Man Down
Man down...
On urban streets,
Dredging trenches
In wars that heat!
Man down...
Too aware he belongs in numbers rare!
A species who would rather stand,
Than to crawl upon the Earth...
To be thought less than the grains of sand!
Man down...
Packed to defend
Who he is from within.
Protecting in 'his' mind what's his.
Fighting back without shedding tears!
Unsatisfied he must run and hide,
From those who deny him even rights to cry!
Just to keep his 'spirits' up...
He must show he has the guts!
Man down...
Struggling as he does to remain positive!
In battle fatigues or business suits,
Discarding who feels his 'moves' are negative.
He's reminded who he is whether in loafers
Or in boots!
And all that he gives...
He has no options completely his.
When he's called to shield and shelter others,
Sacrificing an image so that all may live!
Man down...
On urban streets,
Dredging trenches
In wars that heat!
Man down...
Too aware he belongs in numbers rare!
A species who would rather stand,
Than to crawl upon the Earth...
To be thought less than the grains of sand!
And even sand blows and drifts away.
No matter who he was
When he took his stance to stay!
A man down that has gone...
Is remembered if he demands his way!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Related quotes
GRAINS of SAND
Grains of sand
on which I stand
burn my feet
from the sun's intense heat.
I bury them quickly
to keep them cool.
The grains of sand
can be too cruel.
And now I know
I played the fool
for I left my sandals
where it was cool.
Afraid to move,
I see a child.
I call to him
as if I'm wild.
'My shoes, my shoes
please bring them here.'
He looks and waves,
then disappears.
And so I stay
and face the day
stuck in grains of sand.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Hourglass Sand
Through the hourglass
watching
grains of sand falling.
I see time slipping by.
To myself I wonder.
Do we pass with such ease
through the hourglass of life?
Like tiny grains of sand cascading?
When that sand has gone.
Does that mean time has stopped
until I turn the glass over?
And the sand again begins to fall.
Through our hourglass
as we pass like grains of sand.
How many frowns can we turn to smiles?
How much good can we make from bad?
When our sand has run out.
Has our time stopped as well?
Who will turn over our hourglass?
Restart our time renew our opportunities?
poem by Kurt Hearth
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Chicago Streets
So good to be home
and out of the heat.
All those excess people reminded I'm alone
as I explored the busy Chicago streets.
So good to be mild
and not full of heat.
All those old buildings reminded I'm only a child
as I explored the ancient Chicago streets.
So good to be recognized
and not sweating in the heat.
All those dollars spent reminded me of the love I'm still denied.
as I explored the poor Chicago streets.
So good to be back from running away
and back from the heavy, humid heat.
All of the luggage and vacations reminded me problems come to stay.
as I left, for a long time, those Chicago streets.
poem by Delilah Miller
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Last Split Second
Sometimes in the heat of despair
we lost sight of perspective
It bends and curves and distorts
Like light round a black hole
and what we think of as truth is wildy out of proportion
yes the grains of truth are there running through the narrow waist of our preception
but each individual speck is not the beach, the beach is more than grains of sand
is this your last split second? will you spend it looking at a grain of sand or at the beach?
poem by Jilted BUTTERFLY
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Grains of Sand
Rolling in receding back
I watch the ocean’s waves.
Wondering what do they bring
or take away.
Reaching to my feet
some sand I scoop.
Through my fingers
those tiny grains flow.
Some so smooth
as if their journey long.
Others jagged sharp.
Had they not traveled far?
I muse to myself
What tales could they tell?
Relating their travels
carried by the seas.
if any what secrets
might they hide?
Tragedies triumphs
fair seas and foul.
Had they witnessed
great things and small?
As my mind wandered
imagination followed.
Again the waves roll in.
Now the sand is gone.
That sand I held
taken away.
Where will the seas
carry those grains?
On what other shores
will they a visit pay?
poem by Kurt Hearth
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Trenches of Melancholy
Your loss,
Has left me,
In infinite sadness;
As my grains of sand are displaced, grain by grain;
By your horizon-bound tide;
As the sand castles,
That were built deep within,
The walls of my temple,
Are now fragile to the torrents of your brine;
As I gather on abyssal depths;
Scattered on the ocean floor;
Far from your graceful self waltzing below the heavens;
A fateful journey of divergent destinies;
As sand castles part pristine white sands;
To embrace trenches of melancholy.
Oh the fragility of love!
poem by Dilantha Gunawardana
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I Love You More
I love you I love you I love you
I love you I love you I love you
I love you I love you I love you
I love you I love you I love you
I love you more than there are ocean grains of sand
I love you more than there are voices in the wind
I love you so I cant let go
I love you so I want the whole wide world to know
Its not unusual to feel this way
Sometimes I feel a bit insane
I will confess I deserve nothing less than
What youve given me so far
I feel a high when I am by your side
My lifes so bright like summer skies
I dreamed so long to have someone like you
And now youre here with me
And it feels so good
1 I love you more than there are ocean grains of sand
It must be love if I feel this way
I love you more than there are voices in the wind
Only love makes me do these things
I love you so I cant let go
Now that I have you
I love you so I want the whole wide world to know
I always thought you were my soulmate
And extension of my heart
The angels say its a spiritual thing
We will never be apart
Thats why Im high when I am by your side
My lifes so bright like summer skies
I dreamed so long to have someone like you babe
And now youre here with me
And it feels so good ooh
Repeat 1
I love you more than all the ocean grains of sand
I love you more than all the voices in the wind
I love you so yeah
Never let you go
I love you so I want the world to know
I love you more than all the ocean grains of sand
I love you more than all the voices in the wind
I love you so
Never let you go
I love you so I want the world to know
I love you more than all the ocean grains of sand
I love you more than all the voices I hear in the wind
I love you so
Never letting go
I love you so I want the world to know
Ooh boy I love you so
24/7 it wont get old
Ooh boy I love you so
24/7 it wont get old
Ooh boy I love you so
24/7 it wont get old
Ooh boy I love you so
24/7 it wont get old
song performed by by En Vogue
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Put three grains of sand inside a vast cathedral, and the cathedral will be more closely packed with sand than space is with stars.
quote by James Jeans
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hour Glass
As grains start to fall, everything is new.
Nothing is known about what to do.
As the pile of grains continues to grow,
It seems easier to know which way to go.
When grains approach a quarter of the way,
Things appear less black and white versus an earlier day.
But the world is exciting and there’s plenty of time.
Any thoughts of the hour glass give way to the sublime.
Pleasure, money, power and love battle for share,
While the grains at the top become increasingly rare.
At half way flowing grains take on a resounding force,
Though few pay attention as they race on their course.
Mental and physical factors band together as reminders,
But many still prefer to continue using their blinders.
As the grains accumulate to their three quarters state,
The niave and unprepared are in for a sad, brutal fate.
They still act as if they have power over the grains and the glass.
Nothing could be more wrong as the last few grains pass.
For matter not the importance or the manner of any man
When his last grain falls, the hour glass won’t turn over again.
poem by Gregory Huyette
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Sand Storm
We make our way along Bournemouth prom,
To a favourite pub of ours, for a lazy late lunch.
But long before we ever make it that far along,
Our mouths fill with sand, on which we crunch.
The sand from the beach is being blown by the wind.
We watch it as we walk along the almost endless prom.
Despite having to battle through the gusting gale,
It’s quite a novelty to see the sand being blown along.
The fine granules form ever moving designs.
Many an interesting pattern the sand makes.
As it’s perpetually blown this way and that,
It twists and turns and twirls, just like snakes.
The sand has collected in patches here and there,
And some of them really are pretty deep.
Rather than walking along the tarmac prom,
We could almost be walking along the actual beach!
As I walk through the large patches of sand,
The granules collect in both of my shoes.
But I walk through patch after patch en route:
I don’t mind, as, me, it does quite amuse.
The wind whips the sand up into a frenzy.
It’s in my mouth, my eyes and in my hair.
Sand is being blown all over the place.
In fact, it seems to be almost everywhere!
I happen to place my hand on the back of my neck,
And I can feel sand there, just below my head.
The next morning, when I get up and look,
There are grains of sand near the foot of my bed!
It was really nice to have a small reminder
Of our very enjoyable, but tiring, day out.
I do so love going down to Bournemouth.
We’ll be back there soon without a doubt!
poem by Angela Wybrow
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Sandstorm
Caught in a sandstorm we strive onwards,
The sand is awesome, the sand is massive;
We throw our weapons down swiftly to seal
Our pact with the desert people, the nomads.
They catch us because we are living forever,
Inside us is a soul to matter, more than grains of sand.
The whole storm shall make us proficient in acts
Of innocence, the nomads know us;
We are able to unite and be nomadic
Without the weapons of our choice.
poem by Naveed Akram
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Numerical Tyranny
Who conspired
this needless need for
the numbers?
Now we all live in fear of
the numbers
tremble at the feet of
the numbers
live our lives according to the demands of
the numbers
Identify ourselves by
the numbers
we've sold ourselves short with
the numbers
locked ourselves in a cell with
the numbers
no one believes they can escape
the numbers
our status our worth
our health our happiness
all dictated by
the numbers
Who are you?
Are you just another
number?
For if only we could see the truth behind
the numbers:
the truth being
there is only one number
that number is one
and that one stretches on
through infinitude.
poem by Gregory Allen Uhan
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The caravan of sleep
The caravan of sleep waits outdoor
My eyes are already red
They see without despite themselves
The caravan calls me
My eyes are closed
Now I am a captive
The caravan carries me off along the silk road
Now I am crossing the desert of Taklamakan
There are no birds in the skies
There is no trace of life on the earth
Sand sand and sand
Sand sand and sand everywhere
The same sight everywhere
And there is no longer any north or south, east or west
The devils of heat gambol here
preying on whatever life could be there
Oh God! Rescue me from sleep
I donot want to go to China any more
I donot have any longing for silk
I donot want to visit the kingdom of Emperor Wu
who is efficient but cruel
I want to alight from the caravan
poem by Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
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Sand On My Shoes
As I sit by the sea
Drink tequila by the shade of a tree
Theres a seniorita sat on my knee
Sprinkling sand all over me
Ive got sand on my shoes
Ive lost everything that Im gonna lose
Ive got nothing but the sun and the moon
And the sand thats on the beach
I am happy though my shoes are tattered and torn
Because the sea is so shiney
Ba ba-um-ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba-um-ba
Ive got sand on my shoes
Thought I was civilized
Till I saw the sea and I realized
That the city life was just not for me
Left my troubles behind me
Ba ba-um-ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba-um-ba
Ive got sand on my shoes
Ive got nothing else that Im gonna lose
Ive got nothing but the sun and the moon
And thats plenty for me
Ive got sand on my shoes
Ive got sand on my shoes
Ive got sand on my shoes
Sand on my shoes
Ba ba ba ba-um-ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba-um-ba
song performed by by Kinks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Hourglass
The Hourglass
By: Adam M. Snow
The hourglass drops grains of sand;
with thy one I take in hand.
For time will soon cease and end in fear;
for they would come and disappear.
The hourglass falls at the end;
for there will be no one left to befriend.
When the last sand falls;
the writings will be shown on the walls.
The hourglass shown thy pain;
for the light will soon rain.
The hourglass drops grains of sand;
with thy one I take in hand.
poem by Adam M. Snow
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Sand Blasting
Sand here, sand there.
Sand is mired everywhere.
It happened so quickly,
No time to think.
Shall I run for safety
or just sit tight?
and pray I'll make it
through the night.
Then came the roar,
the deafening sound.
Trees erupted
with the ocean abound.
Flooded towns.
No time to run
for higher ground.
Survival now comes to mind.
Power outage. You feel you're blind.
Morning comes. You look outside.
Recognition gone, no seaside.
Greif has come with no relief
You feel you're numb.
Sadness sets in. You ask God why?
No answer given. You wonder why?
Sand here, sand there.
You look around.
You become aware
That this can happen to anyone.
You see life differently.
There's no prodigal son.
We're all vulnerable,
Everyone.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Listening Stones
Listening Stones.
These mossy stones put on top of each other…a wall.
green plants sprouts out of them like ears, do they hear
my whisper of compassion? Guarding small plots of
land no one tills anymore, where thieving sheep eat rare
flowers without a second thought.
One field is blood red of flowers that should end all wars.
They sell the plastic variety for you to put on your lapel
and show you remember the nameless soldier who fell
on a grimy battle field with an unanswered question on
his bloody lips.
Old stones once you were children of the highest peak
But the peak disappeared into sand, tired of it colossal
weight. Look at you now, guardians of hidden beauty, you
can stop nothing as rain grinds you into pebbles and
dumb sheep continue grazing on rare flowers.
poem by Oskar Hansen
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Back To The Trenches
Presidents and peace spreading poets
Getting gunned down in the streets
Shown to us on our prime time screens
For our tea time treat
Lunatics we voted for denying
Everything that they swore
We sit around and shout about it
But we dont do nothing more
Drafted for police action
But they decided on a war
Telling us we were saving mankind
Why dont you ask cambodia
We were solving it with marijuana
We were sure that we could
Always leavin it to someone else
Just knocking on wood
Were goin back to the trenches
Were goin back to the trenches
Well you say you got a say so
But youre knowin that it aint so
And you turn away
You think its safer to ignore it
But the score is your children have to pay
Everybody wants better
Everybody talkin bout it
Are we wastin time
Gotta stop only lookin, talkin
Were all guilty of the crime
Were goin back to the trenches
Were goin back to the trenches
We gotta move, we got everything to lose
We gotta move, we got everything to lose
Were all headed for the front
But everybodys fightin for a good address
Its time we made the changes
Or well be burnin with the rest
We just aint communicatin and I dont
Mean conversations on the telephone
When nero starts to fiddle this time
Theres a lot more gonna burn than rome
Were goin back to the trenches
Were goin back to the trenches
Were goin back to the trenches
Were goin back to the trenches
(written by nazareth)
Copyright 1982 fool circle lusic limited
All rights reserved.
Lyrics used by permission
Reproduction prohibited
song performed by by Nazareth
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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You Who Say You Do Not Love Nature
You who say that you do not love Nature I wonder about you I do
'Tis sad to think you are not a rare one there are many others like you
You claim that Land for Wildlife should be developed for houses and the old growth trees on them cut down
We are in need of far more houses to add to the size of the town
You do not understand about Nature develop or perish you say
The Greenies you say you do not like of progress they stand in the way
If everybody felt as you do we would have a World without trees
And we would not have any birdsong only pollution blowing in the breeze
We need greenies far more than we need your type the Greenies Nature do defend
And the creatures of Nature in trouble at present they need every friend
With climate change and habitat destruction many species are becoming rare
The World could do with far less of your type and far more of the environmentally aware
You who say you do not love Nature material gains at Nature's expense you pursue
You are an unenlightened person and to your higher self you cannot be true.
poem by Francis Duggan
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If You Pay Respect
If you pay respect to where respect is due
And to your own higher self try to remain true
And treat everyone as an equal and all as the same
Your's ought to live on as a remembered name.
If for everyone you believe on a 'fair go'
And despite their Race or Creed due respect to them show
And never ruin anyone's character with malicious lies
Above the ordinary you are one who does seem to rise.
If you unlike many not addicted to greed
And try to help those of help who are in need
And of your own Human flaws you do feel aware
To say the least people like you are quite rare.
If you do believe in the live and let live
And you are not too proud to receive and generous enough for to give
And respect to the rights of all others you pay
Then as a person you are doing quite okay.
poem by Francis Duggan
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