Prayer for Forgiveness
i knelt down and prayed
this morning for forgiveness
for everything this country is doing
around the world...
for the oil wars,
for the partnerships
with countries that abuse
human rights...
for the dictators we
both prop up and remove...
for the gluttony and the greed
here at home.... for the apathy,
for the self centered path
of destruction we march on...
for those left hungry, homeless,
without medical care, without hope...
and i know i am a part of this...
i take responsibility for my actions,
my inaction, my complacency...
and vow to stand for truth,
and to walk in involved
human compassion!
join me!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Right Here, Right Now!
when we buy clothes made in sweatshop conditions
in Asian countries, or elsewhere, because they're
cheaper, we are in fact supporting human rights abuse.
when we buy oil from Arab countries that oppress and
abuse their own people, and regulate women to 'second-
class slavery', we are a part of that oppression.
when we throw away or waste food while children
around the world are starving, we become the cause
of that hunger.
when we drive big suv's and trucks that get less than 15
miles to the gallon, we are the driving force behind the oil
spills!
when we sell away our own people's job's for a bigger profit
overseas, we become the victims of our own greed.
you say we cant fix everything, how can we be responsible?
our country gives more aid than anyone....
we give aid to the countries we profit from.
if we took the money we spent bombing other countries
into submission, and then rebuilding them... and spent it
instead on food and medicine and training for the impoverished...
would we not get a better return? would the rest of the world
hate us as much as it does now?
we are individually responsible for every choice we make, and it's
result! what we eat, what we wear, what we drive, who we vote
for, and whether we vote! ... what we watch on tv, what we read,
whether we take the time to help our neighbors when they need it
(cause believe me your turn will come, it does for all of us) ...
whether we do what we say, whether we give without asking
for anything back...
whether we stand up for education and equality and moral fairness...
and it all begins with being aware, being aware of our responsibility.
we all make mistakes, i've made more than my share... but i'm willing
to get up and try again and again... and to get involved.
it begins right here, right now!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Our Level Of Responsibility!
our level of responsibility
far deeper than our occasional
stabs at compassion, and truth...
when we sit down to eat, and eat
far more than we need, and throw
the leftovers out... we are
responsible fot the hungry!
when we go to sleep at night, in
houses too big and too plush, we
are responsible for the homeless...
when we drive our SUV's around for
no reason at all, burning excess
gas, we are responsible for the
oil spills...
when we vote people in office,
whose agenda is profit at all costs,
we are responsible for countries
invaded...
when we turn our backs and walk away,
or stick our heads in the sand, we are
responsible for the loss of human rights...
when we allow the banning of books, and
legislation against free speech, we are
responsible for ignorance, and allow
ourselves to be enslaved!
responsible, every thought, every intent,
every action!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Modern Christian Thought...
it is both the absurdity and the convenience
of modern Christian thought that bewilders me...
the idea that one can place all his/her mistakes
and wrong doings on the shoulders of one man
crucified 2000 years ago, and be totally absolved
of any responsibility...
that with a few prayers and an offering, we are
absolved from the responsibility for feeding the hungry,
housing the homeless, healing t...he sick...
have we not missed the point of the teaching?
does 'Follow Me' not denote just that?
follow, do as he did, live as he lived.
feed the hungry, house the homeless, heal the sick!
get down in the ditches with the common and poor.
do we not each have our own cross to carry?
our own Golgotha... our own crucifixion?
for our sins, and for humanity's sins... the greatest of
which is indifference!
not condemnation, but compassion!
not being set apart, but part of!
is forgiveness not an action? ....
the action of being human!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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The Forgotten Hungry And Homeless
The forgotten hungry and homeless nowadays to be found everywhere
There are millions of them close to a billion in the bigger World out there
The refugees of drought stricken Lands and of warlords and the homeless of Poverty Street
Basic human rights of them are denied shelter from the weather and enough for to eat
In a Human World where everyone is supposed to be equal after all we breathe in the same air
But the poor and the homeless and the hungry cannot feel that life is very fair
The minority those who are too wealthy people with too much of everything
Are people that many look up to though their praises I cannot sing,
In an egalatarian Human World everyone would have a home to live in
And nobody would be without food and well dressed and not ragged and thin
The poor by the day growing poorer and that does seem a sad thing to say
And the refugee camps of the World are all overcrowded today,
'Tis sad to think that from the poverty of many that a minority does stand to gain
And I with enough of food and shelter have no reason for to complain.
poem by Francis Duggan
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For All of These, and More
for every daughter aborted
in China because sons
are preferred...
for every young girl or boy
sold into slavery here
in the states...
for every whale killed
by the Japanese ships...
for every expanse of ocean
filled with our oil...
for every tree cut
by the saws of greed...
for every woman and child
working in sweatshops...
for every political prisoner
that we ignore...
for every homeless person
in the 'land of the free'...
for every kid in jail
who never had a chance...
for every old person
left alone to die...
for every family in Africa
left to starvation....
for every plate of food
thrown out, wasted mindlessly.
for every mountain raped
by the miner's hands...
for every kid that is different,
that is abused and beaten...
for everyone killed in our
money driven wars...
for all of these, and more...
i ask forgiveness, as
a member of the human family.
for all of these, and more,
i take responsibility.
for all of these, and more,
i choose to live today...
with an involved hope
for tomorrow!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Words.... (Poetry Itself)
words do not heal the broken hearted,
words do not end wars.
words do not change the face of indifference,
words do not impress god!
words do not feed the hungry,
nor set the captives free.
words do not give shelter to the homeless,
or hope to those ridden with despair.
words do not stop discrimination,
words do not bring justice.
words do not bring forgiveness,
nor do they bring understanding...
words do not fill the empty,
nor erase the scars of love...
words do not define dialogue!
it is only then,
the hands and feet of the human heart...
and poetry itself is nothing more,
than the action of involved compassion!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Notes For A Tomorrow
i feel very fortunate to be able
to write, and to share my thoughts
and feelings
i also feel a responsibility to write
the truth, not only my truth, but the
truth of all those around me
and so i paint these pictures of life,
some quite beautiful, some harsh and
distressing
we, as a people, and as individuals
are the human race. and what makes
it work is the word we
we are a part of each other, our happiness
and our hopes are dependent on each other
there is no i that is not a part of we!
we have reached a point in time when things
are extremely hard when it's almost impossible
to survive when it would be easy to lose hope
too many wars, too much poverty, too much disease,
too much homelessness, too much despair
if i'm not able to communicate anything else
let it be this each of you, each of us, and all
of life are precious it's time to join hands, and
work together for peace, and for a tomorrow
if we dont, there wont be a tomorrow
every moment we have is a gift a gift that
begs to be shared
in the wake of 9/11, and of the wars let's stand up
stand up and be counted as believers in life, and
in each other
i care about each of you and thank you for your time
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Hand To The Plow,2011
sitting outside this morning,
watching it rain.... gathering,
gathering strength from i
know not where...
seems like we're not making
any headway... teetering on
the edge of survival...
this year especially tough...
get it up, get it on...
put your hand to the plow!
all around us people,
all different knids of people,
but people... are struggling,
are in need, are in want....
we are a disjointed family,
watching each other sink!
we have got to become aware,
to break down the walls of division...
the only way out is together...
what we have we have to share!
but there can be no more 'me'
and 'i'... no more self oriented
delusions... we cannot follow greed.
we have to turn our weapons
of destruction into shovels and hoes.
we have to join hands, and do it now.
if you're hungry, i'm hungry!
if you're homeless, i'm homeless!
no more apathy, no more doing nothing!
put your hands to the plow! ....
or get out of the way!
life demands hard working involvement!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Roll Away The Stone!
do we roll away the stone
again this morning?
if so, what do we find?
the body of Jesus?
our own body?
the bodies of those
we have killed out of greed?
of those we've let die
out of apathy?
or empty grave clothes?
the choice is ours!
resurrection is the choice
that the human heart awaits!
the gospel is compassion,
and compassion,
that which makes us human!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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World War III
This is a question of the human
Race will this planet remain in
Space two world leaders get
In a fight we'll all be gone
In a flash of light
When I die for my country
I'll take no part in the destruction
From World War III
I have no answer not my
Decision and if I spoke no one
Would listen is this the end
Of history, why should I care
Why should I worry
When we die for our country
We'll take no part in the destruction
From World War III
song performed by by Unwritten Law
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Will Not....
i will not be a part
of your wars!
keep your oil wet,
blood stained fingers
off of my throat!
i will not, by actions,
or inaction, be a part,
of that which furthers hunger
and suffering to pad
the pockets of greed.
i will not kill for profit,
will not march to the drum!
i will not believe in your lie,
nor wave your flag!
i will not cast judgements
with prejudicial blows,
i will not take from the poor,
nor dig the graves...
to bury the children
that you never named!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Of Your Feelings On Human Rights
Of your feelings on human rights never leave others in doubt
Of wrongs against others one ought to speak out
To those who abuse others rights let your feelings be known
Them for their behaviour you ought to disown
Though with what I say here many may not agree
Those silent at human rights abuse seem in agreement to me
With the offender whoever the offending one may be
Silence in the demonization of others is saying yes to inhumanity
Speak out against racism for racism is wrong
In the Human World it does not belong
There is far too much racism in the big World out there
And a racist person one can meet anywhere,
Against abuse of human rights never fear to speak out
On your feelings on such never leave others in doubt.
poem by Francis Duggan
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If I Prayed For You... (I Just Did)
if i prayed for you,
with the eyes of a child,
beaten, bruised, and hungry...
would you see, would you know?
if i prayed for you,
with an old man's hands,
hard, calloused, and gentle...
would you feel, would you know?
if i prayed for you,
with a mother's tears,
her daughter raped by your soldiers...
would you change, would you know?
if i prayed for you,
with a homeless man's heart,
a human story untold...
would you care, would you know?
if i prayed for you,
with a farmer's faith,
plowing and planting unseen...
would you believe, would you know?
if i prayed for you,
from a soldier's conviction,
who laid down his guns and walked away...
would you be inspired, would you know?
if i prayed for you,
with a real doctor's conscience,
who made his life's work for the poor...
would you love, would you know?
if i prayed for you,
with the protester's courage,
beaten and arrested for the truth...
would you live, would you know?
if i prayed for you,
from the heart of god,
revealing holy desire....
hey, i just did!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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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
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Class Warfare,2011
class warfare?
you've hidden this one
well for years!
black and white,
red and brown,
northern, southern,
immigrants, prisoners....
male and female,
Baptist or Muslim,
old and young....
all human!
all hearts beating!
all have red blood.
there are only two
classes of people!
the 10 per cent
that own everything,
that own us...
and the 90 per cent
of us that are in bondage.
guess what! we've opened
our eyes! we're gonna
quit fighting each other!
now we're gonna turn our
anger on you!
every human being,
every single one,
should have equal rights
to work and eat and take
care of his/her family.
there shouldnt be hungry
children in the 21st century!
we shouldnt have to settle
for handouts and homeless shelters.
there is no reason to invade
other countries, to bomb them
and 'liberate' them at gunpoint!
war is a lie, and we're not
buying it anymore.
it is time for the human family
to be a family.... we wont accept less!
share the wealth, share responsibility!
NOW!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Homeless
Homeless;
- Down by the muddy Mississippi
Skinny as a rail,
Sleeping under the old Eads bridge
Feeling low, dirty, and frail -
Homeless;
- With less than two coins
In both pockets,
Empty eyes
Look through sunken sockets -
Homeless;
- So many people walk right on by
I wonder how many care,
They all keep moving
Even though they stare -
Homeless;
- Lost a job
Lost a home,
Lost a family
Lost all hope -
Homeless;
- Where will I go from here
What should I do,
I'm so thankful when the weather's fair
And the skies are blue -
Homeless;
- Don't know the day nor season
And, yea, it sure gets cold at night,
I've got an old sleeping bag
I'll be alright -
Homeless;
- There's so many of us out here
Without a home,
Even so
I feel so very alone -
Homeless;
- It's a tough situation
Not pretty, just true,
And at any time
It could happen to you -
Homeless;
- Hey buddy...
Could you spare a dime,
And say a prayer for us
... sometime -
- I'm just homeless, not less human...
poem by Smoky Hoss
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Truth And Justice.... (Part Six)
i'm not trying to make people angry
this morning... an intelligent person
know anger is but a symptom of the
disease...
i do state this firmly:
you are a human being.
i dont care about your skin color,
your religious views, whether
you're male or female...
whether you're gay or straight...
you deserve the right to be who
you are, to your own dignity,
to work, to be fed and sheltered,
to raise your families,
to believe in your dreams.
and all of the people around
this old world deserve the same...
you deserve to be free...
inequality, greed, and apathy
wont cut it.
the truth is, we're all human!
and this is the truth that sets us free!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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We Make These Choices!
who makes the choices
that change the world?
that decide who eats,
who has shelter,
who has medical care?
the choices...
whether or not to bomb,
whether to pull the trigger.
whether to see that justice is done,
or to turn the head,
and walk away...
whether to accept
people for who they are,
and what they are...
whether to stand up
for the other person's rights,
the other person's beliefs,
the other person's way of life...
whether to walk in dignity,
and respect,
or to take at all costs.
we make these choices,
each of us every moment
of every day.
what we do or dont do,
say or dont say,
give or dont give,
changes the world!
actions and inaction,
hidden thoughts and feelings,
who we vote for,
and whether we vote...
whether we're willing
to share what we have...
we change the world,
moment by moment...
for better, or worse?
poem by Eric Cockrell
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One Too Many
From the mistakes of the past we have not learned and war again it is being waged today
And in any war there never is a winner and for every war there is some price to pay
And everyone who dies in war is one too many whether it be soldier or civilian is the one to fall
It should not matter all people are equal and a soldier too is human after all.
Armies are still invading other Countries and this is the twenty first century
As long as we are ruled by ruthless people we never will know World harmony
There always is two sides to every story and those who cause wars must pay the transgressors price
And history will never look too kindly on those with power who have made the wrong choice.
This war to rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein is something we ought not to celebrate
How can you liberate a population if huge destruction in their Country you create,
On others you cannot impose your values by good example one can only lead
This war is hardly about liberation this war about it has the stench of greed.
Another war to start another century such a waste of human life and environmental destruction seems a shame
And of course there are two sides to every story and one side is not entirely to blame
And the Iraqi people will be the big losers it is their Country that is being destroyed
And this war like every war is very brutal and many injured and too many have died.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Notes From Freedom's Heart
i spend a lot of my time writing
about freedom, dignity, and equality....
using a lot of different forms, just
trying to be heard....
but i've come to the understanding
that whether i write it, sing i, play it
on guitar, paint it, dance it, or write
it on signs and march it.....
doesnt matter!
what matters is whether i live it!
when i can look into another human being's
eyes and not see color, gender, religious
or political idealogies, or sexual preference...
when i know that their mistakes and failures
are my own... that there is no difference
between us... that we have the same needs
and desires... and that we need each other.....
when i'm willing to listen, to offer a hand up, willing
to work and walk beside of (not in front of!) ....
when my thoughts, words, and actions reflect a deep
reverence and respect for all that lives....
when my choices validate humanity.....
when i can see without judging... when i'm
willing to speak the truth at all costs....
to give all that i have, and all that i am,
regardless of the risk....
when my own life matters less to me than
the lives of those i come in contact with....
when i'm willing to stand up for what's right,
for compassion, and for hope... even if it
costs me my own life....
then, and only then, i will have become
the poem i've tried all of my life to write...
then and only then, i will have become
fully human.... and will have answered the call
that we all have....
will i continue to write? yes!
but day by day, moment by moment....
i'll keep working!
will you join me?
poem by Eric Cockrell
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