The Patteran
From over the leagues of ice and snow, and the miles of scorching sand;
From back of the days of long ago, and the lonely sea and land—
To the end of the world and our Gipsy race, to the death of our dark-eyed line,
I have set the lines on my children’s palms as my fathers did on mine,
That the world shall know and my name shall glow in the light of the aftershine—
I have set the lines on my children’s palms as my fathers did on mine.
I have given them health and strength, pure blood, clear skins for a glorious youth;
I have set in their souls contempt for sham, and a deathless regard for truth;
I have bequeathed the spirit to fight, I have given the will to rise,
And the slumbering fires of Hate and Love in their dreaming, dreaming eyes.
That the world shall know and my name shall glow in the light of the aftershine,
I have set the lines on my children’s palms as my fathers did on mine.
I have given the love for their native land, wherever that land may be
(My children came from the East, my friends, and round by the Northern Sea),
And a son of a son of mine enemy, to the end of his treacherous line,
Shall be stricken to earth, if he dare but speak, by a son of a son of mine.
That the world shall know and my name shall glow in the light of the aftershine,
I have set the lines on my children’s palms as my fathers did on mine.
poem by Henry Lawson
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Related quotes
(Better) Done Than Said
(better) done than said
the sounds between the lines
of the words i speak
reminds me of the lines
i spoke in thought and trials
and the lines
within the sounds of spoken word
touched mine heart
mine dreadlocks started skanking in joy
of the music in mine thought
but til done, i thought
next to mine were time and rhythm
for less than never it were missing
the sense to do than say
and mine legs kept me in transit
mine hands touched to pick a way
whence my eyes long seen
besides, talk were amass
done; far less
than which that caught mine
til done, i do and did
done than said
the inner mine person done me
a thought to catch mine power
and grab to proceed a synergy of our
own belief to mine self and stronger
than the sounds behind the lines
of the words i speak
but from the deep lines
of the metaphor, line by talk
with mine hands holding that thought
to keep it moving and done
long before said, as done
opn01112012/0849
poem: (better) done than said
'roots of mine tree' book no.12 of 2012
november 2012
ntema's unique poetry
poem by Onalethuso Petruss Ntema
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If This World Was Mine
If this world were mine, I would stop people from killing each other.
I would give money to the poor.
If this world were mine, I would stop people from selling drugs to little kids.
If this world were mine, I would make sure that kids would go to school.
I would make sure there was enough food to eat.
If this world were mine, I would stop the war.
If this world were mine, I would make sure fathers paid child support.
If this world were mine, I would try to make this world a better place to live in.
If this world were mine, I would stop people from drinking and driving.
If this world were mine, we would all love each other as one.
poem by Bryson Garrett
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An Exhortation On Some Lines....
something is missing in your lines.
i regret to tell you that.
it does not speak well of yourself
or the world
or any moment, it is like a desert and all we have is space and
a horizon
there is even no wind to blow the sands away
i do not expect rain in the desert
but i could have seen a camel or a line of trucks or a
caravan
or even a Bedouin riding on his black horse with a scimitar
here i am again
in my worst self trying to tell you what to do so that you can be what you are
your lines are straight and too clean and that make them appear
dishonest
people love crooked lines and those that move in free directions
lines that are cold like the wind
and yet vibrant at night
not really dead, but simply grieving in silence for the loss of
someone so loved and missed.
i do not want you to change your lines, they are yours to
show,
i may be unfair wishing that your lines may be like mine
but mine are too sad and always sounding like a lover abandoned.
the beautiful lines are not clean.
they are imbued with our errors, erasures, blasting in our faces
like explosives
where shattered as we are on the fields of our disasters
only in a few seconds
we become silent spaces again.
mine are sad, and lonely and abandoned.
they are the only ones i have now, and so i must be compelled to
have them and love them
just the way they are.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Nothing But A Child
Once upon a time
In a far off land
Wise men saw a sign
And set out 'cross the sand
With songs apraised to sing
They travled day and night
With precious gifts to bring
Guided by a light
They chased a brand new star
Ever towards the west
Over mountains far
And when it came to rest
They scarse believed their eyes
They'd come so many miles
This miracle they prized
Was nothing but a child
Nothing but a child
Could wash those tears away
Or guide a weary world
Into the light of day
And nothing but a child
Could help erase those lines
So once again we all
Can be children for a while
Now all around the world
In every little town
Every day is heard
A precious little sound
And every mother kind
And every father proud
Looks down in awe to find
Another chance allowed
And nothing but a child
Could wash those tears away
Or guide a weary world
Into the light of day
And nothing but a child
Could help erase those lines
So once again we all
Can be children for a while
song performed by by Lee Ann Womack
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Yours Is Too Crude
i felt the surface
yours is crude, too superficial
but i do not mind
i keep touching it and slide
my hands around
the edges of your thing
and then i reflect upon
what i have been doing
yes, yours is more like mine
crude, superficial
straightforward, and
flowing
soft like sky blue linens
and cheap for the mindless public
but we continue doing it
day by day
truly, sincerely, and
therapeutically
what we do
does not kill us anyway
in any way
we have found expression
in words
and pity (and love perhaps?)
yet look at us
we do not appear as beggars
wearing dark glasses
and holding a tin can on our hands
we are here
to speak but i guess
we never beg
for ears
we have legs to stand
throughout this agony
and then the children
come around us
wondering if we are humans
confused if they too shall be like us
everyday we keep repeating
what we are
and then the world knows
but keeps on spinning
the morning light still lands
on the lines of our open palms
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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The Blessings Of Children
Children of mine
You will always be safe
In the kingdom of God
Children of mine
You are the light of the world
poem by Aldo Kraas
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We Are The Children Of The World
(p. castro/m.a. kelly)
Waiting on the wings
On the wings of time
Wonder whats to come
And what we will find
Dancing on a dream
In the magic of our mind
Reaching for the sun
As long as it shines
Living day to day
While were on our way
Well find were already there
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
Underneath the blue
In a solitary light
Guiding by a star
A star in the night
The enemy we see
Is the enemy inside
Knowing we can win
Without knowing why
Wed be lost in hope
While we search for more
We find were already there
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
How many times do we look to the sky
Knowing weve nothing to lose
We are the children who wanted to fly
Now we can fly to the moon
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Mistake
it was a different thing that you see
from that you feel
a war between the bulge of the eyes
and the pumps of the heart
the lines of the palms are clear
nobody wants to mind now
in the middle of too much desire
it is the heart that wins
slashing the blinks of the wondering eyes
the lines of the palms are clear
there is no doubt
the heart bleeds upon its mistake
and begins to remember the veils
and the sonorous sounds of the funeral bells of
the little town
the lines of the palms are clear
there is no doubt about it
at the end every part shall accept the fate
no regret
once again the self rides upon the wings of destiny
until the final word of the years rest
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Mine All Mine
Forgive me father
For I have sinned
Ive been through hell and back again
Shook hands with the devil
Looked him in the eye
Looked like a long lost friend
Anything you want
Any dirty deeds
Hes got everything
Except what I really need
Keepin me temporarily satisfied
But not one thing I tried
Filled me up inside
Or felt like mine
Mine, all mine
Yeah, the search goes on
The more I look
My world keeps getting smaller
Staring at the sun
Searchin for the light
Almost ended up blinded
Some only see
What they want to see
Claiming victory
Oh, but thats not me
Give me truth
Give me something real
I just want to feel
Like its
Mine, all mine
Oh really mine, all mine
Come on give me something
Something thats mine, all mine, all mine
Mine, all mine
All the words on the wall
Look the same in the mirror
Every riddle
Every clue
You got allah in the east
You got jesus in the west
Christ, whats a man to do?
Theyll find a cure for anything
Just kill the pain
Numb my brain
We see a man
Speaking the word of god
Provin to be a fraud
His own church applauds
Stop lookin out
Start lookin in
Be your own best friend
Stand up and say
Hey! this is mine
All mine, all mine, all mine
Baby, you got something
And I got something
And its mine, all mine, all mine
Mine, all mine
Mine, all mine
Yes, Im searching
Mine, all mine
Got to have it
Mine, all mine
Mine, all mine
song performed by by Van Halen
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Firing-Line
They are creeping on through the cornfields yet, and they clamber amongst the rocks,
Ere they rush to stab with the bayonet and smash with the rifle-stocks.
And many are wounded, many are dead—some reel as if drunk with wine,
And fling them down on a blood-stained bed, and sleep in the firing-line.
And they dream, perhaps, of the days shut back, while the shrapnel shrieks and crashes,
And field-guns hammer and rifles crack, and the blood of a comrade splashes.
In horrible shambles they rest a while from murder by right divine;
They curse or jest, and they frown or smile—and they dream in the firing-line.
In the dreadful din of a ghastly fight they are shooting, murdering, men;
In the smothering silence of ghastly peace we murder with tongue and pen.
Where is heard the tap of the typewriter—where the track of reform they mine—
Where they stand to the frame or the linotype—we are all in the firingline.
Weary and parched in the world-old war we are fighting with quivering nerves;
The dead are our fathers who charged before, and the children are our reserves.
In the world-old war, with the world-old wrongs that shall last while the stars still shine,
My comrades and I, who would sing their songs, are all in the firing-line.
There are some of us cowards who hug the ground, and some of us reckless who jest;
And some of us careless who slumber sound, and some of us weary who rest.
There are some of us dreamers, whose beds seem soft, and O heart! O friend of mine!
The brightest and bravest of earth too oft lie drunk in the firing-line.
But the sleeper may wake ere the fort we storm, and the coward be first to dare,
And the weak grow strong, and the drunkard reform, and the dreamer strike hardest there.
God give me strength in my country’s need, though shame and disgrace be mine,
And death be certain, to rise and lead when we charge from the firing-line.
poem by Henry Lawson
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My Children
I really love my children very much
Sometimes I myself wonder how much
And I also do keep pondering over,
The why…s of loving them so much :)
I know a mother loving her progeny
Is very much a universal phenomenon
Innate and natural, this nurturance
It is not quite a mystery as such;
Yet it mesmerises me as much ;)
I cherish having them in my life
They are God’s unique gifts to me
A deep bonding I share with them
The relationship is a precious treasure
As much as for them, as for me…
It is an unfathomable and
Ubiquitous experience…
For me, as well as, for
All “have been” and all
‘mothers-to-be’
Wish it so happens
The world becomes
A better place for all
Parents and their children.
For mothering moms
And doting fathers
Striving to see their
Progenies, ever smiling :))))
Ever succeeding, in all their
Missions of Life.
Need this Earth to be
A happier place
For my children
And for the precious little ones
And the growing ones
Of mothers and fathers
Who always wish
That their offsprings
Survive, sustain and thrive
In a safe haven of paradise
Sans the perils they faced.
Wonder, if once and for all,
History won’t repeat itself?
Or if it does, may the good
Remembrances and Reminiscences
Be there always…
For our children on this earth.
And the bad memories causing hurt
And pain aplenty -
Be erased away from these
Torch-bearers of tomorrow
So that they rise and shine
Like the effervescent Sun
Of bright, glorious days.
And even if they have to set,
May they be –
Like the setting sun’s
Reddish warm glow
Touching the deepest core
Of our hearts and our minds
As we relax and rewind
In the refreshing sea-breeze
Healing us with the holistic views
Of that majestic Sun
Receding for the day
For its slumber in the
Drifting waves of the sea.
To rise up again Refreshed
And buoyant with its contagiously
Electrifying Energy, vigorously
Helping us live through…
Another day, another week,
Another month of another year
In the many decades of our lives,
For eons and eons together…
Of our past, present and future
Generations to come and go.
Indeed, children –
Be they yours or mine
Let us all render them
So divine.
That like the invincible Sun
They remain the ever-shining
Beacon of light
Illuminating this earth
With their burning passion for life,
Glowing with love, hope and
Boundless compassion for all…
To make everyone’s life on earth
Worthwhile and worthy of living.
poem by Aparna Chatterjee
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This Land Is Mine
From behind these walls I hear your song
Oh sweet words
The music that you play lights up my world
The sweetest that I've heard
Could it be that I've been touched and turned?
Oh love, please finally, finally things are changing
This land is mine
But I let you rule
I let you navigate and demand
Just as long as you know
This land is mine
So find your home and settle in
Oh I'm ready to let you in
Just as long as we know
This land is mine
After all the battles and the wars
The scars and loss
Well I'm still the queen of my domain
And feeling stronger now
The walls are down a little more each day
Since you came finally, finally things are changing
This land is mine
But I let you rule
I let you navigate and demand
Just as long as you know
This land is mine
So find your home and settle in
Oh I'm ready to let you in
Just as long as we know
This land is mine
Follow the days I've travelled alone
In this cold and colorless place till now
It's what I had to pay
This land is mine
But I let you rule
I let you navigate and demand
Just as long as you know
This land is mine
So find your home and settle in
Oh I'm ready to let you in
Just as long as we know
This land is mine
This land is mine but I let you rule
I let you navigate and demand
Just as long as you know this land is mine
song performed by by Dido
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Healing The Family Tree
for you to let me know
that i must pay for all that the family owed
from the past
the suffering souls of my great fathers
and fathers of my fathers
and their mothers
i am sorry but i was not the one
that committed the blunder
that is their business and mine is different
look at me
have i not suffered enough to deserve all these
genetic retaliations?
hold my hands
don't you feel that all these tremblings
in fear
are not enough to pay for their
misdeeds?
your paranoia is mine too.
but somehow, all these must be stopped.
the wombs of our mothers are tested with pain
one leg to life the other held by death
yet they walk this valley of death without question
they breathe your air without suspicion
they live the way they ought to
and they die
without much ado.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Children Of The Land
Written by james young
Lead vocals by james young
Children of the land
Dont wear a frown upon your face
Come on and join your hands
Were all a part of the human race
The music is here
To let you leave your fears behind
Come on along dont do me wrong
Lets see what you might find
Children of the land
Children of the land
Dont misunderstand
Were all children of the land
Dont trust anyone else
To run your life and set your goals
Youve gotta be able to live with yourself
When you are getting old
Others are getting blamed
For messing your life around
Its your own fault if you complain
For letting it get you down
Children of the land
Children of the land
Dont misunderstand
Were all children of the land
Children - come on children now
Children - yeah
Children - I said children yeah
Children - come on children now
Children - of the land
Children - of the land
Children - I said of the land
song performed by by Styx
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Here And Now
for the meantime take the here and now
what choice do we have?
we are beggars we have nothing
we were taken here
without our knowing we were naked
we were spanked on the very first hour of our arrival
in mother' bed in that cheap government hospital
there were no fathers or priests or
politicians
they heard our first cry
and since then
life begins to have no meaning
what we have is the here and now
but will that be an end? a misdemeanor? will that be a burden
forever? a curse?
a suffering that is senseless
a sorrow that is soaring and roaring?
the here and now is in our palms
look at it closely, there are tiny lines there
the directions and instructions are there
embedded
we shall trace where we are and where we are going
in the tiny lines of our palms
we locate our hidden fortunes we shall find where the secret lies
the real meaning
of this existence and if need be
we must create and invent what we will be
in the future
let us see from our feelings the coolness of blue
the fires of red
the clouds, the sun and the moon all lie in the hold of our hands
from this here and now
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Another Lonely Christmas
{b-side of I would die 4 u}
Last night I spent another lonely christmas
Darling, darling, u shouldve been there
Cuz all the 1s I dream about
U are the 1 that makes my love shout
U see, u are the only 1 I care 4
Remember the time we swam naked
In your fathers pool?
Boy he was upset that night
But boy was that ever cool
Remember the night we played pokeno 4 money
And u robbed me blind
Remember how u used 2 scream so loud
Cuz u hated that number 9
Hey, I saw your sister skating on the lake
This afternoon
Good heaven how shes grown
She swoons the boy skaters shes so tall
But of all your fathers children
All your fathers children, baby
U know, u are the finest of them all
U are brighter than the northern star
Last night I spent another lonely christmas
Darling, darling, u, u shouldve been there
U see, of all the 1s I dream about
U are the 1 that makes my love shout
U see, u are the only 1 I care 4
Yeah
My momma used 2 say
Always trust your lover
Now I guess that only applies 2 her
Cuz baby u promised me
Baby u promised me ud never leave
Then u died on the 25th day of december
Oh baby
Last night I spent another lonely, lonely christmas
Darling, baby, u, u shouldve been there
Cuz all the 1s I dream about
U are the 1 that makes my love shout
U see, u are the only 1 I care 4
Yeah
Your father said it was pnemonia
Your mother said it was strep
But the doctor said u were dead
And i, I say its senseless
Every christmas night 4 7 years now
I drink banana daquaris til Im blind
As long as I can hear u smilin baby
U wont hear my tears
Another lonely christmas is mine
Yeah, mine
Yeah
Another lonely christmas is mine
Last night, yeah, I spent another lonely, lonely christmas
Darling, darling, u shouldve been there, yeah
Cuz all the 1s I dream about
U are the 1 that makes my love shout
U see, u are the only 1 I care 4
Another lonely
song performed by by Prince
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Children
Come to me, O ye children!
For I hear you at your play,
And the questions that perplexed me
Have vanished quite away.
Ye open the eastern windows,
That look towards the sun,
Where thoughts are singing swallows
And the brooks of morning run.
In your hearts are the birds and the sunshine,
In your thoughts the brooklet's flow,
But in mine is the wind of Autumn
And the first fall of the snow.
Ah! what would the world be to us
If the children were no more?
We should dread the desert behind us
Worse than the dark before.
What the leaves are to the forest,
With light and air for food,
Ere their sweet and tender juices
Have been hardened into wood, --
That to the world are children;
Through them it feels the glow
Of a brighter and sunnier climate
Than reaches the trunks below.
Come to me, O ye children!
And whisper in my ear
What the birds and the winds are singing
In your sunny atmosphere.
For what are all our contrivings,
And the wisdom of our books,
When compared with your caresses,
And the gladness of your looks?
Ye are better than all the ballads
That ever were sung or said;
For ye are living poems,
And all the rest are dead.
poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Both Feet
Do not curse the deaf or,
Put a stumbling block in front of the blind!
But the fool does not understand this and,
This world has seen much of its mistakes.
The fathers shall not be put to death because of their children,
Nor shall the children be put to death because of their fathers!
For, a person must be put to death of his or her own sins.
Watch your steps! !
For there is life in the blood!
And a judge must not show pity to the guilty.
Do not harden your heart when the truth comes to you,
For the fool tests the depth of the water with both feet;
And this world is all that we have to learn from.
Muse, moose, mouse!
Anyone who says you can't see a thought simple doesn't know Art;
For you now have both feet in the water and,
You can easily be drawn!
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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There Are No Children Here
The untrained eye
Walks down the street
And sees children
But they're not children
There are no children here
Adults look back
With hungry eyes
And someone thinks
''They're just children
With a mother and a father
Never any fear''
And they kid themselves
As there are no mothers
No fathers
Because there are no children here
Terror doesn't care
As they cry over there
It lets someone stare
Through the sight of a gun
Seeing everyone
And just for fun
Shoot them
People rush around crying
''But they were just children!
They were just children! ''
A man with a gun
Turns and runs
But as he does they hear
''They aren't children''
And
''They weren't children''
And
''You need to know:
There are no children here''
No one makes a sound
Listening to the truth he's found
And they know:
It's our fault
We didn't save them
We could have saved them
If we cared
There would be children here
poem by Violet Llewellyn
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Beach and flows
The shores of the line
the sands of time
the wispers of mine
The god thanks thy thee thyme
Children all trying to rhyme
These children are nor mine
Seeing waves crashing
sounding like their smashing the rock
Also Cattle's on farms causing a flock to run
Wile children are playing having fun
and the england football won! !
poem by Chloe Fitzpatrick
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