0118 Wyeth County
We knew the history of the area, of course;
reckoning that with a Heritage Site
just over the hill
planning permits would be hard to get
and the rolling landscape, and our own prized view,
would stay that way.
Clearing the ditch beyond the orchard,
by the line of old trees,
I found it.
A musket.
still loaded (I realised later, cleaning it up)
and a scrap of disintegrating coloured cloth
still with a button on it.
A button.
It was the button
that put paid to my former life:
as if with the harsh scrape of iron cartwheel on stony track,
the past had arrived;
stolen the present from our comfortable grasp,
with a cartload of heavy, worn,
war-weary baggage,
and taken up residence in our front parlour
with its proudly sourced 'folk furniture'
that now looked like imposters in hiding.
It was when I drove into our small town next day
and the faces of the locals whom I thought I knew so well
looked at me with eyes that seemed to own
clothes heavy with history
and fierce division
that I knew that the past had claimed us
and that our lives would never quite be ours again
And that we must discover, not war but human pride
under the no longer picturesque
landscape
which we can no longer
pretend to own.
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Related quotes
Elevator
I can't change the past for no one has found the rewind button yet.
I can't take back my pain or catch myself from falling again.
For the net to catch myself before isn't there,
But I can change what I fall into and what button I press.
For the press of one button can change everything.
So lets see what the up button will do.
I may get stuck for a while or fall to the floor due to a sudden stop,
But this time the button is up and I will be falling into a net of hope.
poem by Christina J. Williams
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Brilliant Mistake
He thought he was the king of america
Where they pour coca cola just like vintage wine
Now I try hard not to become hysterical
But Im not sure if I am laughing or crying
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this hurtin feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
It was a fine idea at the time
Now its a brilliant mistake
She said that she was working for the abc news
It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use
Her perfume was unspeakable
It lingered in the air
Like her artificial laughter
Her mementos of affairs
Oh I said I see you know him
Isnt that very fortunate for you
And she showed me his calling card
He came third or fourth and there were more than one or two
He was a fine idea at the time
Now hes a brilliant mistake
He thought he was the king of america
But it was just a boulevard of broken dreams
A trick they do with mirrors and with chemicals
The words of love in whispers
And the axe of love in screams
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this lovin feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
I was a fine idea at the time
Now Im a brilliant mistake
song performed by by Elvis Costello
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Thought Id Seen Everything
(r.j. mutt lange/huey lewis)
(track 7 - time 3:58)
Here I am a single guy
Ive seen a lot in this crazy life
There you are, what can I say
I guess you took my breath away
Something in your eyes took me by surprise
cause when I looked at you something you do
Is telling me more than I ever knew, oh baby
I thought Id seen everything, til I saw you
I thought Id seen everything baby I thought I knew
Now here I am alone with you
What am I supposed to do
Should I stay or should I go
Something tells me I should know
Its something in your touch that makes me feel so much
You took me by surprise I realize
And now I cant believe my eyes, oh baby
I thought Id seen everything, til I saw you
I thought Id seen everything, baby I thought I knew
Ive been around the world, seen a lot of girls
In and out of love til I had enough
I thought I had everything, til I had you, oh baby
Baby let your lovin take me all the way
I thought Id seen everything, til I saw you
I thought Id seen everything, baby I thought I knew
I thought Id seen everything, oh baby
song performed by by Diamond Rio
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Fool Button
Fool button
By: jimmy buffett
1978
I woke up in a strange room
Id never seen before
Weird paintins on the walls
Mirrors on the ceiling
I bolted for the door
Lookin for my rentacar
Was the cordoba blue or red
Tryin to remember where I put the keys
Tryin to remember what I said
Chorus:
I pushed the fool button
My night went haywire
I pushed the fool button
Set my brain on fire
Now I was sittin in the corner of a very laid back bar
A little three piece band playin on the stand
Not knowin what lay in store
In a flash a man with a hat and a harmonica stormed the stage
The crowd went berserk, the band said what a jerk
As he went into a blues rampage
Chorus:
It was a fool palace
Double knit on parade
They pushed the fool button
As the skinny boy played and played
Push it, push it, push it
Try to make a point of protectin the innocent
But none of them can be found
It can happen anytime
Happen anyplace
It can happen in your own home town
If you dont believe my words
Or think my storys true
Get a bottle of rum and a eskatrol
And watch the same thing happen to you
Chorus:
Well push the fool button
Ill meet you in the bar
Well push the fool button
Where everyones a star
(jimmy pushed the fool button)
(he pushed it like a fool, bubba)
(pushin like a fool)
(pushed the button like a fool)
(pushed the fool button)
(pushed it like a fool)
(pushed the button like a fool)
song performed by by Jimmy Buffett
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mixed Emotions
Button your lip baby
Button your coat
Let's go out dancing
Go for the throat
Let's bury the hatchet
Wipe out the past
Make love together
Stay on the path
You're not the only one
With mixed emotions
You're not the only ship
Adrift on this ocean
This coming and going
Is driving me nuts
This to-ing and fro-ing
Is hurting my guts
So get off the fence
It's creasing your butt
Life is a party
Let's get out and strut
You're not the only one
That's feeling lonesome
You're not the only one
With mixed emotions
You're not the only one
You're not the only one
You're not the only one
You're not the only one
Let's grab the world
By the scruff of the neck
And drink it down deeply
Let's love it to death
So button your lip
And button your coat
Let's go out dancing
Let's rock 'n' roll
You're not the only one
With mixed emotions
You're not the only ship
Adrift on this ocean
You're not the only one
That's feeling lonesome
You're not the only one
With mixed emotions
song performed by by Rolling Stones from Steel Wheels
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I know better
I know better
Than to treat you this way
I know better
Than to let the sins of yesterday
Stab me and tell me it's time to go
I know better
Than to spill the beans
I know better
That you don't know what I mean.
No longer will words be lost in translation
Nor hidden for future revelation
Nor minced in parable
Or written in gold above gold
I know better
Than to miss you
I know better
Than to question you
That you're still here
That you can bare
Whatever color your hair
I know better
Than to tell the future
I know better
Than to be sure
That you're still here
That you can bare
Whatever color your hair
I know better
What I did not know when it counted
I know better
That what everything I did amounted
To nothing when it
Could've been every bit
Worth it
God Damnit
I thought I knew better
When I wanted to Quit
I though I knew better
When I thought this was it
Not that I'd be like a rolling stone
All alone
Changing my telephone
Number of tallys on a stone
I thought I knew better
Greeting again
I thought I knew better
Remembering when
There was more than evil
More than upheaval
More than black
In my heart
I thought I knew better
As I got on the train track
I though I knew better
I'd never look back
That Midwest Town would miss me
I'd be, I was a celebrity
Everything would be Free
I was next to deity
I thought I knew better
Than to fall in love
I thought I knew better
Than to give it the shove
When it was a rough December
Night, of what I remember
The fire of the day reduces to embers
In fallacy
Finally
An excuse for me
To leave
I thought I knew better
Than to plan for the future
I thought I knew better
My past, my concern, for her
Holding back tear is my fate
Everything I am I hate
Only petty work to concetrate
On love and loss, I am a graduate
Library
That is why it is called library
Where stand all books buried
Built with huge grant amount to carry
Impressions of dead poets for all that past sorry
New generation wants fast result
Press the Google button and everything is built
Right from old warriors to new breed if politicians
History is on hand and can be seen as produced by the magician
Time is not far off when "library" word may become extinct
Boards may remain with sign but not more called distinct
All work and manuscripts may be stand converted
Into "e" governance and whole of the past may be subverted
It is our glorious past and heritage
We have maintained it as history on page
Many old scripture still find their place
They are the sacred heritage and must be preserved in any case
"Go and have reference from library" may become thing of past
The past may not only remain as past but soon deteriorate last
Few of the pages may speak about glorious death of civilization
Where as we need them as our only witness for old link and new relation
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
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That Need Is Gone
The need is gone,
For me...
To hold onto,
My past.
That need is gone,
For me...
To hold onto,
My past.
And I,
Once had tried in vain...
To keep everything I knew,
Kept...
In my grasp.
Oh,
The need is gone...
For me,
To hold onto...
My past.
Yes that need is gone,
For me...
To hold onto,
My past.
Memories of people loved,
Would stay with me so fresh.
Dreams I had of them quite often,
Would awaken me...
Out of breath.
And the need is gone,
For me...
To hold onto,
My past.
Yes that need is gone,
For me...
To hold onto,
My past.
And I,
Once had tried in vain...
To keep everything I knew,
Kept...
In my grasp.
I once had tried in vain,
To keep everything remaining...
In,
My grasp!
That need I had was pursued,
To keep...
Everything kept,
In,
My grasp!
That need I had was pursued,
To keep everything I knew kept...
In my grasp,
To last!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Three Button Hand Me Down
(rod stewart, ian mclagen)
I dont need no ones opinion
On the matter concerning my dress.
I was raised in a clinic down in oklahoma,
There were many things I did not possess.
Well I never complained, because my father said,
Son you get your chance before youre my age.
Then he took me upstairs and gave me this suit
(? ) written all over his face
He said, others may come and others may go,
But that suit will be around wherever youre goin
Three button hand me down
Three button hand me down
Hold on a minute
Now I had my fair share of neat women,
But they came between me and my suit.
That was a filly from boston, a barmaid from houston,
Not forgetting the one in detroit.
They said, we like you boy and we think youre sweet,
But cant you lose your suit?
I said, nononono, you cant do that to me
I remember what my father said:
He said, others may come and others may go,
But that suit will be around wherever youre goin
Three button hand me down, ha ha,
Three button hand me down
Ive never been a tidy dresser
And the fold in my trousers it aint straight.
Still I know a good cloth when I see one.
Thats why Im clad in this gray flannel suit.
Sometimes I wonder if I should visit a tailor
And get myself a smooth outfit.
Then I remember what my father said to me.
I make it from the open road, you all know this
He said, others may come and others may go,
But that suit will be around wherever you go
Three button hand me down,
Three button hand me down, ha ha
song performed by by Rod Stewart
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Boots
I found a pair of boots upon the street
So I took them home to wear on my feet
I washed them I cleaned them and I aired them out
So I could put them all later when I would walk about.
I put my new boots on, and I walked down the road
They seemed so very sturdy to carry my heavy load
Then they took me places where I have never been
I could tell that these boots were very well broken in.
They felt so very soft and comfortable upon my feet
How excited I was for my new boots others would see.
And when I did my walk many persons just stared
As they looked at my new boots but I really never cared.
Maybe they too just wanted boots just like mine
But this one thing I knew they were hard for me to find.
I had so much fun with my brand new pair of boots
We walked everywhere they placed me in a happy mood
And the longer that I walked still no pain did I feel
I was excited and content my life became so surreal.
So it started to get late so I decided to walk home
So that's were we head just me and my boots alone
And then when I took them off I placed them beside my bed
So I could be ready for my next journey or adventure ahead.
I wore those boots of mine for many, many years
They always felt so comfortable never brought me any tears
I would wash them and clean them and polish them too
Now they were always mine and they always looked brand new.
Then one day I wore another pair of shoes when I went out
I left my old boots home alone so they could air out
So myself and my new shows were gone most of the day
As I had errands to run and also many bills to pay.
But sadly when I got home I was taken by surprise
My boots were stolen and that brought tears to my eyes
I thought to myself who would steal those old boots of mine
Boots that have been worn and used who would commit that crime.
So I went out and bought so many different pairs of shoes
And none are that old as they are all seemingly brand new
I still go for my walks and I still go to town and all about
My feet are so much happier now I myself with joy wanna shout
But every now and then I think about those boots I once wore
The ones I found on the street and I never bought in the store
I wonder now if they are ragged and torn and beyond repair
But that's someone else problem now, so why would I care.
Randy L. McClave
poem by Randy McClave
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A Life I Never Knew
There is a life I never knew
Where there are answers
To questions I've always asked
Where I no longer have to worry
About future, present, and past
In a life I never knew
I imagined I'd be carefree
But for all I know
That's daydream
Not a reality
So in another world
There is a life I never knew
But I realize now...
That I don't want to.
poem by Tiger Lily Love
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For My History Teacher
I’m sitting in class,
My eyes about to close,
I hope teacher don’t see,
I hope she don’t see me.
Bored out of my mind,
Falling so behind,
Cannot concentrate,
I came to class too late.
Although I was on time,
My body was I mean,
My mind is still outside,
From class trying to hide.
What does all this mean?
I haven’t used it yet,
How can I retain it,
When already I forget?
And then she walks over,
That teacher of mine,
A smile in her eyes,
A gentle one at that,
She puts her hand on me,
And sets me kind of free.
Now here I am in class,
Learning about the past,
About history,
And what it did for me.
How we can learn,
From mistakes of old,
Of people so different,
Some so very bold.
Some stood against oppression,
Some stood against the wrong,
Some said it with dignity,
Some said it with a song.
I owe it to them,
And teacher here to hear,
What they did for us,
And no longer fear.
That knowledge is so dull,
No longer hurts my brain,
No longer hurts my skull,
It will surely keep me sane.
The past is the future,
Unless I stay awake,
So I can benefit,
There’s much more at stake.
Than I thought before,
Before I got to class,
Thank you History teacher,
For bringing to life the past.
I never got bored in History class, because I had a wonderful History Teacher. This is for her.
poem by Aisha Sherazi
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London To Folkestone (Half-Past One To Half-Past Five)
A constant keeping-past of shaken trees,
And a bewildered glitter of loose road;
Banks of bright growth, with single blades atop
Against white sky; and wires—a constant chain—
That seem to draw the clouds along with them
(Things which one stoops against the light to see
Through the low window; shaking by at rest,
Or fierce like water as the swiftness grows);
And, seen through fences or a bridge far off,
Trees that in moving keep their intervals
Still one 'twixt bar and bar; and then at times
Long reaches of green level, where one cow,
Feeding among her fellows that feed on,
Lifts her slow neck, and gazes for the sound.
There are six of us: I that write away;
Hunt reads Dumas, hard-lipped, with heavy jowl
And brows hung low, and the long ends of hair
Standing out limp. A grazier at one end
(Thank luck not my end!) has blocked out the air,
And sits in heavy consciousness of guilt.
The poor young muff who's face to face with me
Is pitiful in loose collar and black tie,
His latchet-button shaking as we go.
There are flowers by me, half upon my knees,
Owned by a dame who's fair in soul, no doubt:
The wind that beats among us carries off
Their scent, but still I have them for my eye.
Fields mown in ridges; and close garden-crops
Of the earth's increase; and a constant sky
Still with clear trees that let you see the wind;
And snatches of the engine-smoke, by fits
Tossed to the wind against the landscape, where
Rooks stooping heave their wings upon the day.
Brick walls we pass between, passed so at once
That for the suddenness I cannot know
Or what, or where begun, or where at end.
Sometimes a Station in grey quiet; whence,
With a short gathered champing of pent sound,
We are let out upon the air again.
Now nearly darkness; knees and arms and sides
Feel the least touch, and close about the face
A wind of noise that is along like God.
Pauses of water soon, at intervals,
That has the sky in it;—the reflexes
O' the trees move towards the bank as we go by,
Leaving the water's surface plain. I now
Lie back and close my eyes a space; for they
Smart from the open forwardness of thought
Fronting the wind——
——I did not scribble more,
Be certain, after this; but yawned, and read,
And nearly dozed a little, I believe;
Till, stretching up against the carriage-back,
I was roused altogether, and looked out
To where, upon the desolate verge of light,
Yearned, pale and vast, the iron-coloured sea.
poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
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General Crossing
Its an old profession
Of subtle artillery.
Rough wheels meshing ---
Button out, button in.
The tall general will mine
A few bridges tonight,
Stroking soft machinery.
Fanfare at dawn
Courting green steel
Lined up for world war one
(two, three, four).
Its an old profession
Of subtle artillery.
Rough wheels meshing ---
On a landscape with no trees.
The tall general points
To the distance ---
Disconnects his power supply.
Writes a stiff note to his nearest
And dearest ---
He takes the battle plan
And contemplates his fly.
The tall general
Flies by the seat of history.
The tall general
Is crossing.
The tall general
He thinks inevitability.
The tall general
Is definitely crossing.
With spit and with polish ---
Time for desperate measures.
The pain in the forehead
From holding up to the pressures
Of life on the rim
Of the convenient alliance.
Out on the rim ---
Let me out on the rim.
The tall general will walk
Across the compound
With his briefcase and i.d.
Later theyll post him
Seemingly missing ---
Hes gone to be a generalski.
song performed by by Jethro Tull
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Multicultural Melbourne
Melbourne Immigration Museum
I stroll,
Past history,
Past lives,
Past stories.
I see for the first time MY nation’s history,
My nations courage,
My nations suffering,
My eyes glaze over
And realisation creeps up on me.
I see stories of the past and present,
Played out before me,
The lives of Australia’s people,
Australia’s history
poem by Katie Anne
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God's Garden
God looked around his garden
And found an empty place,
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering
He knew you were in pain.
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So he closed your weary eyelids
And whispered, ‘Peace bethine’.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn’t go alone,
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.
poem by Katie Evans
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Wasted Space
It was okay when you were being ignored,
Wasn't it?
And easy for them to say what they wished.
Wasn't it?
Because they didn't realize you knew about this.
And if you did,
They didn't care.
That's how much they weren't aware of you.
Or who 'you' knew.
Or who 'they' knew could turn their lives to dodo!
But you then and still...
Have a life you like.
Today,
They've discovered you have ignored them.
In total peace of mind you have found.
In fact...
Some have realized 'you' have ignored 'them' first!
How 'dare' you do that?
You know how that gossip gets around?
Rumor has it,
You now believe you are better than they are.
But that's not it at all.
You have always thought of them,
As small town busy bodies.
With nothing but time on their hands,
And nothing in their minds but wasted space.
Not only have you ignored them...
You've erased them from significance.
And you have no patience for them to discover that at all.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Strangers Eyes
All alone, a rainy night
No one around but I fell someone watching me
I look around, the street is bare nobody there
I wonder what it could be
As I turned to walk away
Suddenly I saw his face
Never minding that we were alone
Didnt care about the time, at the moment I was felling fine
I was looking into strangers eyes
(he caught me by surprise)
They looked right through me
(he looking into my eyes)
Never knew
Never, ever thought that love could be
(thats when he came)
He came and captured me
Like a scene out of a dream, I cant believe it
Kind of strange and familiar
But in his eyes I get a sign, I get a feeling
I get the feeling he knows me
Maybe I could stay a while, maybe I could make you smile
I dont have much to do
Maybe we could walk awhile
Maybe, maybe we could talk awhile
Cant help looking into strangers eyes
I was looking into strangers eyes
(he caught me by surprise)
They looked right through me
(he looked into my eyes)
Never knew
Never, ever thought that love could be
(thats when he came)
He came and captured me
How was I to know this would happen
Thought I didnt know I would meet this stranger
Its the kind of thing that dreams are made of
And I keep thinking about strangers eyes
I was looking into strangers eyes
(he caught me by surprise)
They looked right through me
(he looked into my eyes)
Never knew
Never, ever thought that love could be
(thats when he came to me)
He came and captured me
song performed by by Vanessa Williams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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There was a young person whose history
Was always considered a mystery.
She sate in a ditch,
Although no one knew which,
And composed a small treatise on history.
quote by by Edward Lear
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Them Heavy People
Rolling the ball, rolling the ball, rolling the ball to me.
Rolling the ball, rolling the ball, rolling the ball to me.
They arrived at an inconvenient time.
I was hiding in a room in my mind.
They made me look at myself. I saw it well.
Id shut the people out of my life.
So now I take the opportunities:
Wonderful teachers ready to teach me.
I must work on my mind. for now I realise:
Everyone of us has a heaven inside.
Them heavy people hit me in a soft spot.
Them heavy people help me.
Them heavy people hit me in a soft spot.
Rolling the ball, rolling the ball, rolling the ball to me.
They open doorways that I thought were shut for good.
They read me gurdjieff and jesu.
They build up my body, break me emotionally.
Its nearly killing me, but what a lovely feeling!
I love the whirling of the dervishes.
I love the beauty of rare innocence.
You dont need no crystal ball,
Dont fall for a magic wand.
We humans got it all, we perform the miracles.
Them heavy people hit me in a soft spot.
Them heavy people help me.
Them heavy people hit me in a soft spot.
Rolling the ball, rolling the ball, rolling the ball to me.
Rolling the ball, rolling the ball, rolling the ball to me.
Rolling the ball, rolling the ball...
song performed by by Kate Bush
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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