My Degree
someone asked me what my degree was in...
well, i've been a factory worker,
a mill worker, a carpenter, a trash collector...
milked cows and rode horses,
grown gardens and cut wood.
i've been a kick boxer, a fugitive,
a poet, and a mad lover.
a two bit picker, a prisoner,
an addict and a thief.
a street preacher, a hobo,
a father and a husband.
a monk and a heretic....
need i say more.
i've loaded trucks and worked sawmills,
been a salesman and a business manager.
i've climbed mountains and lived in caves,
bathed naked in waterfalls.
i've been a winner, and a loser,
i've been a friend to the end.
i've been a fighter and a believer,
a socialist, and a renegade.
i've read books and gave poetry readings,
sat up all night typing naked thoughts.
met Jesus in a drunk tank,
walked with Buddha through lifetimes.
been a human being, been an asshole,
and reaped my own mistakes.
have stopped in the rain to change tires,
and rescued turtles from the highway.
walked thirty miles to kiss a woman,
and jumped out several windows.
drove too fast, fought too hard,
have fallen from great heights...
other than that...
i guess you're out of luck!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
I Have Always Been... Human!
i have been a fool,
a thief, and a liar.
i have been selfish,
i have been callous.
i have been ignorant,
i have been a prisoner.
i have been an addict,
i have been a loser.
i have been wrong,
i have been angry.
i have been a taker,
i have been a demon.
i have been a hero,
i have been a man.
i have been a husband,
i have been a father.
i have been a seeker,
i have been a worker.
i have been a believer,
i have been a leader.
i have been a giver,
i have been spirit...
i have been a warrior,
i have been forgiven!
and i have always been...
human!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
I Am
i am, become...
i worked your steel mills,
i walked the i-beams of your scrapers.
i dug deep in your coal mines,
i plowed your fields, picked your crops...
i picked your cotton, milked your cows,
worked your furniture factories,
in your cotton mills...
built your tracks, rode your trains,
popped your trucks, poured your concrete...
my sweat and blood, the foundation,
the nails in the wall!
i an America, the common,
and the magnificent...
i am the pulse, the breath, the beat.
i am the lover, the fighter, the dreamer...
i am the father, and the mother...
i am the sinner and the holy.
i am the truth, at all costs.
i am the man behind the wheel,
the dream behind the man...
the faith behind the dream...
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
I Stand By The Graves....
i stand by the graves
of those who came before,
those who walked beside me
on this lonesome path....
those i worked with, fought with,
loved with, exchanged poetry
and thoughts with...
sang the songs of freedom with,
prayed prodigal prayers with...
those who burned too bright,
and fell like renegade stars.
who fell by drugs, violence,
hard living, or by suicide...
those who lived too hard too fast!
who took me in when i was a fugitive,
who took me for what i was.
those who dared to bleed
in an angry world....
those who cared without reason!
i stand by the graves silently weeping,
but i am not alone!
for the wind that rustles leaves and grasses,
forever chants their names with hope!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Dream's Treat
As I walked in the street,
I met a beggar, asking for some money.
I gave him a few pounds and went on.
As I walked in the street,
I met an old man, asking for directions.
I gave him a few roads he had left to go.
As I walked in the street,
I met a Poppy Appeal fundraiser.
I gave him a few pounds and then a 'Thank you! '
As I walked in the street,
I met a preacher asking, 'Are you saved? '
I gave him a handshake and I said, 'Amen! '
As I walked in the street,
I met the Saviour, Lord Jesus, my friend!
I gave Him everything, my heart and my love...
When I awoke from the dream,
I could still remember the face of Jesus...
It took ages to draw and paint, but it's done...
Every time I pray at home, I gaze at His face.
I call my picture, 'The Master Peace'...
Denis Martindale, copyright, October 2011.
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Hot Coffee, Warm Smiles
We walked along many London streets;
We stopped at a pub for something to eat.
We walked around for miles and miles;
We saw a sign: ‘hot coffee, warm smiles.'
I stopped to listen to a brass band play:
My friend didn't realise and walked away.
It was in Oxford Street, that I lost my friend,
But we were happily reunited in the end.
Dark chocolate with chilli, by me, was savoured;
I bought a festive latte: gingerbread flavoured.
At festive shop windows, we stopped and stared;
We lost ourselves in the middle of Mayfair.
At the Christmas lights, we both loved to look;
I bought myself some Christmas themed books.
We battled our way through the dense crowds;
The noise from the traffic was extremely loud.
The South Bank Centre's towers shone pink and blue;
From Jubilee Bridge, there was a really nice view.
There was a cold nip in the air, but it didn't rain;
Back at Waterloo, tired out, we boarded a train.
poem by Angela Wybrow
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Today... 'The Carpenter
Joseph the carpenter's adopted one
born to his family as Mary's son.
In Nazareth with skill the yokes You made
working hard to learn Your carpenting trade.
Master craftsman and skilled worker of wood
lived there the meek and lowly Son of God.
They took offence thinking You just to be
Mary's son living with them locally.
Great worker of souls made of earthly clay
'Come learn of Me, ' to us we hear You say.
'My yoke is easy and My burden's light
Come rest in Me for I have won the fight.'
Your workmanship clearly displayed in me
Such great craftsmanship and creativity.
I've been sensitively taken apart
and then born again with a brand new heart.
Your wondrous ability to transform
can be seen the miracles You perform.
When in repentance people come to You
to be forgiven and are smade anew.
From my great burden I have been set free.
No more the penalty of sin for me
for now I have been made completely whole
by the wondrous Carpenter of my soul
(see also the additional information in the Poet's notes box below)
I Am.... (Falcon)
i am...
the lament of oceans,
grieving lost children.
the latent sound of artillery,
mother and son huddled.
i am women oppressed,
sold into slavery.
i am the crack in the window,
through which freedom stares.
i am black skin white skin
drenched in blood,
i am sweat and toil,
fields swept by heat.
i am the american poet,
who learned his craft in sawmills...
built houses by hand,
and grew his own food.
i am pigs and chickens,
slaughtered in cells.
i am pride in prison,
and self education.
i am the grandfather weeping
over a picture of his grandson.
i am the price of justice,
names spent and forgotten.
i am the lover stalking,
the shadows of night empty.
i am the fire and the cross,
the curse and the cost.
i am mistakes and failures,
i am guts and desire.
i am balls and fury,
gentleness and understanding...
i am the prodigal son,
my mother is the wind.
i am the fighter
who stayed too long...
i am the pilgrim naked,
the owl in the night.
i am jesus and buddha
weeping over hitler's grave.
i am the victims of holocaust,
the victims of everyday choices.
i am the immoral saint,
and the renegade monk.
i am the lie of america,
yet the truth and the hope.
i am the murderer and the murdered,
and the child abused.
i am the promised land,
and the walls of jericho.
i am the reservation,
bad whiskey and poverty.
i am custer sent to
vietnam, iraq, and afghanistan.
i am the tears of crazy horse,
and the death of the earth...
i am sackcloth and ashes,
and the sin of blindness.
i am heat and desire,
i am hunger and want.
i am the heart beating,
defying all odds.
i am the falcon,
the wolf, and the turtle...
i am the kiss
that turns shadows to light!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
I Am (Identity)
i am, become...
i am the misconception,
and the fatal blow.
the angered action gone astray,
by the passionate soul.
i am the mortal in immortal,
and the man in human...
i am the patriot who rebels,
the soldier who puts down his gun.
the man who burns down the house
the day before the bank forecloses.
the worker whose pay they cut,
the citizen whose rights they took,
the husband and father, family gone!
i am the prisoner who's done his time,
the sinner baptized again and again.
the friend who takes the fall,
and gets back up to lend a hand.
i am the echo of a time passed by,
both right and wrong, good and bad...
i am the color of the human heart,
blood red, and beating strong!
i am the one who never quits,
who stands naked on hallowed ground.
my father's son, my mother's hope,
i am the same as you.
i am! i am!
i shout and proclaim!
i am America's identity,
i am, become...
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Fire Of Redemption
i am a dissident,
a fugitive, a renegade,
condemned by apathy as subversive.
i am an individual,
a burning bush,
a fire in the night.
i am a homeless star
in a sky gone black,
the mouth and face of hunger.
i am passion's anger,
and compassion's hands,
i am a man and not a body.
i am a spiritual heretic,
a relic from a time
when the spirit was the cause.
i am a bridge, a pair of shoes,
a jug that holds water.
i am the seeds, the sower,
the rain and the sun.
i am the common dance,
the holy sweat,
i am hard work and erection.
i am the prayer prayed
by the side of the road,
the father's firmness,
and the mother's breasts.
i am sickness and death,
the price of years,
i am simple resurrection.
i am the lover unchained,
the wind that breaks the door,
the rain that falls in the naked night.
i am the voice behind silence,
the shout of the snow.
i am birth and beginning,
i am the fire of redemption!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
“Bound to work”
“Bound to work”
She was ailing with pain.
Work speed was some slow still then she was working.
Why?
She was a worker in a factory.
Work provides food and medicine for her family.
So, she was bound to work in illness also.
She was not telling to the manager about her ailment.
Because it may be possible that manager can sent her on leave with out pay.
And pay was everything for her.
She was a poor worker of a factory having burden of her poor family.
Poverty and burden was her destiny.
I feel that it is the story of unaccountable poor people of the world.
poem by Vijay Gupta
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
United Front Song
And because a man is human
He'll want to eat, and thanks a lot
But talk can't take the place of meat
or fill an empty pot.
So left, two, three!
So left, two, three!
Comrade, there's a place for you.
Take your stand in the workers united front
For you are a worker too.
And because a man is human
he won't care for a kick in the face.
He doesn't want slaves under him
Or above him a ruling class.
So left, two, three!
So left, two, three!
Comrade, there's a place for you.
Take your stand in the workers united front
For you are a worker too.
And because a worker's a worker
No one else will bring him liberty.
It's nobody's work but the worker' own
To set the worker free.
So left, two, three!
So left, two, three!
Comrade, there's a place for you.
Take your stand in the workers united front
For you are a worker too.
poem by Bertolt Brecht
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
In Walks Love Again
(robert palmer)
We asked all our friends
Where would this desire lead?
Spoke to each others hearts
Willed it not to be a dream
What would it take
But two in tune imaginations?
It was too late to pretend it wasnt real
When in walked love again
Cooler than youve ever seen
In walked love again
Showing us how it should be
We were sure, this time
That we knew where one another stood
Love runs its own course
Too late to change it
If we could
Still questions came
Now we were faced with trusting danger
We caught the blame
Could we let each other go?
When in walked love again
Smiling like a lover can
In walked love again
There you are and here I am
In walked love again
My woman said: can you take it?
I said to her: we can make it, yeah
In walked love again
Cooler than youve ever seen
In walked love again
Showin us how it should be
In walked love again
Smilin like a lover can
In walked love again
There you are and here I am
In walked love again
Walkin again
In walked love again
Walkin again
In walked love again
Chasin after you and me
In walked love again
Braver than our wildest dreams
song performed by by Robert Palmer
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Albums Of Loving
he walked ten miles
through the winter night,
then laid in a ditch
for over an hour....
waiting on her husband
to leave.....
Farina, Hesse, and
talking naked... vodka,
and enough passion
to almost save the world.....
2
he came home from work,
dog-tired, took off his
boots at the door....
he could hear the sound of music....
he walked into the great room...
she sat naked at the baby grand,
playing Tchaikovsky....
she smiled: 'i thought you'd like...'
3
it snowed a lot that winter.
he could still see her
in his mind's eye...
carrying buckets of water
through the snow...
up the hill....
heating water on that old woodstove,
baths in the galvanized bathtub.....
then as the fire went down...
they made love all night;
shadows in the moonlight,
great clouds of hungry breath....
no man ever had less, or more!
nothing else need be said....
love is the one moment in a thousand
when we really dare to live!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Lover Lover Lover
I asked my father,
I said, father change my name.
The one Im using now its covered up
With fear and filth and cowardice and shame.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me,
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me.
He said, I locked you in this body,
I meant it as a kind of trial.
You can use it for a weapon,
Or to make some woman smile.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me,
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me.
Then let me start again, I cried,
Please let me start again,
I want a face thats fair this time,
I want a spirit that is calm.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me,
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me.
I never never turned aside, he said,
I never walked away.
It was you who built the temple,
It was you who covered up my face.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me,
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me.
And may the spirit of this song,
May it rise up pure and free.
May it be a shield for you,
A shield against the enemy.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me,
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me,
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me.
song performed by by Leonard Cohen
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Too Much Monkey Business
Running to and fro,
Hard working at the mill,
Never failed at the mill,
There come a rotten bill.
Aw too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business
For me to be involved again.
Salesman talking to me,
Trying to run me up a creek,
Says you can buy it, go on try it,
You can pay me next week.
Aw too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business
For me to be involved again.
Blonde hair, good-looking,
Trying to get me hooked and married
Get a home, settle down by the book.
Too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business
For me to be involved again.
Been to yokohama, baby,
Fighting in the war,
Army bunk, army chow,
Army clothes, army car.
Too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business
For me to be involved again.
Same thing every day,
Getting up, going to school.
No need for me complaining,
My objection's overruled.
Aw too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business
For me to be involved again.
Working in the filling station,
Too many tasks,
Wipe the windows, check the oil,
Check the tires, dollar gas?
Aw too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business
Don't want you by the race,
Get away and leave me.
[original has one more verse:
Pay-phone, something's wrong,
Dime gone, will mail.
Oughta sue the operator
For telling me a tale.
Too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business,
Too much monkey business
For me to be involved with you
song performed by by Beatles
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Salvation
how many Jesus's does it take?
rock n roll Jesus, civil rights Jesus,
sexual Jesus, Baptist Jesus,
Pentecostal snake Jesus...
heroin Jesus, small town family Jesus,
necklace Jesus, tattoo Jesus,
illegal immigrant Jesus...
Jesus on the cross in a drunk tank Jesus,
Marlboro Jesus, county fair Jesus,
pray for Armagadden Jesus...
or just a man,
living one day, one moment,
one bare naked dirty human need
at a time...
with open hands, open heart,
and open mind!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Tir Na Nog
We were standing in the kingdom
And by the mansion gate
We stood enraptured by the silence
As the birds sang their heavenly song
In tir na nog
We stopped in the church of ireland
And prayed to our father
And climbed up the mountainside
With fire in our hearts
And we walked all the way to tir na nog
I said with my eyes that
I recognized your chin
It was my long lost friend
To help me from another lifetime
We took each others hands and cried
Like a river when we said hello
And we walked to tir na nog
We made a big connection
On a golden autumn day
We were standing in the garden wet with rain
And our souls were young again
In tir na nog
And outside the storm was raging
Outside jerusalem
We drove in our chariots of fire
Following the big sun in the west
Going up, going up, to
Tir na nog
You came into my life
And you filled me and you filled me
Oh so joyous
By the clear cool crystal streams
Where the roads were quiet and still
And we walked all the way
To tir na nog
How can we not be attached
After all were only human
The only way then is to never come back
Except I wouldnt want that would you
If we werent together again
In tir na nog
Weve been together before
In a different incarnation
And we loved each other then as well
And we sat down in contemplation
Many many many times you kissed mine eyes
In tir na nog
song performed by by Van Morrison
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Barnes and Noble Friends
Working at Barnes & Noble in City Place,
books, c.d.'s and gifts filled the space.
I was a bookseller and liked books a lot,
I helped customers find books, I gave it my best shot.
I worked with Jennine, who sold books like you never seen.
My managers were Marilyn, Merry and Mariam Volk,
I never complained to them or sulked.
I kept busy putting books away,
I loved to watch kids in the kid section play.
I worked with Luz Cruz, her name rhymes with Blue's Clues.
She is a really great bookseller, she works there till this day,
she always greets you with a smile and has a kind thing to say.
Only Luz is the last employee left from my crew,
unless Keijo is still there working very hard too.
Page who helped me do readings with stories of make believe,
she went to Fort Lauderdale,
while Jim in receiving went to Boynton Beach.
In receiving was also hard worker Mo,
he retired and wants to go to San Francisco.
Bookseller Jessica Galloway,
got married, had a sweet child and moved faraway.
Kim is now married and has another child,
she helped me get my books in the store for awhile.
Now it was a fun experience while I was there,
happy memories I can share.
Written By Suzae Chevalier on November 10,2011
poem by Christina Sunrise
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
I Realized
He sat on the step asking for change
'I haven't got any spare'
pretend I don't care
wonder how he got there
ask him? Do I dare?
He tells me hes slow
at an all time low
kicked out of hostels
three times in a row
I tell him I've gotta go
my taxis waiting...
In the back seat
I speak to the girl I'm dating
'whats with the tramp? '
I tell her 'I'm loving, not hating'.
My flirting's not working
the taxi driver laughs
sees a couple, taking separate paths
life's like algebra, not making sense
always hated maths, always clothed
I asked if she takes naked baths
we were over before it started
called the taxi driver Moses
as he drove us to the red sea
we parted, we red it
told him I gave her a try
put my finger up to her
as I waved her goodbye
I realized...
I'm like the Manchester weather
I'm cold...
he continued the journey and drove
he drove me to Wimslow road
curry mile...
I staggered out in my usual drunken style
looked at Kansas then gave the sky a smile
never realized I was so drunk
she must have hated me
I must have stunk,
why did I say that?
this chickens gonna make me fat
I'm so dizzy, 'Yo! '
'Wo! You gave me a fright'
'got any change? '
'I might'
I gave him a pound
I realized he was the tramp from before
he walked into the night.
poem by Daniel McCann
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Barnes and Noble Friends
Working at Barnes & Noble in City Place,
books, c.d.'s and gifts filled the space.
I was a bookseller and liked books a lot,
I helped customers find books, I gave it my best shot.
I worked with Jennine, who sold books like you never seen.
My managers were Marilyn, Merry and Mariam Volk,
I never complained to them or sulked.
I kept busy putting books away,
I loved to watch kids in the kid section play.
I worked with Luz Cruz, her name rhymes with Blue's Clues.
She is a really great bookseller, she works there till this day,
she always greets you with a smile and has a kind thing to say.
Only Luz is the last employee left from my crew,
unless Keijo is still there working very hard too.
Page who helped me do readings with stories of make believe,
she went to Fort Lauderdale,
while Jim in receiving went to Boynton Beach.
In receiving was also hard worker Mo,
he retired and wants to go to San Francisco.
Bookseller Jessica Galloway,
got married, had a sweet child and moved faraway.
Kim is now married and has another child,
she helped me get my books in the store for awhile.
Now it was a fun experience while I was there,
happy memories I can share.
Written By Suzae Chevalier on November 10,2011
poem by Suzae Chevalier
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!