At the Okavango swamp
It was in the Okavango swamp
that the dark ghoul came at night
and passed so near
that I could smell its stinking breath.
Every morning the four-toed tracks
lay in the sand
everywhere in the camp
where it came to break into
what ever it could find.
With powerful jaws and premolars
made for crushing bones
it gnawed into anything
that it could lay jaws on.
Till one night that the dog like
brown-grey carnivore
with black spots
got a shocking surprise
and I saw yellow eyes glowing
while it draw closer and closer
while crying
like a hysterical human laughing
and walked straight into
an electrified wire
fitted to a couple of landrover
and four by four batteries
running around the camp
and blue white sparks flew
and covered that hyena
like a character
in a computer game
it was covered in lightning
and it howled and howled
rising in pitch
and never came back again.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Driven Memories: Howling Dog
Driven memories
Back
To the now
That isn’t any more........
As a child
In the blue-dark London night,
On a car roof by my bedroom window,
A dog howled liftingly,
Split jaws snapping my sleep.
Sick so young,
That already a dog cried Death
Over my bed and murdered sleep?
I hid in the safe-cave under the blanket
And waited for corruption.
poem by Roy William Gotaas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Closer
Written: stock waterman, kylie minogue
2x:
Nothing, nothing
Nothing I like better
Together, now together
Nothing I like better
Closer (sampling)
1:
Sometimes
This feels so right
Im losin my mind
I wish that we could stop
And stop time
Then we could be together
All night
Theres nothing I like better
Getting closer (closer)
Closer (closer)
Closer, closer, closer, closer
Closer, closer
Nothing, nothing
Nothing I like better
Together, now together
Nothing I like better
Closer (sampling)
2:
Somehow
I stop myself from cryin
Out loud
When Im with you
cause Im so proud
To be your only lover
And now
Theres nothing I like better
Getting closer (closer)
Closer (closer)
Closer (closer)
Closer (closer)
song performed by by Kylie Minogue
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Spirit Of Christmas
The star of Bethlehem was shining
Across a Palestinian sky
The Church of the Nativity was crying
And we looked on, who can tell me why?
Where are the wise men when they're wanted?
Nowhere to be seen, like thieves in the night
The desert is drifting every closer
The world won't sleep well tonight
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
Lost in the desert or covered in snow
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
If you can find it, please let me know
The shepherds are in the fields sleeping
Waiting for a sign to light up the sky
Heaven is moving ever closer
The promise of a child born on high
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
Lost in the desert or covered in snow
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
If you can find it, please let me know
Looking for an answer that escapes me (Love set me free!)
If there is a reason let me know (Whoa!)
Drifting slow through time and space not knowing where we are
How did we ever get this far?
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
Lost in the desert or covered in snow
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
If you can find it, please let me know
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
Lost in the desert or covered in snow
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
If you can find it, please let me know
song performed by by Moody Blues
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Colours Of Life
Sunny morning, golden noon, rose pink twilight, silver moon.
Grey black cloud, creamy sea, lightning bright, green brown tree.
Yellow with age, white with fright, red with rage, black as night.
Green with envy, rainbow hue, in the pink, sky of blue.
Countless colours running rife. These are the colours of our life.
poem by Rod Morris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The thunder cat
In the bush I see a strange thing,
a secret cat
that like a phantom
follow our tracts, shadowing behind
leaving no tracts of its own.
Red eyes glow at night
with the intensity of a fire burning
but every time that I really look
it’s out of reach.
Around the orange-yellow fire
where we are barbequing the meat
from the day’s hunting
I can almost smell the monster
where it sneaks out of sight
around us.
I wonder what has awaken
in the wild veldt, the jungle
and what hell of a thing
we now have drawn
from its sleep?
My.308 rifle and hunting knife
both lie near to my side,
but something let me comprehend
that no usual weapons
will stand against this monster
but at that time I am still convinced
that it’s only imagination
and the tiredness, the party
at the fire
and my thoughts are playing with me.
Totally unconcerned we go to sleep
and with time the flames
burn lower and lower
and there are only glowing coals left.
When I wake up with a start
a bright moon is in the sky
and something strange
stand over me
and it looks part transparent
but still with a fixed
dark form.
I can smell death
on the breath of it
and see its teeth glittering
and it’s as if thunder
flames from its jaws
when it bites at me
and an urge for survival
let me jump from the ground
to the other side
of the glowing coals
and its teeth clash on each other.
Next to me lies a shovel
and some of the coals
still have small flames
and I see that the coals
make it hesitate for a moment.
Desperately I grab the shovel,
scoop if full of coals
and when the monster
opens its jaws again
to take another bite at me
and I get the rotten smell
of its foul breath
I throw the whole shovel
down its throat.
For a moment it roars thundering,
is filled with bright white thunderbolts
and stand ablaze
and looks like a thunder cat
before it disappears into the darkness
and becomes nothing
as if suddenly it’s in another dimension
and everybody stares at me
with eyes huge as saucers
and from the sand
I pick up two teeth
that shines strangely, like diamonds,
but with an unknown blue-white fire
glowing from the inside.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Copying Cat
A day / A night
A pet / A sight
Paws / Thy Claws
Fur white / Hellkite
Small teeth / Thy Jaws
Red, brown? White, grey? Born stark?
At night all cats are dark
Bear crown? Without way? No marque?
In the dark all cats' labels are park
All cats are cat, at night,
No doubts about their power, their might,
Let none question the fear they incite,
'Cause for advantage they have cat's spite,
And night is quite the cat's best site,
For proven the fact, which strangeness is quite,
That is at the dark where cat's do their flight,
And none's is worst than a very cat's bite
For none can be a cat's copycat,
And no cat can avoid copying cats
poem by by unknown author
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Death of Dusk
The sun resigns,
bleeds out the vestiges –
remnants of the day.
Exsanguination edges into twilight:
red-brown hangs;
upwards darkens:
blue-brown,
blue-black,
death-black,
disquiet – furtive,
like ghoul-ridden fog.
A sombre moon assumes its role,
gushing silver-white lymph upon the muted scape –
a prequel of supernatural undertones
to chill the scene,
ice the spine,
kill the brain –
we have unnerved the very firmament.
But now a shadow closing down the globe:
dinosaurian cloud shrouds the moon glaze,
claims the late hour –
declared in a dying crow caw.
I, the hidden owl
– nemesis of claustrophobic minds –
awake! for mammal flesh –
fresh, jerking out its warmth in dance of death.
Rock-still I perch in sculptured oneness
with my crooked night-tree,
emanating nocturnal allure.
Together we scowl
together we play the dark
upon the land and sky
and mind
while you lie as dead in your box.
Copyright © Mark R Slaughter 2010
dark dark dark dark night dark dark dark dark night
dark dark dark dark night
dark dark dark dark night dark dark
dark dark dark dark night dark dark dark dark night
dark dark dark dark night dark dark
dark dark dark dark night
dark dark dark dark night dark dark dark dark night
poem by Mark R Slaughter
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Nonsense Alphabet
A was an ant
Who seldom stood still,
And who made a nice house
In the side of a hill.
Nice little ant!
B was a bat,
Who slept all the day,
And fluttered about
When the sun went away.
Brown little bat!
C was a camel:
You rode on his hump;
And if you fell off,
You came down such a bump!
What a high camel!
D was a duck
With spots on his back,
Who lived in the water,
And always said 'Quack!'
Dear little duck!
E was an elephant,
Stately and wise:
He had tusks and a trunk,
And two queer little eyes.
Oh, what funny small eyes!
F was a fish
Who was caught in a net;
But he got out again,
And is quite alive yet.
Lively young fish!
G was a goat
Who was spotted with brown:
When he did not lie still
He walked up and down.
Good little goat!
H was a hat
Which was all on one side;
Its crown was too high,
And its brim was too wide.
Oh, what a hat!
I was some ice
So white and so nice,
But which nobody tasted;
And so it was wasted.
All that good ice!
J was a jug,
So pretty and white,
With fresh water in it
At morning and night.
Nice little jug!
K was a kite
Which flew out of sight,
Above houses so high,
Quite into the sky.
Fly away, kite!
L was a lily,
So white and so sweet!
To see it and smell it
Was quite a nice treat.
Beautiful lily!
M was a man,
Who walked round and round;
And he wore a long coat
That came down to the ground.
Funny old man!
N was a net
Which was thrown In the sea
To catch fish for dinner
For you and for me.
Nice little net!
O was an orange
So yellow and round:
When it fell off the tree,
It fell down to the ground.
Down to the ground!
P was a polly.
All red, blue, and green,--
The most beautiful polly
That ever was seen.
Poor little polly!
Q was a quail
With a very short tail;
And he fed upon corn
In the evening and morn.
Quaint little quail!
R was a rabbit,
Who had a bad habit
Of eating the flowers
In gardens and bowers.
Naughty fat rabbit!
S was the sugar-tongs,
Nippity-nee,
To take up the sugar
To put in our tea.
Nippity-nee!
T was a tortoise,
All yellow and black:
He walked slowly away,
And he never came back.
Torty never came back!
U was an urn
All polished and bright,
And full of hot water
At noon and at night.
Useful old urn!
V was a veil
With a border upon it,
And a ribbon to tie it
All round a pink bonnet.
Pretty green veil!
W was a watch,
Where, in letters of gold,
The hour of the day
You might always behold.
Beautiful watch!
Y was a yew,
Which flourished and grew
By a quiet abode
Near the side of a road.
Dark little yew!
Z was a zebra,
All striped white and black;
And if he were tame,
You might ride on his back.
Pretty striped zebra!
poem by Edward Lear
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The gamblers
One rainy night at a border camp
in the operational aria
I walked past a tent
and while the wind flapped open one side
a lightning bolt slammed down
into a tree near to me
sizzling with blue sparks flying
before it thundered cracking
and I saw some young soldier boys,
a group of troops
about the same age as I
sitting around a table
dressed in military vests
and brown military long pants
drinking brandy from a bottle
that they passed hand to hand
and I thought that they were probably
playing cards
or some sort of gambling game
when I heard the clicking sound
of the cylinder of a revolver being spun
and a dull click in an empty chamber
and knew which game was on
and walking right in
I took the gun from the next one
after it had again been spun
aimed it at the ground
next to the entrance and pulled the trigger
and the gun went off
with a bullet kicking up wet sand
near to the group of us.
Sheer terror had brought soberness
to the group
and those men were silent
with their eyes on my officer’s pips
and I took the revolver
and first thought about arresting
the lot of them but left them
to be sorted out by a sergeant
who followed me in
after admonishing them
with a very stern warning.
The very next day we went into action
were taken out
in some choppers
right into battle
and at the dropp zone
two rockets flew over my head
just after the last helicopter had lifted off
and the game was still on
for the brave young men
who accompanied me,
Russian roulette
with a bullet through the head
from a AK-47
or living on instead
from missed enemy shots.
[Reference: The gamblers by Anthony Delius.]
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Swamp
FOR one whole day and a long night through
We made our camp
In a she-oak grove by a coastal swamp.
Our tent gleamed white in the she-oak trees,
Whose falling hair
Made a soft, brown mist in the sweet blue air.
A sound subdued from their tresses rose —
A moan, a sigh
As of unseen seas, when the breeze went by.
'Twas wattle-time, and the scented bloom,
New lit and young,
In a mass of gold from the still trees hung.
There music dwelt, and a splendour moved
Through all the day
From the green of dawn to the twilight gray.
For careless ever, like one who goes
Where Joyance leads,
Sang the little reed-bird in the tall, green reeds.
Blue, swift and slender the dragonflies
A-hawking flew,
And a hawk hung poised in the burning blue.
A crane, slow-flapping its great wings, passed
Across the scene,
And a parrot jewelled the leafy screen.
In twos and threes from the hills around
The peewits came,
And the brush-flower burnt like a crimson flame.
On ti-tree trunk and on frond and log
The lizards slept,
While the sun moved west, and the shadows crept.
The sun moved west, and the tall hills sent
Broad shadows east,
And the reed-bird's song in the reed-beds ceased.
Then fell a hush, and within that hush
Rose, clear and shrill,
A cicada note on a distant hill.
A note of farewell, it seemed to us,
Its singing bore;
And the night came down, and it sang no more.
Night came with shadows and fitful gleams
And mist and damp,
And our fire burned red by the coastal swamp.
Then life not known of the daytime woke —
That life that preys
On the feathered things of the leafy ways.
We heard feet moving, and velvet wings
On swamp and height,
And a dingo howling across the night.
As, faces lit by the red camp-fire,
We mused enthralled.
Like a lone, lost spirit a curlew called;
Brown crickets sang in the moisty mould,
And every breeze
Drew a moaning note from the she-oak trees.
And all night long, as they swayed and moaned,
Strange fancies woke,
And we could not rest for the things they spoke.
Thus much and more through the hours we saw;
Thus much we heard
In that place of blossom and tree and bird.
Since then gold wattles have bloomed and bloomed,
And moons aloft
In the sky have wizened and waned full oft.
And yet, at times, when the night is still,
In dreams I tramp
Through the white sand-dunes to that coastal camp.
poem by Roderic Quinn
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Closer To Me
(john farrar)
I know that in time I can handle this a little better
But what can I do if your heart wont let her go
There are times I mean everything to you
Life can be so sweet when I do
You know...
You gotta know
Theres a better way to do this dance
Come and get closer to me
Get a little closer to me
Theres a better way to do this dance
Come and get closer to me
If you wanna go back where we used to be
Get a little closer to me
I beg you for the truth but I dont wanna hear it
You pour it all out and I wont go near it
Oh no, oh no, but I believe youre gonna love me again
So Ill try to make it easier till then
You know...
You gotta know
Theres a better way to do this dance
Come and get closer to me
Get a little closer to me
Theres a better way to do this dance
Come and get closer to me
If you wanna go back where we used to be
Get a little closer to me
Are you gonna break away, set yourself free
Let me see the kinder man that I used to see
Make yourself open up, let it all go
If youre really mine again, let this crazy fool know
Theres a better way to do this dance
Come and get closer to me
Get a little closer to me
Theres a better way to do this dance
Come and get closer to me
If you wanna go back where we used to be
Get a little closer to me
I wanna be closer
I wanna go back where we used to be
Oh baby, please get close to me
Get a little bit closer
I wanna be closer
I wanna be closer
I gotta be closer
song performed by by Olivia Newton-John
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Closer
All night I've been awake
You on my mind
I made a big mistake
To leave you behind
You know it's hard to sleep
on a bed of nails
I know that I was wrong
You knew it all along
I was a fool nothing better to do
than fail again and blame it on you
Sometimes I don't know how I'll ever get you back
There's so much I need to say
But you're so far away
(chorus)
Ooh Just wanna get closer
Ooh Closer to you
Ooh Just wanna get closer, closer
That's all I wanted to do
So when I wake up
I'll count every move
I need to make
To get back to you
Who knows if time can heal
All that's gone before
But in your eyes once more
Lights on a distant shore
(chorus)
They say there's a northern light
Shining out there
They say there's a happy life
Who can tell me where
They say that love can fly
Like smoke in the air
I don't care what they say
When you're so far away
Ooh Just wanna get closer
Ooh Closer to you
Ooh Just wanna get closer, closer
That's all I wanted to do
Just to be close to you
song performed by by Johnny Hates Jazz
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Swags Up!
Swags up! and yet I turn upon the way.
The yellow hill against a dapple sky,
With tufts and clumps of thorn, the bush whereby
All through the wonder-pregnant night I lay
Until the silver stars were merged in grey
Our fragrant camp, demand a parting sigh:
New tracks, new camps, and hearts for ever high,
Yet brief regret with every welcome day.
Dear dreamy earth, receding flickering lamp,
Dear dust wherein I found this night a home,
Still for a memory's sake I turn and cling,
Then take the road for many a distant camp,
Among what hills, by what pale whispering foam,
With eager faith for ever wandering.
poem by John Le Gay Brereton
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Last Day Of Military Leave
I returned early from pass to the camp
at Natal Command in Durban
right opposite the beach,
went in to stow my kit
and on that late weekend afternoon
the camp was almost empty
with only a few guards
and probably skeleton staff running it
and I drove out on my motorbike
in civilian clothes,
parking it near a cinema,
was walking to a restaurant
to have a decent meal
when a bevy of lovely girls
walked right up to me
and offered to buy me a drink or two
as it was clear that I was in the army
as my hair was short and I was young
and there were five of them
with every single one dressed in a mini skirt
or something very sexy
and I had a cider, some of them beer, champagne,
vodka martinis and whatever they fancied
and we were rather jolly
and we talked and later walked out on the beach,
seeing the setting sun, the bright rising yellow moon
and that night was really something
but when it got romantic, there were five of them
and only one of me.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Hope
When there is only mournful dark despair
shut your weary eyes and visualise
the flicker of peppered stars, now there
blazing the milky way in desert skies.
See easy light breath life in shadow shapes
as the black horizon gives way to sun.
Watch the flush of morning draw back night's drapes,
lie still, whilst final sparks in blue are done.
Linger upon the slowly rising orb,
feel warmth embolden lifeless weakened limbs,
let all the glorious heat be absorbed,
'til the dawn chorus in your heart does sing.
Then in that moment in that tranquil space
let expanding hope, dark despair replace.
poem by Diana Rosser
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Lion at the zoo
Golden eyes full of death
stares back at me
and I can almost smell,
the scent of meat
on it’s breath.
One of its paws strikes threatening
while the yellow-brown tail swishes to and thro
and I see a row of deadly nails spiked in it.
It’s ivory white teeth
glitters in the sunlight,
when it opens its jaws.
a Thundering roar close to me
let the hairs on my arms rise
and I see the pink inside of its mouth.
.
It paces up and down
and keeps on watching me and there’s symmetry
in every step that it takes.
When it walks away
I see a black spot at the end of its tail
and it disappears into the long grass.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Have To Leave
I came to camp here
On the riverside
Overlooking the mountain
Where I would say ho
And it would reverberate.
I had no companion
Till every morning
The birds woke me up
And made friends
I had no lover
Till the moon's silver
Crowned the ripples
And made love
I never knew
When quietly they came
And dug into me!
Now I don't want to
Leave the camp
My dreams don't spin
Tales of other world anymore!
I came to camp here
I have to wind up and leave.
poem by Pradip Chattopadhyay
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The Wild Wild Sea
I saw it again this evening,
Black sail in a pale yellow sky
And just as before in a moment,
It was gone where the grey gulls fly
If it should happen again I shall worry
That only a strange ship could fly
And my sanity scans the horizon
In the light of a darkening sky
That night as I walked in my slumber
I walked into the sea strand
And I swam with the moon and her lover
Until I lost sight of the land
I swam till the night became morning
Black sea in the reddening sky
Found myself on the deck on a rolling ship
So far where no grey gulls fly
All around me was silence
As if mocking my frail human hopes
And a question mark hung in the canvas
For the wind that had died in the ropes
I may have slept for an hour
I may have slept for a day
For a woke in a bed of white linen
And the sky was the colour of clay
At first just a rustle of canvas
And the gentlest breath on my face
But a galloping line of white horses
Said that soon we were in for a race
The gentle sigh turned to a howling
And the grey sky she angered to black
And my anxious eyes searched the horizon
With the gathering sea at my back
Did I see the shade of a sailor
On the bridge through the wheelhouse pane
Held fast to the wheel of the rocking ship
As I squinted my eyes in the rain
For the ship had turned into the wind
Against the storm to brace
And underneath the sailors hat
I saw my fathers face
If a prayer today is spoken
Please offer it for me
When the bridge to heaven is broken
And youve lost on the wild wild sea
Lost on the wild wild sea...
song performed by by Sting
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Readjustment Blues
(Danoff)
Just out of the infantry this morning, I had to pay my dues across the sea.
No one back in boot camp ever warned me
what the readjustment blues would do to me.
"Welcome to Havannah", said the pilot.
"We must have made a wrong turn on the way.
Let's buy some cigars and keep it quiet,
if they don't know we're here we'll get away."
Just as I had realized he was joking, I saw we were in Washington D.C.
'Cause there was all the patriotic buildings, just like I had seen them on TV.
It must have been a holiday, 'cause there was this parade.
People carried signs, I couldn't read, that they had made
'Till I got closer and my heart fell to my socks,
there was a battle raging and the air was filled with teargas and rocks.
There was the flag I'd fought against so often,
the one I fought for hanging upside down.
The wind was blowing hard, the dirt was flying,
it made the city sky look dark and brown.
I saw a girl, she could have been my sister,
except her hair was long and in her face.
She explained this was a demonstration against the war and for the human race.
Now, I've seen a lot of strange things in my travels. Cannibals, yes, and aliens galore.
But I never thought I'd see so many people saying we don't want your war!
The troops all had on uniforms just like the one I'd worn,
but they were all domestic and my duty chose war.
They carried guns just like the ones across the sea,
except this time, I was the citizen, and they were pointing their guns at me.
Yes, I was just a citizen, and I was walking down the street,
And it was just that night, the readjustment blues got through to me.
song performed by by John Denver
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The frost dragon
While the dark night chills the earth
it creeps sneaking in
with breath caressing the ground
covering with the kiss of death.
Like a ghoul gliding phantom like
with blue white icy eyes hovering
and nowhere it leaves tracks,
the icy dragon shakes its head,
blowing vapour ice,
freezing where it lands
like summer dew
but for its icy heart
that injures and sometimes kills.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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