Seen from the sky
Farms lie patched in blocks
of brown and green squares
with maize and sunflower
and other crops.
There are houses and silos
like castles protecting
here and there
with windmills
standing like bishops
wailing against the wind
guarding waterholes
and farmers, workers
and cattle, sheep
and other animals
like knights
and pawns everywhere
and God plays
against the evil foe
on a giant chessboard
seen in mid game.
Buildings, pivot points, tractors
men and animals
and everything below
becomes insignificant and miniature
and specs in time and space
and the board never ends
and stretches without boundaries
on past the next horizon
to continents across the globe
to include anywhere
and at times
life and death balances
on where destiny falls
or the next move
if there is one at all.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Chess
Bishops, Kings and Queens unite
upon a squared board black and white,
surround themselves with castles, find
four pairs of pawns to sit behind,
then each side, reinforced by knight,
prepares for battle day and night.
Eight squares by eight make up the field,
the pawns advance until they yield,
as one by one all victims fall
to an advance they cannot stall.
Attacks repelled, a feint concealed,
till mate King's final fate has sealed.
poem by Jonathan Robin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Dinka, the good neighbours
Are the most peace-loving lions
Are the most war-loving lions
On the globe in past, present and future
If you’ are more peaceful animals
They are the most peaceful animals
If you more warlike animals
They are the most warlike animals
They love Caucasians, Negroes and Mongolians
But they hate cattle rushers of any race
They love all others animals
But they hate cattle eating animals
They love war like men love women
They hate war like mankind hate
Hunger/diseases/ thirsty
If you provocate /declare war on
They dance to the tune of the song
They don’t forget for million years
About a grudge/ war
Grudge doesn’t finish in their mind
War doesn’t woodworm
Children are borne for grudge
Be peaceful to them and they will be peaceful to you
Be violent to them and they will be violent to you
They like joking sport spears and run game with buffaloes, elephants etc.
poem by David Aoloch Bion
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The Jump
He is standing at the open door of the aircraft
and see his life flashing past,
while strong winds are pulling
on his face and jacket
and the light keeps on flashing green
and somebody taps him on the shoulder.
It’s like a explorer
walking into an new world,
with the earth rushing past beneath him
and he is almost above the horizon.
It’s as if for moments
he is hanging and feeling insignificant
and he is thought struck
while he falls at terminal velocity,
the wind is whistling in his ears
and it is then that he locks his thoughts,
knowing that man is but paltry
and seconds drags on like hours
before he pulls the string,
the parachute rushes open,
breaking his fall with force
and he is gliding like an eagle
while he’s riding the wind,
getting breathtaking views
of the scenery
that stretches out far below him,
drawing a picture
up to the horizon.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Animals
I know what I need I need you
I cant see nothin else all I can see is you
I dont care what they say about my state of mind
I know whats good for me and you are just my kind
We are animals we are animals we are animals we are animals
I know what I want I want you
Shed your cloths forget your codes
You know this is nothing new
I smell your scent I taste your sweat
I feel this passion too
Lets trust our senses not our minds
Lets break all the rules
We are animals we are animals
We are animals we are animals
We are animals
We are animals
Come with me run with me leave this world behind
Come to me come with me I know that we will find
We are animals we are animals
We are animals we are animals
We are animals
We are animals
(m.charlton)
Copyright 1989 elgin music
song performed by by Nazareth
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Drought
Right through the veldt the grass are dried out yellow,
almost everything under the eye,
the sun burns trees and bushes,
whirlwinds blow red dust clouds high into the air
and it looks as if every bush and tree is stripped of leaves,
the sky is blue and open with all clouds missing
on farms cattle, bucks and sheep are bellowing and bleating
and farmers come to a confession
that all things comes from the hand of God, gather in towns
where they admit the dependence of man
where everything comes to a halt
and they pray to God for rain.
Even the most prominent people pray
while atheists sit in the bars
drinking tot after tot while moaning about the heat
and on the horizon lightning slams down white
while it’s pressing hot clouds gather
before a enormous rainstorm erupts,
a thunderbolt falls on the porch of a bar
rain rattles on the zinc roof
the thirsty red dust flies into the air with big drops falling,
are filled overnight with knee high green grass
and the animals that are feeding in the fields
go plumb to the markets.
poem by Gert Strydom
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The Game Of Chess
Red knights, brown bishops, bright queens,
Striking the board, falling in strong ‘L's of
colour.
Reaching and striking in angles,
holding lines in one colour.
This board is alive with light;
these pieces are living in form,
Their moves break and reform the pattern:
luminous green from the rooks,
Clashing with ‘X's of queens,
looped with the knight-leaps.
‘Y' pawns, cleaving, embanking!
Whirl ! Centripetal ! Mate ! King down in the
vortex,
Clash, leaping of bands, straight strips of hard
colour,
Blocked lights working in. Escapes. Renewal of
contest.
poem by Ezra Pound
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Previously Intellingent Mammals
There are some animals
that they grow up very slow.
They believe that this world
is made and turns only around them.
That the joy and happiness
must be the only purpose of their life.
That if they want to survive
they must exterminate all the other animals.
That the life is very short
and unique to be somebody patient.
There are some animals that don't
accept death as a part of their life.
Some of them wish to be another animal
A stronger animal, more clever, better looking.
There are some animals
that they live very different
from all the other animals
Call them.....................man.
poem by Constantinos Grigoriadis
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Chess Like That? (Mumbai 2008)
Just another round of the chess game
Rooks and bishops fall dead on the board
Apolitical horses have gone lame
As the dead count to a hundred soared
Black and white squares are now bloody red
Grieve for the pawns who've been blown up dead
Regroup, restart, this political game
Plot a quick 'rechauffe' of the same
And then fix a duel of nuclear kings-
For aren't your motives, just a chess thing?
-
(Written December 10,2008 Tarlac City Philippines)
poem by Cynthia Buhain-Baello
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At the zoo
There are street hawkers
selling their wares
next to a wall build
of rocks and stone
on all sides of the entrance.
Carved wooden walking sticks
african faces in black wood,
grass brooms, pottery,
hats and t-shirts
and African drums
and paintings line the sidewalk.
Light pink flamingos
parade next to their dark brown pool
and walk among long palm trees
while they call to each other.
Some white swans
drift on a lake in the park
and catch something to eat
with dipping heads
from the dark water.
a Couple of elephant throw
red-brown sand
over themselves
and their pleated skin
looks like rough sandpaper
and at the back
there’s an old white farmstead
with a green roof
and some hay
for them to eat.
Some spotted Hyenas
swim in a stream
and their dark brown
dots stand out
against their light coats.
There’s some long walkways
going through gardens
that stretch into the distance..
Just the head and back
of a lonely Hippopotamus
rises from a dark brown pool
and it drifts with its nose
under the water
in the direction
of some other Hippopotamuses.
Some bridges run
over the small stream
of the Apies river
which splash over rocks.
a Blue crane
combs its blue-grey coat
next to a striped Kudu cow
that grazes on the green grass
with the Kudu bull watching
the visitors.
a Big brown bear
walks up a rock slope
and splashes in cold pool.
Some Impalas are gathering
on a rocky slope
and a narrow path
stretches up the wooded hill.
A Tiger lies sleeping
under a tree
and two black-backed jackals
stand grinning next to each other.
There are yellow-gold lions
that hides in the long green grass
and a slim female
with two cubs
steps out and watches
and the big male
comes out with a twisting tail
and roars menacing at the crowd
while one of the keepers
are giving them meat.
There’s a great view of the buildings
of Pretoria from the top
of the hill
and some high rises
and towers jump up
into the sky.
I take a cable car
for the long way down
and see the Union buildings
far in the distance
and miniature animals
flash by on the bottom.
A Leopard growls
when I leave the cable car
and I hear the calls
of some black Chacma Baboons.
Some African Buffalo
stand grazing like cattle
and a Rhino
lies stretched out
on the grass.
Some of the gamekeepers
are feeding a giraffe
and it stretches its neck
over a high wall
and time catches me
and something of the animals
stays with me
when I walk back to the car.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Ballad for the Forgotten Workers
down by the river, down on the street,
past the empty factory buildings,
smokestacks that no longer smoke.
past the run down tenements,
past the vacant store fronts.
to fires that dont burn, and...
...engines that dont stroke.
down the road, leaving the city behind,
there's miles and miles of fields,
stone silent and turning brown.
tractors rusting in the sun,
a bucket by the well...
old house lies empty, falling down.
the sea of hands lost forever;
red and white, brown, and black.
headstones in the parking lots,
but they're never coming back.
built your cities, built your country,
plowed your fields, fed your hungry.
thrown away in your quest for power...
but their names mark the hours!
(steel workers, no more steel!
teachers, no more books!
farmers in the food lines,
no carpenters, no cooks.
cotton mills moved to Asia,
we cant even make tables and chairs.
no time clocks and no paychecks, ...
... nobody really cares!)
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Eid-Ul-Azha
The custom of sacrificing halal animals
On the day of Eid-Ul-Azha
Derives from a fact of
Prophet Abraham and Prophet Ismael
Which is known to many people
Across the globe.
God can take away from you
Any time He wants
Your parents, your brothers and sisters
Your children and your friends
He can even torture them to death
Before your very nose
God is kinder and crueler
Than human beings
Although His kindness
Is many times more
Than His cruelty
That’s why
We should sacrifice halal animals
In order to please Him
On the day of Eid-Ul-Azha.
poem by Asif Andalib
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For at the same time many people seem eager to extend the circle of our moral consideration to animals, in our factory farms and laboratories we are inflicting more suffering on more animals than at any time in history.
quote by Michael Pollan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Love Among The Cannibals
Love among the cannibals, love among the cannibals
Love among the cannibals
I heard you sing about love, but that was a long time ago
I was one of the ones who believed your lies, now your true colors show
So we stand upon the grave of the promises you made
With nowhere left to hide and no more alibis
Dark teeth, bite deep - better not turn your back
No show, move slow - remember to cover your tracks - get back!
Love among the cannibals (eat my heart out), two-faced animals
Love among the cannibals (I wanna stand and shout) two-faced animals
I move alone in the dark, feelin too weak to fight
Cause I know the dream is about to die, in the dim and dusty light
Where the river used to roll a caravan of souls
Move naked and alone, shining like a bone
Night falls, skin crawls - darkness everywhere
Too much bad blood - nobody seems to care - beware!
Love among the cannibals (eat my heart out), two-faced animals
Love (oh) among the cannibals
Love among the cannibals (love), two-faced animals
Love (love) among the cannibals, two-faced animals.
song performed by by Starship
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Man Gave Names To All The Animals
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.
He saw an animal that liked to growl,
Big furry paws and he liked to howl,
Great big furry back and furry hair.
Ah, think Ill call it a bear.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.
He saw an animal up on a hill
Chewing up so much grass until she was filled.
He saw milk comin out but he didnt know how.
Ah, think Ill call it a cow.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.
He saw an animal that liked to snort,
Horns on his head and they werent too short.
It looked like there wasnt nothin that he couldnt pull.
Ah, think Ill call it a bull.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.
He saw an animal leavin a muddy trail,
Real dirty face and a curly tail.
He wasnt too small and he wasnt too big.
Ah, think Ill call it a pig.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.
Next animal that he did meet
Had wool on his back and hooves on his feet,
Eating grass on a mountainside so steep.
Ah, think Ill call it a sheep.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.
He saw an animal as smooth as glass
Slithering his way through the grass.
Saw him disappear by a tree near a lake . . .
song performed by by Bob Dylan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Papa And His Son
small son
like a toy soccer ball
yellow and black spots
in the warm hold of
Papa the giant
to his mind
his hands are powerful
against the walls
and tall buildings
against the hot horizon
he laughs
at son who raises his hands
in total surrender
not afraid anymore
if ever he falls
Papa is the giant
his words are true
like walls and tall buildings
like strong hands
like laughter
like white teeth
like words of comfort
of horizon's assurance.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Have Mercy!
Have Mercy!
with final thoughts
i walk these streets,
past vacant buildings hallowed.
in silent mourning,
my heartbeat joining,
the concrete scarred by living.
passing strangers hurrying,
as if they had a life to return to.
while the shouts and cursing of working men,
rings inside the empty walls!
past tenemant buildings,
and unemployed stoops,
and eyes staring from windows.
dogs too hungry to bark,
squad cars passing slow,
tis the funeral of poverty.
while meth lab food stamp children,
sharpen knives against the curb.
and everything's grey, even the sounds,
the air is drunk with anger.
i caught a ride
with a trucker wired,
who mumbled slamming gears.
out into the country
once green and rich...
now brown and deserted.
fields not worked,
farm's foreclosed,
houses left to ghosts and memories.
tractors rusting in the sun,
the air is drunk with anger.
back into town,
past libraries closed,
and churches that ache with empty.
i can hear the sound
of the distant bells...
be it freedom or infinity.
past hospitals full,
and graveyards that move
with shadows in the night.
back to the small room
where i cant sleep...
where god weeps in the stillness.
America, America...
the air is drunk with anger!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Where once a hillock was
Where once a hillock was
I see bulldozers, trucks
and cranes
busy digging
deeper into the earth.
Houses and tower blocks
rise where once
plants had grown green
against that kopje
and from infinity,
were undisturbed
until man’s hand
stretched out.
No one will know
how great it looked before
buildings broke the serenity
and the rich started to dwell
in houses above the cliffs
and nothing will ever mend
the damage done.
Nature is dying,
pines away and disappears
while people
are erecting buildings almost everywhere.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Butterfly in a jar
How far can a butterfly
fly when a jar surrounds it
and see-through windows
cases it in to a place
that is just an empty space.
Crimson, blue, yellow
and green speckled unfolding wings
have no wind or breeze
to drift on
and no space
to move in.
You look like a butterfly to me
and the green and gold
of your lovely eyes
shines bright at times
and the grace
of every movement
brings dignity where ever
you are.
Still life encases you
in body soul and time
and at times I want
to set you free
and help you make
the whole world your place
to make your own destiny in.
When I see tears
in your eyes
that grows dull at times,
I want to take it all away
and give you the ability
to be really free
from the things that hurt
and help you heal
little by little
and be the person
that you are meant to be
and I truly want to love you
since you are really precious to me.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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L.O.S.T.
I got my work
I got my work
The profit of doom is walking the beach
With a psychotic breakdown cardboard sign
Everything's faked and there's nothing to teach,
And there's no point in running crying
And i'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
Evil
I walk through the filthy sterile wasteland
When i'm no good they'll dump me on a scrap heap to die
Giant american tyrannosaur,
Even the animals are running away.
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
l.o.s.t. lost
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
Evil
Evil baby
I got my work
Yeah
I walk through the filthy sterile wasteland
when i'm no good they'll dump me on a scrap heap to die
Giant american tyrannosaur,
Even the animals are running away
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
song performed by by Iggy Pop
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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An Industrial Estate
I walk through the fields laden with life,
There are flowers, bushes and trees,
They show no signs of stress or of strife,
There's wonder in the birds and bees.
The deer roam free while the fox cubs play,
The voles and mice are at rest,
An eagle overhead blocks the sunshine's ray,
This is truly how beauty's expressed.
At one with nature is how we should live,
We all have a right to survive,
Being cruel to others is hard to forgive,
Why don't we let animals thrive?
I've come back home after a long time gone,
To see where I ventured and played,
The wildlife habitat has been withdrawn,
All those animals have now been betrayed.
We cannot complain when we're overrun,
By animals seeking shelter from above,
We've stolen their land when all's said and done,
Without mercy they've been given the shove.
Where can they go when we steal their land?
The fact is we don't really care,
The way we treat animals is so underhand,
They've no time or chance to prepare.
Like us they'll try their best to exist,
Though they're living in constant fear,
Their right to live is being dismissed,
Take action now or they'll all disappear.
Those beautiful fields that I once knew,
All the animals have been left to their fate,
From their old habitat the pollution will spew,
As it's now,
‘' An Industrial Estate ‘'