Swallows...
the poet sets ablaze,
every secret portent of living,
to warm strangers lost in the night
of snowbound search...
and so opens a door,
that heretofore had been locked.
allowing swallows to enter,
the kingdom of the soul!
poem by Eric Cockrell

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Related quotes
To a fellow poet
What can I give you –
for only giving can I think of,
in this dark season of the year
which needs no festive name, to name the need…
this dark season, when hearts yearn
for all that’s bright, and warm, and love..
what can I give you, at this time?
I give you – music… music, heard
outside the heart’s dark winter door
to say, that all’s not lost; all’s never lost;
there’s music still and always, through the door…
you’ll hear, and know yourself to be that all…
I give you – laughter… laughter, on the face
of strangers, as you open that dark door;
strangers who laughing turn to you
and share their laughter and a proffered hand;
a room of laughter shared with you, illusions laughed away…
As poet gives to poet, these I give you;
they are – but poetry;
as poetry, may live.
*
[occasioned by discussion of ‘the three persons’ in poetry:
the confessional poetry of ‘I’;
the poetry that speaks and gives to ‘you’;
and the poetry of he, she, it, they – of universal truth..]
poem by Michael Shepherd

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Strangers But Strangers And Strangers
strangers but strangers and strangers
life goes on truth goes gos on humanity goes on
meaning goes on time goes on rain goes on storms go on
animals kingdom s go on in the forest of Darwin
strangers but strangers and strangers
images go on in the line of alternative realities
images are close relationship with human existence
strangers but strangers and strangers
facts are not strange but language is strange
strangers but strangers and strangers
Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit
Did you ever understand this?
If my spirit was poor, how could I enter heaven?
Was I depressed?
Understanding editing,
I see how a comma, removed or inserted
with careful plan,
can change everything.
I was reminded of this
when a poor young man
in Tunisia
desperate to live
and humiliated for trying
set himself ablaze;
I felt uncomfortably warm
as if scalded by his shame.
I do not have to sell vegetables from a cart as he did
or live in narrow rooms too small for spacious thought;
and, at this late date,
I do not worry that someone will
remove every single opportunity
for me to thrive.
Still, I am connected to, inseparable from,
this young man.
Blessed are the poor, in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus. (Commas restored) .
Jesus was as usual talking about solidarity: about how we join with others
and, in spirit, feel the world, and suffering, the same as them.
This is the kingdom of owning the other as self, the self as other;
that transforms grief into
peace and delight.
I, and you, might enter the heaven
of right here
through this door.
In this spirit, knowing we are blessed,
we might remain poor
poem by Alice Walker

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Strangers In The Night
Strangers in the night exchanging glances
Wond'ring in the night
What were the chances we'd be sharing love
Before the night was through.
Something in your eyes was so inviting,
Something in you smile was so exciting,
Something in my heart,
Told me I must have you.
Strangers in the night, two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello.
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away,
A warm embracing dance away and
Ever since that night we've been together.
Lovers at first sight, in love forever.
It turned out so right,
For strangers in the night.
Love was just a glance away,
A warm embracing dance away and
Ever since that night we've been together.
Lovers at first sight, in love forever.
It turned out so right,
For strangers in the night.
For strangers in the night
For strangers in the night
song performed by by Barry Manilow

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Today... 'The Door
Where do we mortals find that narrow heavenly Door?
Through which millions of sinners have entered before?
It is found at the cross where Jesus was crucified
There for You paid for our sins, laid down Your life and died
With Your arms outstretched so wide and saying, 'Come to me'
For we find forgiveness by Your death at Calvary
And we see the Door before us swinging open wide
Allowing us to pass through the veil to heavens side
At the cross the veil in the temple was rent in two
We can still hear You calling sinners to come to You
For the door into heaven has been flung open wide
'Come to me you weary, ' we hear as we go inside
Calvary's cross is the Door through which man can go through
And there is no other way only this door will do
For You are the Way by which we must enter heaven
It is at the cross we must come to be forgiven
Then as we look behind us on the lintel we see
'Chosen before the foundation of the world in Me'
Though millions have come yet there is still room for more
God by His Grace has allowed us to enter the Door
So come to that Door for it is opened wide for you
And taste the glories of heaven as you enter through
The cry goes out 'whosoever will may enter in'
It is at the Cross where your journey has to begin
All who enter the door shall be safely kept inside
There forever with the Lord Jesus they all shall abide
Each one was chosen by God before the world began
Included by His grace as part of salvations plan
(see also the additional information in the Poet's notes box below)
When Night Seems Long
Its a long night
When sun closed her eyes
Refusing to share her rays
Bidding daylight bye
Allowing darkness in her stead
Its indeed a long night
When cloud gets darker
Silence becomes king
Leaving streets alone
Without soul on the lanes
Its a long night
As tiny creatures sound louder
When lonely paths are tread
Without any company
And rivers of water
Rolled down the cheeks
Without any one to comfort.
Its still a long night
When all roads are blocked
When friends disown you
And you rolled like a stone
Down from the hilltop
The night seems longer
As relatves abandon you
Confidantes switch camps
Leaving you bare naked
You feel the ground opens
And swallows you up
Although the night seems long
It will soon fade away
Sun's uprise will come again
Clouds will become brighter again
So, never give up
When the night seems long
poem by Babatunde Aremu

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Another Learning
there is a door
between us as though
we are just
two adjacent rooms
to enter into your door
i need to have that key
you keep on telling me
the key was lost and you
do not know
where to find it anymore
there is another door
and you are allowing someone else to come in
at first i say 'This is unfair! ' and
I thought of forcing
that door open
on the other hand
i have my own door too
and the lock is broken
a long time ago i have
thrown out the key
for what use is a door with
a broken lock?
and for what use is your door
to my prayer?
i do not know what force is &
i already stopped begging
i change the frames of my window
i have some other plans in mind
there are nine planets in our
galaxy
there are many galaxies
in unlimited space
and like all those who still hope
they always know
that someone somewhere keeps
on waiting
in a world where doors welcome me
like arms in half-embrace
and so i go to places where
my feet are welcome
& i have learned the happiness
of forgetting.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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My Dreamhouse
first it must have a path
of polished flat stones
leading to the door of
strong wood from the
deep forest locked with
a golden knob and the
windows are made of
glass where i can see
the moon and sun when
i lay my head on a pillow
the living room must
be not so big to keep
us in whispers just the
two of us in intimations
and then the bed must
not be so warm so we
can be there to make
it warmer and even
hotter a little bit to
accommodate our
hidden passions
and then there is
this secret room where
my heart and soul shall
stay, that even you my
love shall never know
this is my dreamhouse
you are always free to leave
when your love finally burns out
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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Singer Songwriter Poet
you are the singer
you are the songwriter
I am invisible poet
together we
are prodigy
portent music
you are the singer
I am the poet missing
part of your soul
the tragedy of missing parts
usually missing parts stay missing
lost incomplete never merging solo mystic
poem by Terence George Craddock

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Locked
Children tattooed, pierced and studded, dreadlocked;
parents panicked, indecisive, deadlocked.
Mother to daughter: live as you must, if you must;
for just a bit longer, keep the door to your bed locked.
Son to father: teach me what you know,
but I won't agree to keep the door to my head locked.
Mother to father: where have you been, and where
have you kept your thoughts and all you might have said locked?
They'd come so far, and then she saw, in him,
the door to their life, their home, their daily bread locked.
One night in a fiery panic dream he ran
and found the door toward which he'd wildly fled locked.
Aging, but at long last ripe and ready,
she found the on-ramp to the road ahead locked.
They learned too late the cost of keeping that cellar
full of truths that could not be gainsaid locked.
The young return. Too many find the way back
to lives in the country for which they fought and bled locked.
Eric, old friend, as you try each door in the mind,
will you wake one day to find the heart instead locked?
poem by Eric Torgersen

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Lost Spirit
I hardly know who I am anymore
On this day when my spirit
Seems to be lost in the clouds-
The sun is trying to show its face as
The moon retreats behind the mountains-
It was forty three years ago when I lost myself-
Lost myself inside the world of my delusions-
When fate opened the door and let me into
This world of madness, where
Expressionless faces appeared and
Raised their voices- these voices only I could hear?
Now everyone is circle dancing about the sun and
As I would walk toward with my arms outstretched
Trying to become a part of this group of strangers, gracefully pirouetting,
While singing a tuneful melody about
Love, bliss, and gracefulness -feelings foreign to me-
Foreign to me from birth-
It is as if their grasps upon one another are locked,
Locked and keyed so that I cannot enter-
I have always been labeled as different-
Not uniquely blessed but different in
Some sort of maudlin and bizarre sort of way?
I hardly know who I am anymore-
I suppose I never knew, but as of now
I wish the sun would set below the mountaintops so that
The moon could rise above with the stars,
All of the people in the world would disappear and
I would be left alone, dancing to my own tune-
My tune about my once lost spirit being found-
Although the voices only I can hear are threatening,
At least have become familiar- but now I hear the thunder clapping,
Lightening brightening the now darkened sky as my spirit
Has become a night bird flying aimlessly about-
Some have said that birds have no souls and
Now as the rain falls in torrents I feel as if
My spirit has been lost forever atop the wings of this night bird,
Who has flown into the blackness of this mysterious night-?
Life is indeed a mystery to me because of my lost spirit
That once could have become queen of the forest and everyone has vanished,
I have found the solitude I have once longed for so often but it hardly matters now,
Because my spirit has gone astray, and
I hardly know who I am anymore?
poem by Claudia Krizay

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She Knows When Youre On My Mind
She knows shes holdin someone who dont love her
She knows shes where you could have been
She knows I turn to her because you turned me down
And she knows when youre on my mind again
Every night she opens up the door to heaven
But when youre on my mind I cant go in
And you come runnin through my mind and I let my memory chase you
She knows when youre on my mind again
Sometimes late at night I hear her crying
She turns to me but you wont let her in
She knows the door is locked but she keeps trying
She knows when youre on my mind again
Every night she opens up the door to heaven
But when youre on my mind I cant go in
And you come runnin through my mind and I let my memory chase you
She knows when youre on my mind again
song performed by by George Strait

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In my house
You enter a room to see a park
You close a door only to be led to another stairway
Leading you to another room with nothing but windows
You close a window the rest remains open
You close the windows and another door
In that park in the room where you just entered
Opens
Then you are confused about the roof that opens
To a river to the rocks where another door opens
To a wall with trees and birds and butterflies
This is weird you say, this is really weird
Then from the garage comes a wind that blows
Its horn like a car
I have just arrived offering you an explanation
For all these mess, these uncertainties, these self-made
confusions.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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A Spiritual Connection
A spiritual
connection
I will never
forget.
a soul search
all wrapped in
one package.
sweet, kind,
gentle.
one I will
treasure
always
and as the
door to
eternity
opens
I will search
the unknown
for another
chance
to renew that
connection.
an endless
spiritual
journey in
love.
poem by Heather Burns

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Oh where is heavens door?
Where do we mortals find that narrow heavenly Door?
Through which millions of people have entered before?
It is found at the cross of Jesus The Crucified
where He paid for our sins and laid down His life and died.
With His arms outstretched so wide and saying, 'Come to me'
there we find forgiveness by His death at Calvary.
Then we see the Door before us swing open so wide
allowing us to pass through the veil to heavens side.
Calvary's cross is the Door through which we can go through.
There is no other entrance only this door will do.
For He is the Way by which we must enter heaven
It is at the cross we must come to be forgiven.
Then as we look behind us on the lintel we see
'Chosen before the foundation of the world in Me.'
Though millions have come yet there is still room for more
God by His Grace has allowed us to go through the Door.
So come to that Door for it is opened wide for you
and taste the glories of heaven as you enter through.
The cry goes out 'whosoever will may enter in'
it is at the Cross where your journey has to begin.
All who enter the door shall be safely kept inside
and there forever with the Lord Jesus they shall abide.
Each one was chosen by God before the world began
Included by His grace as part of salvations plan.
Written after reading John 10: 7-10
Buddhist Lesson # 2
enlightment,
the act of opening,
like a rosebud,
like a mother,
opening the door...
like a child
opening a present,
like a woman
opening to a man....
opening...
all the hidden chambers,
every door to every
secret kingdom of the soul.....
opening the box that holds
your secret thoughts, desires....
opening...
the door of the cage,
letting the winged breath fly....
opening....
your heart to itself,
and to all hearts beating....
opening....
the vault of conceptions,
the entrance to the tomb
of past lives and memories....
opening...
your hands to the world
as if it were your neighbor,
and you, it's home!
poem by Eric Cockrell

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Treasure In Heaven
We spend and splurge all the day, while allowing our soul to stray,
Attracted to what pleases the eye, while we allow our soul to die.
Enticed by what the eye can see, with no thought towards eternity.
We spend effort and much time, securing what we claim as mine.
How much can you truly secure and keep with you forevermore?
Even those dear to your heart, will one day from this life depart.
Nothing of this world shall be, embraced in Heaven through Eternity.
The former things will be no more, after you enter Eternity’s Door.
Don’t store treasure here on earth, for in the end it’s of little worth.
Here moths destroy and rust corrode, not so in your heavenly abode.
Store treasure in Heaven friend, where an Eternity you will spend.
Where your treasure is, you’ll see, there your heart shall also be.
Christ came to this earth to fulfill, not His own, but His Father’s will.
As a servant, The Lord Jesus Christ laid His life down as a sacrifice.
Pick up your cross and follow Christ, as He’s already paid the price.
My friend if you will deny yourself, you shall have Eternal wealth.
Seek The Kingdom of God first and you will have an Eternal purse.
So seek the Righteousness of The Lord and He will open up a door,
For you to serve The Risen Christ, here on earth as a living sacrifice.
Then your treasure will endure, in Heaven with Christ forevermore.
(Copyright ©11/2004)
A Heaven And Two Hells
A heaven opens its doors
And two souls enter,
A king and his rod of power;
And somebody sings a song musical.
Two hells open their doors
And ten thousand souls enter,
A man and his dead brethern;
And a cry for the second burning is heard.
The meadows of the green planet go dry
The sheep bleat, the shepherd goes missing
The mothers show their breast-nipples sealed
The infants wail, the fathers wage a battle to be lost.
Once again the heaven opens its door
And the king and the rod wait to enter.
So do the two hells with two doors
A crowd is pushed in once more.
The burning flesh chokes the nostrils
But the sweet song is played on....
A bird flies unto the sky
As the torrents swallow its feeble frame.
The green planet celebrates an existence.
poem by M.d Dinesh Nair

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Hearts Door
I knock on your hearts door
and the sign says 'don't disturb.'
'
I slip a note over the transom
and its floats back 'undeliverable.'
I sleep outside your hearts door,
day and night,
my ear cupped to hear rustlings.
I've rehearsed what I'll say if the door opens.
You'll take me in your arms.
I'll knock every day on your hearts door.
I'll sit.
I'm patient
I am not going any where.
I wait,
outside your heart's door
because
one day
it will open
and my soul
will stare into
your soul
and melt there.
Just you wait
you'll see.
poem by Lonnie Hicks

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Overdone
Door locked open, door locked shut
See you soon, hopefully not
Ive been and gone so many times
Without a work Ive dropped no lines
Just look forward, never back
Selfish bastard, dicta-brat
Please forgive me
For the things that Ive done
Dont feel ashamed
If youre asked hows your son
Living here and living there
Lived at home but very rare
To see your faces it would be
A treasure locked in memory
Do drop a line, say hello dad
I await your answer, for I also beg
Please accept me
From a baby I have come
Pain, distress and heartache
I have now overcome
Running here and running there
Often caught but never cared
Been a-courting every year
song performed by by Madness

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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