Signs

All night I dreamed of my home,
of the roads that are so long
and straight they die in the middle—
among the spines of elderly weeds
on either side, among the dead cats,
the ants who are all eyes, the suitcase
thrown open, sprouting failures.


2.
And this evening in the garden
I find the winter
inside a snail shell, rigid and
cool, a little stubborn temple,
its one visitor gone.


3.
If there were messages or signs,
I might hear now a voice tell me
to walk forever, to ask
the mold for pardon, and one
by one I would hear out my sins,
hear they are not important—that I am
part of this rain
drumming its long fingers, and
of the roadside stone refusing
to blink, and of the coyote
nailed to the fence with its
long grin.


And when there are no messages
the dead lie still—
their hands crossed so strangely
like knives and forks after supper.


4.
I stay up late listening.
My feet tap the floor,
they begin a tiny dance
which will outlive me.
They turn away from this poem.
It is almost Spring.

poem by Larry LevisReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Related quotes

In the Vale of Llangollen

In the fields and the lanes again!
There's a bird that sings in my ear
Messages, messages;
The green cool song that I long to hear.

It pipes to me out of a tree
Messages, messages;
This is the voice of the sunshine,
This is the voice of grass and the trees.

It is the joy of Earth
Out of the heaven of the trees:
The voice of a bird in the sunshine singing me
Messages, messages.

poem by Arthur SymonsReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Long Way From Home

(coverdale)
I would do anything I could to be near you,
Walk all night in the pouring rain
To be at your side
My heart is aching for love,
My bodys shaking with desire
Believe me, baby, when I say
I will drink you dry
I would do anything to be near you,
Youre everything any man could claim
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, its a long long way from home,
Im just trying to get a message to you,
Its a long long way from home,
An I dont know what Im gonna do
Id been looking for love for so long when I found you,
Too many years I walked alone
When I touch you inside I feel you burning me with fire,
Believe me baby when I say
I will feed the flame
I would do anything to be near you,
Walk all night in the pouring rain
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, its a long long way from home,
Im just trying to get a message to you,
Its a long long way from home,
An I dont know what Im gonna do
I would do anything to be near you,
Youre everything any man could claim
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, its a long long way from home,
Im just trying to get a message to you,
Its a long long way from home,
An I dont know what Im gonna do
I would do anything I could to be near you,
Check in on any night time flight, I dont mind
My heart is aching for love,
My bodys shaking with desire
Believe me baby when I say
I will drink you dry
I would do anything to be near you,
Walk all night in the pouring rain
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, its a long long way from home,
Im just trying to get a message to you,
Its a long long way from home,
An I dont know what Im gonna do
Its a long long way from home,
Im just trying to get a message to you,
Its a long long way from home,
An I dont know what Im gonna do,
Its a long long way from home

song performed by by WhitesnakeReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

I Was Away From The Poems

I was away from the Poems
I could not hear them within myself -
There were many sounds
Many different kinds of words
And speakers and ranters and shouters
And all kinds of false music also
And even beautiful music and prayer-

But there were no poems
I could hear no poems
And within myself suddenly there came such ‘longing’
And such ‘anxiety’-
‘Where is the Poem? And where can I possibly be if there is none?
And how can I find it again? ’

And all I needed I thought was some long long long silence
Some being alone and away
Some forever waiting to hear
Some listening to the true voice
And then somehow somehow the Poems would come again –

And here here here it is now
The poem
Quiet and sure and happy and light and singing
As if it were the one music God wanted me to hear
And repeat always as if it truly were mine and yours
Dear imagined reader,
Alone.

poem by Shalom FreedmanReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Edith Wharton

All Souls

I

A THIN moon faints in the sky o'erhead,
And dumb in the churchyard lie the dead.
Walk we not, Sweet, by garden ways,
Where the late rose hangs and the phlox delays,
But forth of the gate and down the road,
Past the church and the yews, to their dim abode.
For it's turn of the year and All Souls' night,
When the dead can hear and the dead have sight.

II

Fear not that sound like wind in the trees:
It is only their call that comes on the breeze;
Fear not the shudder that seems to pass:
It is only the tread of their feet on the grass;
Fear not the drip of the bough as you stoop:
It is only the touch of their hands that grope -
For the year's on the turn, and it's All Souls' night,
When the dead can yearn and the dead can smite.

III

And where should a man bring his sweet to woo
But here, where such hundreds were lovers too?
Where lie the dead lips that thirst to kiss,
The empty hands that their fellows miss,
Where the maid and her lover, from sere to green,
Sleep bed by bed, with the worm between?
For it's turn of the year and All Souls' night,
When the dead can hear and the dead have sight.

IV

And now that they rise and walk in the cold,
Let us warm their blood and give youth to the old.
Let them see us and hear us, and say: 'Ah, thus
In the prime of the year it went with us!'
Till their lips drawn close, and so long unkist,
Forget they are mist that mingles with mist!
For the year's on the turn, and it's All Souls' night,
When the dead can burn and the dead can smite.

V

Till they say, as they hear us - poor dead, poor dead! -
'Just an hour of this, and our age-long bed -
Just a thrill of the old remembered pains
To kindle a flame in our frozen veins,
Just a touch, and a sight, and a floating apart,
As the chill of dawn strikes each phantom heart -
For it's turn of the year and All Souls' night,
When the dead can hear, and the dead have sight.'

VI

And where should the living feel alive
But here in this wan white humming hive,
As the moon wastes down, and the dawn turns cold,
And one by one they creep back to the fold?
And where should a man hold his mate and say:
'One more, one more, ere we go their way'?
For the year's on the turn, and it's All Souls' night,
When the living can learn by the churchyard light.

VII

And how should we break faith who have seen
Those dead lips plight with the mist between,
And how forget, who have seen how soon
They lie thus chambered and cold to the moon?
How scorn, how hate, how strive, we too,
Who must do so soon as those others do?
For it's All Souls' night, and break of the day,
And behold, with the light the dead are away. . . .

poem by Edith WhartonReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Does Anybody Hear Me

Chorus:
Does anybody hear me?
Is anybody listening to whats going on?
Before we move on.
Does anybody hear me?
Is anybody listening?
How can we change hate?
Before its too late?
Verse 1:
Young with dreams, (ooo oo)
Had em for a long time (ooo oo)
Well nothings impossible
As long as you put your mind to it.
Sometimes you wanna let go
Hold on tight
But you gotta believe
With God on your side
Chorus:
Does anybody hear me?
Is anybody listening to whats going on?
Before we move on.
Does anybody hear me?
Is anybody listening?
How can we change hate?
Before its too late?
Verse 2:
Happy, (ooo oo)
Thats all youll ever wanna be. (ooo oo)
Well, knowledge is power,
Absorb as much as you need
At times I feel like love passed me by
Just imagine how the kids feel inside.
Chorus:
Does anybody hear me?
Is anybody listening to whats going on?
Before we move on.
Does anybody hear me?
Is anybody listening?
How can we change hate?
Before its too late?
Does anybody hear me? (when you feel you need a friend)
(anybody listening...)
Is anybody listening to whats going on?
(on.... yeah, yeah, yeah)
Before we move on.

song performed by by En VogueReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Testify

Come a little closer it's a feeling that I can't deny
I was weak, but I never thought I'd speak about the darker side
Is that a ten? I could repent on the side of the road
But, I kept on going yeah I headed for another load
I get up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground in the middle of the night
Oh, I testify
I was laid upon the grave by a preacher's hand I cannot lie
And, I forsake many vows I made to be with you tonight
Could you be the salvation cause I never felt like this before
And, could you lend me your hand because I'm falling back on the floor
I get up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground in the middle of the night
Oh, I testify
On a road outside of nowhere, in the middle of the night
Well I guess I hit rock bottom and the dawn was not in sight
And a Tempest made of fire, onset the sky aglow
And a sweet young thing called out my name
And this is how it goes, she says...
Choir:
"Go boy, can you hear them?
Are you falling through the cracks in your eyes?"
"Go boy, can you hear them?
Are you falling through the cracks in your eyes?"
"Go boy, can you hear them?
Are you falling through the cracks in your eyes?"
Meatloaf: And I got down on my knees
Choir :"Go boy, can you hear them?
Are you falling through the cracks in your eyes?"
"Go boy, can you hear them?
Are you falling through the cracks in your eyes?"
Meatloaf (over the top of the choirs last two repititions):
I get up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground and I'm falling back down
Up from the ground and I testify
I get up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground and I'm falling back down
Up from the ground and I testify
Meatloaf & Choir:
Up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground and I'm falling back down
Up from the ground and I testify
Up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground and I'm falling back down
Up from the ground and I testify
Meatloaf:
Every cut that heals reveals a scar that you can never hope to hide
All the pain that you restrain keeps building up deep inside
If you think you're above it then it's you my friend that I implore
You've got to talk before you run
See the night before the dawn
Before you pull yourself off the floor
I get up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground in the middle of the night
Oh, I testify
Choir Singer: Up from the ground yeah, I testify
Meatloaf & Choir:
Up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground and I'm falling back down
Up from the ground and I testify
Up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground in the middle of the night
Oh, I testify
Up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground in the middle of the night
Oh, I testify
Up from the ground in the middle of the morning
Up from the ground in the middle of the evening
Up from the ground in the middle of the night
Oh, I testify

song performed by by Meat LoafReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Brain Dead

Turn me off
Pull the plug
Leave me with some dignity
I am not
What I was
And I dont need the sympathy
Alive inside me
No one can hear me
Brain dead
Im not
Brain dead
Sentenced
Forgot
Paralysed
In my shell
Enduring every
Endless day
Immobilized
On my back
Aware of everything
They say
Extricate me
Eliminate me
Brain dead
Im not
Brain dead
Drip fed
Forgot
I cant blink my eye or cry
Or even speak
They crowd around my bed
Condescending words are said
Thinking I dont hear or know
What is going on - hello!
Cant you suckers hear my cries
From inside Im still alive
Its my decision to abort
Turn off the goddamn life support
Let me pass
From this world
So I fade away in peace
Comprehending
Unrelenting
Brain dead
Im not
Brain dead
Sentenced
Forgot
Brain dead
Im not
Brain dead
Drip fed
Forgot

song performed by by Judas PriestReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Stone Dead Forever

(originally recorded by motorhead)
Get on!
You think you see me, in the glass
You think you hear me, better listen fast
I think I see you, gone to seed
Think your reason, is your guilt and greed
Youre out there on your own
Your face is turned to stone
What ever happened to your life?
Stone dead forever
All right!
Youre a financial wizard, yeah, a top tycoon
Youre a sweet long lizard, with a silver spoon
You know youve never had it, quite so good
And you didnt know, that you even could
Your time has come to own
Your touch turned to gold
What ever happened to your life?
Stone dead forever
All right!
Its been a long time, its been a long long wait
And you caught your fingers, in the pearly gates
You better leave your number, and well call you
You know your problem, aint exactly new
Your time has come today
Your face has turned to hay
What ever happened to your life?
Stone dead forever
Thats right!
Yo!
[aaah...]

song performed by by MetallicaReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Box Of Rain

Look out of any window, any morning, any evening, any day.
Maybe the sun is shining, birds are singing,
No rain is falling from a heavy sky.
What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through?
For this is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon, long ago.
Walk out of any doorway, feel your way, feel your way like the day before.
Maybe youll find direction,
Around some corner where its been waiting to meet you.
What do you want me to do, to watch for you while you are sleeping?
The please dont be surprised when you find me dreaming too.
Look into any eyes you find by you, you can see clear to another day,
Maybe been seen before, through other eyes on other days while going home.
What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through?
Its all a dream we dreamed one afternoon, long ago.
Walk into splintered sunlight,
Inch your way through dead dreams to another land.
Maybe youre tired and broken,
Your tongue is twisted with words half spoken and thoughts unclear
What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through?
A box of rain will ease the pain, and love will see you through.
Just a box of rain, wind and water,
Sun and shower, wind and rain,
In and out the window like a moth before a flame.
And its just a box of rain, I dont know who put it there,
Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare.
And its just a box of rain, or a ribbon for your hair;
Such a long long time to be gone, and a short time to be there.

song performed by by Grateful DeadReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

I Never Wrote Those Songs

My tape recorder,
It must be lyin'
'Cause this I just can't believe.
I hear a voice that's cryin',
That's not me.
The wheel goes round.
I hear a sound.
It's comin' out all wrong.
And I swear to you I never wrote that song.
I been livin' in my own shell so long
The only place I ever feel at home.
And oh, that music,
I hate those lyrics.
It stayed inside me so long.
And I swear to you I never wrote that song.
But pardon me,
I'm not lookin' for sympathy,
Not sympathy.
I'm just thinking out loud.
The melody,
It goes nowhere pointlessly.
Silence please.
I been livin' in my own shell so long
The only place I ever feel at home.
And oh, that music,
I hate those lyrics.
It stayed inside me so long.
And I swear to you I never

song performed by by Alice CooperReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

I Thought To Begin The Day With A Poem

I THOUGHT TO BEGIN THE DAY WITH A POEM

I thought to begin the day with a poem
But inside myself I hear only my own slow emptiness
Word by word I try to hear
And there is some small motion now
But still
A real poem
A poem of beauty
A poem of light
A poem of love
A poem that makes the dreamer long to dream-
And the lover long to love-
A poem that moves-

Well it is very very dark outside
And the world straining to give
Small rain to a dry land
Seems to say,

‘There may be a poem today
But it is not the poem you dream
Not the poem others will love
As you have loved
True poetry.’

poem by Shalom FreedmanReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Long Live Rock

Down at the astoria the scene was changing,
Bingo and rock were pushing out x-rating,
We were the first band to vomit in the bar,
And find the distance to the stage too far,
Meanwhile its getting late at ten oclock,
Rock is dead they say,
Long live rock.
Long live rock, I need it every night,
Long live rock, come on and join the line,
Long live rock, be it dead or alive.
People walk in sideways pretending that theyre leaving,
We put on our makeup and work out all the lead-ins,
Jack is in the alley selling tickets made in hong kong,
Promoters in the pay box wondering where the bands gone,
Back in the pub the governor stops the clock,
Rock is dead, they say,
Long live rock.
Long live rock, I need it every night,
Long live rock, come on and join the line,
Long live rock, be it dead or alive.
Landslide, rocks are falling,
Falling down round our very heads,
We tried but you were yawning,
Look again, rock is dead, rock is dead, rock is dead.
The place is really jumping to the high-watt amps,
til a 20-inch cymbal fell and cut the lamps,
In the blackout they dance right into the aisle,
And as the doors fly open even the promoter smiles,
Someone takes his pants off and the rafters knock,
Rock is dead, they say,
Long live rock, long live rock, long live rock.
Long live rock, long live rock, long live rock,
Long live rock, long live rock, long live rock.
Long live rock, I need it every night,
Long live rock, come on and join the line,
Long live rock, be it dead or alive.

song performed by by WhoReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Lubie (Come Back Home)

Down at the Astoria the scene was changing,
Bingo and rock were pushing out X-rating,
We were the first band to vomit in the bar,
And find the distance to the stage too far,
Meanwhile it's getting late at ten o'clock,
Rock is dead they say,
Long live rock.
Long live rock, I need it every night,
Long live rock, come on and join the line,
Long live rock, be it dead or alive.
People walk in sideways pretending that they're leaving,
We put on our makeup and work out all the lead-ins,
Jack is in the alley selling tickets made in Hong Kong,
Promoter's in the pay box wondering where the band's gone,
Back in the pub the governor stops the clock,
Rock is dead, they say,
Long live rock.
Long live rock, I need it every night,
Long live rock, come on and join the line,
Long live rock, be it dead or alive.
Landslide, rocks are falling,
Falling down 'round our very heads,
We tried but you were yawning,
Look again, rock is dead, rock is dead, rock is dead.
The place is really jumping to the high-watt amps,
'Til a 20-inch cymbal fell and cut the lamps,
In the blackout they dance right into the aisle,
And as the doors fly open even the promoter smiles,
Someone takes his pants off and the rafters knock,
Rock is dead, they say,
Long live rock, long live rock, long live rock.
Long live rock, long live rock, long live rock,
Long live rock, long live rock, long live rock.
Long live rock, I need it every night,
Long live rock, come on and join the line,
Long live rock, be it dead or alive.

song performed by by WhoReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Edward Thomas

But These Things Also

But these things also are Spring's -
On banks by the roadside the grass
Long-dead that is greyer now
Than all the Winter it was;

The shell of a little snail bleached
In the grass; chip of flint, and mite
Of chalk; and the small birds' dung
In splashes of purest white:

All the white things a man mistakes
For earliest violets
Who seeks through Winter's ruins
Something to pay Winter's debts,

While the North blows, and starling flocks
By chattering on and on
Keep their spirits up in the mist,
And Spring's here, Winter's not gone.

poem by Edward ThomasReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Conversation's Over

Conversation.. oohh
Did it start with an obsession?
Was the writing on the wall?
I can see through your deception
Through it all
I see clearly now
For too long you've had it your way
For too long I've tiptoed round
Finally we're face to face boy
No drama now
I'll stand my ground
Chorus:
Now the conversation's over
And there's nothing more to say
I've had my time with you
So hear me now
I won't stay
It's my turn to walk away
No point in talking round in circles
Or trying to read between the lines
I saw you dancing with the devil
I'm not blind
Don't sympathise
Cos for too long you've played your own game
For too long I've stood and cried
It's time I changed the combination
I'll be fine
Won't change my mind
Chorus:
Now the conversation's over
And there's nothing more to say
I've had my time with you
So hear me now
I won't stay
It's my turn to walk away
I've found the strength to finally say it
What the walls have heard a thousand times
And I just don't want pain
I know I'll go insane
I've reconnected my mind
Chorus:
Now the conversation's over, yeah
And there's nothing more to say
I've had my time with you
So hear me now
I won't stay (I won't stay)
It's my turn to walk away
Chorus:
Now the conversation's over (it's over yeah)
And there's nothing more to say (to say to say)
I've had my time with you
So hear me now
I won't stay (I won't stay)
It's my turn to walk away
Walk away
Walk away
repeat to fade

song performed by by SugababesReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Hardest Part Is The Night (live, Japan)

In the heat of the street of the city
A young boy hides the pain
And he walks so tall, trying to hang on
But he knows he's going down again
I know he's going down...
Darkness fades he's the prince of his city
In a place where they all know your name
You can see in their eyes life so paralyzed.
Your just a pawn in a losin' game
You lose at life it ain't no game
Hear their cries
The hardest part is the night
(In the night, hear their cries, in the night)
Stay alive
The hardest part is the night, it's the night, it's the night...
All alone in a place where the lonely
They all have to walk through the rain
And they dance on the edge where you only
Only pray that it has to end
That the night ain't no friend
Hear their cries
The hardest part is the night
(In the night, hear their cries, in the night)
Stay alive
The hardest part is the night, it's the night, it's the night...
(X 2)
These four walls they could tell you some stories
About lying and dying and fame
There's a price that you pay for the glory
About losing and choosing and pain.
Hear their cries
The hardest part is the night
In the night, hear their cries, in the night
Stay alive
In the night, stay alive, in the night

song performed by by Bon JoviReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Modern Romance

Together, alone
Forever apart.
Dichotomies reign
in modern hearts.


Messages sent
By E-mail or phone
Together, apart
Forever alone.

One takes flight
The other stays home.
Forever apart
Together alone.


On a long winter’s evening
Each will practice their art.
Together, alone
Forever apart.

poem by John F. McCullaghReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

How Long

Do you recall that winter evening
The night that I said Im leaving
Hoping
You would change my mind
I lay my head up on your kness and
Whispered please but inside I was
Leaving
Im the leaving kind
I could put you off forever
This longing has no end
How long
Til you and I can be together
How long
Until we see this through
How long
Until we know that this is forever
How long
Til I say I love you
And when the burning leaves are falling
I can always hear you calling
Fearing
That we are losing ground
But in you secret hearts were knowing
Our love is winter and its snowing
Falling
Comfort coming down
I could put you off forever
This longing has no end
Advertising lasts a lifetime
If not now then when?

song performed by by Information SocietyReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

The Next Voice You Hear

Gather your deeds and your possessions,
Whatever certainty youve known,
Forget your heroes,
You dont really need those lasting lessons.
Stand in the open;
The next voice you hear will be your own.
But, alright, they knew how they could hurt you,
And you let them cut you to the bone.
But God forbid,
You allow them to rid you of your virtue!
Forget their laughter;
The next voice you hear will be your own.
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear will be your own.
Throw down your truth and check your weapons.
Dont look to see if youre alone,
Just stand your ground,
And dont turn around -- whatever happens.
Dont ask directions;
The next voice you hear will be your own.
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear will be your own.

song performed by by Jackson BrowneReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Conflicting Influence

Conflicting influence

Hearing silence my old man does when he slowly dance around
the kitchen floor thinking he’s alone. When I sit still I can hear
silence too. Noises and voices Louis Armstrong’s trumpet and
the drumbeat of distant wars. Some of them fought and some
waiting to be fought. And I hear the righteous defending a war
where millions will die and our way of life will forever be scared
by shame. People have lost their voice, because it drowned in
the cacophony of conflicting messages that seep into our mind
day and night. Overload, fuse gone, apathy. And my old man will
never hear the good silence again.

poem by Oskar HansenReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share