain
i am surrounded by
glass walls
and light brown
drapes
books scattering
like garbage
on the floors and
tables
i smell the odor of
dust and
water inside a vase
unchanged
the red rose
had long wilted
no one comes around
to fix things
and keep all of these
in their proper places
the windows are still
closed and it
is still dark outside
though the crows
have already
sounded their
sad calls
the cocks keep sounding
it is already morning
and the windows
must not be opened
i write some lines
as usual and then
i'll wear my socks
and put on my
rubber shoes
and then i will take
my walk to the
woods
it will be cold
and i can see my breath
like smoke from a pipe
but i need this
my body craves
my feet want to move
the walls are too much
and the curtains feel
like they have to be washed
i open the door
and then i meet a new
world again
i know at first it will
still be cold
that is usual
i know after this
the sun comes again
as usual
and things will warm themselves
again
on promises
like what hope is all about.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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She Ain't Your Ordinary Girl
(Robert Jason)
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She don't love carelessly that's what I've always heard
'Can't use the usual lines she measures every word
No empty promises proof is what it takes to win her heart
The truth and nothing less, simple things that set her far apart
Save your diamonds and your furs she's not your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, no she's not
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, oh no
She ain't your ordinary girl
No midnight alibis, no foolish games for her
And if you cross the line you'll get what you deserve
But when you see her smile nothing seems to matter anymore
And in a little while you'll feel like you've never felt before
Like no other in the world, she's not your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, no she's not
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, oh no
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
Save your diamonds and your furs, she ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
song performed by by Alabama
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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As Usual
The sun was shining…
The breeze was blowing
As usual
The day was dawning
The dusk was falling…
As usual
The people were brisking
The people were frisking
As usual
You died.
My heart was grieving.
It was Durga Puja.
They were celebrating
As usual
(Dedicated to Steve Jobs. I miss him…)
poem by Aparna Chatterjee
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Not Here With Us But Somewhere Else
it will be different
it is not the usual cup of tea
not the ordinary
day on the platter of the
sea
not the usual fish that you
catch
and serve on the table
on the usual olive oil
and baked
procedure
you see this is experimental
and people's ears need
not listen
nothing to tear nothing to fear
there is nothing that
you detached yourself from
yourself or
another
cool, keep going, do not stay,
there are still
unexplored islands
violet sands, red seas
buried treasures
somewhere else, yes always somewhere else
it is not here
with us, it is always somewhere else
that on nights
when we are dying and too lonely
we know
this is not our place, but somewhere else
a note from a violin string
a leaf blown by the wind
somewhere else, yes somewhere else.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Night
noontime is already feverish
until it starts to vomit
darkness
the sun is badly offended
and hides its face
behind the seams
of the shy horizon
then the stars
come with the moon
with their usual
pantomimes
i am watching them
in silence
like a disciplined
european audience
very serious on the
tragedy of
sophocles
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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We Were Their Makers...
and then i told them the
truth of this and that
and they will not believe
that we
who have taught them
what life is
and how it should be spent
that they have to be somewhere else
beyond the limits
of themselves
shall simply remain
on the chairs beside the
table outdoor
sipping the usual
hot green tea
amidst the cold mist
of morning
not being ever tired
of watching the
last stars to
disappear having
shone so well last
night
when we were so silent
and simply
being sensitive
and carefully
watchful
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Please Do Not Be Disappointed With My Poetry
in the first place i do not really rhyme
not that i can't but i don't because i like it to be just that
like my life, i do not really rhyme with the world
there is more conflict
than harmony, i do not jibe and jam well with
yes, anybody, it simply takes time for them to really understand me
more more time for me too to understand them
and like them
and like me, as though living life is just a matter of liking each other
period, and not really trying to learn and be compassionate
and have this little sense of tolerance
this sense
of perhaps, he is just ekking his way to a steep mountain of his
trying hard
(copycat) of just trying to live in authenticity
honesty, that is the simplest word we can say
i always think of other things
sometimes people are just cruel
they want patterns they want people to be like other people
setting models
and trails made also by men and women with the usual human brains
poor judgments come and we do not bother we simply want others to
live normal lives
nothing deviant, shy away from the genius of ingenuity
trekking new paths
not minding the dangers of the unknown spreading like a red carpet
before our feet
back to poetry, this is my poetry and by now you have noticed
they are written as they come inside my mind
no patterns no molds no shape no expectations no
AA BB CC DD
just plain talk, spontaneous, like a tear falling from your eyes
shaping itself to pain and then falling without style
like a candle melting to the fire and shaping itself
in the air
there is simply no dictation of where and how and what
like ourselves our lives like chocolates in the box
of Forest Gump
we just don't know what we really get
we just let go
and let live and then die and be buried
tears for a while, and then
yes, forever forgotten.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Into Another Reality
after the usual lengthy
lecture in the university
the usual hour after
something like 8: 45
on such usual evenings
i take the usual drive
from the city to my
urban homesomething like
fifteen kilometers alone
but this
time it will be different
i'll have the loud sounds
of some Queen songs on the DVD
and I'll join singing with them like
I'm going slightly mad
I was born to love you &
I wanna break free
and to All Fat Bottomed Girls
this is your Good Old-fashioned Lover Boy
Let's Get Down Make Love
Headlong
Heaven to Everyone
In the Lap of the Gods...
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Heal
[Verse 1]
Even though your near me
I need your far away
To be an ocean, to build another way
[Bridge]
I'l be broken, and i know it
But i just cant seem to find another way
[Chorus]
Though you want to though you try to
You can't stop the rain
For the first time, it's not you
Who can heal me
[Verse 2]
I need some distance
To find another road, Its not so easy
Sorrows such a heavy load.
[Bridge]
I'l be broken, and i know it
But i just cant seem to find another way
[Chorus]
Though you want to though you try to
You can't stop the rain
For the first time, it's not you
Who can heal me
[Verse 3]
Poets say, as time decays
As broken souls were meant
But June will come around again
So my sorrows gonna end
But it's not you...Heal Me
But it's not you...Heal Me
[Chorus]
[Chorus]
Though you want to (though you want to)
though you try to (though you try to)
You can't stop the rain
For the first time, it's not you
Who can heal me
Though you want to (though you want to)
though you try to (though you try to)
You can't stop the rain
For the first time, it's not you
Who can heal me
Heal Me......
song performed by by Westlife
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When I slept it was literally in the midst of an arsenal. If I heard dogs bark more fiercely than usual, or the feet of horses in a greater volume of sound than usual, I stood to arms.
quote by Frank James
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Everytime
In a little while Verse One
I'll be on my way
Got no words to express
What I need to say
Every time I think about the first time Chorus
We said hello
You know when you know
You never let go
It's just not my style Verse Two
Something I can't do
After all this time
I'm scared of losing you
(Repeat chorus)
Is there anything Verse Three
You could let me know
Surely you could find me
A reason not to go
(Repeat chorus)
After everything Verse Four
We've been going through
I'm so up and down
So dizzy and blue
(Repeat chorus)
Let me one more time Verse Five
Look into your eyes
I remember when
There were no goodbyes
(Repeat chorus)
song performed by by UB40 from Cover Up
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Spell Sorrow
you give him the image of the moon as it shines
now without the stars as you gaze upon the sky alone
(you skip the two 'r's intentionally
and you throw away
the 's')
the two 'o's of the moon are there as usual
you keep what was doubled when you simply stand there without any word.
it is you.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Here, Here My Dear
we honestly did not intend to build a palace in the sky
you must understand our disappointments and sorrows
that is why we are playing with our hands on the sands of time
we do not intend to challenge the waters on the shore
we do not mind if everything we built is erased by it
we are merely squandering time because we have nothing meaningful to do anymore
we cannot simply delet ourselves like some innocuous words in the
sentence
we have no power to simply burst like a balloon release ourselves as air and leave the empty rubber on the ground
we have codes in our bones some inscriptions on our skins
the instructions are vague and incomplete that is why we are being held here with the caprices of too much waiting
come join us let us play on the sands of time let us swim on the
shallow seas of our usual existences
it is not fun really but it can be if we think it to be
it is all in the mind it is beautified by the heart
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Small And Quiet
SMALL AND QUIET
Small and quiet joys
Like small and quiet poems
Are what I can expect now.
The time for great Dreams and Adventures
Is gone
I don’t have the strength for them.
These little lines are what I can manage
Not much more
Withered and diminished fingers touch these keys
And all I can sing with them
is slow and careful songs.
poem by Shalom Freedman
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Mood Swings
Verse 1:
If ever I needed someone
Its you and now - oh
cause you bring out some feelings
More than the law will allow
I can be down
You pick me from the crowd
I thought I lost everything -
Then my mood swings.....
Chorus:
I havent lost
What I can find in you
Baby.....
You know just what to do (just what to do)
To make a friendship band (make a friendship band)
Turn to a diamond ring (turn to a diamond ring)
I simply touch your hand (I simply)
And my mood swings
Verse 2:
In a vicious cycle of depression once
Not too long ago
But Im over it now
Not a second too soon
You came and made light shine from the moon
Like there was nothing to it
Boy, I dont know how you do it
Chorus
Bridge:
Lovin you - its an old cliche
But its like a dream come true every day
Theres no other love in this world
Than the love youre getting
From this girl
cause if ever
I needed somebody
Its you and now
Thought I lost everything
Mood swings
What I can find...
You make a friendship band
Turn to a diamond ring
I simply touch your hand
And my mood swings (mood swings)
song performed by by Debbie Gibson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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An Ordinary Rose
I saw a rose, an ordinary rose
It struggled to be seen
In a garden overgrown
With harsh reality. I saw a rose, an ordinary rose
And this rose spoke to me,
Pleading for attention:
Is beauty not a need? I stopped to touch this ordinary rose
And it reached out to me,
Imparting its sweet fragrance
To my senses gratefully. I saw a man, an ordinary man
Who struggled to be seen,
His spirit languished on the streets
In dire neglect and need. I stopped to help this ordinary man
Who struggled to be seen,
And like the rose that bloomed with care
He too reached out to me. Fate placed these roses in our midst
So why should we complain?
Remember who created them
Who witnesses their pain. When next you meet that special rose
That struggles to be seen,
Remember, but for fate alone
That could be you or me.
poem by Devorah Seidenfeld
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Fighting With Usual Ones
Usual cravings, as usual,
Come to me in plural.
For not enough defense,
For over offensive bad,
Shall I lose this pretty math?
Nothing I hate more than usual ones.
Like November that needs only December
To end one year,
Shall I give up my intense desire?
Together with usual theory,
To get the pass-mark solitary,
Should I sit this exam blowzy?
If there were a right map of life,
I would avoid those with unusual might.
But now, by riding a horse neither male nor female,
Shall I keep acting as a character stray?
I don't wanna be a king in usual custom paragon.
I don't wanna ascend already used throne.
If your heart is not new,
If your love is blue,
You will fail my interview.
Let my loner life live along
Instead of being in usual crowd.
My heart wishes unusual heartbeat sound.
poem by Aung Si Myanmar
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