Sainte-Nitouche
Though not for common praise of him,
Nor yet for pride or charity,
Still would I make to Vanderberg
One tribute for his memory:
One honest warrant of a friend
Who found with him that flesh was grass—
Who neither blamed him in defect
Nor marveled how it came to pass;
Or why it ever was that he—
That Vanderberg, of all good men,
Should lose himself to find himself,
Straightway to lose himself again.
For we had buried Sainte-Nitouche,
And he had said to me that night:
“Yes, we have laid her in the earth,
But what of that?” And he was right.
And he had said: “We have a wife,
We have a child, we have a church;
’T would be a scurrilous way out
If we should leave them in the lurch.
“That’s why I have you here with me
To-night: you know a talk may take
The place of bromide, cyanide,
Et cetera. For heaven’s sake,
“Why do you look at me like that?
What have I done to freeze you so?
Dear man, you see where friendship means
A few things yet that you don’t know;
“And you see partly why it is
That I am glad for what is gone:
For Sainte-Nitouche and for the world
In me that followed. What lives on—
“Well, here you have it: here at home—
For even home will yet return.
You know the truth is on my side,
And that will make the embers burn.
“I see them brighten while I speak,
I see them flash,—and they are mine!
You do not know them, but I do:
I know the way they used to shine.
“And I know more than I have told
Of other life that is to be:
I shall have earned it when it comes,
And when it comes I shall be free.
“Not as I was before she came,
But farther on for having been
The servitor, the slave of her—
The fool, you think. But there’s your sin—
“Forgive me!—and your ignorance:
Could you but have the vision here
That I have, you would understand
As I do that all ways are clear
“For those who dare to follow them
With earnest eyes and honest feet.
But Sainte-Nitouche has made the way
For me, and I shall find it sweet.
“Sweet with a bitter sting left?—Yes,
Bitter enough, God knows, at first;
But there are more steep ways than one
To make the best look like the worst;
“And here is mine—the dark and hard,
For me to follow, trust, and hold:
And worship, so that I may leave
No broken story to be told.
“Therefore I welcome what may come,
Glad for the days, the nights, the years.”—
An upward flash of ember-flame
Revealed the gladness in his tears.
“You see them, but you know,” said he,
“Too much to be incredulous:
You know the day that makes us wise,
The moment that makes fools of us.
“So I shall follow from now on
The road that she has found for me:
The dark and starry way that leads
Right upward, and eternally.
“Stumble at first? I may do that;
And I may grope, and hate the night;
But there’s a guidance for the man
Who stumbles upward for the light,
“And I shall have it all from her,
The foam-born child of innocence.
I feel you smiling while I speak,
But that’s of little consequence;
“For when we learn that we may find
The truth where others miss the mark,
What is it worth for us to know
That friends are smiling in the dark?
“Could we but share the lonely pride
Of knowing, all would then be well;
But knowledge often writes itself
In flaming words we cannot spell.
“And I, who have my work to do,
Look forward; and I dare to see,
Far stretching and all mountainous,
God’s pathway through the gloom for me.”
I found so little to say then
That I said nothing.—“Say good-night,”
Said Vanderberg; “and when we meet
To-morrow, tell me I was right.
“Forget the dozen other things
That you have not the faith to say;
For now I know as well as you
That you are glad to go away.”
I could have blessed the man for that,
And he could read me with a smile:
“You doubt,” said he, “but if we live
You’ll know me in a little while.”
He lived; and all as he foretold,
I knew him—better than he thought:
My fancy did not wholly dig
The pit where I believed him caught.
But yet he lived and laughed, and preached,
And worked—as only players can:
He scoured the shrine that once was home
And kept himself a clergyman.
The clockwork of his cold routine
Put friends far off that once were near;
The five staccatos in his laugh
Were too defensive and too clear;
The glacial sermons that he preached
Were longer than they should have been;
And, like the man who fashioned them,
The best were too divinely thin.
But still he lived, and moved, and had
The sort of being that was his,
Till on a day the shrine of home
For him was in the Mysteries:—
“My friend, there’s one thing yet,” said he,
“And one that I have never shared
With any man that I have met;
But you—you know me.” And he stared
For a slow moment at me then
With conscious eyes that had the gleam,
The shine, before the stroke:—“You know
The ways of us, the way we dream:
“You know the glory we have won,
You know the glamour we have lost;
You see me now, you look at me,—
And yes, you pity me, almost;
“But never mind the pity—no,
Confess the faith you can’t conceal;
And if you frown, be not like one
Of those who frown before they feel.
“For there is truth, and half truth,—yes,
And there’s a quarter truth, no doubt;
But mine was more than half.… You smile?
You understand? You bear me out?
“You always knew that I was right—
You are my friend—and I have tried
Your faith—your love.”—The gleam grew small,
The stroke was easy, and he died.
I saw the dim look change itself
To one that never will be dim;
I saw the dead flesh to the grave,
But that was not the last of him.
For what was his to live lives yet:
Truth, quarter truth, death cannot reach;
Nor is it always what we know
That we are fittest here to teach.
The fight goes on when fields are still,
The triumph clings when arms are down;
The jewels of all coronets
Are pebbles of the unseen crown;
The specious weight of loud reproof
Sinks where a still conviction floats;
And on God’s ocean after storm
Time’s wreckage is half pilot-boats;
And what wet faces wash to sight
Thereafter feed the common moan:—
But Vanderberg no pilot had,
Nor could have: he was all alone.
Unchallenged by the larger light
The starry quest was his to make;
And of all ways that are for men,
The starry way was his to take.
We grant him idle names enough
To-day, but even while we frown
The fight goes on, the triumph clings,
And there is yet the unseen crown
But was it his? Did Vanderberg
Find half truth to be passion’s thrall,
Or as we met him day by day,
Was love triumphant, after all?
I do not know so much as that;
I only know that he died right:
Saint Anthony nor Sainte-Nitouche
Had ever smiled as he did—quite.
poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Peace on Earth
He took a frayed hat from his head,
And “Peace on Earth” was what he said.
“A morsel out of what you’re worth,
And there we have it: Peace on Earth.
Not much, although a little more
Than what there was on earth before
I’m as you see, I’m Ichabod,—
But never mind the ways I’ve trod;
I’m sober now, so help me God.”
I could not pass the fellow by.
“Do you believe in God?” said I;
“And is there to be Peace on Earth?”
“Tonight we celebrate the birth,”
He said, “of One who died for men;
The Son of God, we say. What then?
Your God, or mine? I’d make you laugh
Were I to tell you even half
That I have learned of mine today
Where yours would hardly seem to stay.
Could He but follow in and out
Some anthropoids I know about,
The god to whom you may have prayed
Might see a world He never made.”
“Your words are flowing full,” said I;
“But yet they give me no reply;
Your fountain might as well be dry.”
“A wiser One than you, my friend,
Would wait and hear me to the end;
And for his eyes a light would shine
Through this unpleasant shell of mine
That in your fancy makes of me
A Christmas curiosity.
All right, I might be worse than that;
And you might now be lying flat;
I might have done it from behind,
And taken what there was to find.
Don’t worry, for I’m not that kind.
‘Do I believe in God?’ Is that
The price tonight of a new hat?
Has he commanded that his name
Be written everywhere the same?
Have all who live in every place
Identified his hidden face?
Who knows but he may like as well
My story as one you may tell?
And if he show me there be Peace
On Earth, as there be fields and trees
Outside a jail-yard, am I wrong
If now I sing him a new song?
Your world is in yourself, my friend,
For your endurance to the end;
And all the Peace there is on Earth
Is faith in what your world is worth,
And saying, without any lies,
Your world could not be otherwise.”
“One might say that and then be shot,”
I told him; and he said: “Why not?”
I ceased, and gave him rather more
Than he was counting of my store.
“And since I have it, thanks to you,
Don’t ask me what I mean to do,”
Said he. “Believe that even I
Would rather tell the truth than lie—
On Christmas Eve. No matter why.”
His unshaved, educated face,
His inextinguishable grace.
And his hard smile, are with me still,
Deplore the vision as I will;
For whatsoever he be at,
So droll a derelict as that
Should have at least another hat.
poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Want to Be True
I don't want to be clever or witty or wise
I just want to be true.
Truth?
Truth was us when, inside me, you looked into my eyes and found my love,
Truth was us when we laughed and played,
Truth was us when you cared too much for me to make love to me,
Truth was us, when knowing me, you were brave in your words and helped me be true.
Truth?
Truth was your tenderness, your joy, your heart.
Truth was my surrender, my giving, my happiness.
Truth was your love, was my love, was the love we created between us.
The truth was our honesty and ease.
Truth?
Truth is the emptiness I feel at my loss of you,
Truth is my naïve hope, all present, that you will come to me,
Truth is the pain at night while I grieve for you,
Truth is my smile and my love playing the memories.
Truth is this moment, the now, the present.
The truth is I had something more than wonderful, and I can't have it anymore.
The truth is I so wish I was with you.
Truth?
So many truths?
I will be true in the moment. x
poem by Susan Cook
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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As a World Would Have It
ALCESTIS
Shall I never make him look at me again?
I look at him, I look my life at him,
I tell him all I know the way to tell,
But there he stays the same.
Shall I never make him speak one word to me?
Shall I never make him say enough to show
My heart if he be glad? Be glad? … ah! God,
Why did they bring me back?
I wonder, if I go to him again,
If I take him by those two cold hands again,
Shall I get one look of him at last, or feel
One sign—or anything?
Or will he still sit there in the same way,
Without an answer for me from his lips,
Or from his eyes,—or even with a touch
Of his hand on my hand?…
“Will you look down this once—look down at me?
Speak once—and if you never speak again,
Tell me enough—tell me enough to make
Me know that you are glad!
“You are my King, and once my King would speak:
You were Admetus once, you loved me once:
Life was a dream of heaven for us once—
And has the dream gone by?
“Do I cling to shadows when I call you Life?
Do you love me still, or are the shadows all?
Or is it I that love you in the grave,
And you that mourn for me?
“If it be that, then do not mourn for me;
Be glad that I have loved you, and be King.
But if it be not that—if it be true …
Tell me if it be true!”
Then with a choking answer the King spoke;
But never touched his hand on hers, or fixed
His eyes on hers, or on the face of her:
“Yes, it is true,” he said.
“You are alive, and you are with me now;
And you are reaching up to me that I—
That I may take you—I that am a King—
I that was once a man."
So then she knew. She might have known before;
Truly, she thought, she must have known it long
Before: she must have known it when she came
From that great sleep of hers.
She knew the truth, but not yet all of it:
He loved her, but he would not let his eyes
Prove that he loved her; and he would not hold
His wife there in his arms.
So, like a slave, she waited at his knees,
And waited. She was not unhappy now.
She quivered, but she knew that he would speak
Again—and he did speak.
And while she felt the tremor of his words,
He told her all there was for him to tell;
And then he turned his face to meet her face,
That she might look at him.
She looked; and all her trust was in that look,
And all her faith was in it, and her love;
And when his answer to that look came back,
It flashed back through his tears.
So then she put her arms around his neck,
And kissed him on his forehead and his lips;
And there she clung, fast in his arms again,
Triumphant, with closed eyes.
At last, half whispering, she spoke once more:
“Why was it that you suffered for so long?
Why could you not believe me—trust in me?
Was I so strange as that?
“We suffer when we do not understand;
And you have suffered—you that love me now—
Because you are a man.… There is one thing
No man can understand.
“I would have given everything?—gone down
To Tartarus—to silence? Was it that?
I would have died? I would have let you live?—
And was it very strange?”
poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Don't Seek the Truth, Just Giveup untruth!
Why you go round and round,
May it be around earth,
Or may be around universe,
You will not find the Truth,
It is neither in earth or in sky,
It is neither in ocean,
nor in mountains,
wherever you go Truth follows you,
Yet you are unable to follow Truth!
If you see your shadow,
You are walking away from light,
But others only can see your shadow, when you are towards light!
Truth can not be found anywhere,
Learn from the still lake,
When water is pure and clear,
When ripples are waves subside,
One can see both reflection of world,
And bottom of the lake in which your own face glow!
Only its image can be found in mirror of your heart,
Only path to the Pathless land is to cleanse the mirror,
cleanse the vision,
clear all senses, Giveup untruth!
Mind and action,
Make them free of memories and expectations,
Leave behind corpse of past burnt,
Not look at the future,
Then only you see the image of Truth,
And find truth shine everywhere!
poem by Ramdas Bhandarkar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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One By One
Lord one by one and two by two, I will draw all men Lord, to you,
Lord, to the one and only friend, all men will need come the end.
There’s no greater friend indeed, than one who knows our need,
And He not only knew the cost, but suffered and died for the lost.
I only desire to share The Truth, not concerned of men’s reproof.
And although they may criticize, a word of Truth may open eyes.
All of God’s Truth will be fulfilled, and just as God eternally willed.
Today the words they dispute, one day shall see indeed as Truth.
I pray that their hearts can see, their need they have for eternity,
A need beyond their place of birth, and beyond a temporal earth.
God’s Judgment is sure to come, when all men will see His Son,
And for all who refuse The Truth, they will see His strong reproof,
Until then my Lord I need to be, a guiding Light for all men to see,
And my Lord, according to your will, place my light high upon a hill.
Through your Light Lord I pray, that men will see your eternal way.
The only way men can be assured, of an eternal life with you Lord.
No longer will men see the light, but only a darkened eternal night.
Just like Jude, it is my desire, to snatch some from the eternal fire.
Then Lord one by one, two by two, men shall come to faith in you.
And with their eyes all will see, the home you prepared in Eternity.
(Copyright ©04/2006)
Restless Soul Is Mad
Restless soul
Is mad
Ruled by a force unseen but dominating
Eluding it
Yet longing for it
What fear is it?
What desire?
That grows each day
As the light submits to dark
And as the doors slowly close
It’s daytime for my soul
What horizons does it explore through the lands of dreams?
And what glitters for it far is its own illusionary reflections
That shine
A mirage
I do know!
Yet I live with its doubts
For my soul is restless
And it is mad
And it won't believe what shows
For it chases the truth
Not knowing that it beats within him
Falling in the rhythms of heart
Unheard
Moving like slow winds through its lungs
It’s the moment that is lived and to be lived the truth
A moment, an infinite lives
And a moment death
Yet I would live in doubt
For one day, my soul shall find the way to its own heart
To its own self
The ways untrodden for now
And till then I shall be restless
I shall be mad...
poem by Lama Abbas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Dead To The Living
Work while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
IN the childhood of April, while purple woods
With the young year's blood in them smiled,
I passed through the lanes and the wakened fields,
And stood by the grave of the child.
And the pain awoke that is never dead
Though it sometimes sleeps, and again
It set its teeth in this heart of mine,
And fastened its claws in my brain:
For it seemed so hard that the little hands
And the little well-loved head
Should be out of reach of my living lips,
And be side by side with the dead--
Not side by side with us who had loved,
But with these who had never seen
The grace of the smile, the gold of the hair,
And the eyes of my baby-queen.
Yet with trees about where the brown birds build,
And with long green grass above,
She lies in the cold sweet breast of earth
Beyond the reach of our love;
Whatever befalls in the coarse loud world,
We know she will never wake.
When I thought of the sorrow she might have known,
I was almost glad for her sake. . . .
Tears might have tired those kiss-closed eyes,
Grief hardened the mouth I kissed;
I was almost glad that my dear was dead
Because of the pain she had missed.
Oh, if I could but have died a child
With a white child-soul like hers,
As pure as the wind-flowers down in the copse,
Where the soul of the spring's self stirs;
Or if I had only done with it all,
And might lie by her side unmoved!
I envied the very clods of earth
Their place near the child I loved!
And my soul rose up in revolt at life,
As I stood dry-eyed by her grave,
When sudden the grass of the churchyard sod
Rolled back like a green smooth wave;
The brown earth looked like the brown sea rocks,
The tombstones were white like spray,
And white like surf were the curling folds
Of the shrouds where the dead men lay;
For each in his place with his quiet face
I saw the dead lie low,
Who had worked and suffered and found life sad,
So many sad years ago.
Unchanged by time I saw them lie
As when first they were laid to rest,
The tired eyes closed, the sad lips still,
And the work-worn hands on the breast.
There were some who had found the green world so grey,
They had left it before their time,
And some were little ones like my dear,
And some had died in their prime;
And some were old, they had had their fill
Of bitter unfruitful hours,
And knew that none of them, none, had known
A flower of a hope like ours!
Through their shut eyelids the dead looked up,
And without a voice they said:
'We lived without hope, without hope we died,
And hopeless we lie here dead;
And death is better than life that draws
Pain in, as it draws in breath,
If life never dreams of a coming day
When life shall not envy death.
Through the dark of our hours and our times we lived,
Uncheered by a single ray
Of such hope as lightens the lives of you
Who are finding life hard to-day;
With our little lanterns of human love
We lighted our dark warm night--
But you in the chill of the dawn are set
With your face to the eastern light.
Freedom is waiting with hands held out
Till you tear the veil from her face--
And when once men have seen the light of her eyes,
And felt her divine embrace,
The light of the world will be risen indeed,
And will shine in the eyes of men,
And those who come after will find life fair,
And their lives worth living then!
Will you strive to the light in your loud rough world,
That these things may come to pass,
Or lie in the shadow beside the child,
And strive to the sun through the grass?'
'My world while I may,' I cried; 'but you
Whose lives were as dark as your grave?'
'We too are a part of the coming light,'
They called through the smooth green wave.
Their white shrouds gleamed as the flood of green
Rolled over and hid them from me--
Hid all but the little hands and the hair,
And the face that I always see.
poem by Edith Nesbit
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Woman and the Wife
I--THE EXPLANATION
"You thought we knew," she said, "but we were wrong.
This we can say, the rest we do not say;
Nor do I let you throw yourself away
Because you love me. Let us both be strong,
And we shall find in sorrow, before long,
Only the price Love ruled that we should pay:
The dark is the end of every day,
And silence is the end of every song.
"You ask me for one more proof that I speak right,
But I can answer only what I know;
You look for just one lie to make black white,
But I can tell you only what is true--
God never made me for the wife of you.
This we can say,--believe me! . . . Tell me so!"
II--THE ANNIVERSARY
"Give me the truth, whatever it may be.
You thought we knew, but now tell me what you miss:
You are the one to tell me what it is--
You are a man, and you have married me.
What is it worth to-night that you can see
More marriage in the dream of one dead kiss
Than in a thousand years of life like this?
Passion has turned the lock. Pride keeps the key.
"Whatever I have said or left unsaid,
Whatever I have done or left undone,--
Tell me. Tell me the truth . . . Are you afraid?
Do you think that Love was ever fed with lies
But hunger lived thereafter in his eyes?
Do you ask me to take moonlight for the sun?"
poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Submitted by Dan Costinaş
Vote! | Copy! | In Romanian
Bokardo
Well, Bokardo, here we are;
Make yourself at home.
Look around—you haven’t far
To look—and why be dumb?
Not the place that used to be,
Not so many things to see;
But there’s room for you and me.
And you—you’ve come.
Talk a little; or, if not,
Show me with a sign
Why it was that you forgot
What was yours and mine.
Friends, I gather, are small things
In an age when coins are kings;
Even at that, one hardly flings
Friends before swine.
Rather strong? I knew as much,
For it made you speak.
No offense to swine, as such,
But why this hide-and-seek?
You have something on your side,
And you wish you might have died,
So you tell me. And you tried
One night last week?
You tried hard? And even then
Found a time to pause?
When you try as hard again,
You’ll have another cause.
When you find yourself at odds
With all dreamers of all gods,
You may smite yourself with rods—
But not the laws.
Though they seem to show a spite
Rather devilish,
They move on as with a might
Stronger than your wish.
Still, however strong they be,
They bide man’s authority:
Xerxes, when he flogged the sea,
May’ve scared a fish.
It’s a comfort, if you like,
To keep honor warm,
But as often as you strike
The laws, you do no harm.
To the laws, I mean. To you—
That’s another point of view,
One you may as well indue
With some alarm.
Not the most heroic face
To present, I grant;
Nor will you insure disgrace
By fearing what you want.
Freedom has a world of sides,
And if reason once derides
Courage, then your courage hides
A deal of cant.
Learn a little to forget
Life was once a feast;
You aren’t fit for dying yet,
So don’t be a beast.
Few men with a mind will say,
Thinking twice, that they can pay
Half their debts of yesterday,
Or be released.
There’s a debt now on your mind
More than any gold?
And there’s nothing you can find
Out there in the cold?
Only—what’s his name?—Remorse?
And Death riding on his horse?
Well, be glad there’s nothing worse
Than you have told.
Leave Remorse to warm his hands
Outside in the rain.
As for Death, he understands,
And he will come again.
Therefore, till your wits are clear,
Flourish and be quiet—here.
But a devil at each ear
Will be a strain?
Past a doubt they will indeed,
More than you have earned.
I say that because you need
Ablution, being burned?
Well, if you must have it so,
Your last flight went rather low.
Better say you had to know
What you have learned.
And that’s over. Here you are,
Battered by the past.
Time will have his little scar,
But the wound won’t last.
Nor shall harrowing surprise
Find a world without its eyes
If a star fades when the skies
Are overcast.
God knows there are lives enough,
Crushed, and too far gone
Longer to make sermons of,
And those we leave alone.
Others, if they will, may rend
The worn patience of a friend
Who, though smiling, sees the end,
With nothing done.
But your fervor to be free
Fled the faith it scorned;
Death demands a decency
Of you, and you are warned.
But for all we give we get
Mostly blows? Don’t be upset;
You, Bokardo, are not yet
Consumed or mourned.
There’ll be falling into view
Much to rearrange;
And there’ll be a time for you
To marvel at the change.
They that have the least to fear
Question hardest what is here;
When long-hidden skies are clear,
The stars look strange.
poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Separate From Truth
If you choose to separate yourself, from God’s Truth of much wealth,
You my friend shall be cut off from, God’s Truths of what is to come;
When you ignore God’s Revelation, you put in danger, your Salvation,
Ignoring The Truths of Jesus Christ, you’ll be cut off from Eternal Life.
God’s Word was revealed to man, to make known God’s Eternal Plan,
The plan which shall affect everyone, when carried out, by God’s Son;
And believers are to share God’s Word, until all of the earth has heard,
Sharing with all, God’s Truth and Love, pointing men to Heaven above.
God’s Eternal Truth is relevant to all, men on the earth, great and small,
Although all may not understand, on God’s Truth alone, we must stand,
It is for His Truth we must contend, when speaking to family and friend,
So that they can too, know His Truth, and avoid God’s Eternal Reproof.
God makes men’s plans of no effect, but sustains the plan of His Elect,
The rebellious the Lord will not exalt, and their dark plans God shall halt,
Only God’s Plan will stand forever, while His Own, He will forsake never,
While ending man’s dark empty ways, sustaining His Own, to His Praise.
All unbelievers must see their need, to see God’s Truth, they must heed,
As the Way is not mine or yours, but, the way of Salvation is The Lord’s,
But, then that choice, is theirs to make, and if The Truth they do forsake,
That separation that they shall see, is from The Lord, through all Eternity.
(Copyright ©06/2010)
The Growth of Lorraine
I
While I stood listening, discreetly dumb,
Lorraine was having the last word with me:
“I know,” she said, “I know it, but you see
Some creatures are born fortunate, and some
Are born to be found out and overcome,—
Born to be slaves, to let the rest go free;
And if I’m one of them (and I must be)
You may as well forget me and go home.
“You tell me not to say these things, I know,
But I should never try to be content:
I’ve gone too far; the life would be too slow.
Some could have done it—some girls have the stuff;
But I can’t do it: I don’t know enough.
I’m going to the devil.”—And she went.
II
I did not half believe her when she said
That I should never hear from her again;
Nor when I found a letter from Lorraine,
Was I surprised or grieved at what I read:
“Dear friend, when you find this, I shall be dead.
You are too far away to make me stop.
They say that one drop—think of it, one drop!—
Will be enough,—but I’ll take five instead.
“You do not frown because I call you friend,
For I would have you glad that I still keep
Your memory, and even at the end—
Impenitent, sick, shattered—cannot curse
The love that flings, for better or for worse,
This worn-out, cast-out flesh of mine to sleep.”
poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Letter In The Last Day Of '2008
first word is 'hello'
that it writes me
the following are so mellow
so sad, so heartily
at first it greets me warm
but hardly I smile
then it writes 'thank you'
and I say mine too
it tells of our beginning
I start recollecting
memory, oh memory
gathers around me
tears and laughter
we've shared together
from one, two, three, four, five,
until three hundred sixty five
a lot of thing we've divided
between ourselves and loved it
as I reach to the middle
I begin to sniffle
I hold myself not to sob
sadness in me run amuck
this letter so clear
tells of what I hate to hear
it tells that it will leave
at this time tonight, it will
it speaks of what I fear
my eyes in tears
it says we won't ever meet
and it says 'sorry'
its time is coming
truth I'm denying
days we're together
I thought it'd be forever
no, no, no it's not
not a storyline or a plot
five minutes to midnight
I finish reading it
tears break free from me,
knowing we won't ever meet
we're friends for long
our memory are so profound
our memory are worth the time
that 'memory' I won't ever find
but I'll lock in my heart always
until I die someday
twelve fifty eight
I beg the 'time' to wait
let me feel its presence
that fades and weakens
at the exact midnight
my body lose its might
I start to falter
and again read the letter
I lost a fellow
now a little hollow
tears then follow
to my cold pillow
the last word is 'good bye'
good bye too, my friend
and that memory I'll never find
again...
P.S.: in my opinion, new year not only is the time to be jubilant, but also sad to be left by a friend that has accompanied us in a whole year, 'the 2008' itself..
poem by Kite Remedy
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Her Going
The Wife
Child, why do you linger beside her portal?
None shall hear you now if you knock or clamor*
All is dark, hidden in heaviest leafage.
None shall behold you.
Truth
Gone, gone, the dear, the beautiful lady!
I, her comrade, tarry but to lament her.
Ah, the day of her vanishing all things lovely
Shared in her fleetness!
Tell me her going.
The Wife
You are a child. How tell you?
Truth
I am a child, yet old as the earliest sorrow.
Talk to me as you would to an old, old woman.
I own the ages.
The Wife
Voices, they say, gossipped around her dwelling.
She awoke, departing, they say, in silence.
I am glad she is gone. The old hurt fastens.
Hate is upon me.
It was hard to live down the day, and wonder,
Wonder why the tears were forever welling,
Wonder if on his lips her kiss I tasted
Turning to claim him.
Truth
Jealousy, mad, brooding blind and unfettered,
Takes its terrible leap over lie and malice.
Who shall question her now in the land of shadow?
Who shal1 uphold her?
The Wife
It was hard to know that peace had forsaken
All my house, to greet with a dull endeavor
Babe or book, so to forget a moment
I was forgotten.
Truth
Who shall question her now in the land of shadow,
Question the mute pale lips, and the marble fingers,
Eyelids fallen on eyes grown dim as the autumn?
Ah, the beloved!
The Wife
Go, go, bringer of ache and discord!
Truth
Go I may not. Some, they think to inter me.
Out of the mold and clay my visible raiment
Rises forever.
The Wife
Hers the sin that lured the light from our threshold,
Hers the sin that I lost his love and grew bitter.
Truth
Lost his love? You never possessed it, woman.
The Wife
Sharp tongue, have pity! . . .
Yes, I knew. But I loved him, hoping for all.
I said in my heart: 'Time shall bring buds to blossom.'
I almost saw the flower of the flame descending.
Then she came toying.
He is mine, mine, by the laws of the ages!
Mine, mine, mine yes, body and spirit!
I am glad she has gone her way to the shadow.
Hate is upon me.
Oh, the bar over which my soul would see
All that eludes my soul, while he remembers!
You, dispel if you can my avenging passion
Clouds are before me!
poem by Eleanor Agnes Lee
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Truth or Dare
Let's play a little game of truth or dare
Tell me the truth do you love me
I dare you to lie and, if you do I dare you to tell me why
They say the truth shall set you free
So tell the truth and soar like an eagle over the deep blue sea
I dare myself to succeed and reach all of my expectations Truth be told if I shall fail its because I didn't live up to my expectations
I will not blame anyone for my failure and I dare you to do the same
Be honest with yourself, tell the truth when you make a mistake
We all mess up that is part of life but tell the truth when you do I dare you
poem by Craig Mize
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Journey
Today was the day.
That my path was made clear.
The sad reality is.
That you are not here.
I will go down my path.
And continue my quest.
With the eyes of my Father.
It is he who knows best.
I am sure there will be problems.
And my heart will be tried.
But the road to conviction.
It is narrow, not wide.
So the choices I make.
Must be true to the One.
Who has loved me forever.
And gave us His son.
In this world I'm alone.
In His world I am not.
If I can have but one thing.
I'm glad He's who I've got.
He'll help me through trials.
His wisdom I'll earn.
I will follow His path.
Then the truth I will learn.
So onward I venture.
I hope you're close behind.
And you join in on my journey.
So the truth we can find.
I hope we find it together.
And not on our own.
But I will see you in the future.
When we're finally home.
For our journey here's short.
And one day it will end.
I will enjoy it much more.
If it's with my best friend.
poem by Ryan Lee Morris
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The Woman and the Wife
I--THE EXPLANATION
"You thought we knew," she said, "but we were wrong.
This we can say, the rest we do not say;
Nor do I let you throw yourself away
Because you love me. Let us both be strong,
And we shall find in sorrow, before long,
Only the price Love ruled that we should pay:
The dark is the end of every day,
And silence is the end of every song.
"You ask me for one more proof that I speak right,
But I can answer only what I know;
You look for just one lie to make black white,
But I can tell you only what is true--
God never made me for the wife of you.
This we can say,--believe me! . . . Tell me so!"
II--THE ANNIVERSARY
"Give me the truth, whatever it may be.
You thought we knew, but now tell me what you miss:
You are the one to tell me what it is--
You are a man, and you have married me.
What is it worth to-night that you can see
More marriage in the dream of one dead kiss
Than in a thousand years of life like this?
Passion has turned the lock. Pride keeps the key.
"Whatever I have said or left unsaid,
Whatever I have done or left undone,--
Tell me. Tell me the truth . . . Are you afraid?
Do you think that Love was ever fed with lies
But hunger lived thereafter in his eyes?
Do you ask me to take moonlight for the sun?"
poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
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In God’s Ways
We can know The Lord’s Ways, upon a path paved by Grace,
One that takes us to the place, where we accept God by faith,
As He lifts a veil from our face, the Truth of God we embrace,
Truth for all of the human race, revealed to us to God’s praise.
This grace takes all as they are, as fallen sinners near and far,
Right to the Cross of Calvary, where grace opens eyes to see,
Their need to embrace the Cross, as fallen men spiritually lost,
And to accept The Savior’s Love, to be cleansed in His Blood.
This is only where men start, as sinners with a change of heart,
When we believe in Christ Jesus, new direction, He gives to us,
Redirecting each heart and mind, to leave our old ways behind,
As we begin to follow Jesus Christ, in what becomes a new life.
In His Ways we learn to live, through the Spirit, God would give,
Through His Word we are lead, when with God, we move ahead,
Parting from the dark of night, we begin to live in Christ’s Light,
As we surrender to Jesus Christ, His Spirit helps us live our life.
We find God’s Ways we can trust, as our Lord takes care of us,
Sustaining us through all our days, while we live in God’s Ways,
Living our life on the narrow way, He helps us to grow each day,
As God helps us in all our ways, so we lift up to God our praise.
(Copyright ©11/2009)
2 Steps
You know im the kind of guy that does a 9-5
Workin real hard cuz its the way I live my life
Back home just me and you girl all alone
With no one interrupting, switch off the phone
But I could be that other guy
Who comes home late at night and tells you lies
So why you trippin out on me girl all the time?
When everyday its only you thats on my mind
Everytime we take one step forward you take two steps back
Everytime its right you bring left back
Hey you really gotta think about it
cuz theres really no doubt about it
You know I've been there for you and thats the truth
Everytime we take one step forward you take two steps back
Everytime its right you bring left back
Hey you really gotta think about it
cuz theres really no doubt about it
You know I've been there for you and thats the truth
You know you're the kinda girl that doesn't need to front
Keep it real, let me know just what you want
Sometimes you just dont know when to stop
Your working so much over nothing
Your just losing what you got
Now cant you see there's no other girl
I think your the most beautiful woman in this world (yeah)
But you say I dont appreciate ya and I dont know how to treat ya
We dont do the same things we used to do nomore
Everytime we take one step forward you take two steps back
Everytime its right you bring left back
Hey you really gotta think about it
cuz there's really no doubt about it
You know ive been there for you and thats the truth
Everytime we take one step forward you take two steps back
Everytime its right you bring left back
Hey you really gotta think about it
cuz there's really no doubt about it
You know ive been there for you and thats the truth
Remember, it wasnt that long ago
You told me that you loved me so
Dont forget all the nights we shared when you told me girl just how much you cared
Remember, you can be led astray
But thats the way playas play
Im not that kinda man why cant you understand cuz I
Want you to trust in me, Babygirl cant you see
You're only gonna mess things up
You've done enough
Why cant you stop cuz
You're gonna lose whats good for you
And thats the last thing you wanna do
Won't find another like me
Everytime we take one step forward you take two steps back
Everytime its right you bring left back
Hey you really gotta think about it
cuz there's really no doubt about it
You know ive been there for you and thats the truth
Everytime we take one step forward you take two steps back
Everytime its right you bring left back
Hey you really gotta think about it
cuz there's really no doubt about it
You know ive been there for you and thats the truth
Everytime we take one step forward you take two steps back
Everytime its right you bring left back
Hey you really gotta think about it
cuz there's really no doubt about it
You know ive been there for you and thats the truth
song performed by by Craig David
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Velvet Dark
I heard a song last night
Alone in my car, in the velvet dark
It epitomised my feelings, my reelings
And I began to understand
'I never lost you, you were never mine'
Those words rang true, stung my heart
Driving at one mile per hour
In the velvet dark
I smiled as the lonely tear fell
A wry, upside-down frown
And the music began to painfully soothe
In the velvet dark
You were never, ever mine
To touch, to feel, just a ghost
Of a promise, whom I would never see
In the velvet dark
Lucky those roads were quiet
No crazed drivers forcing me on
And I pulled into a hidden corner
In the velvet dark
Your heart wasn't mine
To try to hold and to repair
You needed me and I needed you
In the velvet dark
We tried to make it
Through impossible barriers
Of dreams and hopes, spinning uncontrollably
In the velvet dark
Picking up my emotions
I pulled back onto that road
Moving towards my home, my sanity
In the velvet dark
I never lost you, I'll never lose you
I'll just remember, the good times
There were a few heady nights together
In the velvet dark
So, this song I will remember
For bringing home to me
The truth, the bitter-sweet memories
Forever in the velvet dark
poem by Michelle Tiddy
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Its All In Your Head
(tony martin/van stephenson/reese wilson)
Momma died young giving birth to a son
In a home for wayward girls
Daddy was sidewalk, soapbox preacher
Looking forward to the end of the world
Every friday night hed pick a jesus fight
Down at the local pool hall
Racking up souls condemning all those
Caught behind the eight ball
He said I preach for the light - the light shows the way
Dont ever trust what the government say
We never walked on the moon
Elvis aint dead
You aint going crazy
Its all in your head
Lucy was a messed up, dressed up waitress
With a slightly tarnished heart of gold
She wasnt half bad for a new step momma
As far as step mommas go
Daddy knew she was the one as he baked in the sun
In a parking lot preaching the truth
Up shot her hand and she cried, oh, man
I feel it, yes, I feel it I do
Its been revealed to me down deep in my soul
There were two shooters on the grassy knoll
We never walked on the moon
Elvis aint dead
You aint going crazy
Its all in your head
Let us sing
Its all interpretation
To find the truth you gotta read between the lines
Work out your own salvation
That narrow path is hard to define
Heavens more than a place
Its a state of mind
In his quest for truth
Daddy was moved by the spirit
To take up a snake
In a moment of doubt the venom turned out
Stronger than daddys faith
But Ill never forget his dying breath
The last words that he said
We never walked on the moon
Elvis aint dead
You aint going crazy
Its all in your head
Let me tell ya
Its all interpretation
To find the truth you gotta read between the lines
Work out your own salvation
That narrow path is had to define
Heavens more than a place
Its a state of mind
State of mind
song performed by by Diamond Rio
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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