Melpomene
The forest bitter, spiky,
no shore breeze, no foothills,
the grass grows matted, death will come
with horses' hooves, endlessly
over the steppes' mounds, we went back,
searching the sky for the fort
that could not be razed.
The villages hostile,
the cottages cleared out in haste,
smoked skin on the attic beams,
snare netting, bone amulets.
All over the country an evil reverence,
animals' heads in the mist, divination
by willow wands.
Later, up in the North,
stag-eyed men
rushed by on horseback.
We buried the dead.
It was hard
to break the soil with our axes,
fir had to thaw it out.
The blood of sacrificed cockerels
was not accepted.
Translated by Michael Hamburger.
poem by Peter Huchel
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The Horses of Achilles
When they saw Patroklos dead
—so brave and strong, so young—
the horses of Achilles began to weep;
their immortal nature was upset deeply
by this work of death they had to look at.
They reared their heads, tossed their long manes,
beat the ground with their hooves, and mourned
Patroklos, seeing him lifeless, destroyed,
now mere flesh only, his spirit gone,
defenseless, without breath,
turned back from life to the great Nothingness.
Zeus saw the tears of those immortal horses and felt sorry.
"At the wedding of Peleus," he said,
"I should not have acted so thoughtlessly.
Better if we hadn't given you as a gift,
my unhappy horses. What business did you have down there,
among pathetic human beings, the toys of fate.
You are free of death, you will not get old,
yet ephemeral disasters torment you.
Men have caught you up in their misery."
But it was for the eternal disaster of death
that those two gallant horses shed their tears.
poem by Constantine P. Cavafy
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Nightmares
Asian nightmares come from the heavens,
Under the flowers is a soil to grow,
Where nightmares exist,
The folly of horses and different steeds,
In the right path they tread.
Africa has no dream of its own
But that of horses riding, openly dying
When they gallop, stealing the grass and sand
With their enormous hooves.
Nightmares are against the teaching of the public.
poem by Naveed Akram
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San Simeon Hill Zebras
Drifters, if they could be.
Sometimes, when they think
no one is watching,
they near the barbed wire.
Hooves and hooves and hooves.
A silent choir, a mass
of muscle-held cellmates.
Their heads are full of high grass
and long shadows. They dream
of lowland lions grifting gazelle.
Behold the moiré bolting
of the chain-gang jumpsuits
—dust and dust and dust—
safe in their target-striped caps!
A Gallop of Fire
When the north wind moans thro' the blind creek courses
And revels with harsh, hot sand,
I loose the horses, the wild red horses,
I loose the horses, the mad, red horses,
And terror is on the land.
With prophetic murmer the hills are humming,
The forest-kings bend and blow;
With hoofs of brass on the baked earth strumming,
O brave red horses, they hear us coming,
And the legions of death lean low.
O'er the wooded height, and the sandy hollow
Where the boles to the axe have rung,
Tho' they fly the foreman as flies the swallow,
The fierce red horses, my horses, follow
With flanks to the faint earth flung.
Or with frenzied hieroglyphs, fear embossing
Night's sable horizon bars,
Thro' tangled mazes of death-darts crossing,
I swing my leaders and watch them tossing
Their red manes against the stars.
But when South winds sob in the drowned creek courses
And whisper to hard wet sand,
I hold the horses, the spent red horses,
I hold the horses, the tired red horses,
And silence is on the land.
Yea, the South wind sobs among the drowned creek courses
For sorrows no man shall bind---
Ah, God! For the horses, the black plumed horses,
Dear God! For the horses, Death's own pale horses,
That raced in the tracks behind.
poem by Marie E J Pitt
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Sinner's Visit from Death
Whence the reek, the sombre clouds?
Those of billows gargantuan;
Of storms immense, blushing black,
Wishing sought of me to assess?
And have I passed? I have?
Hence I hear a knock on oak;
Unwelcomed, dullened cloak
Flowing dourly - it was a bitter breeze.
‘Have you mulled my sins? ' I ask.
‘Have you seen my impotence -
Though observe destruction at mine hands?
Forgive me, I am but Man.'
‘And are not sinners forgiven? ' I excuse,
‘Hence forgiveness avoids me of Hell?
Must my Demons of Sin revisit eternally
And reflect back on me to suffer well
The synergy of vengeance and wrath?
Are you not now pitying of my terror?
See my withering, regretful flesh -
Feel you not my tardy repentance? '
But Death just focused his stare,
That which pierced my pulseless heart,
For I was empty of remorse in all my years.
He knew that - and led me away.
Copyright Mark R Slaughter 2009
Death death death
Death death death death death
Death death death death death death death
Death death death death death death death death
Death death death death death death death
Death death death death death
Death death death
poem by Mark R Slaughter
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Portrait of a Lady
Your thighs are appletrees
whose blossoms touch the sky.
Which sky? The sky
where Watteau hung a lady's
slipper. Your knees
are a southern breeze -- or
a gust of snow. Agh! what
sort of man was Fragonard?
-- As if that answered
anything. -- Ah, yes. Below
the knees, since the tune
drops that way, it is
one of those white summer days,
the tall grass of your ankles
flickers upon the shore --
Which shore? --
the sand clings to my lips --
Which shore?
Agh, petals maybe. How
should I know?
Which shore? Which shore?
-- the petals from some hidden
appletree -- Which shore?
I said petals from an appletree.
poem by William Carlos Williams
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Song of the Cattle Hunters
While the morning light beams on the fern-matted streams,
And the water-pools flash in its glow,
Down the ridges we fly, with a loud ringing cry --
Down the ridges and gullies we go!
And the cattle we hunt -- they are racing in front,
With a roar like the thunder of waves,
As the beat and the beat of our swift horses' feet
Start the echoes away from their caves!
As the beat and the beat
Of our swift horses' feet
Start the echoes away from their caves!
Like a wintry shore that the waters ride o'er,
All the lowlands are filling with sound;
For swiftly we gain where the herds on the plain,
Like a tempest, are tearing the ground!
And we'll follow them hard to the rails of the yard,
O'er the gulches and mountain-tops grey,
Where the beat and the beat of our swift horses' feet
Will die with the echoes away!
Where the beat and the beat
Of our swift horses' feet
Will die with the echoes away!
poem by Henry Kendall
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Crypts Of Eternity
Devious to those unknown
He walks below the land
Alluring victims to their death
Perish to the sand
Master of the blackened arts
Living his decree
Thrives amongst the Seven Gates
Searching for the keys
I have seen the darkened depths of Hell
Sorcery beyond the witches' spell
Robbed the crypts of Death's eternity
Killed the priest and cursed him endlessly
Chants of evil incantation
Fill the murky night
Free the Devil's knights of Hell
Unleash their growing spite
Directing power forcibly
The fire of Hell is cast
Resurrect from crypts of Death
A demon from the past
I have seen the darkened depths of Hell
Sorcery beyond the witches' spell
Robbed the crypts of Death's eternity
Killed the priest and cursed him endlessly
Cringe with fear
Violate the unbroken seal of Hell
Death will come searching for
Your mere soul
Still you are eager to seek your fate
All that lie here are remains of Death
Grinding bones
song performed by by Slayer from Hell Awaits
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A constant shadow hangs ominous
Something has gone wrong
and things are not
how they used to be
and firestorms
hang in the
polluted black sky
while lightning bolts
lash out
like lights searching
for a answer
and bitter acid rain falls
among the rubble
left by man
and as far
as the eye can see
desolation goes
and man has lost the plan
for the survival
of every thing that lives
and death is everywhere
and the constant shadow
hangs ominous
where the sun used to shine
and an unstoppable fire
burns the land
and winds of radiation
blows endlessly
where birds used to fly.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Villanelle For Our Time
From bitter searching of the heart,
Quickened with passion and with pain
We rise to play a greater part.
This is the faith from which we start:
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart.
We loved the easy and the smart,
But now, with keener hand and brain,
We rise to play a greater part.
The lesser loyalties depart,
And neither race nor creed remain
From bitter searching of the heart.
Not steering by the venal chart
That tricked the mass for private gain,
We rise to play a greater part.
Reshaping narrow law and art
Whose symbols are the millions slain,
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part.
song performed by by Leonard Cohen
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Under the Moon
Under the crescent moon's faint glow
The washerman's bat resounds afar,
And the autumn breeze sighs tenderly.
But my heart has gone to the Tartar war,
To bleak Kansuh and the steppes of snow,
Calling my husband back to me.
Day The World Turned Day-Glo
I clambered over mounds and mounds
Of polystyrene foam
Then fell into a swimming pool
Filled with fairy snow
And watched the world turn
Day-glo you know you know
The world turned day-glo you know
I wrenched the nylon curtains back
As far as they would go
Then peered through perspex window panes
At the acrylic road
I drove my polypropolene car
On wheels of sponge
Then pulled into a wimpy bar
To have a rubber bun
The x-rays were penetrating
Through the latex breeze
Synthetic fibre see-thru leaves
Fell from the rayon trees
song performed by by X-Ray Spex
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sonnet: God’s Infinite Love for Man
God gave the horses hooves; left man bare-foot!
The eagle claws but man’s fingers just nails;
So, horses trot/ gallop; man wears a boot;
The birds need claws while man pares/ grows if ails.
God gave some beasts four legs to walk and run;
But man, two hands and pow’r to speak out thoughts;
But beasts lie shelter-less in rain or sun;
Yet, man is wily changing others’ lots!
How blest is man much more than any beast!
Ungratefully, yet selfishly, he lives;
God’s love for man ensouled has never ceased;
Though man may err so often, God forgives.
Men know God’s love profound, Yet soul ignore;
Can man in sin get past the Heaven’s door?
5-22-2002 by Dr John Celes
poem by John Celes
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If Only Wishes Were Horses, Part 2
I dream and dream and dream
And dream and dream and dream,
And keep on crying and praying
For chariots many and huge horses -
Despite the saddening saying:
'If only wishes were horses! '
I dream and dream and dream
And dream and dream and dream,
And keep on wishing and longing
For a new Golgotha without crosses
Despite Reality's preaching:
'If only wishes were horses! '
I dream and dream and dream
And dream and dream and dream,
And keep on knocking at doors and gates
Of 'Destiny Villa' and 'Fort d'Oasis'
Despite what nature promulgates:
'If only wishes were horses! '
poem by Comfort Ndlovu
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An Irish Mile
In my dream I walk in the times gone by
On the western edge of a heartbreak shore
Where sleep’s dark fears are howling ‘round
In the bitter bitter dark of a cold wet world
Near the edge of a cliff there’s an angry
crowd with hungry faces crowding around
’fear in their eyes when they hear the drum
In the bitter bitter dark of a cold wet world
The troops come on with bayonets fixed
Pushing the people to the mountain’s lip
A cry goes out as the first goes down
in the bitter bitter dark of a cold wet world
The troops move off in single file.
The Empire grows by an Irish mile.
A voice cries out from the rocks below in
the bitter bitter dark of a cold wet world
In my dream I walk in the times gone by
As close to the edge as my fears allow
in the air there's a prayer for pity and revenge
In the bitter bitter dark of a cold wet world
poem by Sean Joyce
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Poverty's Grass
Arrogance said
We eat Poverty's grass
As Mockery fed
Biased high class
Now the famine
The Suicide breed
Pride is the sin
Destroyed your seed
We may eat grass
But you eat the soil
Your words are brass
And now you recoil
Grass tastes better
That you must know
But Death is the bitter
Seed that you grow
Dried and barren
Your land had become
Our grass can be eaten -
Do you want some?
poem by Cynthia Buhain-Baello
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Alleys In The Sky
There are alleys in the sky
And the alleys are in the back of the houses
That God built
So that people could live in the sky
Across from the houses in the sky
Is a huge park
And in that park the kids can play soccer
On the grass
But the grass is always cut at the park in the sky
By God's personal gardener
And God's gardener doesn't use any pesticide on the grass or on the Trees
So the sky is a pesticide free zone that was declared by God
And God is happy to live in a pesticide free world
Also there are no cars in the sky
And the people who live in the sky ride horses
Because horses doesn't pollute the sky like cars do
And the horses are white
Like the clouds.
poem by Aldo Kraas
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Endlessly Jealous
Jealousy, endlessly
Sweeps through my mind
Jealousy, often causes me to
Be unkind
Im sorry I said that
Im sorry I did that
Im sorry I hit you
Im sorry, Im sorry
Endlessly jealous of you
Being endlessly jealous of me
The man that you thought I could be turning red
With jealousy
Endlessly jealousy
Eats through my skull
Endlessly jealousy
Makes me feel dull
Fighting
Endless jealous fighting
I feel my fingers tightening
Tightening, please dont break her arm
Jealously thinking of you
Of your endless possession of me
Of my jealousy, endlessly, jealousy, endlessly
Jealous of you
Sorry, running to a phone to say
Im sorry, running out of dimes
The phone on the street spits at me
Have a good day
Sorry, please you know how I am sorry
Ive been this way for
Oh, so long, endlessly, zealously
Jealous of you
Jealousy, endlessly
Eats through my mind
Jealousy, endlessly
Makes me be unkind
Im sorry I said that
Im sorry I did that
Im sorry I hit you
Im sorry, Im sorry
Endlessly jealous of you
Being endlessly jealous of me
Endlessly jealous of you being endlessly
Jealous of me
Endlessly jealous of you
Endlessly jealous of you
Endlessly jealous of you
Endlessly jealous of you
song performed by by Lou Reed
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Morning Desire
(dave loggins)
Here its seven in the am,
Its gonna take more then wakin to rise me
I wake up with this need again
But feel the love of the woman beside me
Its just one of those days
When I wana lay here with her
And love her before I leave
And listen to the rain fall up on the roof
And the thunder sounds like horses hooves
Oh I listen to her breathe
And it makes me wana wake her up
And tell her that Im on fire
With morning desire
It looks like Im gonna be late again
And I need to get up and get movin
And Im tryin
But the longer I keep stalling
The more I think about callin in and lieing here
Its just one of those days
When I wana stay here with her
And watch her while she sleeps
And listen to the rain fall up on the roof
And the thunder sounds like horses hooves
Oh I listen to her breathe
And it makes me wana wake her up
And tell her that Im on fire
With morning desire
Well I love to hear the rain fallin on the roof
And the thunder sounds like horses hooves
Oh I listen to her breathe
And it makes me wana wake her up
And tell her that Im on fire
With morning desire
With morning desire
song performed by by Kenny Rogers
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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All The Kings Horses
All the kings horses and all the kings men
Couldnt put me back together again
My heart lies in pieces all over the ground
Whos gonna help me when youre not around
And I know inside me ,that nobody cares
Whatever happens to me
I live my life as a plea
All the kings horses and all the kings men
Couldnt put me back together again
I was in love when I sat on my wall
No one could hurt me , no one at all
And I know that somewhere my love walked away
She threw my love to the sky
Nothing to do but to cry
All the kings horses and all the kings men
Couldnt put me back together again
All the kings horses , all the kings horses
All the kings horses , all the kings horses
song performed by by Bee Gees
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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