On Other Causes...
the hunger for the word
is like a savanna without borders
you open some pages
surf the web, and find some sites attractive
and they invite you
and you read the pieces and begin to like them
and even believe in their causes
they like you and begin to send messages
of solicitations
it sounds like: 'the children of Country X are hungry'
' Country X is in need of your help. Why not pledge $50 and then
we will spread the word? '
it seems everything boils down to money.
I am turned off. Tomorrow i will find another. Or perhaps, never.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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How The Words Are Taking The Man
let me start with one word
another word takes in another
and they begin to talk to one another
i let the third word go
and they will ask another one
to equalize both sides
they will soon invite other words
until they will make a crowd
and the words get so many
now with mouths and no ears
like the drink the words take the man
and after so man y words have been uttered
you begin to regret every word that got in
so many and now you feel so empty.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Liberty
On my books and poetry,
On my desk and on the computer
On the sand and on the beach
I write your name
On all the pages I have read
On all the blank pages
Stone bloody shed or ash
I write your name
On my greedy, tender friends
On my comrades, beloved country,
On my clumsy hands
I write your name
On my health and wealth
On the risk which disappeared
On the hope without memory
I write your name
And by the power of one word
I begin a life again
I was born to know you
To name you.
Liberty
poem by Lawrence Hiung
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The Word That Wouldn’t Fit (Fun Poem 25)
A writer’s life is full of woe,
you find a word you like,
then you write something,
and try to fit that word in,
but when you look again.
That word you thought of
it just won’t fit in,
no matter how hard you try it,
that word just will not go.
In a fit of frustration,
you stick it here and there.
Just like jigsaw puzzle
where the pieces will not fit,
so this word will not go anywhere.
In the end you say, “OH heck! ”
Then you put the word
to the back of your mind.
Maybe another day
in another poem,
that word just might fit.
Having said all that,
I’m not betting on it.
poem by David Harris
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The Word
Find the word, understand the word,
Depend on the word;
The word is heaven and space, the word the earth,
The word the universe.
The word is in our ears, the word is on our tongues,
The word the idol.
The word is the holy book, the word is harmony,
The word is music.
The word is magic, the word the Guru.
The word is the body, the word is the spirit, the word is being,
The word Not-being.
The word is man, the word is woman,
The Worshipped Great.
The word is the seen and unseen, the word is the existent
And the non-existent.
Know the word, says Kabir,
The word is All-powerful.
Truth Or Consequence
you ask me to choose
between truth
and consequence,
i rather have
all the consequences.
you are the truth
and you begin
to hurt. I face you
again, i have no more
tears
attuned am i
to these blunders
and sorrows
and pains, , , ,
to all these
redundancies
a thesaurus of
lamentations,
i open a page
of this truth,
i still hope to find
this word....
happiness,
i still have faith, that this word
is not lost, among the pages
of your stories,
some bookmarks
are thrown under the bed,
i remember reading this page.
there is this fingerprint
of my laughter,
it is still alive and
smiling at me.
I still believe, what mother
said: keep the marriage
there are always threads
and needles for whatever
is torn.
Father was lucky.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Injustice Here
Some place far from here
A baby is crying
A child is hungry
A mother is dying
Some place far from here
A family is in need
Adults cannot read
Children capture
Never again to be seen
Some place far from here
There’s no drinking water
Someone’s lost their daughter
Some place from here
People are homeless and alone
Without light and are cold
They sleep on dirt roads
With only their skin and their bones
Some place from here
There are so many things
So much injustice happening
Lots of poverty
Lots of death
But we forget
That right in our country
We have all these things too
We worry about a place far, far from here
And don’t take care of our priorities here
What about the poverty that covers our streets
Or children that are dying with no food to eat
The people in our country are suffering too
So although helping somewhere else
Is what we should do
There are obligations here first to pursue
We’re a great country
We have always been
But to continue this legacy
This is where we begin
poem by Jessica Collazo
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That Spot....
this is a blank slate.
when i write some words on it
and you begin to read each
something really happens
though you do not know it
because you are too busy with
the reading of the word
either a part of me dies or lives
it depends on where you stop
and when
tomorrow i shall write again
you must learn where you stopped and
when.
it is that precise moment
that you make me begin to write again.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Anthem
A country I see inside has partnership with me,
With gladness they invoke an anthem of joy.
A country might describe ours, ours,
The merriment is immense, I destroy like a country.
A country is murdered always by the neighbour,
But will it take over the opposite kind?
A country best is, a masterful work,
A distant dive and gorgeous jelly.
When a country is a nation
This anthem must not begin.
poem by Naveed Akram
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Patriotism
There was a time when it was counted high
To be a patriot--whether by the zeal
Of peaceful labour for the country's weal,
Or by the courage in her cause to die:
FOR KING AND COUNTRY was a rallying cry
That turned men's hearts to fire, their nerves to steel;
Not to unheeding ears did it appeal,
A pulpit formula, a platform lie.
Only a fool will wantonly desire
That war should come, outpouring blood and fire,
And bringing grief and hunger in her train.
And yet, if there be found no other way,
God send us war, and with it send the day
When love of country shall be real again!
poem by Robert Fuller Murray
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Send It With Love
Whenever I think of you it seems so unfair
That I have to close my eyes to see you there
I know I'm making it now, but it's tough
I can't begin to tell you enough
The pain is too much
And I give my heart in a prayer
And send it with love
You, just say the word I'll be there
Send it with love
Send it with love
I've come to realize that I'm on my own
So whenever I'm scared inside
I dream that you're home
It's hard to say
How everything happened so fast
So many questions to ask
Oh, I give my heart in a prayer
And send it with love
You, just say the word I'll be there
Send it with love
Send it with love
Is it right or is it wrong
To want you here so much?
But I can never bring you back
So I feel what I can't touch
I've come to realize that I'm on my own
And I give my heart in a prayer
And send it with love
You, just say the word I'll be there
Send it with love
Send it with love
song performed by by Shania Twain
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Town And Country
Touched by a butterfly on my way home
Flying who knows where
Walking down that dusty road
Without a care
The sun was shining up in the country
And bells were ringing downtown
Clouds were moving slow and lazy
While I was kicking around
And feeling out the town and the country
Feeling out the town and the country
Up on the hill I got a better look
I watched the river run brown (watched the river run brown)
And then I heard those songbirds singing
The country sound
When I got home I sat in my kitchen
And turned the television on (turned the TV on)
The news wasn't good so I didn't listen
I started clicking around
Thinking of the town and the country
I was thinking of the town and the country
Thinking of the town and the country
In the morning everything will be the same
Open up your world (watch the children play)
In the sun or rain
Thinking of the town and the country
A thinking of the town and the country
I was thinking of the town and the country (fade)
song performed by by America
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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One More Day
Listen to the wind
Hear the voice inside you.
Something in the air,
Something youve been blind to.
People everywhere are dying to be free.
Time has come to live our lives in harmony.
Chorus:
Give the children of the world one more day,
Give the children of the world, give them one more day.
Where do we begin?
When will freedom find us?
Bring the new day in
Free the chains that bind us.
People reaching out for just a little more.
Love is all we need to open up the door.
Chorus
Now the futures up to you.
Take a stand and see things thru
For the children of tomorrow.
Give the world one more day,
Time enough to find a way
To start over a way to go on.
One more day
One more day
Give the children of the world
One more day
One more day
One more day
Give the children of tomorrow
One more day
song performed by by Chicago
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Town & Country
Written by dewey bunnell and gerry beckley, 1998
Found on human nature.
Touched by a butterfly on my way home
Flying who knows where
Walking down that dusty road
Without a care
The sun was shining up in the country
And bells were ringing downtown
Clouds were moving slow and lazy
While I was kicking around
And feeling out the town and the country
Feeling out the town and the country
Up on the hill I got a better look
I watched the river run brown (watched the river run brown)
And then I heard those songbirds singing
The country sound
When I got home I sat in my kitchen
And turned the television on (turned the tv on)
The news wasnt good so I didnt listen
I started clicking around
Thinking of the town and the country
I was thinking of the town and the country
Thinking of the town and the country
In the morning everything will be the same
Open up your world (watch the children play)
In the sun or rain
Thinking of the town and the country
A thinking of the town and the country
I was thinking of the town and the country (fade)
song performed by by America
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Nothing To Say
Even when my eyes are open to see,
Even if for the pirates on the sea,
Even if I find they took my key,
I have no word to say.
Even if my heart want me to,
Even if it is the right thing to do so,
Even when I am destined to,
I have no word to say
Even if I am dying for or of it,
Even if I thirst for it,
Even if I shed tears for it,
I have no word to say.
Even if I see you flirting with her,
Even if you take her and fly far off,
Even if I want to object,
I have no word to say
I won't say anything even on my death bed,
Even when you want to kill that infant,
Even if you want to repent,
I have no word to say.
poem by Dickson Mseti
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Country Gentleman
Country gentleman walked a crooked mile,
Got our money in his pocket.
Did it all with a very handsome smile.
Now, he's livin' it up in a great big office.
He ain't a-gonna help no poor man.
He ain't a-goona help no poor man.
He ain't a-gonna help no poor man.
He's just gonna help his rich friends.
He ain't a-gonna help no women.
He ain't a-gonna help no children.
He's just gonna help his rich friends.
Country gentleman, we see him on T.V.,
Glad handin' folks and chattin' to the nation.
We never knew what really to believe.
Just word upon slogan with emotional connection.
Chorus:
He ain't a-gonna help no poor man.
He ain't a-gonna help no children.
He ain't a-gonna help no women.
He's just gonna help his rich friends.
And in the papers all we'd ever read is
So and so big-shot signed his resignation.
Now, country gentleman he wants us to believe
That he's kind and honest with the best intentions.
Chorus
Country gentleman, now there's a bird that flew
High above his nation, prayed on its weakness.
Picked our bones and threw it in his stew.
Thank God he went back to California.
Chorus
song performed by by John Mellencamp
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Gone Country
Shes been playing in a room on a strip
For ten years in vegas
Every night she looks in the mirror
But she only ages
Shes been reading about nashville and all
The records that everybodys buying
Says Im a simple girl myself
Grew up on long island
So she packs her bags to try her hand
Says this might be my last chance
Shes gone country, look at them boots
Shes gone country, back to her roots
Shes gone country, a new kind of suit
Shes gone country, here she comes
Well the folk scene is dead
But hes holding out in the village
Hes been writing songs speaking out
Against wealth and privilege
He says i dont believe in money
But a man could make him a killin
Cause some of that stuff dont sound
Much different than dylan
I hear down there its changed you see
Theyre not as backwards as they used to be
Hes gone country, look at them boots
Hes gone country, back to his roots
Hes gone country, a new kind of suit
Hes gone country, here he comes
He commutes to la
But hes got a house in the valley
But the bills are piling up
And the pop scene just aint on the rally
He says honey Im a serious composer
Schooled in voice and composition
But with the crime and the smog these days
This aint no place for children
Lord it sounds so easy it shouldnt take long
Be back in the money in no time at all
Hes gone country, look at them boots
Hes gone country, back to his roots
Hes gone country, a new kind of suit
Hes gone country, here he comes
Yeah hes gone country, a new kind of walk
Hes gone country, a new kind of talk
Hes gone country, look at them boots
Hes gone country, oh back to his roots
Hes gone country
Hes gone country
Everybodys gone country
Yeah weve gone country
The whole worlds gone country
song performed by by Alan Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Word
Say the word and you'll be free
Say the word and be like me
Say the word i'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, it's sunshine
It's the word, love
In the beginning i misunderstood
But now i've got it, the word is good
Spread the word and you'll be free
Spread the word and be like be
Spread the work i'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, it's sunshine
It's the word, love
Every where i go i hear it said
In the good and bad books that i have read
Give the word a chance to say
That the word is just the way
It's the word i'm thinking of
And the only word is love
It's so fine, it's sunshine
It's the word, love
Now that i know what i feel must be right
I'm here to show everybody the light
Say the word and you'll be free
Say the word and be like me
Say the word i'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, it's sunshine
It's the word, love
song performed by by Beatles
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Those Feelings
i
the first exhilaration was when you were issued the visa.
in your mind is 'America! America! '
here i come, 'America! ' as though you are going to heaven.
the family butchers the 60-kilo pig and the whole village rejoice
over your success.
America is your gateway to what you perceive as an escape
from poverty. This country is a haven of corruption. This country
is not offering you opportunities to rise to a higher level of existence.
The politicians here are good for nothing but promises.
You keep telling yourself. Patriotism is gone.
ii
Then you are in America. You have your first taste of snow inside your room.
Outside it is cold, and you begin to say, this is not what i dream about.
You are one of the jobless. You only fill in for work. Those who promised to
help you avoid you. You have become another useless number in the world
of perceived opportunities.You lock yourself. Money is hard to find here too.
The parties are not helpful hints about your quest for survival.
You go unhealthily surfing in the internet. No one remembers you.
No one is giving you. Everyone is asking for the money that you promise
to send back home. Your mother is sick. Your father is a drunkard.
Your brother is a drug addict. Your sister is pregnant.
iii
Then you begin to feel so alone.
You begin to think about going home.
Back to your country.
It is what you miss. The simplicity of life there.
The sun. The rice field. The fishing on the surf.The picnic on the hills.
Under the mango tree. The bath in the river.
The Sunday gathering by the sea.
A game of chess with a friend at the plaza.
The Jaycee activities.
The novena of the Holy Rosary on Wednesdays.
Sunday church.
The loafing. The hammock tied between two coconut trees.
The song of the gentle waves. The coolness of the nipa hut.
The anchovies. Salted fish and raw mangoes.
Coconut vinegar and the raw fish. Chunks of tangigue.
The sweet smell of the pork adobo.
The humba. The rhumba and the tango and the boogie.
The humility of your people.
The carabao ride towards the mountain.
Your friendly tenants. The spring on top of Saluyong hills.
The tuba. Dakak beach and floating restos.
iv
the Dipolog airport is wide and long.
You hear the song of your going back home.
Soon. Soon.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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When We...
when we take our hands
out of our pockets,
and put them back on the plow...
things will change.
when we open our eyes
to the suffering of those
all around us...
we will begin to see ourselves.
when we open the doors
to our hearts and let
our spirits fly free...
we will find each other.
when we find each other,
we will find our selves...
and so find God!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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The Sobs Of The Starving Children
We know about them from the radio and television and the hungry getting hungrier by the day
But we do not hear the sobs of the starving children from where we live they seem so far away
On the six o clock news at times we do see footage of hungry
children in a Land where poverty and disease is rife
And we feel a twinge of sadness that we cannot help them since we have got our own struggles in life.
Still the sobs of the hungry children are growing louder and
not all of them live in a far Country
And not all of them in the slums of the big city there's such a thing as hidden poverty
The single mother raises her brood on welfare and she has to struggle for to make ends meet
And they survive on bread and tea and milk and cornflakes since she cannot afford to buy them meat.
Banks and corporations make billions in yearly profits and we read and hear of their financial gain
But they don't help to feed the starving children and the growing scourge of poverty remain
A mile from where the billionaire lives there's poverty and hunger yet of their plight he does not wish to know
Still for him to grow wealthier others must grow poorer and
life goes on as it did years ago.
To find want you don't have that far to travel for poverty is everywhere and near
And though the starving children keep on sobbing louder their cries for food we do not seem to hear
And sad to say that those who talk and dream of an egalitarian society will never live to see their dreams come true
And in a World where there is want and hunger the majority of the World's wealth still with the wealthy few.
poem by Francis Duggan
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