The Nakedness of Truth (I know it well)
Despair has no wings,
Nor has love,
No countenance:
They do not speak.
I do not stir,
I do not behold them,
I do not speak to them,
But I am as real as my love and my despair.
poem by Paul Eluard
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Related quotes
But Don't Despair
Despair, if you must –
But how's it going to pull you through?
Despair, when you trust
Naught since then there's naught to do.
Despair, should you thrust
Aside your pride, your self-esteem.
And so despair, if it's dust,
The only substance that you deem.
Despair, when a gust
Of slightly breeze can break your stance.
And do despair, when lust
Is your interpretation of romance.
But don't despair, if you can care
About the plight of any other being.
And you can focus on the help,
Support, and altruistic further actions
For the seeing. Be believing,
As despair will start receding
All around – simply since you found
A way to steer you clear
From this: the very cause of your despair!
So give to others; give them all a helping lift:
Despair, you'll find will disappear –
And that has got to be a well-deserved
And saintly gift!
Copyright © Mark R Slaughter 2009
Rain of despair
despair despair despair despair despair despair despair
despair despair despair despair despair despair despair
despair despair despair despair despair despair despair
despair despair despair despair despair despair despair
despair despair despair despair despair despair despair
despair despair despair despair despair despair despair
despair despair despair despair despair despair despair
poem by Mark R Slaughter
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Despair Of The Early Morning
DESPAIR OF THE EARLY MORNING
Despair of the early morning
Despair of the darkness
Despair of the Despair
Despair of Old Age
Despair of the road closed
Despair of nothing to do
Despair of nowhere to go
Despair of endless errands
Despair of money running out
Despair of the message of Despair
One transmits to those one loves.
Despair that has to be resisted
Despair that the light of the day
Will help me overcome
Despair I will pray my way out of
Despair I will in the course of the day
Sometime overcome.
Not the great Despair
The unending Despair
The final Despair.
The small Despair of who I am and where I am now.
The Despair that still can be resisted,
By the writing of a few awkward lines
Early in the morning.
poem by Shalom Freedman
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Speak The Word
Unsettled hearts
Promise what they cant deliver
Bring me the wine
And the cold night air to clear my head
Gray matter memory house
Master of this trembling flesh
Steady still my doubts
Let me speak the word that precedes bliss
Let me speak the word
Let me speak the word
Love love love love love love love love
Let me speak the word
Let me speak the word
Love love love love love love love love
Let me speak the word
Let me speak the word
Let me speak the word
Let me speak the word
These weakened knees
Have not touched ground or pew in ages
I havent bowed my head
I offer thanks to any God or to ask for favors
But watch me now
Im falling down
Praying
To speak the word that precedes bliss
To speak the word
To speak the word
Love love love love love love love love
Let me speak the word
Let me speak the word
Love love love love love love love love
Let me speak the word
Let me speak the word
Let me speak the word
Let me speak the word
song performed by by Tracy Chapman
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Despair Is Darkness
DESPAIR IS DARKNESS
Despair is darkness-
Despair is death inside and death in the world and death in one’s own sad soul-
Despair is no way out -
Despair is the place where one is forever stuck -
Despair is the realization that one has done what one could – and one is not going anywhere else-
Despair is the admission of failure-
Despair is no sign of help anywhere around-
Despair is so much lost-
Despair is one‘s life is over-
Despair is regret-
Despair is the sense that one will never have the time to have another chance -
Despair is ‘it’s finished’-
Despair is no way out-
Despair is going down and more down and more dark and more afraid all the time -
Despair is the scream which hurts and does not stop the hurting -
Despair is the understanding that even Death will not save one -
Despair is that the pain will never end-not even with death.
Despair is no way out again and again and again- without end.
poem by Shalom Freedman
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Speak With Kindness (Or Do Not Speak At All)
speak with kindness,
or do not speak at all.
speak not of judgement,
you are not the judge.
speak not of salvation,
let your living be your scriptures.
speak not of scriptures,
let your actions be your holy book.
speak not as apostle or teacher,
speak as a human being.
speak not of god,
then god will speak through you!
speak not as a man,
for you are woman too.
speak not with hateful malice,
for love does not work that way.
speak not as a prophet or seer,
speak as compassion made flesh.
speak not of morality,
speak of connection.
speak not of authority,
the tree and the leaf have just as much.
speak not of holiness,
for all that lives be holy.
speak with kindness...
or do not speak at all!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Sonnet XXVI: I Ever Love
To Despair
I ever love where never hope appears,
Yet hope draws on my never-hoping care,
And my life's hope would die, but for despair;
My never-certain joy breeds ever-certain fears;
Uncertain dread gives wings unto my hope,
Yet my hope's wings are laden so with fear
As they cannot ascend to my hope's sphere;
Though fear gives them more than a heav'nly scope,
Yet this large room is bounded with despair;
So my love is still fetter'd with vain hope,
And liberty deprives him of his scope,
And thus am I imprison'd in the air.
Then, sweet despair, awhile hold up thy head,
Or all my hope for sorrow will be dead.
poem by Michael Drayton
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Advice to a Pale Lover
Never speak the word, give love a name
And lose her friendship. Move in rings
Around each other, never close,
And talk of this and that, and laugh at trivial things.
Never speak the word, give love a name.
It isn't in the game to show you care:
Those words of of love and tenderness
Are unacceptable. Yours the blame
One day to face your solitude and quietly despair.
poem by John Thorkild Ellison
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Now Speak About Love
after the pain
now speak about love
i told her that she must now speak
about Love,
the love of a man crazy about her,
or her mother on a love unconditioned upon something else
the love of society,
the love of her siblings, the love of her daddy,
after the pain, i ask her to speak about love
after her husband left her, after no man henceforth
or any eye cast a glance on her wrinkled,
furrowed, harrowed, hollowed soul
she does not speak, for now, after the pain, after the harrowing
experience,
to love she cannot speak, to silence she got married.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Speak Low
Kurt weill / ogden nash
Speak low when you speak, love
Our summer day withers away too soon, too soon
Speak low when you speak, love
Our moment is swift, like ships adrift, were swept apart, too soon
Speak low, darling, speak low
Love is a spark, lost in the dark too soon, too soon
I feel wherever I go that tomorrow is near, tomorrow is here and always too soon
Time is so old and love so brief
Love is pure gold and time a thief
Were late, darling, were late
The curtain descends, evrything ends too soon, too soon
I wait, darling, I wait
Will you speak low to me, speak love to me and soon
song performed by by Billie Holiday
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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My Despair Comes And Goes
My Despair comes and goes
It is not the ultimate despair,
The despair of those who have forever lost hope
The despair of those who have lost what they never will regain
The despair of those for whom there is no way out
No way to begin again
No hope in any way forever
My Despair comes and goes
It is a small Despair compared to many others
When I am in it of course
I believe it like theirs Hopeless forever hopeless
But then a new day begins,
Or a friendly voice says a friendly word
Or something good and positive happens
Or the weather changes
Or some hurt goes away
Some sign comes
And slowly slowly
I am not there anymore.
My Despair comes and goes
It is not the worst Despair
Not yet-
Yesterday I was in Despair
Today I am almost already not
I pray my writing this
Will help some despairing reader feel
They too will hope again.
poem by Shalom Freedman
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will you believe me if I speak of love?
If I speak of love, it is because love speaks
To me, like we are having this conversation
About love itself, and I ask love that if I speak
Of love, will love believe me?
And love sighed, and finds this question
Too self-serving for itself, for love could
Be biased too, telling me that if I speak
Of her, she will believe me, oh, that would
Be too unnecessary of love, to speak about itself,
For love to believe in love from love itself
Who is asking about love,
About me and telling me, she will believe me,
In fact, this would be too confusing, too confusing,
But I speak of her today, and I speak of myself
Too, believing about this love of mine,
And so confused we see each other eye to eye,
The eye of love to my eye of true love,
Talking heart to a true heart,
The heart of love talking to the heart of true love,
and finally, though confused, and still taking breaths,
love, she finally,
Said, yes, love believes me, love believes my love,
love speaks of love, love believes in love,
In my love, and there is no other. Love begets love.
That is what human history had always told to itself.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Only A Fool, Would Say 'No', To Real Love...
Unselfish Love … Is Real Love
Real Love, Is Self-Sacrifice and Sacred Love … (1 Cor.13: 4-13)
And Supportive Love and Worthy-Symbolic Love
Inspired and Sure and Simple and … Sizeless Love
… and Only A Fool, Would Not Wear, Real Love
Real Love … Is Really True Love
And Those Who Do Love
Will Love’ YOU’, Love
Even, If Many Or Just A Few, To Love
… but Only A Fool, Would Say No, To Real Love
Devoted Love … Is Also Real Love
And Real Love, Is Dedicated To It – Love
And More Than Just A Duty, Love
It’s A Higher-Ideal and Diplomatic Love
… and Only A Fool, Would Not Desire, Real Love
Only Real Love, Is Between: Two-As-One Love
For Real Love, Seals The Bond, ‘Til It’s Done, Love
Real Love, Is As Strong As Death Is, Love … (Canticles 8: 6)
Only Real Lovers, Know and Understand This Power of Love
… but A Fool, Will Never Fathom, This Kind Of Love
Real Love … In Case Of Emergency, Breaks The Glass
Real Love … Can Erase, Or Soothe Pain In Past
Real Love … Conquers ‘All’, In Its Path!
Real Love … Will Forever and Everlast …
… really, Only A Fool, Would Say No, To Real Love
Real Love … Is Inimitable and Intense Love
It Is Forgiving … and No Pretense-Love
It Rises, Like Sparkling, Perfumed Incense or Mist-Love
To Love Like This, Makes Good Sense, Love
… for, Only A Fool, Would Say No, To Real Love
Real Love’s Beauty … Is As Big, As The Sky Above
Real Love’s Chorus, Is As Glorious, As Poets Speak Of
If It’s Loyal and Always … Then, It’s Real Love
And If You Find The Lord Of Light, You’ve Found The Lord Of Love
See, Real Love … Is Perfectly Supreme, For GOD Is Love …
… (and Only A Fool) Would Say No … To Real Love …
Written & ©: 3/20/10
By: The MoonBee
poem by MoonBee Canady
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I Shall Speak
I shall speak of rivers
and I shall speak of streams,
And I shall speak of how they flow
and seep into my dreams.
All the waters pure and clean
purify my thought.
I think how marvelous that I've seen
that which can't be bought.
I shall speak of hillsides
and mountains as they rise.
And I shall speak of how they look
and brighten up my eyes.
All the rises grand or small
expand just how I feel.
I think how wonderful that I've known
what no one can conceal.
I shall speak of beauty
and I shall speak of love.
And I shall speak of how they mix
and take me far above
the ordinary happenings
and events that fill my day.
I think how fortunate I have been
when my breath was taken away.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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25
If I speak of love, it is because love speaks
To me, like we are having this conversation
About love itself, and I ask love that if I speak
Of love, will love believe me?
And love sighed, and finds this question
Too self-serving for itself, for love could
Be biased too, telling me that if I speak
Of her, she will believe me, oh, that would
Be too unnecessary of love, to speak about itself,
For love to believe in love from love itself
Who is asking about love,
About me and telling me, she will believe me,
In fact, this would be too confusing, too confusing,
But I speak of her today, and I speak of myself
Too, believing about this love of mine,
And so confused we see each other eye to eye,
The eye of love to my eye of true love,
Talking heart to a true heart,
The heart of love talking to the heart of true love,
and finally, though confused, and still taking breaths,
love, she finally,
Said, yes, love believes me, love believes my love,
love speaks of love, love believes in love,
In my love, and there is no other. Love begets love.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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How Do You Speak To An Angel
A son who is cursed with a harridan mother
Or a weak simpering father at best
Is raised to play out the timeless classical motives
Of filial love and incest
How does he speak to a
How does he speak to the prettiest girl
How does he talk to her
What does he say for an opening line
What does he say if hes shy
What do you do with your pragmatic passions
With your classically neurotic style
How do you deal with your vague self-comprehensions
What do you do when you lie
How do you speak to a
How do you speak to the prettiest girl
How do you speak to her
How do you dance on the head of a pin
When youre on the outside looking in
How do you speak to a
How do you speak to the prettiest girl
How do you speak to a
How do you speak to the prettiest girl
How do you speak to a
How do you speak to the prettiest girl
How do you speak to a
How do you speak to the prettiest girl
How do you speak to a
How do you speak to the prettiest girl
How do you speak to a
How do you speak to the prettiest girl
You just say, hello, (hello) baby (hello)
...
Baby, angel, how do you talk to the prettiest girl, you say
Hello baby, hello baby, angel, angel, pretty little girl
Angel, angel ....
song performed by by Lou Reed
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When, In Deep Despair
When in deep despair, melancholy takes my hand
Carresses my cheek gently and for the life of me
The words don't come and I cannot speak
The words like still pools reflect dark moonless nights
Emotions that have plundered and run away
To mountain hideouts
Sensitivity and argument
Music and metronomy
Strings and wood
Voices and fingers
Leave me thus shaken by their power
Of enchantment; all that I saw and read
Felt and dreamt here and there and everywhere
When in deep despair I think of my mother's love
And my old father who always asks for me
In spite of my age; the trust and devotion
I gave to some, often unreturned
But that doesn't matter. Cycles of life and love
Go away and come back again
When in deep despair I wonder and reflect
Melancholy is a friend, not a fiend but for whom
There is none, noone to touch my hand today.
Copyright: Rani Turton
poem by Rani Turton
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Despair in Love, Love in Despair
Why do i find solace in my loneliness
But find sorrow with those wit whom i share the same blood
Why do i hide behind these fake smiles of happiness
When this sorrow and unrest washes over my soul like a flood
Its pathetic how i'm laughing on the outside
Laughing at how everyting is all right
While i'm crying and dying on the inside
Not wanting anyone to see my sad sad plight
Why is it that i continuosly distance myself
from those who are or try to get close
I see love as nothing more than a drug
that people are addicted to the point of overdose
I am one who finds solace in despair
in sorrow, in sadness, in darkness
I am one who feels pain in love
I see it as evil like a vulture, instead of pure like a dove
Love can build, but it can also destroy
It takes away everything, all of the joy
Despair may seem like incarnated bitterness
But its there to comfort in the face of loneliness
I find myself wishing for the company of the feeling of melancoly
Its as if i can't function without it
Like a flower without an ounce of water
Could this feeling be, truly be love
I see that in the end, that i find myself in a paradox
A large cell with many locks
Two sides of the same coin
Love and Despair, Despair and Love
Despair in Love, Love in Despair
I can't make it disappear
Don't want to make it disappear
poem by Harrison Fairchild
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God of Wonder
Oh God of wonder
God of Grace
Here I stand before you
Humbled and broken
Speak of Your love
Oh Father, Oh Father
Speak of Your Grace
Oh God of earth
God of Heavenly place
My heart opened to receive
My heart abides in You
Speak of Your love
Oh Father, Oh Father
Speak of Your Grace
Oh God of Love
Oh God of endless mercy
Open my eyes to see You
By Spirit blest by You
Speak of Your love
Oh Father, Oh Father
Speak of Your Grace
poem by Lisa Finney
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Fearful of You
I am fearful of you, as a pen writes for me,
Inside you caresses speak, with loud lamentations.
You dearly write of the weeks ahead,
Causing months to speak and mutter
The praises so sudden, as praises shake me,
And blood is spilled for my sake.
The veins and arteries fear you and all of me,
When love’s shadow is real.
When is love real? When do you love?
poem by Naveed Akram
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The Same Story, The same History
...and so the same story is told
the same history is made....
why always speak of descrimination
why always speak of war
why always speak of class
why always speak of injustice
why always speak of poverty
why always speak of rebellion....
why not speak of equality
why not speak of peace
why not speak of respect
why not speak of wisdom
why not speak of production
why not speak of working together...
...and so the same story is told
the same history is made.
poem by Marites C. Cayetano
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