Cry In The Night...
one last drink,
and a cobblestone prayer,
a hat creased by dreams,
boots made of flesh.
nickels and dimes,
revolution and light.
while shadows dance,
amid cobwebbed desires..
and the sparrow's lament,
mourns over buildings lost.
over lives soon forgotten,
over hunger and loss.
while the faces of children,
burned into the grain.
to the words of a god,
forgotten by name!
now liberty's nails,
rust beneath the load.
bodies piled on bodies,
under circling crows.
and justice lies beaten,
stripped in the alley.
while confusion reigns,
and indifference shouts!
who am I? ... you ask,
with threatening pose.
while the stink of your fear
burns books in the night...
i am the voice of your heart,
the dignity of your soul.
i am the cry in the darkness,
that bears your name!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Related quotes
Betrayed By The Soul!
religion,
and capitalism,
both sell the spirit
to numb the soul.
we would construct god
out of victory,
and burn the bodies of defeat.
while men in black masks
kill women and children,
and turn the bodies of color
into nickels and dimes.
hunger feeds on itself
neath the lash and the gun.
they trap the last wolf,
and kill the last whale...
as the spirit grows numb,
betrayed by the soul!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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I Am Sick......
i am sick of your justice...
sick of dead bodies strewn,
sick of your bursts of gunfire,
and your bombs without conscience.
sick of the napalm fingers of your equality,
trading flesh for nickels and dime.
sick of your powder and your pills,
sick of the rape of the young girl
beneath your flag!
i am sick of your nuclear bibles,
sick of your buying and trading.
i am sick of the pound of your oil rigs,
sick of the stink of your morality.
i am sick of your hanging trees,
your courtrooms stacked.
i am sick of the money you sleep with,
sick of your colorless freedom.
i am sick of your smokestacks gone silent.
sick of your riot squads gassing.
i am sick of the amendments you've twisted,
sick of your hate and your prejudice...
i am sick of your slavery,
your prisons, your human rights violations.
i am sick of your political lies....
revolution, by common bond,
the choice of integrity, or death!
the dignity of the human soul demands,
that we live or we die!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Come On!
we live in an angry world...
victimized by indifference,
by greed, by intolerance...
we have lost direction.
and we are to blame.
we can go to the moon,
build great buildings, cross oceans,
talk to people around the world via the web...
yet we cannot stop hunger,
cannot eradicate poverty,
cannot provide shelter and medical care
to the masses...
come on!
we are led by insensitive wealthy people,
who sell our souls and bodies
for nickels and dimes...
who send us to fight their unjust wars,
who divide us by prejudice and religion.
and we let them!
we devour the dreams of our children,
for a moment of instant gratification.
we cast our elderly aside,
and prescribe pills for every occasion...
we speak passionately of god,
but dont even know ourselves.
we trade sensuality for cheap sex,
and fill our prisons with the hopeless.
are we then sheep?
or just cowards?
come on!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Nickels And Dimes
I used to stand on a corner when i was a child
And i'd play my guitar and sing as the people went by
The sidewalks were crowded but i'd just sing louder cause i didn't mind
Just spending my time, spinning my rhymes and singing for nickels and dimes
Nickels and dimes a song at a time for nickels and dimes
I'd brighten their day as they go on their way and they'd brighten mine
A sidewalk rehearsal for dreams that i held in my mind
I knew that someday in my own special i'd repay all their nickels and dimes
I recall the sidewalk each night as i stand on the stage
As i play my guitar and sing for the people who paid
Cause i finally made it to what they all call the big time
But i still remember i still owe some nickels and dimes
Nickels and dimes a song at a time for nickels and dimes
A sidewalk rehearsal for dreams that i held in my mind
So if you remember a child on the corner of time
You'll know that i wrote this to repay your nickels and dimes
Nickels and dimes a song at a time for nickels and dimes
A sidewalk rehearsal for dreams that i held in my mind
So if you remember a child on a corner of time
You'll know that i wrote this to repay your nickels and dimes
Nickels and dimes a song at a time for nickels and dimes
A sidewalk rehearsal for dreams that i held in my mind
So if you remember a child on a corner of time
You'll know that i wrote this to repay your nickels and dimes
song performed by by Dolly Parton
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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What Have I To Fear?
if death be but a step,
a flower fallen with silent shouts...
a kiss blown by wind but never lost,
a friend who tends the grave.
a hymn, a prayer, kind words spoken,
a drink at a corner table.
a book placed back on the shelf,
a child's drawing done in crayon.
a door closed, left unlocked,
cattle left in the pasture all night.
an empty bowel, a candle burned down,
a sparrow sitting outside the window.
a shovel of dirt, a broken glass,
boots left in the corner.
the dog's leg cocked,
the fire burned down....
the still darkness waiting on dawn.
the river overflowed,
the cage door opened...
then what have i to fear?
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Nickels & Dimes
I used to stand on a corner when I was a child
And Id play my guitar and sing as the people went by
The sidewalks were crowded but Id just sing louder cause I didnt mind
Just spending my time, spinning my rhymes and singing for nickels and dimes
Nickels and dimes a song at a time for nickels and dimes
Id brighten their day as they go on their way and theyd brighten mine
A sidewalk rehearsal for dreams that I held in my mind
I knew that someday in my own special Id repay all their nickels and dimes
I recall the sidewalk each night as I stand on the stage
As I play my guitar and sing for the people who paid
Cause I finally made it to what they all call the big time
But I still remember I still owe some nickels and dimes
Nickels and dimes a song at a time for nickels and dimes
A sidewalk rehearsal for dreams that I held in my mind
So if you remember a child on the corner of time
Youll know that I wrote this to repay your nickels and dimes
Nickels and dimes a song at a time for nickels and dimes
A sidewalk rehearsal for dreams that I held in my mind
So if you remember a child on a corner of time
Youll know that I wrote this to repay your nickels and dimes
Nickels and dimes a song at a time for nickels and dimes
A sidewalk rehearsal for dreams that I held in my mind
So if you remember a child on a corner of time
Youll know that I wrote this to repay your nickels and dimes
song performed by by Dolly Parton
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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16 Penny Nails!
strong harsh words,
16 penny nails driven
by a big hammer....
truth tears at the flesh
of the lie and the liar!
things arent pretty anymore.
hurt is real!
homeless is real!
jobless is real!
hunger is real!
the streets are real!
prison is real!
prejudice, oppression,
hatred, violence....
people used, and thrown away!
persecution... over religion,
over sexual choice,
over political viewpoints....
wars fought over oil fields,
riot squads beating peaceful protestors...
women losing the rights
to their own bodies....
lonliness, suicide, drug addiction....
a harsh picture, faces put on bodies....
and yet beneath it all
there still lies a beauty...
all human beings, all human beings,
made in the image of God!
how can we not respect each other?
and how can we overlook....
the value of life?
with trembling hands wiping away
the blood, sweat, and urine of life...
trembling hands that when joined
become the hands of prayer!
16 penny nails, with heart!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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One
We are the lost
The ones forgotten
And this time
The future is our's
It's in our hands
We're the tear in your eyes
We're the blood in your vains
We're the beat of your heart
We're the sweat on your face
We're the ones that you chase
We're the promise that you made
We're the voice in your head
We're the lies that you said
We're the kids that you pushed away
We are
We are the the lost
The ones forgotten
And this time
The future is our's
It's in our hands
We are one
We're the pride of your lives
We're the light shining deep in your eyes
We're the choice that you made
We're the smile on your face
When you sleep at night
We're the best thing you had
But you left us behind
We're the kids that you pushed away
We are
We are the the lost
The ones forgotten
And this time
The future is our's
It's in our hands
We are one
One
We're the pain that you feel
We're the scars that don't heal
We're the tear in your eyes
We're the reason you cry
We're the voice in your head
We're the lies that you said
We're the best thing you had
But you pushed us away
We are the lost
The ones forgotten
And this time
The future is our's
It's in our hands
We are
We are the lost
The ones forgotten
And we've got nothing to lose
Together we stand up tall
We are one
song performed by by Simple Plan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Big Black Crows
big black crows
keep following me
everywhere i go....
and this morning i heard
the trees whsipering,
as we rode down the road......
drifting clouds, and vacant buildings,
people walking, heads bent down.
children's faces staring out frosted windows,
old dog lying in the sun.
shadows forming faces,
then dissolving back to shadow.....
memories hang like nails on the wall,
that the Painter's brush cant quite hide.
the scent of perfume, wind devils and rust....
big black crows and ashes drifting,
from a heart set on fire!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Nickels And Dimes And Love
Remember when pocket change was all we had
And all those calls from the corner phonebooth
Collect to Mom and Dad
And that old worn out couch we called our bed
When our cuisine was pork and beans
Baloney and day old bread
Remember that damn old car that kept breaking down
And all the times it left me stranded
Thumbing all over town
And that old weekly paycheck
Just never stretched enough
Back in the times of nickels and dimes and love
Together we sure made some dreams come true
Sometimes it wasn't easy
But somehow we made it through
And when I get to thinking times are tough
I remember the times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Oh those good old times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Remember digging through your old purses in hopes we'd get
Enough change for an RC cola or a pack of cigarettes
Now we've got almost everything
That we were dreaming of
Back in the times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Together we sure made some dreams come true
Sometimes it wasn't easy
But somehow we made it through
And when I get to thinking times are tough
I remember the times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Oh those good old times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Do you remember those times
Of nickels and dimes and love
song performed by by John Michael Montgomery
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Epilogue (Part Three)
shivering nails,
black and white coffins whisper.
bodies without heads,
strewn in the sand.
the taste of gunpowder
on my lips.
i bow, but cannot pray!
the sound of the oil rigs,
the coarse rhythm of greed.
take and destroy, take and fulfill!
the cry of sea life,
the gurgling choke,
soon to be the children
of flaccid men.
buildings like bodies,
stripped empty and bare.
the memories smell
of life that once was.
empty, and pulsing,
with the want of need,
no one hears the ghosts within.
hunger and homelessness,
heroin and Jesus.
the shelves are bare,
the mother's eyes are bleeding.
the nameless and unwanted,
cast aside in the storm,
while ghouls walk amid
the rubble of the lie.
sing for me, pray for me,
take my hand, take my hand...
even when i close my eyes,
i still hear, still feel,
the faces of the wind!
and god, if there be,
in each and every tear!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Nickels & Dimes & Love
(johnny macrae/steve clark)
Remember when pocket change was all we had
And all those calls from the corner phonebooth
Collect to mom and dad
And that old worn out couch we called our bed
When our cuisine was pork and beans
Baloney and day old bread
Remember that damn old car that kept breaking down
And all the times it left me stranded
Thumbing all over town
And that old weekly paycheck
Just never stretched enough
Back in the times of nickels and dimes and love
Together we sure made some dreams come true
Sometimes it wasnt easy
But somehow we made it through
And when I get to thinking times are tough
I remember the times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Oh those good old times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Remember digging through your old purses in hopes wed get
Enough change for an rc cola or a pack of cigarettes
Now weve got almost everything
That we were dreaming of
Back in the times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Together we sure made some dreams come true
Sometimes it wasnt easy
But somehow we made it through
And when I get to thinking times are tough
I remember the times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Oh those good old times
Of nickels and dimes and love
Do you remember those times
Of nickels and dimes and love
song performed by by John Michael Montgomery
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Walk Alone...
i am the last rebellion,
the fire you cannot control.
i am the faces of lost bodies,
names written in blood.
i am the call to battle,
armed by the heart.
i am the silence that knows,
the darkness that takes.
i am poverty's shadow,
and the language of need.
i am the anger of the beaten,
i am the field forsaken.
i am the tint of skin,
and the color of the eyes....
the song of the shovel and whip.
i am the bones of the old ones,
shaking with rage.
the tears of the grandmothers,
the dirty hands of small children.
i am the soldier imprisoned,
on the streets of despair.
i am the conscience of the murderer,
that haunts the night.
i am the bodies of lovers,
glistening with passion.
i am the child born,
neath a sky with no star.
i am the crucifix and prayer beads,
the hymn known only by trees.
i am the dog abandoned,
rain falling without remorse.
i am the monk self-immoliated,
the cry for freedom unheard.
i am human dignity,
and i walk alone!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Life Erupting...
i walk the hymn of life erupting,
the urine prayers, the sweat, the pus.
the gutteral cry of need evolving,
the phlegm of god, the bodies rotting.
the snow wiped faces
and the naked earth.
in constant rhythm with hunger's howl,
the candle flame, the silenced tongue.
the whisper shake, of shadows wanting,
nails, blocks, and colored glass.
the crippled dance,
and the distant drums.
who am i? i am you!
the second son of an unknown father.
born in an alley neath a starless sky,
my feet stink of human,
my eyes lit with desire...
talk to me when words are done!
the wet birthed babe,
the hot blood of giving.
the life caved in,
the searh for nipple.
the whiskey breath,
the cigarette memory,
the love torn chest,
the beak plucked heart.
the identity of the unknown soldier
who died in the ashes, unheard, unseen.
the hands that built with determined faith,
with common trust and common hope...
the weeping beneath the silence,
the silence beyond the grave....
talk to me when words are done!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Pages in the Book
in the midnite hour 'neath the street lamp shadows,
where lifetimes come and go, and salvation follows.
and the heart stripped bare has no need to lie...
the taste of your lips, the tears that i cant cry.
with beaten hands and swords into plows;
giving all that i am, more than i can do without.
i'd trade eternity for one moment by your side...
with your hand in mine and nothing left to hide.
making love in the dirt by the cementary stones,
the yip of the dogs while the wind howls and moans.
your fingers dig into my back, i dive into your soul...
where fire was discovered, spinning out of control.
you close the book, turn the page, walk out the door,
call it all a lie, say you dont love me anymore.
the scars of passion in the shadows 'neath your eyes...
hymns of hope and redemption where the sparrow flies.
pour me a drink, light a smoke, my hat and my heart,
looking for your image in the hunger of the dark.
truth and freedom and justice dissolve into dust...
struck blind and deaf, my soul turned to rust.
down the road past the house where nobody lives.
where love looks in a mirror, repents and forgives.
every moment wasted, every word unspoken turns...
the heart beats faster, but the fire slowly burns.
kiss my lips and bury me down by the willow tree.
take this weight from my heart, set my spirit free.
in the eyes of God and time you are my destiny...
i'm nothing but a river that flows into your sea.
say no prayers, now the time of praying is past.
what's last is now first, what's first is now last...
the song of the poet dies with a fatal look...
all that we are now... pages in the book.
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Lonesome Refugee's Song
with purpled rage i strike the page,
with words i cant contain.
whether to justify or testify,
that lives be not lived in vain.
all that's strange, the cry for change,
the burned out buildings moan.
the tried and true, the old and new,
the lonesome refugee's song.
no need for preacher, or well paid teacher,
this blade against the wheel.
no vain illusions driven by confusion,
let us speak of what is real.
the blood stained hands of arrogant man,
that cannot be washed clean.
the hollow greed that takes from need,
the faces that haunt my dreams.
the cost of war, capitalism's whore,
driven by the oil that kills.
human rights, the common fight,
against those who take what they can steal.
the unborn child of meek and mild,
will never know the breast,
while pawns disguise the truth with lies,
hiding the sins they wont confess.
black and white, but day and night,
the blood of both runs red.
i hear the voices, the price of choices,
hear the lament of the dead.
religion's drugs, the fearful hugs,
can no longer fill the bowl.
the bodies frail, starvation's hell,
leave marks upon the soul.
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Justice, Equality, Compassion, Human!
i spit hammers and nails,
can taste bullets and swords.
my eyes are the bodies
of the innocent that lay dying.
my fingers touch the ribs
of small children starving.
my tongue's made of coal dust,
oil, and death by profit!
my ears hear the cry of freedom
from the cells of the oppressor.
my heart sleeps neath the bridge
with the homeless family at night.
my fists smash the lie and the liar both,
my arms carry the weight
of the working class's lives.
covered with the stink of poverty,
i shed the clothes of pretensions,
apathy, and human greed.
and my desire grows hard
when i see a better day...
my back bears the stripes
of man's mistakes and failures...
i cry justice, i am equality,
i breathe compassion, i am human!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Hammer Purged By Rust!
in cursed dread
with iron thoughts,
the rebel plows his fields.
neath napalm skies,
infested by drones and crows,
his hands are bound by time.
tis murder by execution,
truth revealed by blood!
the carnal cross,
the skulls of dreams,
and virgin bodies for seed.
who pays the price,
who tames the beast,
the child devoured by wolves.
with flags betrayed,
by human conscience,
and gods that shed acid tears!
and the sound of voices swells,
till the earth trembles and shakes.
faces drawn on tombstones,
with crayons made of flesh.
do we pray with tongues
stricken by disease?
do we kneel or dare we fight?
freedom's just a remembered thought,
and justice stinks of lies!
yet still the rebel casts forth,
with seeds stolen in the hour of need.
pulling nails from grey casket lids,
with a hammer purged by rust!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Howl (The Returning, Part Two)
gods hate, too damned late,
you worship what you fear!
while buddhas whisper
behind hidden doors,
and leaves fall from trees condemned!
souls traded, manipulated,
for a loaf of bread.
childrens' bodies, wrapped in money,
never make a sound.
bought votes, sacrificial goats,
toe the party line.
buildings blaze, justice burns,
the bells of liberty chime.
the human hand rises from the rubble,
grasping at poisoned air.
the tears of those long since dead,
fall like nuclear rain!
love me, hate me,
see me with your eyes.
feel me, touch me,
treat me like a man!
voices lost neath stained glass windows,
only the memory of need.
the final blow, blamed on god,
the result of human greed!
while naked bodies walk dirty streets,
their holiness defiled.
the stranger calls, the light falters,
as we trudge the final miles.
the eagle screams, hot flesh dreams,
the child raised by wolves...
the only hope, human desire,
and the will to light the torch!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Where There Is....
where there is breath, there is hope.
where there is hunger, there are faces.
where there is injustice, there is need.
where there is doubt, there is truth.
where there is prayer, there is searching.
where there is understanding, there is compassion.
where there is slavery, there are bodies.
where there is hurt, there are hearts.
where there is sickness, the need for healing.
where there is prejudice, there is fear.
where there is condemnation, the need for forgiveness.
where there is a moment, there is eternity.
where there is involvement, there is change.
where there is loss, a chance for freedom.
where there is war, the deep cry for peace.
where there is darkness, there is light.
where there is truth, hope abides!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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