What Life Demands I Be!
if i wake up in the morning,
and the guns of war are silent.
if the hungry bowls are filled,
and the homeless have a place to lay down.
if all people are treated equally,
regardless of color, religion, or beliefs.
if dignity be restored to the common man.
if men and women respect each other,
and the art of living is just that.
if forgiveness comes as easy as breathing,
and caring becomes the way...
then i will know this journey is over,
and will lay down in perfect peace.
if not....
i will wake up standing,
fighting, believing, singing....
i will be what life demands i be!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
I Want To Wake Up
I heard what you said, and I can tell you its true
I heard youve said that I am crazy about you
Turn in my sleep, the bad dream is over
Think of you and shall I ever recover?
Now, I want to wake up
How I want to wake up
I stood at the kitchen-sink, my radio played
Songs like tainted love and love is strange
As I listened and the words hit my ears
I cried sudden tears
Now, I want to wake up
How I want to wake up
Wake up
(wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up)
(its mad, its mad, its mad)
Its mad, to be in love with someone else
When youre in love with him, shes in love with me
But you know as well as I do
I can never think of anyone but you
(all my life,
All my life
I want to wake up)
Play with fire, play with guns
Its easy to impress someone
Turning in my sleep, you call me a fool
To fall in love, is it so uncool?
Now, I want to wake up
How I want to wake up
Now, I want to wake up
Wake up
(wake up, wake up
Wake up, wake up - ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Wake up, wake up - ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Wake up, wake up - ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Wake up, wake up - ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Wake up, wake up - ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Wake up, wake up - ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Wake up, wake up - ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Wake up, wake up - ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Ooh ooh ooh oh oh
Ooh ooh ooh oh oh)
I, I want to wake up
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh)
I, I want to wake up
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh)
I, I want to wake up
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh)
I, I want to wake up, with you, oh
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh - oooh)
I, I want to wake up, with you, oh, ooh
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh)
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh) I want to wake up, wake up, wake up
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh)
I, I want to wake up, wake up, wake up with you
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh)
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh) I want to wake up, ooh, ooh
(ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh, ooh ooh ooh oh oh)
Ooh
song performed by by Pet Shop Boys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Truth And The Lie
the truth is
that the lie has worn thin
and tastes like vomit
in the mouths of the hungry,
the homeless, and the hopeless.
'make them hate each other,
because of color or creed,
make them afraid of each other,
tell them they're different
and that anyone different is dangerous'
keep them fighting each other
while you steal them blind
so easy, so easy
wake up, dammit!
we are all human beings
more alike than different
maybe if we tried fighting
and standing together
for world peace, for equal opportunity
for the right of all to eat and work
to raise our families, and to live
to think and speak our thoughts
freely with respect for all
and maybe if we stood up to the elite
and demanded a more equal distribution
of all things needed
and learned to work together
with the forces of nature and spirit
then, and only then
will we find the truth
together as one
and be set free!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Dignity Demands...
dignity demands...
i be who i am,
i stand for what i am,
and i do so with respect!
dignity demands...
i see others for who they are,
that i accept them for who they are,
and do so with respect!
dignity demands...
that i live freedom and equality,
bound by no man nor creed,
and that i live with respect.
dignity demands...
that i do this job,
of living and giving well...
knowing respect brings respect!
dignity demands...
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Truth And Justice...
we do not go to war to protect freedom,
we go to war to buy and sell the free
for the profit of the machine...
do you want a just war?
keep kicking people out of their houses,
taking their jobs, destroying their familes,
and leaving their children hungry...
keep banning books, taking away individual
rights.... keep putting you hand on the common....
and they will rise, and overthrow you!
violence is the wrong answer...
but if you push a peaceful man in a corner,
and abuse his family, he will come out fighting!
you cannot continue to enslave by skin color, religion,
sexual orientation, political views, or economic
status....
too many people see the lie...
too many people are sick of the lie....
and the people you've fooled into fighting
each other, into hating each other...
will join together, and take back their dignity...
hunger cuts through illusion, and demands an answer.
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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From The Desk Of... A Renegade Socialist
WE THE PEOPLE,
..and all living beings
....on the earth...
demand fairness,
equality, shared dignity,
and a just dispersion
of all needed goods....
having the desire
and the fortitude
to work and to give
as readily as we take!
believing that all life is sacred,
and should be treated as such!
and that the only true success
feeds every hungry mouth!
daring to respect each other,
and so be respected!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Refuse!
i refuse
to accept the lie
anymore!
i know, beyond a doubt,
that all people are equal,
regardless of color, gender,
religion, financial status, or
political beliefs!
i refuse to believe
that i am all right,
when someone else
is hungry, homeless, or hurting.
i refuse to believe
that i am not responsible,
for i am most responsible
when i turn away!
i refuse to believe
that one person's success
can come at the expense of another!
i refuse to settle!
i choose life, and life means living...
involved!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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What Color Is....
what color is broke?
broke down, busted,
aint got a dime...
broke!
what color is hungry?
does it have a language
known only to empty bowls?
what color is homeless?
does it keep the body
warm in the night?
does anybody give a damn?
what color is jobless?
does it redeem the thief
that breaks out the window,
moving with silent desperation?
and what color is alone?
can anybody hear?
does anybody really give a damn?
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Wake Up
There's people talking
They talk about me
They know my name
They think they know everything
But they don't know anything, about me
(about me...)
Give me a dance floor
Give me a DJ
Play me a record
Forget what they say
'Cause I need to go
Need to getaway, tonight
(Tonight...)
[Bridge]
I put my makeup on a Saturday night
I try to make it happen
Try to make it alright
I know i make mistakes
I'm living life day to day
Its never really easy but its okay
(It's okay, okay...)
[Chorus]
Wake up, wake up
On a Saturday night
Could be New York
Maybe Hollywood and Vine
London, Paris, maybe Tokyo
There's something going on
Anywhere I go, tonight
tonight, yeah tonight
(Tonight..)
The city's restless
It's all around me
People, emotions, sick of all the same routines
And they need to go, they need to getaway, tonight
[Bridge]
[Chorus]
People all around you everywhere that you go
People all around you, they don't really know you
Everybody's watching like its some kind of show
Everybody's watching, they don't really know you now...
(They don't really know you, They don't really know you..)
And forever...
Wake up, wake up
(Wake up, wake up...)
Wake up, wake up
(Wake up, wake up...)
[Chorus x2]
(Wake up, wake up...)
song performed by by Hilary Duff
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Sidewinder Sleep Tonight
This here is the place I will be staying.
There isn't a number. You can call the pay phone.
Let it ring a long, long, long, long time.
If I don't pick up, hang up, call back, let it ring some more.
If I don't pick up, pick up... The sidewinder sleeps, sleeps, sleeps in a coil
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
There are scratches all around the coin slot
like a heartbeat, baby trying to wake up,
but this machine can only swallow money.
You can't lay a patch by computer design.
It's just a lot of stupid, stupid signs.
Tell her,
tell her she can kiss my ass, then laugh and say that you were only kidding.
That way she'll know that it's really, really, really, really me.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Baby, instant soup doesn't really grab me.
Today I need something more sub-sub-sub-substantial.
A can of beans or blackeyed peas, some Nescafe and ice,
a candy bar, a falling star, or a reading of Doctor Seuss;
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
The cat in the hat came back, wrecked a lot of havoc on the way,
always had a smile and a reason to pretend.
But their world has flat backgrounds and little need to sleep but to dream.
The sidewinder sleeps on his back.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
I can always sleep standing up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
I can always sleep standing up. Call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.
I can always sleep standing up. Call me when you try to wake her.
I can always sleep standing up. Call me when you try to wake her.
We've got to moogie, moogie, move on this one
song performed by by REM
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When You Gonna Wake Up?
God dont make no promises that he dont keep.
You got some big dreams, baby, but in order to dream you gotta still be asleep.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
Counterfeit philosophies have polluted all of your thoughts.
Karl marx has got ya by the throat, henry kissingers got you tied up in knots.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
You got innocent men in jail, your insane asylums are filled,
You got unrighteous doctors dealing drugs thatll never cure your ills.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
You got men who cant hold their peace and women who cant control their tongues,
The rich seduce the poor and the old are seduced by the young.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
Adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools,
You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move,
Instant inner peace and every step you take has got to be approved.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
Do you ever wonder just what God requires?
You think hes just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
You cant take it with you and you know that its too worthless to be sold,
They tell you, time is money as if your life was worth its weight in gold.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
Theres a man up on a cross and hes been crucified.
Do you have any idea why or for who he died?
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?
song performed by by Bob Dylan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight
This here is the place I will be staying.
There isnt a number. you can call the pay phone.
Let it ring a long, long, long, long time.
If I dont pick up, hang up, call back, let it ring some more.
If I dont pick up, pick up... the sidewinder sleeps, sleeps, sleeps in a coil
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
There are scratches all around the coin slot
Like a heartbeat, baby trying to wake up,
But this machine can only swallow money.
You cant lay a patch by computer design.
Its just a lot of stupid, stupid signs.
Tell her,
Tell her she can kiss my ass, then laugh and say that you were only kidding.
That way shell know that its really, really, really, really me.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
Baby, instant soup doesnt really grab me.
Today I need something more sub-sub-sub-substantial.
A can of beans or blackeyed peas, some nescafe and ice,
A candy bar, a falling star, or a reading of doctor seuss;
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
The cat in the hat came back, wrecked a lot of havoc on the way,
Always had a smile and a reason to pretend.
But their world has flat backgrounds and little need to sleep but to dream.
The sidewinder sleeps on his back.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
I can always sleep standing up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
I can always sleep standing up. call me when you try to wake her.
Call me when you try to wake her up. call me when you try to wake her.
I can always sleep standing up. call me when you try to wake her.
I can always sleep standing up. call me when you try to wake her.
Weve got to moogie, moogie, move on this one.
song performed by by REM
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Safe House
Thank God for a way to escape from the shadows
A refuge where battered women rebuild their tomorrows…
The undisclosed location is free from violent threats
It is a place where women wake without cold sweats
Thank God for a caring staff who was there to guide
People who worked in a place to protect and provide…
Caring people with kind quantities and an angelic heart
Volunteers played with kids... enabling fear to depart
Thank God for the guidance that was given each day
One step at a time, starting to heal and say I’ll be okay
Giving women the confidence to breathe and reorganize
Reassurance gave strength to overcome and revitalize
Thank God for the wonderful women I met in this sanctuary
They had a common trait; bravely doing what was necessary
I recognized myself in each pillar of hope wanting to survive
Mental bruises were visible; we were all glad to be alive
Thank God I had an opportunity to meet these women of worth
Women with varied backgrounds from the corners of the earth...
We lived together and shared caring for young children
With compassion we listened to one another over and over again
Thank God for the strength I gained from the buoyancy of friends
We were not isolated cases; we became a family with dividends
Saying our good byes with embraces, we knew we were all related
I fondly recall the brave woman whose self-respect was reinstated
poem by Theresa Ann Moore
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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We Dream In Color
Dream sequence
(wake up, wake up, wake up, time to dream)
(wake up, time to dream)
We dream, we dream, we dream in color
Wake me up in the middle of the night, tell me what youve seen
Ivory clouds in a sea of blue, fields of endless green
But we lie here and we search for stars
Or big bad letters all the way from mars
The sky is black and the moon is pale, and we cry for this world of ours
In the dark we still believe (oh you know that we still believe)
In the dark we see
Chorus:
We dream in color - but we live in black and white
We dream in color - like a rainbow in the night
We dream of peace, we dream of love, but still the dream is not enough
We dream in color
Oh yes we dream
I wake up in the middle of the day, locked within this cell
The sun is weak on the gun gray street, a cold and concrete hell
So I close my eyes and remember the days
Of a blood red sky and a purple haze
The flag was yours and the flag was mine, but we let it fade away
In the dark we still believe (oh you know that we still believe)
In the dark we see
We dream in color - but we live in black and white
We dream in color - like a rainbow in the night
We dream of peace, we dream of love, but still the dream is not enough
We dream in color
(guitar solo)
This is where it all comes down, this is where the truth is found
Someones gotta keep this dream alive
We dream in color - but we live in black and white
We dream in color - like a rainbow in the night
We dream of peace, we dream of love, we dream of life!
We dream in color
We dream in color - we dream, yes we dream
We dream in color - but we live in black and white
We dream in color - and hold on to each other
We dream in color - lover to lover, sister to brother, we hold on
We dream in color
We dream in color - we dream
We dream in color - we dream...
song performed by by Starship
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Everybody Wake Up
Everybody wake up
If your living with your eyes closed
See the man with the bomb in his hand
Everybody wake up
Oh baby its not easy sometimes
But built these walls
ever hide and hide behind them
Seems we not wait and try and make things right
Oh i feel like im crazy sometimes
Everybody wake up
If your living with your eyes closed
See the man with the bomb in his hand
Everybody wake up
I remember the words of a misguided fool
do unto others as you want them to do
not an eye for an eye is the golden rule
just leaves a room full of blind men
....
see the pig dressed in his finest fine
..
as the daylights sucked with fire
Everybody wake up
Everybody wake up
Everybody wake up
Wake up
Everybody wake up
If your livin with your eyes closed
See the man with the bun in his hand
Everybody wake up
song performed by by Dave Matthews Band
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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And So Found Dawn
it was in doubt
that i found faith.
it was in forgiveness
that i found forgiveness.
it was in loss
that i found passion.
it was in suffering
that i found understanding.
it was in letting go
that i found freedom.
it was in the mirror
that i found prayer.
it was in darkness
that i found light.
it was in jail
that i found dignity.
it was in addiction
that i found determination.
it was in giving
that i found love.
it was in fighting
that i found reason.
it was in reason
that i found dissatifaction.
it was in questioning
that i found truth.
it was in truth
that i found the need for silence.
it was in silence
that i found kindness.
it was in working
that i found respect.
it was in respect
that i found acceptance.
it was in living
that i found god.
it was in god
that i found the need to touch.
it was in caring.
that i got dirty...
and so found dawn...
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Seeds of Peace Were Planted
Serious, Noble Eyes
Color of the Earth - color of Mystery-
Color of Simplicity and gorgeous
human Dignity
From the dirty purity of this color
Sprouts the Green; Color of Life
-Color of innocence
Color of FREEDOM
Gandhi - He looked upon the world
each stranger, his Brother
-Gazed across Continents
and into the Sun(rise)
knowing the wise way of fighting
by NOT FIGHTING...
With round, contemplative skull
he captured suffering
and shook it lose
turned it upside down
until pieces of Hope, Dignity,
and even pieces of Peace
fell out onto the ground
-Seeds of Peace were planted
planted within his very eyes-
And with the nourishment
of Time, India's Spring of Joy,
Spring of Victory...blossomed
-and the whole world
could smell the flowers.
poem by Ray Quesada
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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What Respect Is
have we forgotten
what respect is?
did we ever really know?
every human being deserves
the respect of every other human being,
and should respect every other
human being as well!
it has nothing to do with
color, religion, political views,
or financial status!
respect is a God given right,
and responsibility!
respect is about being human.
treat people the way you wish to
be treated... treat people like people!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sonnet-A New Year's Sonnet
Wake up; Wake up, for a New Year is born!
Spring-time has come and the Oak has acorn;
Wake up; Wake up, for the sweet songs of Birds;
They twitter and chatter, flying in hordes.
Wake up; Wake up, for the meadow is green;
The landscape is so bright, lively, serene;
Wake up; Wake up, for the tall grass in dance,
To the tune of the Wind, marching perchance.
Wake up; Wake up, for the gorgeous flowers,
Have blossom'd after the Spring-time showers;
Wake up; Wake up, for the Sun has come out;
’Tis warm day indeed for running about.
Wake up; Wake up, for the weather is fine;
’Tis time you made peace with neighbours with wine
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Battle.... (We Have Fought)
the battle we have fought for so long,
as a 'free' society...
in the name of justice, equality, diversity,
responsibility, and freedom...
has reached the point of decision.
we either move forward no matter
what the cost...
believing the dream is worth the price...
or we crawl back into the cave
of self-fulfillment at the cost of all others.
prejudice and discrimination have gone from color
to religion to sex and sexual orientation,
and now to those enslaved by poverty.
we cannot turn our backs on each other...
we cannot allow the few to destroy the world.
we are responsible, we are a part of each other.
when one is hungry, we are all hungry.
when one family is homeless, we are all homeless.
when one person is a victim
of prejudice, hatred, and injustice...
we all are!
when one eats, all should eat.
when one has a chance to work,
all should have that chance...
when one child gets an education,
all should have that right.
this is the time, and this is the place...
it is now that we must choose!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I am blessed because...
I am blessed because I wake up every morning with breakfast ready on my table,
when there are people waking up to hunger.
I am blessed because I wake up with clothes to wear,
when there are people shivering in the cold.
I am blessed because I wake up knowing that I don't have to walk to school,
when there are people who don't have a school to go to.
I am blessed because I get to eat even if it's not time for breakfast, lunch or dinner,
while some people wonder when the next meal will come.
I am blessed because I am living such a comfortable life, playing sports, joking around with friends, using the internet and sleeping whenever I want,
when some people are using their last bit of strength to make sure they survive hunger, illness and pain.
I am blessed because I have friends to talk to when I'm in pain, to laugh with when I'm in joy and to be my aid when I'm in need,
when there are people who feel sad, sorrow and pain without anyone
to lean on.
I am blessed because I have a caring Mum, an awesome Dad and a loving little sister, while there are people who will never know who their parents are.
I am blessed because I know I am loved by God.
The people in pain, the people in hunger, the people in sorrow,
the people who lost everything, the people who kill, the people who
steal, the people who hate, the people who persecute, the people who is the worst of all humans, are loved by God too. They just need to know it.
I am blessed, are you?
If you think you're not, remember this, God loves you, no matter who you are.
You just need to know it. =