Those Who Witnessed The Fire
the doctor was on the other side of the road
the house was helpless
the fire was like a hundred tongues
red and sharp
murmuring death for all those
who are soundly asleep.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Related quotes
Forty Miles From The City
Forty miles from the city.
Their radiator messed up,
the buzzards drooling,
ready to pull the plug.
They have his trumpet,
dry bread, hot water...
The Temp outside is hell
The Earth is hell...
The car looks like hell
An exiled pugilist:
The one hundred reasons just to die,
The chorus is the car radio, It speaks Poetry!
The couple must keep one another awake, not fall asleep.
Somewhere threaded through the canyons is a siren, a coffin spitting exhaust.
The madmen are on fire, the clergymen are visiting the meat-house, the women are in the dusty bars, The children eat ice cream in the morgue, walking the road to el dorado, paved in rhine stone, smog and jazz and crooked mammoths they dream and throw blue silks to the desert sky.
Tomorrow is gonna be one hundred plus and she applies lipstick.
In late evening, two fans circling overhead, they sleep tangled in their mess.
With thumb out to the clouds they begin the doldrums of death.
poem by Jerome Moore
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Act of God?
A coin when dropped will
In one second, fall sixteen feet
In two, sixty four
In three, one hundred and forty four.
They were driving back from Sydney
Mum and Dad and their two kids
The freeway was a nightmare
So they took the old road that they did.
The old road’s quite an old road
Been there for many years
The rain was slanting sideways
Being late home was their fear.
It was night and many lights were out
The road was dark and quite awash
Water running everywhere
The kids shrieked with every splash.
A short drive now back to the warmth
Of the house in which they lived
A short drive back now to that home
Where they brought up both their kids.
Just two and three I think they were
A precious time of life
The kids strapped in the back seat
In the front was man and wife.
A dip there in the road appeared
Just where there is a creek
But we’ll be home soon they both said
Both kids were now asleep.
‘Slow down now, that’s deep water’
Said the man unto his wife
Those were the very final words
He would utter in his life.
One hundred feet, one hundred feet
One hundred feet or more
Was the depth of that great puddle
Into which the rain had poured.
It was at a place called Somersby
When the rain had drained away
That they winched up that death carriage
On the following grey day.
Yes, the chasm it was very deep
A Grand Canyon not a puddle
So for everyone upon that road
And every time you loved ones cuddle
Just think of those four driving home
And think of their full fright
And hold each other closely
Each and every single night
We should live for every minute
We should relish every hour
For simple stupid circumstance
Can destroy life’s fragile flower.
A coin when dropped will
In one second fall sixteen feet
In two, sixty four
In three, one hundred and forty four.
It was that deep.
I met the family's best friend in a local pub yesterday. He had just got back from identifying the bodies.
poem by David Keig
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I'm Losing Sleep Again
Sleep soundly, dear
And do not dream
The nightmares I dream
Sleep soundly, dear
And do not cry
When you wake up to reality
Sleep soundly, dear
And do not believe
You have woken up already
Sleep soundly, dear
And do not stop sleepwalking
Take things slow and steady
Sleep soundly, dear
And do not pretend
I'm sleeping soundly, dear friend
Sleep soundly, dear
And do not lament over
Why I’m losing sleep myself
Sleep soundly, dear
And do not leave me
When you wake up to reality
poem by Dyhanara Rios
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Red-Hook Talisman
'Either you are on our side,
Or you are our enemy.'
Fire can fall from the sky,
And death shall be plentiful.
There are machines.
There are machines with magic eyes;
They curl and coil
And whip up a striking angle,
A desperate death to you all;
Summery death before the Fall.
This joker thought the Marines
Should not defend the right for our kids
To puncture themselves,
With studs and metal clips (or whatever they do) ,
You would rather they wear fatigues? I asked.
What's wrong with that, the fool questioned.
He is military might,
Blind of sight,
Parading as a poet;
Look him up and soundly ignore him.
poem by Stan Petrovich
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There Is Something In Her
something that i cannot understand
her own emptiness
she felt it when the old house burns itself
for no cause at all
at the other side of the road
i can't help but hum a song
whistle within
for i own nothing
and then i dance my way back home
along the paths of sharp stones
this is my poverty here
that no one shares
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Helpless
There is a town in north ontario
Dream comfort memory despair
And in my mind I still need a place to hide
All my changes were there
Blue blue windows behind the stars
Yellow moon on the rise
Big birds flying across the skies
Casting shadows in our eyes
Leave us helpless helpless helpless helpless
Helpless helpless they leave me now
Helpless helpless helpless
Blue blue windows behind the stars
Yellow moon on the rise
They leave us
Helpless helpless helpless helpless
Helpless helpless they leave me now
Helpless helpless helpless
Helpless helpless helpless helpless
Helpless helpless they leave me now
(neil young)
Copyright warner/chappell
song performed by by Nazareth
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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One Hundred Punks
They customised their gear and synchronised
(They)flame out in the streets with flame in their eyes
Guerilla operator ain't heard of cool
Check out any wall - one hundred punks rule
One hundred punks rule
A hundred punks run with London town
Down Wardour Street to the Soho Sound
Don't sleep all week only when they fall down
A hundred Rumble boys and Tumble girls
Protected by steel in a private world
Tomorrow's famous faces advertise today
And the studs on their back say
One hundred punks rule
A hundred punks run the loaded gun
They look so sharp they look like one
If you ain't got the look you'll never be one
A hundred punks run with total suss
A hundred good mates you know you can trust
There's never no bother and there's no fuss
Check out any wall - one hundred punks rule
One hundred punks rule
And Jimmy's no.101 knows one day he'll be One
Watch him - watch him Go!
A hundred punks run the leather army
I know whose by my side not at home with TV
Even when I'm down I hear them sing for me
Check out any wall - One hundred punks rule
One hundred punks rule
Check out any wall - One hundred punks rule
One hundred punks rule
Check out - One hundred punks rule O.K.
song performed by by Offspring
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Angina Pectoris
If half my heart is here, doctor,
the other half is in China
with the army flowing
toward the Yellow River.
And, every morning, doctor,
every morning at sunrise my heart
is shot in Greece.
And every night,c doctor,
when the prisoners are asleep and the infirmary is deserted,
my heart stops at a run-down old house
in Istanbul.
And then after ten years
all i have to offer my poor people
is this apple in my hand, doctor,
one read apple:
my heart.
And that, doctor, that is the reason
for this angina pectoris--
not nicotine, prison, or arteriosclerosis.
I look at the night through the bars,
and despite the weight on my chest
my heart still beats with the most distant stars.
Trans. by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk (1993)
poem by Nazim Hikmet
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Song X
Hey ho here we go, were on the road to never
Where lifes a joy for girls and boys and only will get better.
Hey ho here we go along the road to never.
Romeo and juliet, the doctor and his case
Without a plan they left the van and there were laid to waste.
Hey ho away we go along the road to never.
The priest was there with sandy hair, religion by his side
He saw his law was broken, the punishment was applied
Hey ho away we go along the road to never,
Hey ho away we go were on the road to never.
He held her hand and wished her well although his heart was aching,
The camera rolled, the print was bold, the holy war was breaking.
Its hey ho here we go were the road to never,
Where lifes a joy for girls and boys and only will get better.
[hey ho away we go along the road to never,
Hey ho away we go were on the road to never.]repeat
The priest was there with sandy hair, religion by his side
He saw his law was broken, the punishment was applied
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Sharp Contrast
at a friend's party
drinks are served and some
christmas food, dessert and
conversations and laughter
of reminiscenses
we left at the right hour
when the hosts are sleepy
time to be back
to my room,
in sharp contrast
the bed and the pillows
and blankets are
soundly asleep
no snores, not a scratch
of an ant's feet
not a sound from
the walls
deafening silence
questions without answers
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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One Hundred Punks
They customised their gear and synchronised
(they)flame out in the streets with flame in their eyes
Guerilla operator aint heard of cool
Check out any wall - one hundred punks rule
One hundred punks rule
A hundred punks run with london town
Down wardour street to the soho sound
Dont sleep all week only when they fall down
A hundred rumble boys and tumble girls
Protected by steel in a private world
Tomorrows famous faces advertise today
And the studs on their back say
One hundred punks rule
A hundred punks run the loaded gun
They look so sharp they look like one
If you aint got the look youll never be one
A hundred punks run with total suss
A hundred good mates you know you can trust
Theres never no bother and theres no fuss
Check out any wall - one hundred punks rule
One hundred punks rule
And jimmys no.101 knows one day hell be one
Watch him - watch him go!
A hundred punks run the leather army
I know whose by my side not at home with tv
Even when Im down I hear them sing for me
Check out any wall - one hundred punks rule
One hundred punks rule
Check out any wall - one hundred punks rule
One hundred punks rule
Check out - one hundred punks rule o.k.
song performed by by Billy Idol
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When They Call You, You Must Go
do not refuse a chance to be a hero,
so on this day,
or tonight, when they call your name
go,
do not tarry, be ready with the raincoat
and the flashlight
you just do not know what happens next
they will take you to the place
a house on the side of the forest
at the foot of the mountain
there is no fire there
no smoke
nothing is cooked for supper
there is a bleeding man
and he is groaning in pain
and they open the door and you enter
with your black leather bag
and they call you
doctor
there is no ideology here
nothing to talk about
and you begin to take away the bullet
that pierced his strong flesh in the arm
and on his belly
there is no anesthesia and so you put
a red cloth on his mouth
until he faints and then there is silence
no song for the dead even
you cannot sleep over this calling
until you find light
penetrating the holes of the roof
it is already morning
and they all left and you do not know
where they are going
a child with sharp eyes calls your name again
he lead you to the exit point
back to your
old house in the subdivision where you live
where your wife is waiting
your breakfast is ready, your coffee cold.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Love Unrequested
The lady across the road had beautiful grey hair, thick and
glossy, I admired her mane because she was eighty five.
Her hubby about her same aged died, I attended the funeral,
open casket, in death he looked handsome, old man asleep.
When people get old some do not realize how old they are,
and the old lady, since I had admired her lovely hair, thought
we could be a couple; only I was fifty two at the time and not
overly interested. The lady took offence felt humiliated since
she already had told the villagers I loved her.
A day when I was doing a bit of weeding around the house
She came out; called me a womanizer hit me with her umbrella.
Well I´m not heroic, fled into the house and bolted the door;
and the villagers were greatly amused. She moved to a rest
home and I could go out without being assaulted. I read in
the paper she had just died at hundred and five, but I will not
attend her funeral….I think.
poem by Oskar Hansen
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Rip Van Ruben
Rip van ruben
Youve been asleep for a hundred seconds
Now the whole world has changed
Theres no home on the range
For rip van ruben
Youve been asleep for a hundred minutes
Now youve woke and shes gone
All alone in a dark new dawn
Sits rip van ruben
Dont let it get you down
Hop on a tram and go up town
Watch a silent film
See the biplanes fly bye bye
Everything new and upside down
Pinching yourself through your dressing gown
Wont bring her back
But your bruise is real and black
Jump into bed and dream her back where she was
Dream youre frank l. richards and this is the great land of oz
When your alarm clock goes off
You will find that she has too!
Rip van ruben
Youve been asleep for a hundred seconds
Now your whole worlds turned round
And the house makes an empty sound for
Rip van ruben
Dont let it freak you out
Youll find another girl no doubt
And someday soon
Maybe man will reach the moon
Jump into bed and dream her back where she belongs
Dream youre fu manchu and shes a slave to your tongs
When all the past evaporates
You will find that she has too
Rip van ruben
Youve been asleep for a hundred seconds
Now youve woke and shes gone
Instant desserts just for one
Rip van ruben
song performed by by Xtc
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Helpless
Helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless
I thought about it but I couldnt think of what to say
But I thought about it anyway.......yeah
I tried to tell you what you mean to me
But it didnt come so easily..........no
I never reckoned
For more than a second
Just how it would be on my own
Id be helpless, without you
Id be helpless, without you
The dawn that calls beyond the night
Tells its old story.
The shadows fade into the light
In all its glory.
Helpless
Helpless baby Im a helpless
Helpless baby
Im a helpless
If I could put a good shine on the past
Do you think that we could make it last - oh yeah
Seems to mind the time goes fast
I wonder if the vote is cast
Now that you mention it,
Got my attention
I quite clearly blew me away
Id be helpless, without you
Id be helpless, without you
The dawn that calls beyond the night
Tells its old story.
The shadows fade into the light
In all its glory.
Helpless
Helpless baby Im a helpless
Helpless baby
Im a helpless, without you
Id be helpless, without you
Helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless
song performed by by Electric Light Orchestra
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Baton Rouge
When I think of you baton rouge
I think of a mariachi band
I think of sixteen and a crisp green football field
I think of a girl I never had
When I think of you baton rouge
I think of a back seat in a car
Windows are foggy and so are we
As the police asked for our i.d.
So helpless
So helpless
Ooohhh, ooohhh, so helpless
Ooohhh, so helpless
Ooohhh, so helpless
So helpless
Well I once had a car lost it in a divorce
The judge was a woman of course
She said give her the car and the house and your taste
Or else I set the trial date
So now when I think of you baton rouge
And the deep southern belles with their touch
I wonder where love ends and hate starts to blush
In the fields in the swamps in the rush
In the terra-cotta cobwebs of your mind
When did you start seeing me as a spider spinning web
Of malicious intent and you as poor, poor me
At the fire at the joint, this disinterred and broken mount
In the bedroom in the house where we were unmarried
So helpless, so helpless
So helpless
So helpless, so helpless
So helpless
When was I the villain in your heart
Putting the brake on your start
You slapped my face and cried and screamed
Thats what marriage came to mean
The bitterest ending of a dream
You wanted children and I did not
Was that what it was all about
You might get a laugh when you hear me shout
You might get a laugh when you hear me shout
I wish I had
So helpless, so helpless
So helpless
So helpless, so helpless
So helpless
Sometimes when I think of baton rouge
I see us with two and a half strapping sons
One and a half flushed daughters preparing to marry
And two fat grandsons I can barely carry
Daddy, uncle, family gathered there for grace
A dog in a barbecue pit goes up in space
The dream recedes in the morning with a bad aftertaste
And Im back in the big city worn from the race of the chase
What a waste
So thanks for the card the announcement of child
And I must say you and sam look great
Your daughters gleaming in that -
- white wedding dress with pride
Sad to say I could never bring that to you that wide smile
So I try not to think of baton rouge
Or of a, of a, of a mariachi band
Or of sixteen and a crisp green football field
And the girl, and the girl I never had
So helpless, so helpless
So helpless
So helpless, so helpless
So helpless
song performed by by Lou Reed
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Missionary Position
the usual stuff really
man on top of woman
her legs entwined
to his muscled back
his feet rooted in bed
his pelvis pasted on hers
her arms clutching the
blanket and the side
of the bed
she is so helpless
as he throbs all his
strength to her
the usual stuff that
we do when no one
cares to watch
because it is something
so lovely and so
private
and then we sleep
so soundly
we do not notice
another day
poem by Antonio Liao
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Pentecost
After the death of our son
Neither the sorrows of afternoon, waiting in the silent house,
Nor the night no sleep relieves, when memory
Repeats its prosecution.
Nor the morning's ache for dream's illusion, nor any prayers
Improvised to an unknowable god
Can extinguish the flame.
We are not as we were. Death has been our pentecost,
And our innocence consumed by these implacable
Tongues of fire.
Comfort me with stones. Quench my thirst with sand.
I offer you this scarred and guilty hand
Until others mix our ashes.
poem by Dana Gioia
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The Hand That Feeds
Doctor, doctor, doctor
Please, doctor, doctor, please
Doctor, doctor, doctor
Feel like an old diseace
Get your sweet ass off the floor
Doctor, doctor, doctor
I cant refuse any loose harted lady anymore
I scream your name into the crowd
You feel the flame, but yo aint proud
Mabye your attitude aint right
So all thats left for me to do is bite
The hand that feeds me
Feeds me
Doctor, doctor, doctor
Doctor, doctor, please
All things you put me through
What the hell you want me to
Do all the things that uncle john needs
I aint the dog that bites the hand that feeds me
In the middle of, with a spittle of
Et tu like birds of a feather
When another day, love another way
Push, shove, make love, play
Never never, never ever
Never ever, never ever
Na, na...
Doctor, doctor, doctor
Please do a-what you can
Doctor, doctor, doctor
Would you please give my life a hand
All the things you put me trough
What the hell you want me to
Do all the things that uncle john needs
I aint the dog that bites the hand that feeds me, yeah
Doctor, doctor, doctor
Doctor, doctor, please
(repeat)
song performed by by Aerosmith
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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1985 Food Medley - 02 - Doctor
[parody of doctor! doctor! by the thompson twins]
Woah, cause hes my doctor, doctor,
And his name is bernie, bernie.
Oh, doctor, doctor,
Im feelin pretty dismal.
Doctor, doctor,
And his name is bernie, bernie.
Oh, doctor, doctor,
Wheres my pepto bismol?
song performed by by Weird Al Yankovic
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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