Portrait of my Father as a Young Man
In the eyes: dream. The brow as if it could feel
something far off. Around the lips, a great
freshness--seductive, though there is no smile.
Under the rows of ornamental braid
on the slim Imperial officer's uniform:
the saber's basket-hilt. Both hands stay
folded upon it, going nowhere, calm
and now almost invisible, as if they
were the first to grasp the distance and dissolve.
And all the rest so curtained within itself,
so cloudy, that I cannot understand
this figure as it fades into the background--.
Oh quickly disappearing photograph
in my more slowly disappearing hand.
poem by Rainer Maria Rilke
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Venice Drowning
Venice breathing, shiny shoe mirrors of sex and violence,
In the purple evening silence, venice dreaming of a partner.
Fill your arms with breasts of marble, from the cradle to the table
Coax this naked treasure, from your saviour.
Come swim into my love
Come swim into my life
Divine blasphemer tempting, holly beads of jism
With a scarlet catechism, her lips will answer
(ah, her lips will answer)
How to be, the perfect stranger, the perfect lover - wanting
And as youll discover - giving, and as youll discover - being.
Come swim into my love
Come swim into my life
Enter this sublime corrosion
Venice drowning in emotion
-
(the body stirs, and is reanimated, only briefly,
But then life is very brief)
(come swim into my life)
(come swim into my life)
(ah-ahh ah-ah ah-ah-whoo heyyey)
Venice drowning!
Venice drowning!
Venice drowning!
Venice drowning!
Venice drowning!
Venice drowning! (slowly disappearing..)
Venice drowning! (slowly disappearing..)
Venice drowning! (slowly disappearing..)
Venice drowning!.... (slowly disappearing..)
song performed by by Duran Duran
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Uncertain Weather
A day of uncertain weather
Captured in a frame forever
A face in a faded photograph
He must have had a life
Maybe with a family
People who meant everything to him
A sinner, a saint, a soldier
Caught up in a war he never
Had a chance to start or build a life
All gone long ago
Leaving no trace
Disappearing like smoke in the wind
To become just a face without a name
Leaving no trace
Disappearing like smoke in the wind
Hopes and fears important plans
Forgotten memories
Footsteps fading in the sand, ooh
Schemes and dreams small and grand
Nothing left to see
Footsteps fading in the sand, ooh
Someone who cast a shadow
Maybe just a lazy man
Doesnt make much difference now its true
A day of uncertain weather
Captured in a frame forever
A face in a faded photograph
All gone long ago
Leaving no trace
Disappearing like smoke in the wind
To become just a face without a name
One more to add to the total
Of those never heard of again
Yes hes gone
Just a face without a name
Leaving no trace
Disappearing like smoke in the wind
All gone
Just a face without a name
Leaving no trace
Disappearing like smoke in the wind...
song performed by by Genesis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Fear Of Falling
(false trust)
Ive been standing here
Waiting for you
But I dont quite know
What Im gonna do
So I drag my heels and
I scratch the dust
And I rub my hands
So I can feel my blood
I see the rain clouds forming
The dream is disappearing
And I need it more than you
But youve got the power with you
You told me lies to protect the truth
But you wont admit
What youre really gonna do
So you hold me to ransom
Every chance you get
And you tie me down
So Im a broken man
I see the future fading
The dream is disappearing
And I need it more than you
But youve got the power with you
Your words are out of touch
But they dont help me much
cause I fear the fear of falling
You seem to hear no warning
Your words are out of touch
This dream wont come to much
cause I fear the fear of falling
Why cant you hear me calling
Forever calling
You change the rules
The colour of your skin
And then slam the door
So I cant reach in
Ive tried so hard to be heard
So you think you know it all
But Ill steal the last word
Ive watched the daylight fading
The dream is disappearing
And I need it more than you
But youve got the power with you
Your words are out of touch
But they dont help me much
cause I fear the fear of falling
You seem to hear no warning
Your words are out of touch
Your dream wont come to much
cause I fear the fear of falling
Why cant you hear my warning
Your words are out of touch
This dream wont come to much
cause I fear the fear of falling
Dont you hear my warning
Your words are out of touch
This dream wont come to much
cause I fear the fear of falling
Dont you hear me calling
The dream is disappearing
cause youve got
The power with you
So here we are
This dream has gone too far ...
song performed by by Uriah Heep
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The end of this planet
People expect the end
of this planet
to occur at Armageddon
but slowly but surely
man is destroying
this planet by himself.
The ozone layer is disappearing
by contamination in the air,
the clean water resources are disappearing
by sewerage draining into streams
and with floods, vehement storms,
waves from the sea destroying and streaming over buildings,
drought, great heat and deserts appearing
man is solely responsible.
At Chernobyl in Russia,
at Three Mile Island in America
(maybe even in Japan?)
nuclear radiation
is escaping into the atmosphere.
Oil is washing out on the beaches
and the destruction
comes from the hand of man
who at the cost of others
are leading an existence
until havoc is everywhere
and nobody is able to live here.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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My Hands Are Folded
My Hands Are Folded
my hands are folded in supplication
I need your help, i need to relax
i need calm, rest, light, peace
courage, forgiveness
my hands are folded
i bow down to my only Saviour
my anchor of safety
my harbor of protection
my heaven of peace
my eyes look up to you
with confidence, with hope
i come as one sick
to his physician
as one poor and needy
to the Lord of heaven and earth
grant that i may see you
in all things
in good and ill health
in joy as in sorrow
grant me oh Lord
the grace to accept with patience
the monotony of daily tasks
to embrace with resignation
the fatigue and exhaustion
of days too long and too full
for my physical strength
grant me the ability to be relaxed
and be calm in the thought of your love
to find rest in the assurance
that you are with me
always and forever...Amen
poem by Meggie Gultiano
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Light From Your Smile
Oh the light from your smile
Can be seen for a mile
By travellers dark in their sorrow
If you want me to stay
Throw a smile my way
And Ill stay by your side till tomorrow
Woooah...
cause all my battered dreams are shattered now
And I need all your beauty to warm me
In the time that Ive known you
Ive always shown you
That I could be captured in kindness
Now a storms blowin
Tomorrow Im goin
Well the sun takes away my blindness
Woooah...
Cause all my tattered hopes are shattered now
I wait for the future to touch me
Oh the morning is nearing
The clouds disappearing
The sun will be coming to guide me
Wherever I go
I want you to know
That I carry your smile beside me
Woooah...
The slowly shifting fog is lifting now
And I see the road Ill be taking
song performed by by Jackson Browne
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Forever Changed
Train entering the city
I lost myself and never came back
Took a trip around the world and never came back
Black silhouettes, crisscrossed tracks, never came back
Forever changed
Forever changed
You might think Im frivolous, uncaring and cold
You might think Im empty, depends on your point of view
Society andy who paints and records them
The high and the low, never turn back
Forever changed
Forever changed
Forever changed
Forever changed
Got to get to the city, get a job
Got to get some work to see me through
My old lifes behind, I see it receding
My lifes disappearing, disappearing from view
Hong kong and I was changed
Burma, thailand and I was changed
A few good friends to see me through
Henry and brigid to see me through
Only art to see me through
Only heart to see me through
My old lifes disappearing, disappearing from view
Forever changed
Forever changed
I was forever changed
song performed by by Lou Reed
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Look Heart, No Hands
I remember how it used to feel
Riding down old two mile hill
Tennis shoes up on the handle bars
Paying no mind to the passing cars
No doubts, no fears, just like when you are here
Chorus:
No chains, no strings, no fences, no wall
No net, just you to catch me when I fall
Look heart, no hands.
It took a little time to get up to speed
To find the confidence and strength I need
To just let go and reach for the sky
You know sometimes it felt I could fly.
No doubts, no fears, just like when you are here.
Chorus
It doesnt take much, just a smile or a touch
And Im a kid again, I can almost feel that wind
Look heart, no hands then play full chord to end
Jason a. wendtland
On the other hand - randy travis
On one hand I count the reasons I could stay with you
And hold you close to me, all night long.
So many lovers games I could play with you
And on that hand I see no reason why its wrong
Chorus:
But on the other hand, theres a golden band
To remind of someone who would not understand
On one hand I could stay and be your loving man
But the reason I must go is on the other hand
In your arms I feel the passion, I thought had died
When I looked into your eyes I found myself
When I first kissed your lips I felt so alive
Ive got to hand it to you girl, youre something else
Repeat chorus
song performed by by Randy Travis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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On Cold Winter Nights
With much weaker power the sun goes on its way
disappearing at night somewhere up high
while in winter everything living
is yearning for heat, to something that brings warmth
With the cold feeling as if seconds are jumping much too slowly
with you shivering later in the last part of the night.
With much weaker power the sun goes on its way
disappearing at night somewhere up high
When people insist on light,
with birds of prey gliding on the cold air,
lovers finding each other, giving love freely
until the next twilight
with much weaker power the sun goes on its way.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Pit of Suffering
Disappearing into a vortex,
Into a whirlpool of despair,
My mind is forever falling,
As I grasp for help but no ones there,
But my fight for breath is escalating,
As the demons deep within,
Plummet with me into the darkness,
Into the pit of suffering,
Then I feel my heart beat intensifying,
As it races out of control,
Round and around like a gold fish,
Swimming around in its bowl,
So will somebody help me?
In this madness,
Help me to escape from within,
Throw me a line,
And help me break free,
From the hands in the pit of suffering.
poem by Darren Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Just A Man
Sky is clear tonight
Sky is clear tomorrow
A star is out
I reach for one to sparkle in my hand
A star is out
I will not touch you, I am just a man
Sky is clear tonight
Sky is clear tomorrow
And every night I shut my eyes
So I dont have to see the light
Shining so bright
Ill dream about a cloudy sky,
A cloudy sky
Ill dream about a cloudy sky, a cloudy
Man was born to love-
Though often he has sought
Like icarus, to fly too high-
And far too lonely than he ought
To kiss the sun of east and west
And hold the world at his behest-
To hold the terrible power
To whom only gods are blessed-
But me, I am just a man
And every night I shut my eyes
So I dont have to see the light
Shining so bright
Ill dream about a cloudy sky, a cloudy sky
And every night I shut my eyes
But now Ive got them open wide
Youve fallen into my hands
And now youre burning me
Youre burning me
song performed by by Faith No More
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Beyond Belief
“You’ll never believe, what it is that I see”
Said the old man just before he died
He squeezed my hand tightly, as he whispered lightly
And he pulled me down to his side
“I wouldn’t have believed, ” he said with a sigh
As I put my ear close to his lips
His dim eyes brightened, as his hand slowly rose
he pointed into space with thin fingertips
“It’s not…not at all, what you’d think it to be, ”
He whispered, as his hand… slowly fell to the bed
“We were wrong, all of us wrong, It goes on you see! ”
Barely audible now, slowly lowered his head
I put my hand on his brow, my cheek against his… tenderly
I could sense the ebb of his final tide
“You’d never, …ever believe, what it is that I see, ”
His eyes closed…he smiled…then he died
poem by David Whalen
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Still Dream
I still dream of Rome
The sights and smells
of an acient city
I still dream of London
The joy and discovery
that ultimatly entagled me
I still experience this pull
To escape my confines
and feel my wings
It grows stronger with
every moment and
consumes all things
I still dream of running
and disappearing
but now with you.
poem by Samantha Williams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sleeping On The Wing
Perhaps it is to avoid some great sadness,
as in a Restoration tragedy the hero cries 'Sleep!
O for a long sound sleep and so forget it! '
that one flies, soaring above the shoreless city,
veering upward from the pavement as a pigeon
does when a car honks or a door slams, the door
of dreams, life perpetuated in parti-colored loves
and beautiful lies all in different languages.
Fear drops away too, like the cement, and you
are over the Atlantic. Where is Spain? where is
who? The Civil War was fought to free the slaves,
was it? A sudden down-draught reminds you of gravity
and your position in respect to human love. But
here is where the gods are, speculating, bemused.
Once you are helpless, you are free, can you believe
that? Never to waken to the sad struggle of a face?
to travel always over some impersonal vastness,
to be out of, forever, neither in nor for!
The eyes roll asleep as if turned by the wind
and the lids flutter open slightly like a wing.
The world is an iceberg, so much is invisible!
and was and is, and yet the form, it may be sleeping
too. Those features etched in the ice of someone
loved who died, you are a sculptor dreaming of space
and speed, your hand alone could have done this.
Curiosity, the passionate hand of desire. Dead,
or sleeping? Is there speed enough? And, swooping,
you relinquish all that you have made your own,
the kingdom of your self sailing, for you must awake
and breathe your warmth in this beloved image
whether it's dead or merely disappearing,
as space is disappearing and your singularity
poem by Frank O'Hara
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I'm Looking Through You
I'm looking through you, where did you go
I thought i knew you, what did i know
You don't look different, but you have changed
I'm looking through you, you're not the same
Your lips are moving, i cannot hear
Your voice is soothing, but the words aren't clear
You don't sound differnt, i've learned the game.
I'm looking through you, you're not the same
Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?
Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight
You're thinking of me, the same old way
You were above me, but not today
The only difference is you're down there
I'm looking through you, any other way
Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?
Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight
I'm looking through you, where did you go
I thought i knew you, what did i know
You don't look different, but you have changed
I'm looking through you, you're not the same
song performed by by Beatles
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Invisible Man
Everywhere he goes
Everything he does
Everything proves to him
That he dont exist for them
Cos they dont understand what
The invisible man understands
Everyday he tries
Every night he dies
Looking for someone like him
Someone who dont walk by him
Someone who knows what
The invisible man understands
He doesnt sell cars
He doesnt sell clothes
Never famous
And know one knows
Stick and stone aint hurt him
You can dance on his grave when hes gone
But the invisible man will still touch your hand
Until you understand what he wants
Do you think you know him
Do you think that you know him
The lies and deceit you give
The curses and cries you give
Do you understand what the invisible man understands
Invisible man do you understand
Maybe it is you?
Invisible man do you understand
Maybe it is you?
Maybe it is you?
Maybe it is you?
Maybe it is you?
Maybe it is you?
Do you think you understand
Do you think you understand
song performed by by Billy Idol
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Eyes Of Mr D (Part 5)
Mr D took off his glasses,
and raised his white cane.
He struck the dark figure,
hard with the crook of the handle
in the middle of the back.
The dark figure bends backwards
revealing his mask of death.
Quickly he recovered and twisted around.
He went to strike out at Mr D,
who hooked the white cane
around one leg and pulled.
The dark figure with the mask of death
fell upon the ground.
He pulled a blade from his pocket
that glinted under the moonlight.
Mr D used the cane again
to knock the blade from his hand
into the dark waters of the lake.
The sound of sirens and blue lights filled the air.
The figure with the mask of death
tried his best to flee.
Mr D went after him.
He ran onto the wooden bridge.
Mr D caught him there.
They struggled with each other,
one getting the upper hand for a moment,
then the other.
Mr D finally hit him with his fist.
The figure spun and stumbled against the wooden guardrail.
The rail snapped under the sudden weight.
Into the dark waters,
the figure plunged and disappeared below.
Mr D came off the bridge
moments before the police arrived.
It was over now he said to himself.
The pretty woman waited there for him.
She looked, smiled, and held her hand out
to the man who saved her life.
“How did you know? ” she asked.
“My eyes told me it was going to happen.”
He then went on to explain.
When they were allowed to leave,
they left hand in hand.
“I don’t know your name.” She said,
“And here you save my life.”
He smiled. “Are you sure you want to know? ”
She nodded.
“My name is Henry De Ath,
but just call me Henry or Mr D.
On the far side of the lake,
a figure emerged
from the dark waters of the lake.
He crawled up onto the shore,
and then removed the mask of death that he wore.
He waited for a few moments
while he caught his breath,
and then hurried back to his black car.
He gave a quick glance at the blue lights,
on the far shore,
before disappearing
into the swirl of traffic for another day.
The End……………………..or is it?
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Innocence Restored
The sky is black,
The sun
High in the sky
Turns red
Buzzards fly
In circles
Above a deadened body
Torn to shreds
The battle won
Innocence restored
A smile upon his
Quickly disintegrating body
The sky is
Raining blood onto
The earth
Restoring everything
As it should have been
Years before
He sleeps peacefully
In the desert
Innocence restored
A smile upon his
Disappearing form in the sand.
poem by Rebecca Hall
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Couldn't Get Away
I walked along the avenue,
I never thought i'd meet a girl like you.
Meet a girl like you.
With auburn hair and tauny eyes;
The kind of eyes that hypnotise me through,
Hypnotise me through.
And I ran.
I ran so far away.
Couldn't get away.
A crowd appears above your head.
A beam of light comes shining down on you.
Shining down on you.
The crowd is moving near us still.
Aurora borealis comes in view.
Aurora comes in view.
And I ran.
I ran so far away.
I just ran, I ran all night and day.
Couldn't get away.
You started him to touch your face,
You're slowly disappearing from my view.
Disappearing from my view.
You started him to try again.
I'm floating in a beam of light with you.
A beam of light with you.
And I ran.
I ran so far away.
I just ran.
I ran all night and day.
And I ran.
I ran so far away.
I just ran.
I ran all night and day.
Couldn't get away.
song performed by by Bowling For Soup
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Infinite Disintegration
A static convulses spasmodic'lly,
Covering the dying constellations
That have been twinkling periodic'lly
In the twilight of my fascination.
The sky is white—somewhere between marble
And gossamer. It's something translucent
Juxtaposed over an inky jarble
And its waning, descendant glow crescent.
The muffle of distance, and the murmur
Of a warmer comfort, wallows and wades
In the background like a large-eyed lemur—
In a drunken jungle's canopy shade.
I vanish into it, crawling nearer
To disappearing to somewhere clearer.
poem by Tim Stensloff
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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