The Cave Painters
Holding only a handful of rushlight
they pressed deeper into the dark, at a crouch
until the great rock chamber
flowered around them and they stood
in an enormous womb of
flickering light and darklight, a place
to make a start. Raised hands cast flapping shadows
over the sleeker shapes of radiance.
They've left the world of weather and panic
behind them and gone on in, drawing the dark
in their wake, pushing as one pulse
to the core of stone. The pigments mixed in big shells
are crushed ore, petals and pollens, berries
and the binding juices oozed
out of chosen barks. The beasts
begin to take shape from hands and feather-tufts
(soaked in ochre, manganese, madder, mallow white)
stroking the live rock, letting slopes and contours
mould those forms from chance, coaxing
rigid dips and folds and bulges
to lend themselves to necks, bellies, swelling haunches,
a forehead or a twist of horn, tails and manes
curling to a crazy gallop.
Intent and human, they attach
the mineral, vegetable, animal
realms to themselves, inscribing
the one unbroken line
everything depends on, from that
impenetrable centre
to the outer intangibles of light and air, even
the speed of the horse, the bison's fear, the arc
of gentleness that this big-bellied cow
arches over its spindling calf, or the lancing
dance of death that
bristles out of the buck's
struck flank. On this one line they leave
a beak-headed human figure of sticks
and one small, chalky, human hand.
We'll never know if they worked in silence
like people praying—the way our monks
illuminated their own dark ages
in cross-hatched rocky cloisters,
where they contrived a binding
labyrinth of lit affinities
to spell out in nature's lace and fable
their mindful, blinding sixth sense
of a god of shadows—or whether (like birds
tracing their great bloodlines over the globe)
they kept a constant gossip up
of praise, encouragement, complaint.
It doesn't matter: we know
they went with guttering rushlight
into the dark; came to terms
with the given world; must have had
—as their hands moved steadily
by spiderlight—one desire
we'd recognise: they would—before going on
beyond this border zone, this nowhere
that is now here—leave something
upright and bright behind them in the dark.
poem by Eamon Grennan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Heart of your Shadow
The Shadows are dark
Can you feel them?
The shadows are hidden
Where did they go?
Can you see it?
The light within the dark?
In hides in the shadows
That one flame
The flickering flame
In the dark
Our hearts
All have a flickering flame
Let that light shine
In the darkest depths
Fear fades with anger and hate
Because of that light
The light lies
In a dark place
Let it shine within
The heart of your shadow
poem by J.T. Derouen
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Deeper
I cant even look at this skin tonight
Knowing that our time here is on a while
Hold me in your arms and breathe me through
Like I know that you can only do
In your horizon, no, nothing truly dies
Never tremble with fear
Youre just married to the sun
And every second only makes it deeper
Flower pushes through the dune (? ) and blooms
It doesnt have the faintest(? ) that it is due
A virginity is making loss an open wound
In your horizon, no, nothing truly dies
Never tremble with fear
Youre just married to the sun
And every second only makes it deeper
Deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper
I was alone in my room
And all I can hear
And all I can hear
Was the sound of my heart beating away
But I will follow you
Deep into the light
Beyond the death of love
Love
In your horizon, no, you will be together
Faith(? ) from this hell
Ill be married to the sun
And every second
Will only make it deeper
Deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper
Deeper, deeper
Deeper, deeper
There is a light
Deeper, light
Its deeper than the difference of light
Deeper, light
There is a light
Deeper, light
Its deeper than (..) light
Deeper, light
And I will follow you
Deeper than the death of love
Deeper than the (..) seen(? ) to the light
Its deeper than this flesh and blood
I will follow you
I will follow you
Deeper
song performed by by Live
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Goal Of Poetry
it is simply to reach
out to people
with our verbal hands
these mental arms
and make them
look
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
d eeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeperdeeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
deeper
too, within
themselves
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Handful Of Dust
Your pressed your face against my heart
I felt that you could look right through me
We live in days that have no time
We live in times that now refuse me
And somewhere out beyond his town
There lies a world that now can turn us round
And we need it and we need it
Oh got to have some thing to believe in
Ive got enough to believe in you
What can I give just to know that its true ?
But Ive gotta begin to say
Now theyve taken my pride in this way.
How can you give me your love ?
I just cant give you enough
How can you give me your trust
With a handful of dust ?
I feel to thin before your eyes
I feel so naked under open skies
I once stood tall within this town
But now the time has come to bring us down.
We must have more with his power in hand
We must believe things will go as we planned
But Ive gotta begin to say
Now theyve taken my pride in this way.
How can you give me your love ?
I just cant give you enough
How can you give me your trust
With a handful of dust,
With a handful of dust ?
Making love through electric skies
Now I know where my fortune lies
Breathe the air and feel this land
cause its slipping through me
Like dust from my hand.
How can you give me your love ?
I just cant give you enough
How can you give me your trust
With a handful of dust ?
How can you give me your love ?
I just cant give you enough
How can you give me your trust
With a handful of dust ?
How can you give me your love ?
How can you give me your love ?
Now give me your love!
How can you give me your trust
With a handful of dust ?
How can you give me your love ?
Give me
How can you give me your trust
With a handful of dust ?
song performed by by Spandau Ballet
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Handful Of Dust
Your pressed your face against my heart
I felt that you could look right through me
we live in days that have no time
we live in times that now refuse me
and somewhere out beyond his town
there lies a world that now can turn us round
and we need it and we need it
oh got to have some thing to believe in
I've got enough to believe in you
what can I give just to know that it's true ?
But I've gotta begin to say
now they've taken my pride in this way.
How can you give me your love ?
I just can't give you enough
how can you give me your trust
with a handful of dust ?
I feel to thin before your eyes
I feel so naked under open skies
I once stood tall within this town
but now the time has come to bring us down.
We must have more with his power in hand
we must believe things will go as we planned
but I've gotta begin to say
now they've taken my pride in this way.
How can you give me your love ?
I just can't give you enough
how can you give me your trust
with a handful of dust,
with a handful of dust ?
Making love through electric skies
now I know where my fortune lies
breathe the air and feel this land
'cause it's slipping through me
like dust from my hand.
How can you give me your love ?
I just can't give you enough
how can you give me your trust
with a handful of dust ?
How can you give me your love ?
I just can't give you enough
how can you give me your trust
with a handful of dust ?
How can you give me your love ?
How can you give me your love ?
Now give me your love!
how can you give me your trust
with a handful of dust ?
How can you give me your love ?
song performed by by Spandau Ballet
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Like A Rock
Words and music by bob seger
Stood there boldly
Sweatin in the sun
Felt like a million
Felt like number one
The height of summer
Id never felt that strong
Like a rock
I was eighteen
Didnt have a care
Working for peanuts
Not a dime to spare
But I was lean and
Solid everywhere
Like a rock
My hands were steady
My eyes were clear and bright
My walk had purpose
My steps were quick and light
And I held firmly
To what I felt was right
Like a rock
Like a rock, I was strong as I could be
Like a rock, nothin ever got to me
Like a rock, I was something to see
Like a rock
And I stood arrow straight
Unencumbered by the weight
Of all these hustlers and their schemes
I stood proud, I stood tall
High above it all
I still believed in my dreams
Twenty years now
Whered they go?
Twenty years
I dont know
Sit and I wonder sometimes
Where theyve gone
And sometimes late at night
When Im bathed in the firelight
The moon comes callin a ghostly white
And I recall
Recall
Like a rock. standin arrow straight
Like a rock, chargin from the gate
Like a rock, carryin the weight
Like a rock
Lihe a rock, the sun upon my skin
Like a rock, hard against the wind
Like a rock, I see myself again
Like a rock
song performed by by Bob Seger
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Shadows flicker
To keep the light burning within
I quietly companion myself, when I can
Away from the mind-numbing rush to oblivion
The flickering interplay of light and darkness
Captures my attention
The light sometimes grows dim
Wilting against harsh winds
Only to revive as a guardian
Cups the flame, till it glows strong again
Lending a calming stillness, of quiet comfort
Sometimes the darkness wells up
Choking all that is light, and all that sustains light
Thrashes on dark quicksand
That’s when I pray for the light to be strong
For there are shadows flickering
Even under the brightest lamp, such is the nature of light
poem by Anita Atina
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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An echo for a novel dream
Holding a loss with great esteem
He lay asleep with old shadows
Circumvent not, new waken dream
Beneath the sun there lay a bream
Too much ardor for faithful ones
Holding a loss with great esteem
Once blue, now frozen stood a stream
A love withdrew when fall was young
Circumvent not, new waken dream
Each pebble thrown, love was the theme
All was the same, his morning breaths
Holding a loss with great esteem
Two souls conjoined, he was the seam
Her hasty fleet fluttered the wind
Circumvent not, new waken dream
Two childhoods known, both were extreme
Her love took side, and there stood time
Holding a loss with great esteem
Circumvent not, new waken dream
One Day
The deeper and deeper I fall, deeper and deeper I seek,
Deeper and deeper I try and deeper and deeper I need
Forgive me
4x
And all I see is your face
2x
The deeper and deeper I fall, deeper and deeper I seek
Deeper and deeper I try, the deeper and deeper I need
The deeper and deeper I fail, deeper and deeper I read
Deeper and deeper I cry, the deeper and deeper I feed
Caught up in this game of life, me against you
Not doing what I should, just the things that I want to
So wrapped up, terrified of what I become
Outside Im laughing, inside Im numb
I cant see the light because it blinds me
Try to forget but my past always remidns me
Exposed, looked on by eyes of grace
Im so ashamed, dont look at my face
All I see is your face
4x
Get up by your strength, I rise up to thee
But Ill stay on my face if you will of me
Shape and mold me til your though
Humble myself, life laid down before you
I need your wisdom, so the truth I keep on living
And your love will always be a part of me
Cant do a thing, if I aint living for the kind
So dont ever leave or take your eyes off me
Its not who you are its who youre living for
Trials and tribulations will come
song performed by by P.O.D.
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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After Years
Today, from a distance, I saw you
walking away, and without a sound
the glittering face of a glacier
slid into the sea. An ancient oak
fell in the Cumberlands, holding only
a handful of leaves, and an old woman
scattering corn to her chickens looked up
for an instant. At the other side
of the galaxy, a star thirty-five times
the size of our own sun exploded
and vanished, leaving a small green spot
on the astronomer's retina
as he stood on the great open dome
of my heart with no one to tell.
poem by Ted Kooser
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In Memory Of Col. Charles Young
Along the shore the tall thin grass,
That fringes that dark river,
While sinuously soft feet pass
Beings to bleed and quiver.
The great dark voice breaks with a sob
Across the womb of night;
Above your grave, the tom-toms throb
And the hills are weird with light.
The great dark beast is like a well
Drained bitter by the sky,
And all the honeyed lies they tell
Come there to thirst and die.
No lie is strong enough to kill
The roots that work below,
From your rich dust and slaughtered will
A tree with tongues shall grow.
poem by Countee Cullen
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Endless Dark
Softly the light shines in through
gates of grace on me and you
deceiving our restless hearts
a flickering flame so serene
it fires the night so we could see
the feeling we hold on to so strong
and I know where I belong
away from your Gods
that heal all wounds and light this endless dark
endless dark
this endless dark
Lonely the light shines on you
through the gates of fire entombed
feeding on your love
weak is the blaze that kept me away
from cruelty and tenderness embraced
saving my soul no more
and I know where I belong
away from your Gods
that heal all wounds and light this endless dark
endless dark
this endless dark
I know where I belong
away from you Gods
that heal all wounds and light this endless dark
that shines on you and tame your burning heart
that bury my truth right into your arms
that worship the tomb of our forlorn love
that heal all wounds and light this endless dark
that heal all wounds and light this endless dark
that heal all wounds and light this endless dark
that heal all wounds and light this endless dark
song performed by by H.I.M.
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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You Are My Light Through The Dark!
You are my light through the dark of night,
That guides me to the light of day.
When my light fades from day,
You help me in the dark.
For awhile now my heart’s been in the dark,
But you came along and brought in the light.
It’s been shattered and lost,
Until you found the pieces and put them back together again.
Sometimes the dark is scary,
Other times it’s calming.
Sometimes the light is nice,
Other times it hurts.
When the dark is scary and comes creeping in,
You’re always there in more ways then one,
Keeping me calm.
When the dark is calming and I’m asleep,
I picture you there with me,
Holding me close.
When the light is nice,
You make me laugh,
Happy with joy.
When the light hurts me so,
You also feel the pain I feel,
But still help me to relax.
In many ways you’re my light through the dark.
poem by Sara Tober
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Rollin The Rock
Feels so cold, so alone
An empty stage, no one home
I feel so strange, so scared
No point in screaming
I wont be heard
Youre so cold, youre so cool
Its so dark in this tomb
Time has come so soon
And time takes no prisoners
Except in the womb
Theres no way out, no escape
This silence is deafening
I have to cry out
Youre so cold, youre so cool
Its so dark in this tomb
Roll away the rock
Roll the rock away
Set me free from this grave
Am I forgiven, can I be saved?
Youve been so cold for so long
This silence is deafening
Was I so wrong?
Youre so cold, youre so cool
Its so dark in this tomb
Roll away the rock
Take that rock and roll it
Roll away the rock
You gotta roll the rock away
This silence is deafening
song performed by by Uriah Heep
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Perilous Love
Love comes with a sharp knife
Not some shy and dull excuse
Love does not fear for its reputation
Love is a madman working wild schemes
Tearing off his clothes
Drinking poison
Recklessly choosing annihilation
Love is a tiny spider trying to
wrap an enormous wasp
Imagine the spider web woven across
the tomb where Jesus slept
Beloved, you have been walking the ocean’s edge
holding up your skirts to keep them dry
Beloved, you must dive deeper
A thousand times deeper
(Inspired by Rumi)
ROTMS
poem by Ray Lucero
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Dark and Light
Here where I live it is dark.
Abide within and it is dark.
Sinister beings dwell in the dark.
Seeing is not possible in the dark.
They are Dark.
Cavort about in the dark.
Come and surround in the dark.
Laugh and howl in the dark.
See them not, hear them yet, here in the dark.
They are Dark.
Not always do I live in the dark.
Comes a time without the dark.
Sinister beings exists in the dark.
Cannot survive without the dark.
They are Dark
When it is not dark,
And it is not always dark.
Beings of warmth pierce the dark.
Crack and splinter the dark.
They are Light.
Then sometimes I live in the light
Warm and safe in the light
Want to stay in the light.
Surrounded by life and love in the light.
They are Light
Sometimes light, sometimes dark.
In one world, than in the other.
In one, fear; love in the other.
Back and Forth, Light and Dark
I am Dark! I am Light!
poem by Jeff Manion
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Echoes
It was burning again
like goldenrods in drift valley of ethnic hate.
You start climbing down deeper in fear
holding tight your identity.
The anguish of ruined home
under the shadows of bribed hands,
runs on the bodies of pilgrims
who were protecting the unborn baby.
Along the shores of morality, a prodigal
becomes a martyr, forever a blind rock
in the womb of an infant truth, not yet
reached the gates of heaven.
A father begs for pardon, spawning the
tireless edicts, with its grieving craft
of burdens and weightlessness. The time’s predicament
will not tell the secret of death.
poem by Satish Verma
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Endless Dark
Softly the light shines in through
Gates of grace on me and you
Deceiving our restless hearts
A flickering flame so serene
It fires the night so we could see
Feeling alone so strong
And I know where I belong
Away from your guards
That heal our wounds in life
This endless dark
Endless dark
This endless dark
Lovely the light shines on you
Through the gates of fire entombed
Feeling on your own
Weak is the blaze that kept me away
From cruelty and tenderness embraced
Saving my soul no more
And I know where I belong
Away from your guards
That heal our wounds in life
This endless dark
Endless dark
This endless dark
I know where I belong
Away from you guards
That heal our wounds in life,
This endless dark
The shadow on you that tamed your burning heart
That buried my truth right into your arms
The words of the tomb of I fall on lone
That heal our wounds and light , this endless dark
That heal our wounds and light , this endless dark
That heal our wounds and light , this endless dark
That heal our wounds and light , this endless dark
song performed by by H.i.m. (his Infernal Majesty)
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I'm hard-pressed to think of a lot of great rock movies.
quote by Paul Westerberg
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Words Ceased To Want Themselves And Longed For a World Outside
THE WORDS CEASED TO WANT THEMSELVES AND LONGED FOR A WORLD OUTSIDE
The words ceased to want themselves and longed for a world outside
The world outside dumb and beautiful wanted nothing of anyone
We the intermediaries plied our trade describing and revising whatever we perceived
But we were not the ones we thought we should be
We were not the messengers of Light and Hope to distant worlds
They had their own forms of speaking that we cannot hear
And so we programmed our great messages down through the ages
To read only the cryptic path of our own troubled minds
We are not the code of every living thing
Or the final messenger to the last star
Or the only single secret sound God wants heard over and over again
We are not the prayer- leaders of the sacred congregation of the galaxies
Deeper than all darkness and dark- matter deeper even than our own souls
We are a faint flickering
A minor music
An insubstantial voice
That is pretending to go round and round and round again and again and again
Forever
But is only a single passage a one way ticket one way word
A trip which even if it goes to the end of the universe
Will one day end.
Oh Death how you have defeated us all
Even when we in Youth knew you did not exist
How you waited and ambushed our dreaming.
poem by Shalom Freedman
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