Day Sounds
Silence in the city appears to be hard to find
The sounds we hear are often raw and unkind
There is noisy traffic that is violent and demanding
And the cries of the engines are loudly expanding
Hot mufflers expose of evaporating dark fumes
Rising up as smog like the towering stones of tombs
Traffic lights are humming to a buzzing steady tune
While street vendors offer goods in the afternoon
The sewers are hissing when releasing warm steam
Surrounded by laughing tourists eating ice cream
The cooing of pigeons is heard wherever you go
People in line are conversing while waiting for a show
Water is pounding against the concrete bank of the river
The brakes of trucks are grinding as they revolt and quiver
Then the whistle from a train echoes in the far distance
And the sirens of ambulances deliver firm persistence
The noise and motions communicate with us in the city
Leaving imprints in our minds of a life that is rather gritty
poem by Kristina Louisa Carr
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Heat In The City
Bumper to bumper traffic in the heat of the city
The air is thick and dusty full of smog and gritty
Dirty Yellow Cabs contributing to noisy confusion
While a hot dog stand on the corner sells profusion
The pavement is sticky reflecting the heat in waves
Throughout cars are swallowed by hot asphalt graves
Overcrowded busses spit out passengers one by one
While temperatures are rising with an unforgiving sun
Vegetables and fruits for sale covered in dirt and grime
On the sidewalks of the city bait flies in the mean time
People rushing downstairs to the Metro escaping the heat
Only realizing that it is just as bad and by far no retreat
A broken fire hydrant provides the illusion of cool relieve
But only street children bathe in the grey water taking leave
A lonely traffic cop damp with perspiration looks atrocious
Hot sweaty faces wait for his signal resentful and ferocious
Curriers on bikes with sunburns between cars are speeding
Steaming masses waiting for the light before proceeding
The smells of the hot city are overpowering and very strong
Torturing its inhabitants without sense of right and wrong
poem by Kristina Louisa Carr
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What moves through the cracks of the walls
Infant broken cries cast to milkless mothers
Who live in those too tall buildings
Buildings cloud sky scraping
Ant hole noisy towers
Rustling like leaves of an autumn yet to come
Center decentered beehives
And blind blinking traffic lights
Street arteries bleeding pulse beats
Underground prayer of too busy trains
Lined upon the city palm
A hidden message there was you thought
Build boarding flashlights its beams torn apart
This is a place of a used to be
A place of will be bridges towering
There are too many tears the river will cry
There is too much water the ocean will roar
But quite enough to cover it all
Thus will declaim the hounds
And you
Soaking sorrow wet wiped away in ground
You will become a runaway thought of the earth undone
Who’ll care for it
Who’ll date to touch it
Who’ll be there to..do it
‘My soul unsealed
City dived little cradle tombs
And I have seen a wound and a healing
Silk woven see through covering all
Breath choked illhailed rising to the sun! ’
©Miroslava Odalović
poem by Miroslava Odalovic
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City Streets
The gaudy glow of neon lights
dispels the darkness of the nights
on city streets.
They pop and fizzle noisily
creating a cacophony
on city streets.
The sober folks walk warily
and drunks stagger uncaringly
on city streets.
The ladies of the night parade
for there is money to be made
on city streets.
Drug dealers ready to retreat
if they should hear a coppers feet
on city streets.
The night shift workers wend their way
towards their work to start their day
on city streets.
The noisy revellers thin out
as one by one the signs go out
on city streets.
The gradually noises abate
and ghostly shadow congregate
on city streets.
For some few hours peace will reign
before the noise will start again
on city streets.
The early morning traffic sounds
start with the milkmen on their rounds
on city streets.
This builds up to an angry roar
as cars and lorries inward pour
on city streets
then when at last rush hour has passed
noise levels will subside at last
on city streets
I thank the lord that I am free
to leave this noise far behind me
on city streets.
I walked my beat the whole night
through exactly as I’m paid to do
on city streets.
I choose to live outside the town
where constant noise won’t get me down
on city streets.
My village is a quiet place
A haven where I need not face
the noisy streets.
8-Jun-07
poeticpiers
poem by Ivor Or Ivor.e Hogg
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Silent Screams
the artist in you
even in the silence of this breakfast table
still knows how to illustrate the state
of our beings
since the words are consumed
and the mouth is tired
and the neighborhood have been to noisy
with their own lives
screaming on the bustling sounds of jets,
sirens and ambulances
the sound of the city
the cries of the slums
you sit with me
got your spoon and poured some sticky choco
on the plate
the choco screams
i hear and see it, but just like you
i maintain the decorum of silence
our code of living life
to the fullest till its last drop
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Lost angel
In valleys of concrete I have lost you
and in this godless city
where one hears the noise of sirens, brakes
and car engines, you walk
into someone else’s arms
and lights flash luring right through the night
while people cavort as if there is no tomorrow,
untill the morning sun rises in the east,
prostitutes wipe the sleep out of their eyes
and motorists curse and throw dirty signs at each other.
In valleys of concrete I have lost you
and now you have just become a memory,
another fallen angel
in this hell of a place.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Monday Morning
As the sun comes up between the grey of the rain clouds
Brighter than the streetlights along the industrial parks
I travel slowly gaining foot by foot in the dense traffic
As the buses, trucks and cars fight their way up the bridge
I see beauty on this Monday morning after the rain
While misty drops of water elevated by the tires ahead
Splash on my windshield before illuminating like diamonds
The sun rises in my back welcoming this new rainy day
Harbor cranes like silhouettes along the river shores
Tower high above the freight piers blue and grey on grey
Crossing the bridge high above the city in the midst of traffic
I see the dark waters sleeping very still after the storm
Drops of water lingering on the railing far on the outer edge
Before losing balance and making the journey into the deep
To mingle with the river then travel the short distance to the sea
I dream about flying and diving into cool black waters
About becoming one with the particles of our existence
Surrounded by a vacuum I could start over in a different form
But the traffic merciless pushes me further along into the city
I missed my chance and just smile about the beauty of today
poem by Kristina Louisa Carr
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City Of Beggars
The sky is always blue in the city of beggars
There is not much green in the city of beggars
There are buildings being built so fast in the city of beggars
In every corner that you encounter
The city of beggars are growing so fast
And in the city of beggars lives 30 million people
The air is not that good in the city of beggars
Because of the factories and the cars
The city of beggars never sleep
The noise goes on 24 hours a day
It is not safe to walk in the street of beggars
Because you can get robbed and killed at any time of the night or day
The traffic is chaotic in the city of beggars
Thanks God there is no snow in the city of beggars
poem by Aldo Kraas
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The River Unbroken
Waiting for the train to come
I keep awaiting for the train to come
Dreamin of the river and the rising sun
I keep thinkin bout the world to come
My life packed up in a suitcase
Old man staring from a doorway
My hope tarries in the distance
Love comes on the wheels of my deliverance
Oh-oh-oooh-oh where is the river unbroken
Oh-oh-oooh-oh when will the whistle blow
Waitin for the train to come
I keep waitin for the train to come
Keepin my appointment with the one who lives
In the heart of everything that is
All night sleepin in a station
My god, its hard not to be impatient
I watch through the windows of forgiveness
I cry but my words my only witness
Oh-oh-oooh-oh where is the river unbroken
Oh-oh-oooh-oh when will the whistle blow
Oh-oh-oooh-oh where is the river unbroken
Oh-oh-oooh-oh when will the whistle blow
Sometimes I feel I cant go on, I cant go on
I get so tired, all passions gone
My heart, my head, my arms, my legs, I get so tired
Without the strength to crawl away
Then something breaks inside my soul, my strength is gone
That spirits finally taking hold
My ears can hear, my eyes can see
Those clouds of joy still cover me, cover me, cover me
Oh-oh-oooh-oh where is the river unbroken
Oh-oh-oooh-oh when will the whistle blow
Oh-oh-oooh-oh where is the river unbroken
Oh-oh-oooh-oh when will the whistle blow
Oh-oh-oooh-oh where is, where is the river unbroken
Oh-oh-oooh-oh when will the whistle blow
Fade:
Waiting for the train to come
I keep waiting for the train to come...
song performed by by Dolly Parton
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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One Day Traveler
Whenever I've traveled to a crowded city
I always think, 'Oh what a pity
to live in a city.'
For the skyscrapers there
so high in the air
have hidden the blue of the sky
except for the birds that fly.
The cold gray stone adorned with lights
never seem warm until the nights.
Their blinking neons can't compare
with the twinkling stars up in the air.
And again I think,
'Oh what a pity to live in the city.'
The hustle, the bustle and constant noise
have become for some the city's joys.
The screeching brakes, the honking sounds
is an abrupt assault to my head that pounds.
And again I think,
'Oh what a pity to live in a city.'
A one day visit and I'm ready to leave
and I know that I could never conceive
of being at home, never to roam
where the grass grows under my feet,
except for a country street
and again I think,
'Oh what a pity to live in a city.'
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Church Street, Pretoria
Right down the street the traffic lights are green
and a couple of homeless men stand around a fire
in a half drum and ambulances and police cars scream
while they past rows and rows of flats for hire
and a couple of kids stand smoking at the stream
and this is reality, the heart of the city.
On the sidewalk pedestrians walk in crowds of men,
women and some children, some booted up to the knee
others with mini skirts short enough to condemn them
and my city stays lovely to me.
People queue for fried chicken, fish
and chips at shops and cafés and the smells fill my nose
and tomatoes and onions, lamb and steak are fried with a hiss
and in the traffic an angry speed-cop tries to retain his pose
when a minibus taxi almost runs him over, gives him a fright
at a flickering traffic light
and cars stream by into the coming night.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Noise
From it there's no escape
it is everywhere
noise, noise, noise.
The moment you arise
till you go to sleep
it fills your head.
Cars and lorries drive by
bloody noisy Pigeons cooing
stereo's at full blast.
Drilling in the road
alarms going off
sirens wailing.
Kids screaming
Helicopter overhead
sound of breaking glass.
Noisy neighbours
doors slamming
dogs loud barking.
Even when asleep
noises in your head
you can't escape it.
Noise of wildlife
from tiny insects
to birds in the trees.
Noise can send you mad
it can get into the brain
noise is everywhere.
Silence is deafening
a whisper is like
a thunder clap.
Noise, noise, noise,
is everywhere
from it no escape.
Is it silent in the grave
does noise go with you
is noise eternal?
poem by Kevin Halls
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Behold The Sea
I woke up in the morning
Stripped down my sheets
I put on my clothes, stepped into my shoes
Tumbled into the street
The daylight was shimmering
And the ghost of a breeze
Was rattling flagpoles
And whispering through the trees
That was the river
This is the sea
I went down to the station
I ran all across town
But the streets were all empty and the markets were closed
There was no-one around
I wandered like a phantom down alleys and passageways
Heavy with history
I heard nothing but silence
Silently saying to me
That was the river
This is the sea
Found myself at the highway
Trucks thundering by
Pillars and pylons
Pointing away up at the sky
Cars hissing like visions
Bikes buzzing like bees
Freight hurtling and moving
But not moving me
That was the river
This is the sea
I slipped into the cathedral
It was quiet and cool
The air was humming with incense
The windows were studded with jewels
There was a stained glass image of jesus
Shining in front of me
Haloed and bleeding, surrounded by children
And shining in front of me
And as I walked out
I was still saying that was the river
I was still saying this is the sea
I went down to the harbour
Stepped out in the rain
With a song in my head
And the blood pounding in my veins
I went down to the harbour
Fell on my knee
For at the end of all roaming
I found you in me
That was the river
This is the sea
song performed by by Waterboys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Waiting For Changes
Office blocks, corner shops, traffic jams on every street, the same old rush around
Obsolete, Im a freak, in a show on brighton beach, as the snow comes down
Realitys kicking me, knocking me right off my feet, as the sky spins round
Were waiting for changes
Rejected and dented
Were waiting for changes
The lights green but todays red
Laundry stops, by the lock, on a sunday afternoon, with all that fuss
Cantelowes skateboard shows, tennants extra by a row of recycle bins
Were waiting for changes
Different perspectives
Were waiting for changes
The lights green but todays red
Take a ride to charing cross, join the masses as they shop, their lives away
29s the northern line, heading back to lose our minds, to break the chain
Were waiting for changes
Rejected and dented
Were waiting for changes
The lights green but todays red
Were waiting for changes
Different perspectives
Were waiting for changes
The lights green but todays red
Im waiting for changes
Im waiting for changes
Im waiting for changes.
song performed by by Feeder
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Am The City
Coming through a cloud youre looking at me from above
And Im a revelation spreading out before your eyes
And you find me beautiful and irresistible
A giant creature that forever seems to grow in size
And you feel a strange attraction
The air is vibrant and electrified
Welcome to me here I am my arms are open wide
Somewhere in the middle of the neverending noise
There is a constant steady rhythm of a heart that beats
And a million voices blend into a single voice
And you can hear it in the clamour of the crowded streets
People come and take their chances
Sometimes you win sometimes you lose a lot
Come make your own contribution to this melting pot
Im the street you walk
The language you talk
I am the city
The skyline is me and the energy
I am the city
The famous hotels and the cocktail bars
And the funny smells
And the turmoil the cars and the people
The air that youre breathing is me
Yes I am the city you let me be
People feed me with their lives I am a hungry soul
And they all worship me and pay their homage day and night
Every day I knew a lot of tired shopping feet
But come the night they will be dancing in the neon light
Dazzled by the crazy magic
Theyre grabbing pieces of the fatted calf
And in the wind if you listen hard youll hear me laugh
Im the street you walk
The language you talk
I am the city
The skyline is me and the energy
I am the city
The famous hotels and the cocktail bars
And the funny smells
And the turmoil the cars and the people
The parks and the squares that you see
All the sounds that you hear
And the air that youre breathing is me
Yes I am the city you let me be
I am the city
You let me be
I am the city
The famous hotels and the cocktail bars
And the funny smells
And the turmoil the cars and the people
The air that youre breathing is me
(last line is sung simultaneously with next line)
Coming through a cloud
Youre looking at me from above
And Im a revelation spreading out before your eyes
(last line is sung simultaneously with next line)
Im the street you walk
The language you talk
I am the city
Yes I am the city you let me be
And you find me beautiful and irresistible
A giant creature that forever seems to grow in size
(last line is sung simultaneously with next line)
The skyline is me and the energy
I am the city
You let me be
Somewhere in the middle of the neverending noise
There is a constant steady rhythm of a heart that beats
(last line is sung simultaneously with next line)
Im the street you walk
The language you talk
I am the city
Yes I am the city you let me be
And a million voices blend into a single voice
And you can hear it in the clamour of the crowded streets
(last line is sung simultaneously with next line)
The skyline is me and the energy
I am the city
You let me be
song performed by by ABBA
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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City Pigeons
Around my boots where I am sitting crumbs of bread they happily eat
The cheeky and colourful City pigeons so at home on the city street
Their cousins the rock pigeons of the Northlands in Town would feel so out of place
They once were the very same species though now quite a different race.
Introduced by humans to cities all around the World in busy towns they feel at home
Beyond the borders of suburbia the city pigeons seldom do roam
They build their flimsy nests of sticks on building ledges their young they hatch out in the Spring
Like their ancestors on trees they do not roost or nest Nature is such a wonderful thing.
Some people they like and feed the city pigeons whilst others do not like them at all
Though Nature cares for all of her children from the very great to the small
And wild-born things can be so adaptable in noisy environments they they've learned to dwell
The city pigeons of this one example in cities they do very well.
By the street seat around my boots they eat bread crumbs like house sparrows they are almost tame
They were born and raised in the city to be good at surviving their one claim to fame
Liked by some and disliked by others but that they are good at surviving none can deny
They are born and raised in the noisy city and in the city they do die.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Take Me To The Sunshine
I've been working too hard at the office all year
I've been saving all my days for a break
So I've gotta get away with my baby for a time
If it's just for my sanity's sake
Nothing but work and never no play
Make Jack a dull boy or so they say
And nothing in the world gonna make me stay
I've just got to get away for a day
Oh the smog in the city is clogging up my head
And the noise of the traffic and the poison lead
Too many people I must confess
I'm looking for the cure of a terminal stress
Take me to the sunshine
Take me to the sun
It's a perfect paradise and their ain't no trick
You can walk, you can run, play golf 'til you're sick
Swim all day, you can dance all night
You can even fall in love if you're feeling right
The surf will roar and the birds will sing
And the warm wind sighs as you practice your swing
And the cares of the world will fade away
As you watch the sun setting on a golden bay
They say that modern man needs to find himself
And what's bad for his spirit is bad for his health
And when the world's used up and there's nowhere else
You'll realise mother nature is the Commonwealth
Take me to the sunshine
Take me to the sun
Take me to the sunshine
Take me to the sun
I've been working too hard at the office all year
I've been saving all my days for a break
So I've gotta get away with my baby for a time
If it's just for my sanity's sake
Nothing but work and never no play
Make Jack a dull boy or so they say
And nothing in the world gonna make me stay
I've just got to get away for a day
Oh the smog in the city is clogging up my head
And the noise of the traffic and the poison lead
Too many people I must confess
I'm looking for the cure of a terminal stress
song performed by by Sting
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Warrnambool In January
Tis warm in the full sun but in the shade tis cool
And the magpies and the mudlarks are singing in the City of Warrnambool
Their music in the Summer air where the cars buzz up and down
On Lava Street in the heart of the busy seaside Town.
A pleasant day in January a high of twenty nine degrees
And there is a nice sort of coolness in the freshening coastal breeze
And the magpies and the mudlarks pipe their distinctive melodies
Near where the traffic it is buzzing on the sunlit street trees.
In Warrnambool in January in the holiday time of year
The accents of different races in the shopping malls one does hear
Quite a nice City to visit if you are driving that way
So many people there do smile at you and bid you a good day.
An old rural City in Victoria in the coastal countryside
The famed City of Warrnambool it is known far and wide
The magpies they are fluting and the mudlarks sing pee wee
And the Summer sun is shining on the City by the sea.
poem by Francis Duggan
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L. A.
In a matter of time,
Therell be a friend of mine
Gonna come to the coast,
Youre gonna see him
Up close for a minute or two
While the ground cracks under you.
By the look in your eyes
Youd think that it was a surprise
But you seem to forget
Something somebody said
About the bubbles in the sea
And an ocean full of trees.
And you now, l.a.
Uptight, city in the smog, city in the smog.
Dont you wish that you could be here too?
Dont you wish that you could be here too?
Dont you wish that you could be here too?
Well, its hard to believe
So you get up to leave
And you laugh at the door
That you heard it all before
Oh its so good to know
That its all just a show for you.
But when the suppers are planned
And the freeways are crammed
And the mountains erupt
And the valley is sucked
Into cracks in the earth
Will I finally be heard by you.
L.a.
Uptight, city in the smog, city in the smog.
Dont you wish that you could be here too?
Dont you wish that you could be here too?
Dont you wish that you could be here too?
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Whenever I'm In Swanston Street
So many different peoples of every different race
Whenever I'm in Swanston street I long for a quieter place
Far from the World of bustle and the noisy city street
Out there in the quiet countryside where the rill and river meet.
Whenever I'm is Swanston street I cannot feel at ease
I smell smog and pollution in the foul city breeze
The sidewalks crowded with people as they bustle to and fro
But each to their own as some might say and it happens to be so.
I am not a city type of person that sort of lifestyle would not suit me
I love the coastal countryside and the cliffs that overlook the sea
To watch the fishing gannets plunge down from a great height
With folded wings into saltwater a most amazing sight.
The city scene or city ways I never could embrace
And whenever I'm in Swanston street I feel so out of place
Many people love the city life each to their own rings true
But I'd prefer the quieter place the home of the wild roo.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Haven’t Been Missing You
Since you moved away
It has been terribly noisy
The traffic
The horns
The sirens
I can hear every sound in New York City
Although I live in a forest 10 hours away
But I haven’t been missing you
(Poems with a Pulse, Self-Mentor Publishing Inc.,2007)
poem by Milena Celap
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