Strive to Revive After Every Fall (Somnathpur, Gujarat, India)
We were winging our way
on the coast of Gujarat from the east to west.
Hardly had we slept a wink
than we stepped on the blood-stained soil
of Somnathpur past midnight.
Some stray dogs woofed at our friend, Baskaran
whose suitcase-wheels were making
the rumbling noise of a bullock-cart of the past.
Seeing the choppy waters of the Arabian Sea
at the back of the temple-wall,
we were wide-eyed in surprise.
and we were comforted by a spanking breeze.
Our votive offerings were some coins
but God would bless us all as we were from the far south.
Some marauder of a jungle tribe from a far off hills
had looted the gold of the temple
umpteen times putting the people to swords.
He is no more but the ill-will he created remains
and it is inherited by the descendents, thanks to History.
We surveyed the havoc wrought
in northern Gujarat by the quakes.
But the Somnath in the South stands tall
amidst fatal falls of towering skyscrapers.
Strive to revive in life and thrive again
though hit by misfortunes countless.
That is what people feel seeing the salty winds
peel the stony leaves off the rocky walls.
---------
poem by Rajendran Muthiah
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Related quotes
The Movin' Blues
People up north are movin' south.
People down south are movin' west.
People out west are movin' east.
People don't know which move is best?
They've got the movin' blues.
People up north say it's too cold.
People down south say it's too hot.
People out west say it's too dry.
Nobody's happy with what they've got.
They've got the movin' blues.
Now movin' around is such a pain.
It takes too long to pack.
You leave all your friends and all you knew.
and you wonder if you'll ever move back?
You've got the movin' blues.
I think where you're the happiest
is the place you ought to stay.
So settle down and see how you feel.
Hopefully you won't have to move away
and get the movin' blues.
poem by Edwina Reizer
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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4. Blow me down
The North wind blew on Monday
As the East wind got the flu
The West wind blew on Tuesday
As the South wind never knew
The North East wind had Wednesday
As the South West wasn’t chuffed
The North West blew on Thursday
As the South East hardly puffed
The East and West blew Friday
As the others had a rest
The North and South blew Saturday
As the weekends were the best
The lot of them had Sunday
As the winds turned into storm
The whole of them had Monday off
As the week got back to norm
poem by David Threadgold (2008)
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Dilemma
I love and I need you
Nelly, I love you, I do
Need you
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
Boy, you know Im crazy over you
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
You know Im crazy over you
Uh-uh-uh-uh
I met this chick and she just moved right up the block
From me
And she got the hots for me, the finest thing I need
To see
But oh, no, no, she got a man and a son, oh-oh, but
Thats okay
cause I wait for my cue and just listen, play my
Position
Like a shortstop, pick up erything mami hittin
And in no time I better make this friend mine and
Thats for sure
cause i-i never been the type to break up a happy
Home
But theres something bout baby girl, I just cant
Leave her lone
So tell me, ma, whats it gonna be
She said, you dont know what you mean to me, come
On
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
Boy, you know Im crazy over you
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
You know Im crazy over you
Uh-uh-uh-uh
I see a lot in your look and I never say a word
I know how n****s start actin trippin , and hate up
All the girls
And theres no way nelly go for it
Aint f***in with no dame, as you could see
But i-i like your steeze, your style, your whole
Demeanor
The way you come through and holler, and swoop me in
His two-seater
Now thats gangsta and I got special ways to thank ya,
Dont you forget it
But it aint that easy for you to back up and leave
Him
But you and me we got ties for different reasons
I respect that and right before I turned to leave
She said, you dont know what you mean to me, come
On
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
Boy, you know Im crazy over you
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
You know Im crazy over you
Sing it for me, k
I love and I need you
Nelly, I love you, I do
And its more than youll ever know
Boy, its for sure
You can always count on my love
Forever more, yeah, yeah
East coast, I know youre shakin right
Down south, I know youre bouncin right
West coast, I know youre walkin right
(cause you dont know what you mean to me)
Midwest, I see you swingin right
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
Boy, you know Im crazy over you
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
You know Im crazy over you
East coast, I know youre shakin right
Down south, I know youre bouncin right
West coast, I know youre walkin right
(you dont know what you mean to me)
Midwest, I see you swingin right
East coast, youre still shakin right
Down south, I know youre bouncin right
West coast, I know youre walkin right
(you dont know what you mean to me)
Midwest, youre still swingin right
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
Boy, you know Im crazy over you
No matter what I do
All I think about is you
Even when Im with my boo
You know Im crazy over you
Yeah, yeah
East coast, I know youre shakin right
Down south, I know youre bouncin right
West coast, I know youre walkin right
(you dont know what you mean to me)
Midwest, I see you swingin right
East coast, youre still shakin right
Down south, I know youre bouncin right
West coast, I know youre walkin right
(you dont know what you mean to me)
Midwest, youre still swingin right
song performed by by Nelly
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Am' tree series # 2
i am tall
i am straight
i am ' TREE
as i see my leaves falling to the ground
surrounding my trunk like a skirt.
my branches stretch to all four corners
north, south, east, west
and as they fall, i know then
that i am dying.
i stretch my head to the father sun
and scream for his strength.
and down to mother earth
to quench my thirst.
for hundreds of years, i have lived
and flourished with a beauty that
all mankind admires.
i then realized that it was' autumn.'
i am replenishing my life,
to enter a new one.
as my branches, which touch each point
north, south, east, west
so are the four seasons.
'i am ' tree
i live, i die, i revive.
my beauty like love is eternal
in the eyes of the beholder.
'I AM' TREE.
poem by Louis Rams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Sun Burns East to West
The Sun Burns East to West
(Earth’s Creation to the end of an Ice Age)
© 2008 (Jim Sularz)
Sun’s first rise over life-less skies,
the Earth cools, and the waters pool -
the Sun burns East to West.
And the planet’s broken plates quake and move.
Lightning strikes, the waters stir,
and the bonds of life begin to churn -
the Sun burns East to West.
And the waters swirl in a living urn.
Strange aquatic things, they all evolve,
some spiny finned, start to crawl -
the Sun burns East to West.
And they slowly stretch erect and tall.
Eons past where the cunning reign, a savage place,
with small sized brains -
the Sun burns East to West.
And the dead surrender their twisted remains.
An asteroid streaks from the sky, blocks out the Sun,
cause most to die -
the Sun burns East to West.
And all in a blink of Time’s eye.
Footprints in stone, some on mountainsides,
make it clear that rocks don’t lie -
the Sun burns East to West.
And the Fossils always tell the Time.
Eons past and Eons more, the fittest evolves,
and Man is born -
the Sun burns East to West.
And the early brain, once fast asleep,
begins to dream and mourn.
The first million years, Man lives in fear, learns to hunt,
invents the spear -
the Sun burns East to West.
And migrates to claim the vast frontiers.
Tools from stone and controlled fire, creates language,
that shake Man’s empire -
the Sun burns East to West.
And splash Cave paintings with Human inspire.
Life-times of hunter-gathering,
and story-telling in the dark -
the Sun burns East to West.
And a World spins with a Million hearts.
The Earth starts to warm, the oceans rise,
and the waters shape the lands -
the Sun burns East to West.
And when an Ice Age ends, then comes, the Age of Man.
poem by Jim Sularz
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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It's A Hard Road
I jumped on the train
I left this old town
I escaped the rain
I'm no longer down
The wheels start to turn
My worries are gone
I have lots to learn
About the trail that I'm on
As I look around
I see my new friend
I know I am bound
To travel till the end
I'll travel south and I'll travel north
I'll travel east and I'll travel west
I just want to find the road that is best
The train it did slow
I'm in a new place
The moonlight does glow
On my tired face
It's time for me
To try and find a bed
It's time for me
To rest my weary head
Morning is here
There's sorting to do
I'll sound sincere
With my goodbye to you
I'll travel south and I'll travel north
I'll travel east and I'll travel west
I just want to find the road that is best
It's time to move away
I'm not satisfied
I've spent many a day
Finding a place to reside
There's a town on my mind
It's just down the track
No need to find
A way to get back
The train I will get
Sitting at the station
The future is set
I feel anticipation
I'll travel south and I'll travel north
I'll travel east and I'll travel west
I just want to find the road that is best
poem by Liam Hughes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The People Want Peace
Got to land those war planes....,
Bury the guns....,
Hold back the subs...,
All the missles and bombs...,
Raise your voices high...,
And start singin' with me....,
Let's do what's right....,
I know you'll agree....,
The People Want Peace....,
There's no other way...,
The People Want Peace....,
Startin' today....,
From the south to the north....,
West to the east....,
There's no doubt in my mind....,
The People Want Peace....! ! !
We worked and we slaved....,
For so many years....,
Let's share some laughter....,
Forget all the tears....,
I know we can live....,
Without envy and greed....,
With freedom to choose....,
That's why I believe....,
The People Want Peace....,
There's no other way...,
The People Want Peace....,
Startin' today....,
From the south to the north....,
West to the east....,
There's no doubt in my mind....,
The People Want Peace....! ! !
poem by Trade Martin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Up North (Down South, Back East, Out West)
(Danny Wells/Jill Wood)
In spite of the name, Independence, Kansas
Didn't grow many wild roses
But she was young and restless
And I loved her though holding her down was hopeless
I wanted her to say she couldn't live without
The life I had to offer but all she could talk about
Was faraway dreams, cities she'd never seen
How do I find that girl when she could be
Out there anywhere she just up and left
She didn't leave a forwarding address
Or a trail for my lonely heart to follow
Which one of those four winds should I go chasing
She could be in a million places I guess
Up north, down south, back east, out west
She could be up in the Windy City
Where the world spins a little bit faster
Or gettin' a tan down in Miami that might be where I'd catch her
Maybe back in Virginia, her cousin lives there
Out in Arizona, she'd fit in anywhere
It's anyone's guess where she came to rest
My one chance for happiness is
Out there anywhere she just up and left
She didn't leave a forwarding address
Or a trail for my lonely heart to follow
Which one of those four winds should I go chasing
She could be in a million places I guess
Up north, down south, back east, out west
I'm sitting here at a four-way intersection
Praying Lord won't you point me in the right direction
She could be
Out there anywhere she just up and left
She didn't leave a forwarding address
Or a trail for my lonely heart to follow
Which one of those four winds should I go chasing
She could be in a million places I guess
Up north, down south, back east, out west
Up north, down south, back east, out west
song performed by by Wade Hayes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Wink
It might of been created by a liar or a thief
So people will be confused by a thought or a belief
And at that moment of time when you will stop and think
You will not realize you've been tricked, as there will be a wink,
You might think all is alright and that is acceptable
As you wont see what truly is perceptible,
And if you are with that friend and they offer you a drink
Be careful before you drink it, and watch out for that wink.
It might of been created when someone was looking for the truth
Or maybe they were curious, or maybe they were a sleuth
But when they are close to an answer you will notice their eye
Then you will see that wink, now you won't care about why,
You are happy and pleased as now you will walk away
But what was the truth, as not a word did they say,
When people tell you all is alright, but your life is at its brink
Be ever so careful, and watch out for that wink.
It might of been created by a spouse or a cheater
But we know it wasn't created by either Paul or Peter
When the truth is asked for, it is told without a blink
So we must be ever so weary of that devilish wink
In the history of time it as been used to trick and confuse
And also to confirm a lie, and also to amuse,
Remember the devil signs his contracts in blood and ink
So in life be ever so careful, and watch out for that wink.
poem by Randy McClave
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Coast 2 Coast
I met a girl named hip hop in seventy eight
Hollis Queens New York gave us our first date
man she broke me off proper yo the girl was fast
and everybody kept telling me it would not last
cause ain't no women in the world supposed to be that sweet
and ya just can't trust a hot chick from the street
I could tell she had been through lots of struggle and strife
but yet in still she'd been with me over half of my life
born key Jeff Taylor took me into his home
and intrduced me to some tables and a microphone
hip hop talked to me told me take your time
at the age of eleven I bust my first rhyme
block partys in the day house partys at night
just about one year before Rapper's Delight
everybody in the crew called to make a request
cause rap's on the radio and hip-hop was blessed
didn't go to many clubs I wasn't old enough
And if it try to sneak it out my folks is scolding up
but I still do anything to get on stage
and once I got a club gig I lied about my age
just a couple blocks away was the Hollis crew
Run and them used to rock at one ninety two
up the street was a crew called Solo Sounds
where Davey D and Mex used to throw it down
man I wouldn't trade rap for anything in the world
hip hop meant more to me than diamonds and pearls
and I still reminicse to this very day
and I remember those words hip hop would say
(Do you have love for the east coast?)
yes I do
(the hip hop on the east coast?)
yeah that's true
from the 'yes yes y'all' to 'and you don't stop'
east coast played a role in making a hip hop
(Do you have love for the east coast?)
yeah that's right
(the hip hop on the east coast?)
yeah that's tight
from the 'yes yes y'all' to 'and you don't stop'
east coast played a role in making a hip hop
now I gotta get busy time to make that move
high school over with gotta sho' improve
got college on the coast and I'm makin' plans
so hip hip went and told me go west young man
it was a different kind of style but I liked the sound
everybody in the house gauranteed to get down
I did the casa skateland word on wheels
and the crazy crazy world of the record deal
K-day was the station that played my song
I got love from the people it's a shame they gone
Julio and Tony G yo was keeping it real
and Baker Boys doin' they own up in Bakersville
I remember other brothers putting out the gin
like six in the morning and the battle ran
there were boys in the hood and little Nenah Cherry
and oh I can't forget about ooh Rock Berry
before the madness when I made my fame
alot of people on the west coast knew my name
before the big magizines even wanted to meet me
I checked the back pages of the L.A. weekly
to see if they would write and recognize the sound
cause in those days Young MC was underground
lot of times I would rhyme and I'd get no pay
but I remember those words hip hop would say
(Do you have love for the west coast?)
yes I do
(the hip hop on the west coast?)
yeah that's true
from the 'yes yes y'all' to 'and you don't stop'
west coast played a role in making a hip hop
(Do you have love for the west coast?)
yeah that's right
(the hip hop on the west coast?)
yeah that's tight
from the 'yes yes y'all' to 'and you don't stop'
west coast played a role in making a hip hop
talk of an east coast west coast beef makes me panic
I love both sides so I'm straight skitzafrenic
got my skills in the east got my deal in the west
so I just can't say what side is the best
now you love where you live that's true indeed
cause your family and friends give you what you need
stand up for yo' hood and you do it with pride
but the media tells you hate the other side
now it's hard to hate a man that I have not met
or hate a whole damn coast like a ????
cause hip hop is wit ya no matter where you stay
so remember these words hip hop would say
(Do you have love for the east coast?)
yes I do
(the hip hop on the east coast?)
yeah that's true
from the 'yes yes y'all' to 'and you don't stop'
east coast played a role in making a hip hop
(Do you have love for the west coast?)
yeah that's right
(the hip hop on the west coast?)
yeah that's tight
from the 'yes yes y'all' to 'and you don't stop'
west coast played a role in making a hip hop
(do you have love for the east coast?)
yes I do
(the hip hop on the west coast?)
yeah that's true
from the 'yes yes y'all' to 'and you don't stop'
both coasts played a role in making hip hop
(do you have love for the west coast?)
yeah that's right
(the hip hop on the east coast?)
yeah that's tight
from the 'yes yes y'all' to 'and you don't stop'
both coasts played a role in making hip hop
(coast to coast)
song performed by by Young MC
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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But then again in the East Coast, I think, Tupac, inspired everybody on the East Coast, everybody down south, everybody in the West Coast you know what sayin'.
quote by Bubba Sparxxx
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Up North
(danny wells/jill wood)
In spite of the name, independence, kansas
Didnt grow many wild roses
But she was young and restless
And I loved her though holding her down was hopeless
I wanted her to say she couldnt live without
The life I had to offer but all she could talk about
Was faraway dreams, cities shed never seen
How do I find that girl when she could be
Out there anywhere she just up and left
She didnt leave a forwarding address
Or a trail for my lonely heart to follow
Which one of those four winds should I go chasing
She could be in a million places I guess
Up north, down south, back east, out west
She could be up in the windy city
Where the world spins a little bit faster
Or gettin a tan down in miami that might be where Id catch her
Maybe back in virginia, her cousin lives there
Out in arizona, shed fit in anywhere
Its anyones guess where she came to rest
My one chance for happiness is
Out there anywhere she just up and left
She didnt leave a forwarding address
Or a trail for my lonely heart to follow
Which one of those four winds should I go chasing
She could be in a million places I guess
Up north, down south, back east, out west
Im sitting here at a four-way intersection
Praying lord wont you point me in the right direction
She could be
Out there anywhere she just up and left
She didnt leave a forwarding address
Or a trail for my lonely heart to follow
Which one of those four winds should I go chasing
She could be in a million places I guess
Up north, down south, back east, out west
Up north, down south, back east, out west
song performed by by Wade Hayes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In Your Mind There Remains Unrest
If you can't see it in the East.
And it can't be seen in the North.
So you look about in the West,
To declare that the South is best.
But,
Yet in your mind there remains unrest.
If you can't see it in the East.
And it can't be seen in the North.
So you look about in the West,
To declare that the South is best.
You seek a model,
In the East.
One you can bottle,
From the North.
To establish a nest,
One picked from the West.
And,
In the South you'll have that house...
Successfully built by an architect.
You seek a model,
In the East.
One you can bottle,
From the North.
To establish a nest,
One picked from the West.
And,
In the South you'll have that house...
Successfully built by an architect.
If you can't see it in the East.
And it can't be seen in the North.
So you look about in the West,
To declare that the South is best.
But,
Yet in your mind there remains unrest.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Wind's Journey
Winds blowing from the east
Transplanted scents into the west,
Wandered into jungles of concrete wall,
Struggling to fit in cranny nooks of tall
Structures, that hastens its journey through
Man-made woods – a jungle of towers blew
And drove the wind from western grey mist,
Back to the east, refresh and crisply blest,
While easterly mist touched the west wind
And blow forth again to trees and leaves of green
From east to the west its circular route dawdle
Wanting to re-touch thus lingered to mingle
Attempting to refine a wind made stale
By man’s rancorous ill will, east wind’s wail
The west wind wavered, intertwined forever
To retouch and refresh the earth’s dwindling fresh air
poem by Jona PoloRamirez
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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We Affect Forever
We Affect Forever
We are making history, through every day we spend.
We are here, leaving our mark, a mark that will not end.
Others before have left behind this world we now obtain.
Though it’s changed since way back when, the old shall always remain.
History is how we got here, history is who we are.
History is what led to this, yes history is not far.
It remains within our families, its tradition and unchanging ways.
It’s Christmas day, Thanksgiving, its countless nights and days.
History is what you’re becoming; it’s what you are soon to be.
And history never dies; it’s a part of everybody.
We fight to maintain who we are, to maintain who we’ve always been.
And while we fight we know this fight is not easy to win.
Many forget the past, and many never even know,
Many people never hear of how times were long ago.
Those thousands of years before us, are more than just time spent.
They are filled with real people, real feelings, and real places that they went.
The People had different life styles very different from our ways,
But it is true that there is nothing knew under the sun’s golden rays.
Stand proud to be alive, know you affect forever.
Every act that we commit we all commit together.
We are entrusted with this earth; we must love and cherish this life.
We must remember to love our existence lest love becomes our strife.
Yes we are becoming history, through every move we make.
We are here, leaving our mark, a mark ……or perhaps a mistake.
poem by Mary Murphy
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Loud And Clear
One in the jungle
Say lord have mercy!
Loud and clear
Lyrics like that, lyrics amaze
They could never ever pain
Wanna get it in hot sunny spain?
That's how I like it in the rain
Lyrics like that, lyrics amaze
They could never ever pain
Wanna get it in hot sunny spain?
That how I like it in the rain
Yeah!!
Loud and clear
Loud and clear
Jungle no wet, jungle no play
Jungle has face that don't fear the way
And make your move body
Your body like me say
Like me say with no deelay
Get on the dancefloor
Move your body with no deelay
Right about now jungle this is the way
But thing are going on Jungle today
Jungle no wet, Jungle no play...
To east, to the west, to north, to the south
Jungle is Forever and they can't run way out
To east, to the west, to north, to the south
Jungle is Forever and they can't run way out
That how i like it in the rain
Loud and Clear
Loud and Clear
Candyman for the microphone
And I run up the mordor
With the badford dj ride the rythm
Here up's we go for
When we joied the loop in the rain
You and me sing out
Jungle is the remedy
Jungle is the don't you ever
Seen it fight that do
song performed by by Scooter
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Eden Still Existent
New Zealand
South Island
West Coast
tropical rain forest
sacred images fuse soul
under canopy of life
Eden still existent
living temple of life
flowers in eye heart
breath embrace atmosphere
sight embrace vision horizons
touch ecosystem life non-life
sunlight wind kiss water soil
light water soil nutrients bless
plants into new sprouting life
lakes rivers landscapes
everything is connected life
water; water temperature
plants animals inhale air
light soil water work together
balance life elements least
plants die algae plants
produce oxygen produce fibre
feed herbivores omnivores
energy soil sunlight water
plants produce filter air
produce diverse vegetation
their plant bodies foods
animals herbivores feast eat
plants omnivores feast eat
plants animals both eaten
carnivores eat herbivores
sometimes other carnivores
webs of life interlock creation
decomposers break down dead
planets animals into elements
organic materials waste recycled
back into life nurturing womb soil
energy sunlight kiss soil water
interlocked ecosystems dance
cosmic creation life webs
strands of life sail cosmic winds
poem by Terence George Craddock
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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In The South Western Grampians
In the South Western Grampians of Victoria the Summer hills are brown
And from Casterton to Hamilton the roadway winds up and down
The creeks are barely flowing the roadside drains are dry
And the sun is brightly shining in the clear afternoon sky.
In the South Western Grampians the weather mostly fine
And many days of warm weather and beautiful sun shine
An undulating Countryside and hardly any green
With so few groves and woodlands and few trees to be seen.
Through the South Western Grampians one may travel far and wide
But one won't see many houses in that brown old Countryside
A farming population and few people one see
In the South Western Grampians far Inland from the sea.
On the hills of the South Western Grampians there once were many trees
Where the Indigenous tribes in the Dreamtime lived and had their Coroborees
But now open to the weather those old hills look brown and bare
And the only sound the buzzing of the bush flies in the warm Summer air.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Little Lady Of The Bullock Cart
Now is the time when India is gay
With wedding parties; and the radiant throngs
Seem like a scattered rainbow taking part
In human pleasures. Dressed in bright array,
They fling upon the bride their wreaths of songs-
The Little Lady of the Bullock Cart.
Here is the temple ready for the rite:
The large-eyed bullocks halt; and waiting arms
Lift down the bride. All India's curious art
Speaks in the gems with which she is bedight,
And in the robes which hide her sweet alarms-
The Little Lady of the Bullock Cart.
This is her day of days: her splendid hour
When joy is hers, though love is all unknown.
It has not dawned upon her childish heart.
But human triumph, in a temporal power,
Has crowned her queen upon a one-day throne-
The Little Lady of the Bullock Cart.
Ah, Little Lady! What will be your fate?
So long, so long, the outward-reaching years:
So brief the joy of this elusive part;
So frail the shoulders for the loads that wait:
So bitter salt the virgin widow's tears-
O Little Lady of the Bullock Cart.
poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Song of the Torres Strait Islands
Bold Torres, the sailor, came and went,
with his swarthy, storm-worn band,
he saw Saavedra's Isle to north-
to south a loom of land.
He left unknowing his name would live
through ages with big fate,
as the first to stem with broad-bowed ship
the wash of the Northern Strait.
Round the western coast the Dutch ships crept,
seeking the hidden way;
some left their bones on that bare, west coast,
and the others sailed away.
Turned back, turned back, by reef and shoal,
twin guards of the narrow gate-
the path of the sun from the eastern seas-
they were mocked by the Northern Strait.
Year in, year out, the monsoons swept
o'er the isles of the coral shore,
The savage tossed in his frail canoe,
but the white man came no more.
No sail in sight at the flash of dawn!
No sail at the gloaming late!
Silent and still was the lonley pass-
Unsought was the Northern Strait.
A rattle of arms and a roll of drums,
and the meteor flag flies free,
as an English voice proclaims King George
Lord of the tropic sea.
The parrots scream as the volleys flash;
the gulls their haunts vacate;
and the 'south-east' fills the 'Endeavours' sails
as she heads through the Northern Strait.
And ever since then has our watch been kept
o'er the ships in the narrow way,
where the smoking funnels flare by night,
and the house-flags flaunt by day.
Ever the same strong south-east blows,
and ever we watch and wait,
the wardens we, in Australia's name,
the guard of the Northern Strait.
poem by Ernest Favenc
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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