Under sights
A terrorist was on top of
the tall white water tower
of the military camp
poisoning the drinking water,
or so we thought.
I was on guard as a roaming picket
and the radio cracked
and told me
to get the enemy
on top of the water tower
under sights.
Just more than a section
of other troops on guard
gathered with me
and we spread out
and circled the tower
and hit cover where we could.
For a moment the dark figure
look ominous where he stood
next to the steel ladder
in the darkness of that moonless night.
We were ready to shoot
and were instructed to wait,
just before a spotlight
almost made him jump
over the edge.
There was no terrorist
that looked down at us,
just a military cook
trying to take his own life.
One troop said
“lets help him
and get it over with”
and I could almost
feel him pull the trigger
but like steel my voice said
“stand down”
and a military psychiatrist
got him calm
while troops climbed the tower
and lowered him on a rope
and I wonder to this day
what left that soldier
totally out of hope?
poem by Gert Strydom
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Related quotes
That Tower Standing Tall
A dark tower standing tall,
Amoung the open plane,
Mocks the understanding,
But wallows in the pain,
What life is known of this,
What stories can be told,
Of this dark towers life,
And what his sights behold
The tower can see everything,
From land, to sky, to moon,
What dark gestures show in this,
That we will know soon,
For god saw,
But does not always see,
What the dark tower has,
But soon,
That is what things will be.
poem by Jessica Patenaude
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Mickey M'Grew
It was just like everything else in life:
Something outside myself drew me down,
My own strength never failed me.
Why, there was the time I earned the money
With which to go away to school,
And my father suddenly needed help
And I had to give him all of it.
Just so it went till I ended up
A man-of-all-work in Spoon River.
Thus when I got the water-tower cleaned,
And they hauled me up the seventy feet,
I unhooked the rope from my waist,
And laughingly flung my giant arms
Over the smooth steel lips of the top of the tower --
But they slipped from the treacherous slime,
And down, down, down, I plunged
Through bellowing darkness!
poem by Edgar Lee Masters
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A Tower Name
The Lord’s name
Power name
A tower name
A strong name
And power-tower name
A strong tower, the name
A safe place, the name
Good in every situation, the name
Has unmatched power, the name
And a place of fortification, the name
When spiritually attacked, to the name run
When the past foibles clouds the mind, to the name run
When disappointed, to the name run
When failure cripples in, to the name run
And when tempted, to the name run
In the name, security
In the name, safety
In the name, peace
In the name, strong power
And in the name, a strong tower
A strong tower, strong refuge
A strong tower, stout defense
A strong tower, powerful protection
A strong tower, shield from the past
And a strong tower, enemy at bay to put
Whatever enemy offensive, call the name
Like Joseph, make a dash to the name
So portable, so wherever, the tower name
A refuge from doubt, selfishness, malice
And a shelter from slenderness, loneliness, envy and the like
So as the devil launches attack
A run to the tower name make
Call upon the power name
Stay in the power-tower
And watch him, sulking away
The Bible assures us: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Prov.18: 10, KJV) .
poem by Obed Akuma
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Thunder In The Tower
Well, the lightning flashed at midnight
And the dogs did howl along
You dont believe it - unless youve seen it
It was the night the thunder broke
There is no more creation
No room for good - no hope
You better cry for salvation - as
The reaper dangled by the rope
A scream for help - the morning after
Theyd equalised the score
And in their minds - theres only laughter
A smile - without a cause
And there was thunder in the tower
As the cat crept out
There was thunder in the tower
Theres no escape - no doubt
Its been the night the birds were silent
And the town was deadly still
A curling lip - an icy grip
n bony fingers that can kill
Assembling in the tower
The payment bloody high
They tried to cheat their final hour
Hes gonna get them eye to eye
Bridge
And there was thunder in the tower
Screaming silence in the air
There was thunder in the tower
Awesome power evrywhere
And there was thunder in the tower
They didnt care its right or wrong
There was thunder in the tower
And the reaper came along
Chorus
song performed by by U. D. O.
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Tower Of London
Let me take you to trafalgar square
Let me take you there
Every streets a fashion catwalk
Everyones debonair
Let me take you to piccadilly
Guess it leads somewhere
Tower over centuries, tower over london
Tower up and frankly Im amazed
Whats done cannot be undone, not here not in london
Whats done can never be erased
So, tower up! - its those little things
Make life interesting- tower of london!
Tower up! - wasting time
Yours and mine - tower of london!
Hip london! hip london!
Let me take you to st.jamess square
Let me groove you there
Diplomats get target practice
In the open air
Psychobillies scream blue murder
Then they hit mayfair
Tower over centuries, tower over london
Tower up and frankly Im amazed
Whats done cannot be undone, not here not in london
Whats done can never be erased
So, tower up! - its those little things
Make life interesting- tower of london!
Tower up! - wasting time
Precious time - tower of london!
Tower up! Ill meet you there
Ill be there - tower of london
New york! - dont make me laugh
Ive seen photographs - tower of london...
song performed by by Abc
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Cloudy Day
It is windy today. A wall of wind crashes against,
windows clunk against, iron frames
as wind swings past broken glass
and seethes, like a frightened cat
in empty spaces of the cellblock.
In the exercise yard
we sat huddled in our prison jackets,
on our haunches against the fence,
and the wind carried our words
over the fences,
while the vigilant guard on the tower
held his cap at the sudden gust.
I could see the main tower from where I sat,
and the wind in my face
gave me the feeling I could grasp
the tower like a cornstalk,
and snap it from its roots of rock.
The wind plays it like a flute,
this hollow shoot of rock.
The brim girded with barbwire
with a guard sitting there also,
listening intently to the sounds
as clouds cover the sun.
I thought of the day I was coming to prison,
in the back seat of a police car,
hands and ankles chained, the policeman pointed,
“See that big water tank? The big
silver one out there, sticking up?
That’s the prison.”
And here I am, I cannot believe it.
Sometimes it is such a dream, a dream,
where I stand up in the face of the wind,
like now, it blows at my jacket,
and my eyelids flick a little bit,
while I stare disbelieving. . . .
The third day of spring,
and four years later, I can tell you,
how a man can endure, how a man
can become so cruel, how he can die
or become so cold. I can tell you this,
I have seen it every day, every day,
and still I am strong enough to love you,
love myself and feel good;
even as the earth shakes and trembles,
and I have not a thing to my name,
I feel as if I have everything, everything.
poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca
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Time After Time
Ask the girl of the hour by the water tower's watch
If your friends took a fall, are you obligated to follow
Time after time after time
when the bull's on his hooves, when you gather friends by the tower
If you try to refuse, will they judge your worth by the hour?
If your tired and you're tried you can find me in my room
You can stay if you want and the third time you can't lose
Ask the girl of the hour, by the water tower's watch
We can fight if you want but who will turn out the light
song performed by by REM
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ben Boyd's Tower
Ben Boyd's Tower is watching—
Watching o’er the sea;
Ben Boyd’s Tower is waiting
For her and me.
We do not know the day,
We do not know the hour,
But we know that we shall meet
By Ben Boyd’s Tower.
Moonlight peoples Boyd Tower,
Mystic are its walls;
Lightly dance the lovers
In its haunted halls.
Ben Boyd’s Tower is watching—
Watching o’er the foam;
Ben Boyd’s Tower is waiting
Till the “Wanderer” comes home.
O! he lay above us—
High above the surf—
Finger-nails and toe-caps
Digging in the turf.
We do not know the day,
We do not know the hour,
But Two and Two shall meet again
By Ben Boyd’s Tower.
There’s an ancient dame in Eden—
Basket on her arm—
And she goes down the Main Street
From the old, old farm.
Hood drawn on her forehead—
Withered dame and grey—
She never looks on Boyd Tower
Out across the Bay.
Bright eyes in the ballroom,
Coquetting with two,
Just for love of mischief,
As a girl will do.
A quarrel in the bar-room—
All within the hour—
And four men rode from Boyd Town
To Ben Boyd’s Tower.
poem by Henry Lawson
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Tower Erupted
A tower erupts suddenly, it is volcano.
Severing ties with kin and soldier,
Breaking the bonds of slavery with civilisation.
The towers are full of people, the artless;
Yet the listening acts are made
For the emancipation of those same people.
Those with love are also in fondness, audacity,
Happening right, events are stations of the soul.
When the tower erupted we found treasures
Of sensible life, the tower was in flames.
Authority is a book of the best ostrich,
The weird yourself, never in sensible life.
poem by Naveed Akram
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Tower of Souls
How tall is this tower
Filled to the brim
More and more each hour
Every new soul, Each grim.
I stand outside looking in
How soon before I'm inside looking out
No soul as I, full of sin
Wants to shout.
Does this tower expand
To allow others in
No room to stand
Like waste into a bin
Dark clouds overhead
Thunder rolls, lightening strikes
No rest, or sweet dreams in bed
Toss and turn, the devil likes.
'Roll up, roll up' the devil cries
'Something for everyone'
He shouts with no shame for his lies
So many souls, but you'r still alone.
Driving rain and tempest
Do you shelter at the tower?
When your mind is weakest
He calls every hour.
poem by Robert Green
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My confidence in General Grant was not entirely due to the brilliant military successes achieved by him, but there was a moral as well as military basis for my faith in him. He had shown his single-mindedness and superiority to popular prejudice by his prompt cooperation with President Lincoln in his policy of employing colored troops, and his order commanding his soldiers to treat such troops with due respect. In this way he proved himself to be not only a wise general, but a great man.
quote by Frederick Douglass
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Life Of A Salesman
What's a dad for dad?
Tell me why I'm here dad
Whisper in my ear that I'm growing up to be a better man, dad
Everything is fine dad
Proud that you are mine dad
Cause I know I'm growing up to be a better man
Father I will always be
That same boy that stood by the sea
And watched you tower over me
Now I'm older I wanna be the same as you
What's a dad for dad?
Taught me how to stand, dad
Took me by the hand and you showed me how to be a bigger man, dad
Listen when you talk, dad
Follow where you walk, dad
And you know that I will always do the best I can
I can
Father I will always be (always be)
That same boy that stood by the sea
And watched you tower over me (over me)
Now I'm older I wanna be the same as you
The same as you
Father I will always be
That same boy that stood by the sea
And watched you tower over me
Now I'm older I wanna be the same as you
When I am a dad, dad x2
I'm gonna be a good dad x2
Do the best you could, dad x2
Always understood, dad x2
Tell me I was right, dad x2
Opened up my eyes, dad x2
Glad to call you my, dad x2
Thank you for my dad x2
song performed by by Yellowcard
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Life Of A Salesman
What's a dad for dad?
Tell me why I'm here dad
Whisper in my ear that I'm growing up to be a better man, dad
Everything is fine dad
Proud that you are mine dad
Cause I know I'm growing up to be a better man
Father I will always be
That same boy that stood by the sea
And watched you tower over me
Now I'm older I wanna be the same as you
What's a dad for dad?
Taught me how to stand, dad
Took me by the hand and you showed me how to be a bigger man, dad
Listen when you talk, dad
Follow where you walk, dad
And you know that I will always do the best I can
I can
Father I will always be (always be)
That same boy that stood by the sea
And watched you tower over me (over me)
Now I'm older I wanna be the same as you
The same as you
Father I will always be
That same boy that stood by the sea
And watched you tower over me
Now I'm older I wanna be the same as you
When I am a dad, dad x2
I'm gonna be a good dad x2
Do the best you could, dad x2
Always understood, dad x2
Tell me I was right, dad x2
Opened up my eyes, dad x2
Glad to call you my, dad x2
Thank you for my dad x2
song performed by by Yellowcard
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sinking..
Down in the water
By the edge of the river
where I ponder my life
just how did I get to this
Down in the water
By the edge of the river
where the waterfall of dreams
sweeps away what’s left to the abyss
Down in the water
by the edge of the river
where time stands still
Just only forever.
Down in the water
by the edge of the river
where I buried all
that was ever childhood
Where I let it go,
where it bends and meanders,
twisting along as the years went past.
Seemingly calm, but screaming beneath the surface
were its hidden whirlpools, a sweeping current
Down in the water,
I left the edge of the river,
as I looked down
for my soul at the bottom.
Deep in the water
Swept away by the river
I drowned in life,
......sinking forever.
poem by Deep Dark Soul Poet
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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
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On the Road to Chicago
I sit on the Water Tower waiting
chapped hands in a visor over my eyes
looking toward Durham
hoping I see
you in that gossamer gown
on the road to Chicago.
I don't care if you stop
by Confederate streams
to pick phallic rocks
so long as you rise
release all your hair
and float on to Chicago.
No more will I sit
on the Water Tower waiting.
I'd rather go blind
than see through the sun
you in that gown
ascend in the air
pirouette in the wind
giggle again and
float back to Durham.
poem by Donal Mahoney
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Looking for Water
Still the leaves are spinning 'round
Take my hand as we go down, and down, and down
Looking for water
Well, our light's gone in a New York minute
Don't know about you, but my heart's not in it
(Looking, looking, looking)
I'm looking for water
I'm looking for water
(Looking, looking, looking)
I can't breathe the air, can't raise a fact
'Cause all we've got left is a beat in the night, and I'm
(Looking for water)
Looking for water
(Looking for water)
(Looking, looking)
Take my hand as we go down, and down
Leave it all behind, nothing could be found
(I'm, looking for water)
I'm looking for water
(Looking for water)
(Looking, looking)
(I, looking for water)
Looking everywhere
(Looking for water)
Looking here and there
(I'm looking for water)
I'm looking for water
(Looking for water)
(Looking, looking)
I can't live in this cage, I can't eat this candy
The edge of the earth to the spin in my head
The look in your eyes and never means never
The dawn's early light, baby, dark is forever
(Looking, looking)
(Looking, looking)
(Looking for water)
(Looking, looking)
I
(Looking for water)
(Looking for water)
(Looking, looking)
I
(Looking for water)
(Looking for water)
(Looking, looking)
I
(Looking for water)
(Looking for watter)
Looking, looking)
I
(Looking for water)
(Looking for watter)
Looking, looking)
I
(Looking for water)
(Looking for watter)
song performed by by David Bowie, music by David Bowie, lyrics by David Bowie from Reality
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Seamless war
Every soldier is a willing terrorist
Waiting only for the order to come
To pull the trigger on someone
And throw granites at another one.
Every terrorist is a forced soldier
Waiting to annihilates the suppression
And free the people of their love
From the wilderness in the civilization.
What matters here is both kills
One claims to kill to defense
Another claim to kill to free
At the end both become the losers
And innocent people gather tears in their eyes.
Guns and granites is no peace matters
Once they are touched forever follows the fear
Every second each one dies in freezing heat
That boils the heart and soul and conscience.
Rights is what the terrorist is fighting for
Might is what the soldier is given
When the soldier dies, he dies and gains
When a terrorist dies, he dies in vain
Yet each has the essential supports
The soldier’s essence is to defend
While the terrorist break the fence.
Be it in defense
Or a wave in defiance
The earth is wet again and again
With the blood of human agony
And again the people gather tears in their eyes.
That which lives so far
Through the many wars
Are not man and his will
But the guns that kill.
Open the eyes my brothers
The soldier and the terrorist,
We can’t cup the water in both palms
And walk a hundred miles to quench the dying souls
Its next to our feet, we shall bow and lift the humanity.
©cyclopseven. All rights reserved 031207.
poem by cyclopseven Ram
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At the beginning, Lincoln was so inexperienced he had reverence for military expertise, not realizing that there wasn't any military expertise, that the most anybody had commanded up to that point had been somebody, some troops in the Mexican War, and it had been years ago.
quote by David Herbert Donald
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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We want to look at how we would respond because, as hard as we work to prevent terrorist attacks here North America, if we have a catastrophic terrorist attack, it is the military that is going to have to go in at the request of civilian authorities.
quote by Paul Cellucci
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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