Saturday At The Canal
I was hoping to be happy by seventeen.
School was a sharp check mark in the roll book,
An obnoxious tuba playing at noon because our team
Was going to win at night. The teachers were
Too close to dying to understand. The hallways
Stank of poor grades and unwashed hair. Thus,
A friend and I sat watching the water on Saturday,
Neither of us talking much, just warming ourselves
By hurling large rocks at the dusty ground
And feeling awful because San Francisco was a postcard
On a bedroom wall. We wanted to go there,
Hitchhike under the last migrating birds
And be with people who knew more than three chords
On a guitar. We didn't drink or smoke,
But our hair was shoulder length, wild when
The wind picked up and the shadows of
This loneliness gripped loose dirt. By bus or car,
By the sway of train over a long bridge,
We wanted to get out. The years froze
As we sat on the bank. Our eyes followed the water,
White-tipped but dark underneath, racing out of town.
Related quotes
If I Wanted To
If I wanted to I could do anything right
I could dance with the devil on a
Saturday night
If I wanted to I could turn matches to gold
I could smoke drink swear and I would never
grow old
I wouldn't have to be in love with you
If I only wanted to
If I only wanted to
If I wanted to I could run fast as a train
Be as sharp as a needle that's twisting your brain
If I wanted to I could turn mountains to sand
Have political leaders in the palm of my hand
I wouldn't have to be in love with you
If I only wanted to
If I only wanted to
I could leave tonight
And I would be all right
Stop holding on
If I wanted to
If I only wanted to
If I wanted to I could be as patient as death
Fix this hole in my heart leaking into my flesh
If I wanted to I could turn sparks into ice
There'd never be another woman who could make you
think twice
I wouldn't have to be in love with you
If I only wanted to
If I only wanted to
song performed by by Melissa Etheridge
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Running Water
Playing around like a clown
I didn't see a puddle of water
on the ground
Falling from the dip
I lost my grip
to face down
water dripping
from my head to my draws
It was like
going down Niagra falls
having a view
of all bodys of water
from the creek, lake, river
ocean and sea
I thought I was watching TV
falling from a tree
to what sudden deepth
wait upon me
A great whale waitting
to eat me
to bones
all of my flesh
all I saw
at bottom was rocks and stones
my blood and chest
The bodys of water
was a total mess
Swirving in and out
to the red sea
the Atlantic Ocean was now upon me
I can barely see
Sliding the crust of the narrow Potomac River
I was thirsty
and ready to drink
only to see trash
passing by
I must think
pushing the water fountain
cloud of dirt
beside Oxon Hill Creek
is there any real water
to drink
I was just running water
in my cell
hurt
hoping for the best
water come clean and fresh
poem by LaRon Green Sr.
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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School failed me, and I failed the school. It bored me. The teachers behaved like Feldwebel (sergeants). I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for the exam. What I hated most was the competitive system there, and especially sports. Because of this, I wasn't worth anything, and several times they suggested I leave. This was a catholic school in Munich.I felt that my thirst for knowledge was being strangled by my teachers; grades were their only measurement. How can a teacher understand youth with such a system? From the age of 12 I began to suspect authority and distrust teachers.
quote by Albert Einstein
Submitted by Catalin Popescu
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Little White Rabbit
While sorting through a drawer
in my old treasure store
I came across a little white rabbit
almost forgotten there,
as I picked it up
my memory danced back
to the person who gave it
to me forty odd years ago.
I could remember her blue eyes,
her shoulder length blonde hair,
and that gentle smile of this lady fair.
She was at one time the love of my life,
long before I met my wife.
My love could not be returned
as she was seeing someone else,
but a friend she was,
and a friend she will always remain,
until my dying breath.
As I look at the little white rabbit,
dreamy eyes I become,
I drift back all those years,
and for a brief second or two.
I smile to myself,
and wrap the little white rabbit up,
putting it back in the drawer,
so I can remember,
that lost long distant love I had once more.
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Old School Memories
I guess we all have old memories
Way back when we were in school
We tried our best to get passing grades
To prove to our folks we weren’t a fool
Remember those old-fashion desks?
There was an ink well right at the top
Some boys didn’t last too long at school
For they stayed home to pick the crops
Long walks home right after school
The stack of books made a heavy load
Kicking rocks but hurrying along
Down that dusty red dirt road
After all, there were always chores to do
Once a kid got back home
Gather the eggs and slop the hogs
Didn’t have a lot of time to roam
Yep, those were good old days, my friend
Nowadays seems school is a breeze
But it sure is fun to look behind us
To the wonderful old school memories!
poem by Marilyn Lott
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Waiter! Bring Me Water!
He took me to--our favorite spot
A place we go to hang a lot
Something seemed to catch his eye
Oh--oo--oh over my shoulder
Oh--oo--oh over my shoulder
I turned around--to see whats up
A pretty young thing sure enough
She was new--he wanted to
Kno--oo--oh--oh--oo--ow her
Kno--oo--oh--oh--oo--ow her
Oh--yeah--
Then she flicked her hair (yeah!)
Oh--yeah--he began to stare
[chorus:]
Waiter! (waiter) bring me water!
I gotta make him keep his cool
(waiter) bring me water!
Hes acting like a fool
(waiter) bring me water!
Uh, oh, I did my best--to block his view
But it was like he could see through me
I just knew--he wanted to
Ho--oo--oh--oh--oo--oh--old her
Ho--oo--oh--oh--oo--oh--old her
Oh--yeah--i aint gettin nowhere (yeah!)
Oh--yeah--shes still standing there
[repeat chorus]
Theres gotta be a way to cool this clown--
Hes starting to embarrass me
I may even have to hose him down--
Bring me water
I dont know what he finds so distracting--
Whats so hot about her
I really dont like the way hes acting
Bring me water!
Uh, bring it on!
Uhhhh
Oh
Whats so hot about her
Uh, uh, uh,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(waiter, bring me water)
Gotta make him keep his cool
(waiter, bring me water)
Send him back to school
(waiter, bring me water)
Hes acting like a fool
(waiter, bring me water)
Waiter, bring me water
song performed by by Shania Twain
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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All Different, But Still The Same
Some people have short hair, some have long.
Some people have thick hair; some people’s hair is all gone.
Some people have black hair, some have gray.
Some people have brown hair, some blonde, some red.
Some people’s hair a color unsaid.
Some people are short, some people are tall.
Some people will love you; some won’t like you at all.
Some people like hot weather, some like cold.
Some people are timid, some people are bold.
Some people have dark skin, some people have light.
Some people have black skin, some people have white.
Some people eat meat; some won’t touch it at all.
Some people have a good memory, some can’t recall.
Some people accept Christ, some never will.
Some people are stingy, some people give.
Some people like school, some people don’t.
Some people will excel, some people won’t.
Some people smoke cigarettes, some never will.
Some people are honest, some people steal.
Some people have book knowledge;
But don’t know the Holy Book.
Some people burn food, some people can cook.
Some people are old, some people are young.
Some people do smart things, some people do dumb.
Some people just have a diploma
Some people have degrees.
Some people do things slow, some with a breeze.
Some people are complainers, some easy to please.
Some people hate shopping, some stay in the mall.
Some people hate God, but God loves us all.
We are all different, but still the same.
When I get cut, I bleed red;
You get cut, red blood you’ll shed.
Some people are plump, some people are thin.
But we are all the same, we’re all human being.
Copyright © 2010-Phyllis Strong
poem by Phyllis Strong
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Pictures Of You
Pictures of you
Its just pictures of you, through the bedroom door
With that sly little grin, says you want it some more
But theres people around, and they dont look so nice
Tell me why dont they move, this has happened before
This has happened before
Its just pictures of you
In darkness
Pictures of you
Id been sleeping for hours,
When you came to my house
Youd been lost in a crowd, said you had to get out
You were covered with tears and you said you were sad
So you wanted to play
Yes, you wanted to play
Well you touched me and smiled, as you let yourself go
Oh, but something was wrong, cause your touch was so cold
Like youd been in the ground and you asked if you could
Stay
And I said no!
Its just pictures of you
In darkness
(pictures of you)
In that lovely white dress, oh your skin was so white
With the moon in your eyes, on that cold winter night
When your lips were so soft, that I though they would
Melt,
And the sound of your breath and the way that you felt
And I said yes
And I said yes
Its just pictures of you with a knife in your hand
With a rose in your teeth lying nude in the sand
Its just pictures of you, standing high on a cliff
With the wind in your hair, and a smile on your lips
And your eyes were so wild, when you started to laugh
Blending in with the wind, sounded just like a scream
Why do pictures of you
Come to me when I dream
In darkness
Pictures of you
Pictures of you
Pictures of you
song performed by by Oingo Boingo
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Old Dirt Road
Aint no people on old dirt road,
No more weather on the old dirt road.
Its better than a mudslide, mama, when the dry spell come, yeah,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, old dirt road.
Aint no diffrence on old dirt road,
Tarred and feathered on the old dirt road.
Trying to shovel smoke with a pitchfork in the wind, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Breezing thru the deadwood on a hot summer day,
I saw a lazybonin out in the hay.
I said, ah, hey, mister human, can ya rainmaker too?
He said, I guess its okay, you know the only thing we need is water,
Cool, clear water , (water) water, (water).
Aint no people on old dirt road,
No more weather on the old dirt road.
Its better than a mudslide, mama, when the morning come, yeah,
Oh - oh - oh - oh - old dirt road.
Ah!
Mm, good night.
Keep on keeping on,
Keep on keeping on,
Keep on keeping on,
Keep on keeping on,
Keep on keeping on,
Keep on keeping on,
Keep on keeping on,
So long,
So long,
Bye, bye,
Bye,
Keep on keeping on,
Keep on keeping on,
Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on,
Keep on, keep on, keep on.
song performed by by Yoko Ono
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sweet Is The Night
When the day is done and theres nowhere to run
And the people of the city have all lost and won
In your city dress you stand and stare
And you smoke another cigarette and comb your hair
And the light that shines
Paints a trace of sadness
On the street I wait
But I cant seem to get to you.
Well, you start to sway, check your cartier
cos its getting late, you cant afford to wait
So you move along where its going on
And the people of the night are playing till the dawn
And the sun that shines
Paints a trace of sadness
In your eyes that cry
Wishing and hoping
Oh...
Chorus:
Sweet, sweet is the night
Now you are near
Dark, dark were the days
They disappear
Sweet, sweet is the night
Now you are near.
Well you did your thing and you lost your wings
And you hurt so bad you lost everything
And the tears that fall on the city wall
Will fade away with the rays of morning light that shines
Paints a smile across your pretty face
I know
Everything is alright
Alright...
Repeat chorus
song performed by by Electric Light Orchestra
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Talkin' New York
Rambling out of the wild west
Leaving the towns I love best
Thought I'd seen some ups and down
'Till I come into New York town
People going down to the ground
Building going up to the sky.
Wintertime in New York town
The wind blowing snow around
Walk around with nowhere to go
Somebody could freeze right to the bone
I froze right to the bone
New York Times said it was the coldest winter in seventeen years
I didn't feel so cold then.
I swung on to my old guitar
Grabbed hold of a subway car
And after a rocking, reeling, rolling ride
I landed up on the downtown side:
Greenwich Village.
I walked down there and ended up
In one of them coffee-houses on the block
Got on the stage to sing and play
Man there said, Come back some other day
You sound like a hillbilly
We want folksingers here.
Well, I got a harmonica job begun to play
Blowing my lungs out for a dollar a day
I blowed inside out and upside down
The man there said he loved my sound
He was raving about he loved my sound
Dollar a day's worth.
After weeks and weeks of hanging around
I finally got a job in New York town
In a bigger place, bigger money too
Even joined the Union and paid my dues.
Now, a very great man once said
That some people rob you with a fountain pen
It don't take too long to find out
Just what he was talking about
A lot of people don't have much food on their table
But they got a lot of forks and knives
And they gotta cut something.
So one morning when the sun was warm
I rambled out of New York town
Pulled my cap down over my eyes
And heated out for the western skies
So long New York
Howdy, East Orange.
song performed by by Bob Dylan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Peggy O Deere
Sad am I so sad to hear
About the death of Mary O's daughter Peggy O Deere
From her old Hometown many miles away
Her remains in Dublin lay.
I knew her since I was a Primary school going boy
She was five or six years older than I
She was one I used to meet
On the road west of Millstreet.
Cycling to and from the Millstreet convent years ago
She always smiled and said hello,
Always in a happy mood
Never knew her to be sour or rude.
A beautiful teenager with shoulder length dark hair
Always happy and free of care
In my memory she did not age or gray
And I still see her as young today
In Claraghatlea by Clara hill
Memories of her living still
Always smiling and free of care
And people like her far too rare.
Sad am I so sad to hear
Of the death of Peggy O Deere
The lovely girl I used to know
In my school days years ago.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Black Peter
All of my friends come to see me last night,
I was laying in my bed and dying.
Annie bonneau from st. angel say the weather down there so fine.
Just then the wind came squalling through the dark,
But who can the weather command?
Just want to have a little peace to die,
And a friend or two I love at hand.
Fever roll up to a hundred and five.
Roll on up, gonna roll back down.
One more day I find myself alive,
Tomorrow maybe go beneath the ground.
See here how everything led up to this day,
And its just like any other day thats ever been.
Sun going up and then the sun going down.
Come around, come around.
The people might know, but the people dont care,
That a man can be as poor as me.
Take a look at poor peter, hes lying in pain,
Now lets come run and see, run and see,
Run and see, run, run and see, and see.
song performed by by Grateful Dead
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows
Hearts which beat to a precise beat
Fading shadows on the wall
We'll cut our cards
Drive out bars
All for one, one for all.
Like teenage heat
And carnival cheats
With your heart on your sleeve
Well you know you wanna run
You won't hide
And you jump like a son of a gun
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Oh alone and lonely
Watching people on my wall
Well Mama and Dadda thought they had me fooled
I was thinking not at all
Well I got out
Not gonna stand
In the dark without a light
Forgetting love if you believe that chance
Sit and wait
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
And now the judge is down feeling
all around yeah
Lifting to a blast this sound
No preachers, teachers
Pick our minds
To the sounds of false alarm
They're here today
And they hear you say
You're alive and you're living with me
So don't try to hide
And don't try to die
In the dark of the night
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
In the shadows, in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
song performed by by Billy Idol
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Stand In The Shadows
Hearts which beat to a precise beat
Fading shadows on the wall
We'll cut our cards
Drive out bars
All for one, one for all.
Like teenage heat
And carnival cheats
With your heart on your sleeve
Well you know you wanna run
You won't hide
And you jump like a son of a gun
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Oh alone and lonely
Watching people on my wall
Well mama and dadda thought they had me fooled
I was thinking not at all
Well i got out
Not gonna stand
In the dark without a light
Forgetting love if you believe that chance
Sit and wait
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
In the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
And now the judge is down feeling
All around yeah
Lifting to a blast this sound
No preachers, teachers
Pick our minds
To the sounds of false alarm
They're here today
And they hear you say
You're alive and you're living with me
So don't try to hide
And don't try to die
In the dark of the night
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
In the shadows, in the shadows
Do not stand in the shadows
song performed by by Billy Idol
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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This Morning At The Barbershop
This morning at the barbershop,
a barber is busy with the hair
of a much older grey haired man
that he is trimming neatly
and a young man
sits in one of the barber’s chairs.
When I sit down to wait
the young man rises
turning to me
and asks if he can cut my hair.
I was happy to get attention immediately
while the other barber was finishing
with the older man,
as he looks to finely tuned to me.
My hair was smartly cut
with a pair of scissors
and the young barber
held his fingers
to determine the length
and I wanted it shorter
than just cutting off the ends
while the other barber
first took a hair blower
from a drawer,
sprayed something over his own hair
before he started to blow it in the mirror
and he then said
that he cannot go
to the bank to wait in line
with a head looking like Tut’s ass
and I saw my locks
falling dark brown
with dots of grey around me
and saw the other barber
combing his long hair
and smiled at myself
about the vanity of humanity
while I looked at myself
and were starting to look much better.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Saturday Morning 1961
Jane climbed off
the Saturday bus to town
her black hair ruffled
by the wind
her eyes
looking over at you
her mother close by
you standing by the wall
having climbed from the bus
a few moments before
your mother stood
and spoke to others
you watched as Jane buttoned up
her coat against the winter cold
her fingers turning blue
then she moved over to you
and said
I saw you by the water tower last night
as we drove by
my father visiting
a parishioner in the village
I was watching the sun
moving beyond the Downs
you said
like some giant moving
away to sleep
she smiled
and surreptitiously
she touched your hand
her mother's head
looking the other way
talking to your mother
of her husband's work
of church or of weather
or whatever
you gazed at Jane's eyes
the turn of head
the smile on lips
the way her hands touched
oh to be with her
away from others
to talk and walk
and capture each moment
with her closeness
but then her mother
moved away to shop
and Jane followed
just behind
and as she walked away
you painted her figure
and beauty
in your mind.
poem by Terry Collett
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Fairy Tale
Now this is the story of Olaf
Who ages and ages ago
Lived right on the top of a mountain,
A mountain all covered with snow.
And he was quite pretty and tiny
With beautiful curling fair hair
And small hands like delicate flowers--
Cheeks kissed by the cold mountain air.
He lived in a hut made of pinewood
Just one little room and a door
A table, a chair, and a bedstead
And animal skins on the floor.
Now Olaf was partly fairy
And so never wanted to eat;
He thought dewdrops and raindrops were plenty
And snowflakes and all perfumes sweet.
In the daytime when sweeping and dusting
And cleaning were quite at an end,
He would sit very still on the doorstep
And dream--O, that he had a friend!
Somebody to come when he called them,
Somebody to catch by the hand,
Somebody to sleep with at night time,
Somebody who'd quite understand.
One night in the middle of Winter
He lay wide awake on his bed,
Outside there was fury of tempest
And calling of wolves to be fed--
Thin wolves, grey and silent as shadows;
And Olaf was frightened to death.
He had peeped through a crack in the doorpost,
He had seen the white smoke of their breath.
But suddenly over the storm wind
He heard a small voice pleadingly
Cry, "I am a snow fairy, Olaf,
Unfasten the window for me."
So he did, and there flew through the opening
The daintiest, prettiest sprite
Her face and her dress and her stockings,
Her hands and her curls were all white.
And she said, "O you poor little stranger
Before I am melted, you know,
I have brought you a valuable present,
A little brown fiddle and bow.
So now you can never be lonely,
With a fiddle, you see, for a friend,
But all through the Summer and Winter
Play beautiful songs without end."
And then,--O she melted like water,
But Olaf was happy at last;
The fiddle he tucked in his shoulder,
He held his small bow very fast.
So perhaps on the quietest of evenings
If you listen, you may hear him soon,
The child who is playing the fiddle
Away up in the cold, lonely moon.
poem by Katherine Mansfield
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Wanted To Tell Her
I wanted to tell her but I stuck to my lies
I wanted to tell her till I looked in her eyes
I wanted to tell her but I stuck to my lies
I wanted to tell her till I looked in her eyes
I wanted to tell her
I needed to tell her
Just like the wind you blew away your happy lovers touch
You bring the blues into my heart just like a rush
I cannot bear the way my heart has helped to keep you close
Of you my babe I cannot get enough
You touch me baby
I loved you to the lines of lies you told when I asked her name
I knew the perfume in your hair just wasnt mine
Did you ever think to notice me when you wasnt home?
I noticed every time
I wanted to tell her but I stuck to my lies
I wanted to tell her till I looked in her eyes
I wanted to tell her but I stuck to my lies
I wanted to tell her till I looked in her eyes
Thought you noticed every time but you didnt notice a thing
Id have to cover up my calls when the telephone would ring
Im tired of you and the things you do and all the things you say
No more babysitting for neurotic girls today
Im thinking that the pain Im going through just to keep you babe
Is something that I should bear
Did you ever stop to notice me when you had nothing?
And I never cared?
Just like the wind you blew away your happy lovers touch
You bring the blues into my life just like a rush
I cannot bear the way my heart has helped to keep you close
Of you my babe I cannot get enough
You touch me baby, dont be mean to me!
I wanted to tell her but I stuck to my lies
I wanted to tell her till I looked in her eyes
I wanted to tell her but I stuck to my lies
I wanted to tell her till I looked in her eyes
I wanted to tell her but I stuck to my lies
I wanted to tell her till I looked in her eyes
I wanted to tell her
I needed to tell her
song performed by by Ministry
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Broken Water
As I stand out gazing at the fantasical landscape before me,
I see the waterfalls breaking water and throwing it around amoung
the glittering, curling plants as they drink the sparkling silver water.
It was breathtaking.
More beautiful than the sunset over pure salt water.
I wanted to touch it.
I wanted to pick the flowers glowing with life and bathein the broken water. Clence my hair under the fall
and air-dry on the faces
of the midnight boulders.
The stones would be cold,
the water would be slippery and stain my skin,
and the flowers would smell as if dipped in summer.
I was going to touch it.
I stepped towards the oasis.
My paradise disappeared out of my reach. Out of Man's reach.
I was left alone. Happiness was no longer in front of me.
My head was spinning.
I was so close to an ecstacy,
but I had ruined it all through my greed.
poem by Zoe Guillory
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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