His One Demand!
morning half-frozen,
open the door and go...
issues hang like clouds
on the horizon...
bigots and racists,
money bred liars,
blowing smoke on the scene,
and the movement continues.
more and more people,
more and more voices,
standing up in all corners,
change has to come!
right way, wrong way,
too many jobless, homeless,
too many left without...
Constitutional rights taken
under pretense and hoax!
not going to fly,
that dog wont hunt!
America cries out for help
from the cell imposed by greed.
to the streets, to the capital...
to the hallowed halls...
the common man marches,
freedom and truth his only weapons,
dignity his one demand!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Dont You Think It's Time?
children have rights,
women have rights.
lovers have rights.
people of all religions,
and even atheists have rights.
people of all colors,
speaking every language have rights.
trees and rivers have rights.
cats and dogs have rights.
cattle have rights,
homeless people have rights.
prisoners have rights.
democrats and republicans have rights,
even socialists have rights.
the jobless have rights,
old people have rights...
and the hungry have
the right to be fed!
damnit! dont you think it's time?
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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American Flag
i've had mixed feelings
about the American flag
ever since they lowered it
for President Kennedy...
it took a beating during
the civil rights movement.
and then there was Vietnam,
all the atrocities, the lies,
the wasted deaths...
the marches, the protests,
the Kent State killings...
and the flag was burned
in anger, and i understood
the anger
and now the corporate takeover,
the loss of human rights,
the loss of dignity, and hope
how many deaths does it take?
JFK, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King
forty thousand plus in Vietnam
how many in the lying oil wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan?
how many homeless and jobless
does it take?
how many migrant workers treated
like animals?
how many old people have to lose
the benefits they've worked for?
and i think back to my old hero,
Thomas Jefferson what would he say?
maybe something like this:
'the real American flag isnt made of cloth,
it's drawn on the backs of the American workers.
male and female of all races and religions,
the people that built this country
the heart blood of this country.
when you put these people down
with your greed, your lies, your apathy
then you lower the flag.
and it can never be raised again
till all Americans walk heads up together
with hope till all have an equal opportunity
to live and be in freedom
until such day you have no flag! '
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Why Hate America
.There are so any reason to hate America.
I cannot count them all.
You can hate America because.
There is no King or Queen to bow down too.
You can hate America because.
You can travel from sea to shining sea freely
while traveling you can watch the amber waves
of grain.
As they slow dance and sway to music of God's
gentle breath as it passes over them.
You can hate America because.
There is no guard standing at the gates of
freedom to keep you out.
You can hate America because.
There one man rights to stand alone is just
as great as one man rights to stand with many.
You can hate America because.
No matter what you believe in or faith.
There rights are creatived and handed down
by God, and not governments.
You can hate America because.
America does not close it mind to shut out
freedom of thoughts.
You can hate America because.
Opportunity stands outside everyone door
and knock.
All they have to do is open up and it will walk in.
The list could go on and on.
But I choose to let it end here.
America you are the sweetest thing to me.
It is because of you.
That they have the right to hate you.
Without the fear of repression.
poem by Jackie Compton
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America... The Fallen!
America...
lady of freedom weeping
in your streets broken,
cluttered with the bodies
of the jobless, homeless...
the hungry faces of your children
struck dumb by your apathetic hand....
do you hear? do you see?
do you feel? ....
whose graves will you mark
with your oil tinged pride?
whose god will you worship now?
and who will be left to carry
the heavy mark of your sins?
America....
the fallen!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The We In I, The I In We!
thermal meltdown, final countdown,
democracy defines itself!
our own soldiers, we grow bolder,
chased by the ghosts of hell!
1st amendment,6th commandment,
freedom exacts a price.
national boundaries, personal boundaries,
mice become men, men become mice! .....
all men equal, all men free..
all men want their dignity.
freedom of choice, freedom to be....
the we in i, the i in we!
faceless jobless, hopeless homeless,
living hard on the streets.
selling pills, shotgun thrills,
gotta be quick on your feet.
hospitals turn away, old men dont pray,
got nothing left to lose.
gunshots, speed off, tag number, all's lost,
somebody pays the dues....
all men equal, all men free....
all men want their dignity.
freedom of choice, freedom to be...
the we in i, the i in we!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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A Sparrow's Thoughts... (Number Seven)
when we sit numbly staring
at the six o'clock news...
at the cops in riot gear
dispersing the student protesters...
protesting against Wall Street excess,
against the greed of big business,
against the destructive thrusts of big oil,
against the wars over seas...
against human rights being taken,
against the lie we're being fed...
when these young people are beaten,
gassed, and arrested for standing up
for their ideals of freedom...
do we remember that these are our children?
do we know?
even more, do we remember,
when we were young and believed?
the anti-war protests,
the civil rights marches,
women's rights, farmworker's rights...
when we dared to believe we could
change the world...
we live again in our children!
do we understand this?
are we just going to sit still and watch?
are we dead?
poem by Eric Cockrell
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From Greece To Rome (Conclusion)
the majority, the 99%,
now owned by the elite!
a new tidal wave of slavery,
that feeds the wealthy,
and starves the poor!
robbed of human rights and dignity,
faceless numbers in a line.
jobless, homeless, hungry, and angry....
again, bodies on the block!
now more like Rome than Greece,
we implode on ourselves!
fires burning, storms raging,
the howl of humanity's voice...
the bloodied shores weep and tremble!
one people, many colors, battling for freedom,
we're all immigrants here!
forced to lay it all on the line,
backs against the wall,
with nothing left to lose!
from Greece to Rome,
democracy to plutocracy,
the eagle falls from
smoke filled skies!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Horizon of Ingenuity
God’s new day awaits at the horizon’s gate.
The star of freedom rests amid the dawn.
It has been no less than a 400 year wait,
For a sign this age is about to be born.
No nation can expect to exist forever,
If all of its people are not totally free.
Chaining another’s neck is not clever;
For God’s liberty you will no longer see.
From the slave cabin to the prison cell,
God’s people’s journey has been.
Satan taught the bondman well—
Why America couldn’t possibly win.
Now the bodies of the oppressed demand rights,
And their oppressed souls are looking for peace.
The ballot boxes can offer many delights,
In this present age of political caprice.
The people have decided they want a change,
Since the contemporary world offers a marvelous deal.
And now that we know what God can arrange,
We will not settle for anything not real.
poem by Albert Price
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Ghost Of JFK
the ghost of JFK
walked through my dreams....
and i could see and feel
the heartbeat of America
before the disease took us....
the voice of freedom and moral
conviction.... taking issues,
examining our own souls...
repenting of past prejudices,
searching for a way
for peace and freedom.....
but the shots rang out,
the hope of a generation murdered...
the Pentagon rolled, defense contracts,
smoke filled rooms....
J Edgar Hoover's lists...
the battle for civil rights;
and the young rebelled
against the lie in Vietnam....
against the lie, against the lie...
the search for freedom turned inward....
and the National Guard became the thugs
of the new regime.....
more people killed, more voices stilled....
Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King,
among them.....
that which we fought for now gone....
bought out by the corporate lie.....
and now the battle begins again...
now the voices, new voices,
spring up again....
and i stand amid the ghosts,
waiting on the shots to ring out!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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I am concerned about the attitude of a candidate or his sponsors with respect to the rights of American citizens to assemble peaceably and to express publicly their views and opinions on important social and economic issues. There can be no constitutional democracy in any community which denies to the individual his freedom to speak and worship as he wishes. The American people will not be deceived by anyone who attempts to suppress individual liberty under the pretense of patriotism.
quote by Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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The Cost of Freedom
Syria...
violence in the streets...
peaceful protesters
marching for human rights,
equality, and change
being slaughtered
by their own government...
now here...
shadows of Kent State...
common people
pushed to the edge
in the battle for
survival, human dignity,
and hope for a future...
already abandoned
by our own government...
will it take being
killed to get their attention?
will it take dying
to give our children
a chance?
you say it cant happen here!
open your eyes, your ears,
your hearts...
it's already begun!
what is the cost of freedom?
poem by Eric Cockrell
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State Of The Union (In Closing)
we, the working people
of America, demand our dignity!
we demand equality, and fairness!
we are all immigrants here!
yet no human being is illegal.
we demand the right to work,
and to educate our children.
we demand shelter, and healthcare!
we are a hard working, hard fighting
people... we demand a
hard working, hard fighting President!
we know that you are limited
by the hand of the controlling elite,
at the mercy of the corporate machine.
dont be just a figurehead.
your choice!
freedom is a work in progress.
the real revolution is in
the human heart, in the mind.
we are ready for change,
and willing to act.
be ready, and willing!
there are no small people,
we are all people.
we will not be owned!
we cannot go back to the
bigoted, ignorant ways of the past.
you are our best option,
be the man!
most of all, we demand the action
that follows words well spoken.
be the action!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Why Are There Complaints?
I don't understand!
Aren't we living the lives folks demand?
Our sons are encouraged
By our daughters to be 'bad'!
'He's so bad! Just like a boy! '
We teach our children the love of weapons...
From daily games,
And given as Christmas toys.
'I thought Jesus was of peace?
And no where around the manger was there a sign
Of retaliation! '
I sat in one church...
And heard the devil's name repeated over and over again.
It was not clear what was being worshipped...
Introduced or enforced!
We speak of fellowship as if 'that' should be a religious movement,
Instead of a natural occurence!
And the values of standards, quality of life and traditions?
Please...
Entertaining lust and temptations!
Those are the foundations supporting the walls of shopping malls!
And television has been the marketing savior for greed!
Let's get 'real' about infesting delusions with teased fantasies!
I don't understand!
Aren't we living the lives folks demand?
Then why are there complaints of any kind?
Oh...
I see!
Bigots who are racists perceive,
They are not satisfied unless others unlike themselves,
Are deprived?
This has been a tremendous marketing strategy,
That has brought the current economy to grinding halt!
No wonder those bad terrorists and enemies,
Endangering this way of life have to be stopped!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Cry On Demand
So, it's how the story goes.
And we come to the scene where I'm holding you close.
She moves, moves like a thin dulling blade
Cuts, all the words that I said.
The only difference is,
The only difference is,
The truth --
The truth is I miss you.
Cry on demand.
How'd you learn to?
Cry on demand.
Teach me if you want to.
Though you don't have to.
I just close my eyes and think of you.
Real. Real like a plastic bouquet.
That thrives on the smoke from an old fireplace.
And dies every night with her face on the news.
Nobody cries, they just smoke and stare and their shoes.
The only difference is,
The only difference is,
Nobody can cry --
It's hard to do.
For most folks, without a reason why.
Cry on demand.
How'd you learn to?
Cry on demand.
Why would you want to?
Just close your eyes and think of me.
I take back everything I said.
She can't hurt me, and I can't hurt you.
It's like were already dead.
Cry on demand.
Why would you want to?
Cry on demand.
Teach me if you want to.
Though you don't have to.
I just close my eyes and think of you.
song performed by by Ryan Adams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Hero Entering The Beast's Lair
Standing outside the door,
the hero hears the sound of a monstrous creature taking massive breaths.
But he,
in white robes,
hesitates only to draw his sword.
Onward he marches.
The White Sword shining, almost glowing in his hand,
the breathing now nearly crushing the hero's heart and soul,
yet he continues.
Onward he marches.
The cold stone of the beast's lair slithering with water,
the door opening before him,
the thought of the beast that breathed those breathes plagues the hero's mind.
Still, he presses on.
Onward he marches.
The icy air penetrating his garments,
the door now closing behind him,
the creature,
a dragon,
now emerges from the fog.
Fiery Red eyes scorch everything they touch.
Yet, despite the horror before him,
the hero continues on.
poem by Jon McIntosh
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America Cries
America cries.
Her economy dies.
Killed by people you can't trust.
America cries as we bite the dust.
America cries. Now come the whys.
No one could see it?
You've got to be kidding.
America cries as the Neros were fiddling.
The capitalist system is so out of hand.
The capitalists have taken over our land.
What's left for us?
Not much you see
except more taxes for you and for me.
Lending and spending, spending and lending,
the crying and weeping will be never-ending.
America cries and says its goodbyes
to times of financial prosperity.
The financial sting that's played like a game
stock market crashes?
foreclosures to blame?
No. America you played into the hands.
They've dumbed us down so no one understands.
America cries. Where were the wise?
They left long ago and will not return.
America cries for she refuses to learn.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Hope for a new tomorrow
I saw it in the faces
of homeless people
standing around drums,
with glowing coals
trying to get hot
at red-hot flames.
I saw it on the faces
of people living in villages
in a war zone,
that went forth with their lives
as if the war didn’t exist.
Still I wonder when
the new morning is coming
and every day,
I watch the horizon
and look at the blue sky above me
to see if You
do not appear on the clouds.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Fake Dreams!
snowflakes coming,
Christmas, and what it's become.
a mad rush to Walmart,
a fight for the deal....
too many lights, too many adds,
credit cards and borrowed diamonds....
plastic Jesus's 'neath plastic trees!
and all the while the soup kitchen
struggles to keep up....
the shelters already full....
and the homeless walk the streets.
young men dying overseas,
young men and women dying on our streets...
a boy waits in his cell
for a card that wont come....
old people shiver without heat,
the food stamps run out.....
the bankers get their bonuses,
the kids in the project go without.....
and i'm sick of the whole damned thing,
fake America, fake freedom,
fake lights, fake dreams!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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For America
As if I really didnt understand
That I was just another part of their plan
I went off looking for the promise
Believing in the motherland
And from the comfort of a dreamers bed
And the safety of my own head
I went on speaking of the future
While other people fought and bled
The kid I was when I first left home
Was looking for his freedom and a life of his own
But the freedom that he found wasnt quite as sweet
When the truth was known
I have prayed for america
I was made for america
Its in my blood and in my bones
By the dawns early light
By all I know is right
Were going to reap what we have sown
As if freedom was a question of might
As if loyalty was black and white
You hear people say it all the time-
My country wrong or right
I want to know what thats got to do
With what it takes to find out whats true
With everyone from the president on down
Trying to keep it from you
The thing I wonder about the dads and moms
Who send their sons to the vietnams
Will they really think their way of life
Has been protected as the next war comes?
I have prayed for america
I was made for america
Her shining dream plays in my mind
By the rockets red glare
A generations blank stare
We better wake her up this time
The kid I was when I first left home
Was looking for his freedom and a life of his own
But the freedom that he found wasnt quite as sweet
When the truth was known
I have prayed for america
I was made for america
I cant let go till she comes around
Until the land of the free
Is awake and can see
And until her conscience has been found
song performed by by Jackson Browne
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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America Revisited
put down your crack bowls
and your republican flags...
and let's go walking thru
the streets and alleys of America....
let's walk past the empty houses
with foreclosure signs in the yard...
past the vacant factory buildings
where the homeless break in
at night and sleep...
past the lily white churches
and the dead zone schools...
past the county jails and the courthouses
and the rooms where lawyers
buy and sell justice...
past the housing projects
where babies buy groceries...
down to the tent cities where
dreams hang in the air like opium.
down the dark streets where young
girls and boys sell their bodies
for their vampire pimps...
and everyday citizens buy them!
down to the unemployment offices
where angry people stand in
numbered lines...
past renegade gas pumps
guarded by dollar store slaves...
past the words of Jefferson, Franklin,
and Thomas Paine....
to the hypnotic ads of puffy-faced
liars with titles and plans...
down to the cemetary where
the last shreds of freedom
lie in unmarked graves....
and we call this....
America!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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