Beneath The Tree
how many deaths
must i die?
how many times left alone
on some nameless shore,
watching the storm carry
my boat off to sea?
how many blackbirds dead
beneath the tree?
if i die inside of you
will you remember my name?
or am i just an old coat
hanging in the back of the closet?
a hat your grandfather wore....
a deck of cards forgotten in a drawer....
a spider's web clinging to your feet!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Related quotes
Madagascar
I won't be told anymore
That I've been brought down in this storm
And left so far out from the shore
That I can't find my way back, my way anymore
No I won't be told anymore
That I've been brought back in this storm
And left so far out from the shore
That I can't find my way back, my way anymore
No, I..
No, I...
Forgive that they teared down my soul
Bless them that they might grow old
A dream that's forgotten may know
That it's never too late
So many times that I've seen life before me
I searched and found the way to choose to the end
I found a way, to know, why it had to be
Mired in denial and saw all the rain
If we ever find it true
Love will have its way to choose
Three more to tame
We can be ever
I won't be told anymore
That I've been brought down in this storm
And left so far out from the shore
And I can't find my way back, my way anymore
No I won't be told anymore
That I've been brought back in this storm
And left so far out from the shore
That I can't find my way back, my way anymore
song performed by by Guns N' Roses
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When my body arrives at the shore
When the time comes.
And my body washes up on the shore.
Be it not a shock to you please.
I didn't want tohurt you.
When my bloated body arrives at deaths shore.
Washed up and battered I'm dead on the shore.
And have arrived at deaths door.
Yes I was scared kind of.
But I knew it would over and done.
I knew it wouldn't be long to die.
Here lays my body at deaths shore.
I am dead of that you can be sure.
I am sorry of that you are to be sure.
I loved you that's for sure.
I could'nt stay with pains shore.
So Here I am at deaths shore.
I couldn't go on like this.
Here I lay washed up on the shore.
Iam now in deaths door
poem by Amy Louise Kerswell
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You Never Sleep On
that book on the shelf,
the one you've forgotten,
waiting in silence,
untouched and unread.
the crack in the window,
rainwater seeps through.
the lamp by the table,
you never turn on.
the axe in the corner,
covered by shadows and web.
the limbs ripped from the tree,
blown by the storm.
that old photograph album,
pictures yellowed by time.
the guitar in the closet,
waiting to be strung.
and the sound of the ocean,
in the shell you never pick up.
the skin left by the snake,
clouds that cover the moon.
the letter you never opened,
the ring in the drawer...
my heart on the pillow,
you never sleep on!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Bacelli’s Walnut Tree
Bacelli’s Walnut Tree
Not far the corner of my home's knee
Just some yards above the road
Stands on its glory the Big Walnut Tree
Branched right and left over the road
As the years jump on line and the clock ticks
I can see through the epochs and curtain blinds
Babies being born, marriages, deaths, wars and miseries
Misfortunes and happiness experienced by Bacellis
This Big Walnut Tree, the old sincere angel
The witness so fair for a hundred years.
I often come back to this Walnut Tree
I kneel and pray in silence
As a great grandmother in need
I ate the tasty nuts of this tree
As my father, my pop did once
All of them fellows Bacelli
Yes, indeed my sons will try them too
My granddaughters and grandsons
The Walnut Tree fetches, embraces all generations
Keeping inside the live ones and protecting the dead Bacellis
When my father was gone and buried
The Walnut Tree joined me in grieving
Fruit stalled, tears dropped
No leaves, no flowers, no nuts, all disappeared
The Walnut Tree nearly did perish
It dried and vanished like a storm turning greyish
Other times the Big Walnut Tree shed tears
Three times, when Bacellis' house scorched on skies
Humbled disappearing fast through sparkling fires
The Big Walnut Tree of Bacellis
It's my home, my shelter and my roof
When I need to go back to my roots
To meet Bacellis and the dead ones that I miss
On my troubled days of New York
For crashed sweet nuts in my bag I check
With my finger I touch the exquisite silk
Of my Big Walnut Tree at home back
poem by Agim Bacelli
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Western Hero
Frontier town, home of the westren hero
Frontier justice, dealt with the iron hand
He wore a long coat to the ground
He wore big boots that made a sound
He wore a six gun on his hip
But now he doesnt carry it
Sure enough, he was a western hero
On the deck, sighting an old jap zero
And on the shores at normandy
He fought for you, he fought for me
Across the land and on the sea
But now hes just a memory
And in the distance, the rockets red glare
The bombs burst in the air
This time were never going back
Through the years he changed somehow
Hes different now
Hes different now
Open fire, here comes the western hero
Standing there, big money in his hand
Sure enough, he was a western hero, sure enough
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Deck Of Cards
a deck of cards
missing the Jack of Hearts....
a revolver on the table,
one chamber empty...
an old family Bible,
the inscription page torn out...
a broken pane in the window
that the sun never hits.
a bottle of whiskey,
half empty, or half full.
an old rug by the chair,
that the dog slept on.
a grandfather clock,
hand stuck at midnight...
an old truck, broken axle....
a deck of cards...
your deal!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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The Pink Carnation
I may walk until I’m fainting, I may write until I’m blinded,
I might drink until my back teeth are afloat,
But I can’t forget my ruin and the happy days behind it,
When I wore a pink carnation in my coat.
Oh, I thought that time could conquer, and I thought my heart would harden,
But it sends a sudden lump into my throat,
When I think of what I have been, and the cottage and the garden,
When I wore a pink carnation in my coat.
God forgive you, girl, and bless you! Let no line of mine distress you –
I am sorry for the bitter lines I wrote;
But remember, and think kindly, for we met and married blindly,
When I wore a pink carnation in my coat.
poem by Henry Lawson
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Christmas
It's Christmas
Baby, please come home
(Yeah!)
The snow's coming down
I'm watching it fall
Watching the people around
Baby please come home
The churchbells in town
They're rining a song
What a happy sound
Baby please come home
Theyr'e singing deck the halls
But it's not like Christmas at all
I remember when you were here
And all the fun we had last year
Pretty lights on the tree
I'm watching 'em shine
You should be here with me
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
They're singing deck the halls
But it's not like Christmas at all
I remember when you were here
And all the fun we had last year
If there was a way
I'd hold back these tears
But it's Christmas day
Baby please come home
Ohh...
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
Ohh...
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
song performed by by U2
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Friend-Ship
My friendship is sinking,
I'm bailing out water as fast as I can,
Move too quickly the boat will tip over,
Move too slowly the faster it will sink,
Seconds away from abandoning ship,
But there's land in sight,
So close to shore,
Tying a rope to the boat,
Jumping into the water,
The water is so cold,
Pulling the boat to shore,
Moving too slowly,
Waves threatening to take the boat away,
Waves threatening to take me away,
Suddenly the shore seems so far away,
Waves fill the boat with water,
The burden of the weight of the water,
Becomes unbearable,
The rope is pulled out of my hands,
And the boat sinks,
Pulling me under,
I swim to the surface,
Swim to shore,
Once on shore I look back,
There is nothing left of the Friend-ship
poem by Mandy Author2
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Friend-Ship
My friendship is sinking,
I'm bailing out water as fast as I can,
Move too quickly the boat will tip over,
Move too slowly the faster it will sink,
Seconds away from abandoning ship,
But there's land in sight,
So close to shore,
Tying a rope to the boat,
Jumping into the water,
The water is so cold,
Pulling the boat to shore,
Moving too slowly,
Waves threatening to take the boat away,
Waves threatening to take me away,
Suddenly the shore seems so far away,
Waves fill the boat with water,
The burden of the weight of the water,
Becomes unbearable,
The rope is pulled out of my hands,
And the boat sinks,
Pulling me under,
I swim to the surface,
Swim to shore,
Once on shore I look back,
There is nothing left of the Friend-ship
poem by Mandy Author
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Keg In The Closet
We had a dog named Bocephus? living in the front yard he liked sleeping out on the top of
the car hed drink beer out of the mason jar and he climb up on everyone bed
A white frame house, a college town, a bunch of people always hanging around, no real
problems we need to drown but we tried our best anyway, we went to class just to pass the time
back in eighty nine
[Chorus:]
We had a Keg in the closet pizza on the floor left over from the night before where
we were going we didnt really care we had all we ever wanted in that keg in the closet
This old guitar taught me how to score right there on the Lambda Chi porch, Mary Ann taught
me a little more one what you cant have, sweatshirts and flag football, spring breaks down in
panama, for a while we had it all we never dreamed it wouldnt last, we went to class just to
pass the time back in eighty nine
[Chorus:]
We had a Keg in the closet pizza on the floor left over from the night before where
we were going we didnt really care we had all we ever wanted in that keg in the closet
We all kind of went our separate ways, but I swear it seems like yesterday
[Chorus:]
We had a Keg in the closet pizza on the floor left over from the night before where
we were going we didnt really care we had all we ever wanted in that keg in the closet
song performed by by Kenny Chesney
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Its christmas
Baby, please come home
(yeah!)
The snows coming down
Im watching it fall
Watching the people around
Baby please come home
The churchbells in town
Theyre rining a song
What a happy sound
Baby please come home
Theyre singing deck the halls
But its not like christmas at all
I remember when you were here
And all the fun we had last year
Pretty lights on the tree
Im watching em shine
You should be here with me
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
Theyre singing deck the halls
But its not like christmas at all
I remember when you were here
And all the fun we had last year
If there was a way
Id hold back these tears
But its christmas day
Baby please come home
Ohh...
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
Ohh...
Baby please come home
Baby please come home
song performed by by U2
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Spider And The Ant
I curiously observed an ant as it meandered,
ever closer to the spider's web.
In the corner of the window sat the spider,
a strand of web beneath its leg.
A waiting game was being played by the spider,
as the ant went this way and then the other.
How could it miss the web's support strands.
The spider bided its time and didn't bother.
The ant finally came across a strand and hesitated,
it tested its safety and then stepped back.
Surprisingly it climbed up to the labyrinth's centre,
the spider's sensors couldn't miss that.
It ran up the web and began to encase its prisoner,
but the ant fought hard against the thread.
Seconds later the spider returned to its corner
satisfied that its prey was almost dead.
poem by Orlando Belo
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I Am.... (The Story Of God)
i am the barn set ablaze,
the garden covered in dust.
i am the coal mine,
and the miners lost...
the spider's web that
caught their families.
i am the refugee,
no home, no destination.
the convict released,
with nowhere to go.
i am the erection, the file,
and the hammer...
set aside, covered with rust.
i am the mirror, the candle,
and the book of matches...
i am the way stone changes!
i am the prism,
put away in a dark closet.
i am the lover,
whose name you've forgotten.
i am the end
that never ends,
i am the fire
on the tip of your tongue.
i am the smell of your heart,
the whisperings of your feet.
i am the lines beneath your eyes,
that tell the story of god!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Turkish Song Of The Damned
I come old friend from hell tonight
Across the rotting sea
Nor the nails of the cross
Nor the blood of christ
Can bring you help this eve
The dead have come to claim a debt from thee
They stand outside your door
Four score and three
Did you keep a watch for the dead mans wind
Did you see the woman with the comb in her hand
Wailing away on the wall on the strand
As you danced to the turkish song of the damned
You remember when the ship went down
You left me on the deck
The captains corpse jumped up
And threw his arms around my neck
For all these years Ive had him on my back
This debt cannot be paid with all your jack
And as I sit and talk to you I see your face go white
This shadow hanging over me
Is no trick of the light
The spectre on my back will soon be free
The dead have come to claim a debt from thee
song performed by by Pogues
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Smothering of Poets
A love which ends badly-
if we let it-
freezes Time;
and we move on
covering it;
leaving it unchanged and unresolved.
We plant the last Kiss
with a question mark
knotted in the Semi-finish..
We drag our Dead Poet Love
into the future
bound and gagged
in the truck of the car
because all past loves
are Dead Poets;
we ignore the muffled cries
in the rear;
drive toward the future
tamping down the present
with a finger
dipped in
past and jaded memory.
We smother old past poets
put them away in the dark closet
because New Love
most often
doesn't share our love of
Former Poetries.
We reel in the Future now
before it is born;
strangled;
we make Hope for New Love
to lie
down in the cold;
but, our warm coat
is in the closet
which means
at odd times
in the chill
we dream of dead poets,
who sometimes
don't remain
dead still
in the trunk of the car
in the closet
in the category
nil.
poem by Lonnie Hicks
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Forgotten Dead, I Salute You
Dawn has flashed up the startled skies,
Night has gone out beneath the hill
Many sweet times; before our eyes
Dawn makes and unmakes about us still
The magic that we call the rose.
The gentle history of the rain
Has been unfolded, traced and lost
By the sharp finger-tips of frost;
Birds in the hawthorn build again;
The hare makes soft her secret house;
The wind at tourney comes and goes,
Spurring the green, unharnessed boughs;
The moon has waxed fierce and waned dim:
He knew the beauty of all those
Last year, and who remembers him?
Love sometimes walks the waters still,
Laughter throws back her radiant head;
Utterly beauty is not gone,
And wonder is not wholly dead.
The starry, mortal world rolls on;
Between sweet sounds and silences,
With new, strange wines her beakers brim:
He lost his heritage with these
Last year, and who remembers him?
None remember him: he lies
In earth of some strange-sounding place,
Nameless beneath the nameless skies,
The wind his only chant, the rain
The only tears upon his face;
Far and forgotten utterly
By living man. Yet such as he
Have made it possible and sure
For other lives to have, to be;
For men to sleep content, secure.
Lip touches lip and eyes meet eyes
Because his heart beats not again:
His rotting, fruitless body lies
That sons may grow from other men.
He gave, as Christ, the life he hadÑ
The only life desired or known;
The great, sad sacrifice was made
For strangers; this forgotten dead
Went out into the night alone.
There was his body broken for you,
There was his blood divinely shed
That in the earth lie lost and dim.
Eat, drink, and often as you do,
For whom he died, remember him.
poem by Muriel Stuart
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the Fisherman
THE FISHERMAN
All his life in his sun-burnt boat he is out there
on the sea,
To eke out an honest living with his catches at
sea!
The sea is his second home, where his soul
breathes free!
The sea remain placid, the sea remain calm,
Rocking his boat gently like a mother patting
her son!
But when the sea raves and foams in the mouth,
The fisherman calmly surveys the distant storm
clouds!
He silently sets sail towards the safe shore;
Though at times he boldly tries to ignore!
And should his boat overturn and capsize below,
His mother will keep him afloat - as he swims
to the shore!
-Raj Nandy
27 Mar 09
A Boat By The Silent Pond
a boat stays on the silent pond
beneath the trees with wide branches
it is tied
not so tight
any child can let it loose
and release it and soon
it will go and
we wonder
what is it that it is waiting for
and for whom shall
this boat go
there is this ride that each shall take
no one wants to take it earlier
always one says later
later
there is no hurry
the children have grown and they wear
faces like yours
they go away and you are left alone
with the person you love
you have a conversation
time goes like a stranger
the friends you know have either grown old
or have died and their coffins pass by your house
you remember
memories and you smile at the youth you once had
you remember the boat
the child in you has loosened it
you pick up on what was easily forgotten
you cope up
you say you want the ride now
it is dark
and the silence spreads on the paddle
the ripples exude the essence of the journey
you hold a hand
and you sit comfortably without worry
it is time to go.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Dear Old Friend
Dear old friend,
How far back does your memory span?
does it go through last year?
or before marching band?
Do you remember nail fights
do you remember seeing me cry?
do you remember not seeing me after
do you remember understanding why?
Do you remember cuddle puddles?
Do you remember the tickle war?
do you remember stealing my stuff
and then trying to get back from you on the floor?
Do you remember when you were to high to stand?
do you remember me being there until i could be sure you were okay?
do you remember competitions we went to
playing a rigged game of cards along the way?
do you remember how much fun we had?
do you remember when it ended?
when nome left and things fell apart
making us do things that offended?
I remember
I remember a time when I was at peace
I remember being happy all the time
i remember your hugs
that always felt sublime.
I remember our friendship
I remember what you said
I remember this year that
is now gone and quite dead
oh my dear old friend
what has happened in this year?
what has made things change so
that I am not considered by you a peer?
well there is little
more for me to say
now that I'm done
I'll go away
just think about
the things said here
and know at least
I still hold you dear
My dear old friend
poem by Jack Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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