What Is This Life All About?
as i walk today
the sun has not yet shone
there is no brightness then on the horizon
this is the boundary
between light and darkness
gray,
the black buffaloes are still resting under the mahogany trees
the chickens start to hop
land on the ground and begin to feed upon themselves
the rain last night created small ponds on the side of the pathways
the nipa hut of the old dying woman is still closed
there is a possibility that no one shall open it
not even herself
abandoned
the grasses are wild and lush
there is enough for everyone
space to thrive
food to eat but i guess there is not much desire to realize
what this life is all about
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
Turning Off The Lights
you say, you love light, its brightness
that reveals what had long been denied to you
by darkness,
you take it, and raise it and put it at the higher place
for that should be how it must be
everything is now obvious and you begin to see
the truth, and you say, at first, that this is beautiful,
and good, and you preach about light, its brightness,
you want all those that love you to have them too
time changes, seasons come and go, tastes not just sweetness
but bitterness, this is also truth, but this is not good,
this is ugly, and all the scenes pass before your eyes,
your parents, and brothers, they are carried by this rage
of the river of time, there was thunder and lightning at the background,
there is too much lighting, and you begin to dislike
what light has given you, brightness has become too harsh
for such a short life,
there is panic and fear now, you want to run but all the doors are closed,
and the windows refuse to open,
the clouds make the rain, and rain does not stop,
the sun still shines, no promises are broken, all for your love of light,
its brightness, now getting too sharp and too jagged, they hurt
you sit alone, you let the rain flood over you, you dislike water
there is too much of it, just like light, flooding over your senses,
they are no longer good, they are so ugly,
but what can you do? you wished for it and now it is given for free.
forgetting has taken your beloved away. Such a cruel goddess.
Now you are alone. You remember the night of sound sleep.
You remember when you said, once when we were small,
You want all the lights turned off, light hurts, and you cannot sleep.
and so, i turned off all the lights now. I shall not tell you anything.
You need sleep and dreams shall be there to comfort you.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Details
one gets too particular about the details of
the morning picture: there are two rainbows
from the top of the galvanized roof of the old house
surrounded by trees
its other foot extending to the hazy hills
the rain is soft
landing on the small ponds
below the trees with few brownish leaves
making some ripples
the grass is wilting by the previous summer heat
the wind whispers softly like a woman in love
the horizon gives a gray boundary of the foot of the hills
some houses look like pigments of black and brown spots
too distant for my sight
i sit here
my mind is calm like a pigeon roosting on the steel beam
of the gymnasium
they say
that when one gets too lonely
the details of the world becomes
too visible
one can even hear the flapping wings
of a butterfly lost inside
the room of your heart
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
It Is Strange
i find the coming days strange
filled with your silence and i am here feeling so abandoned
pampered once by your words of concern
like i am always showered by your rain
when i was once a vast dryland
with grasses all wilting and animals moving away
searching for water,
it is indeed strange when a day goes away without any word from you
when the night comes as black as tar
and as lonely as a house without its children
moving out to another place carrying with them their
conversations and laughter
and oh even the usual noise
those senseless ones that i begin to miss
because of their absence
i miss you and i will be missing you more for the coming empty days
of my life
i am like a window now always open as
the strong winds come and scatter everything that i have written
the night comes like an empty space of darkness where i surrender
without any word
i sleep and then wake up for another day
when the light stabs my face
piercing my heart
this time every change that comes
is pain
because you are not here anymore and without you
i will be always alone
feeling so abandoned like the shell without its flesh
like the skull without a face
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Walk On The Wild Side
Holly came from miami f.l.a.
Hitch-hiked her way across the u.s.a.
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her leg and then he was a she
She says, hey babe, take a walk on the wild side
Said, hey honey, take a walk on the wild side
Candy came from out on the island
In the backroom she was everybodys darling
But she never lost her head
Even when she was given head
She says, hey babe, take a walk on the wild side
Said, hey babe, take a walk on the wild side
And the coloured girls go
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo)
Little joe never once gave it away
Everybody had to pay and pay
A hustle here and a hustle there
New york city is the place where they said
Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side
I said hey joe, take a walk on the wild side
Sugar plum fairy came and hit the streets
Lookin for soul food and a place to eat
Went to the apollo
You should have seen him go go go
They said, hey sugar, take a walk on the wild side
I said, hey babe, take a walk on the wild side
All right, huh
Jackie is just speeding away
Thought she was james dean for a day
Then I guess she had to crash
Valium would have helped that dash
She said, hey babe, take a walk on the wild side
I said, hey honey, take a walk on the wild side
And the coloured girls say
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
(doo)
song performed by by Lou Reed
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Walk On The Wild Side
Holly came from miami f.l.a.
Hitch hicked away cross u.s.a.
Plucked her eye brows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she, she said
Hey babe take a walk on the wild side
Said hey honey take a walk on the wild side
Candy came from out on the island
In the back room she was every bodys darling
But she never lost head
Enven when she even head she said
Hey babe take a walk on the wild side
Said hey babe take a walk on the wild side
And the colored girls godoo doo doo
Little joe never once gave it away
Every body had to pay and pay
A hustle here and a hustle there
New york city is the place where they said
Hey babe take a walk on the wild side
Said hey joe take a walk on the wild side
Sugar plum fairy came and hit the streets
Looking for soul food and a place to eat
Went to the appollo
You should have seen him go go go
They said hey sugar take a walk on the wild side
I said hey babe take a walk on the wild side
Jackie is just speeding away
Thouht she was james dean for a day
Then I guess she had to crash
Valium would have helped that bash
She said hey babe take a walk on the wild side
Said hey honey take a walk on the wild side
And the colored girls say doo doo doo
song performed by by Vanessa Paradis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Shades Of Gray (Master Backing Track Take 98)
When the world and I were young, just yesterday
Life was such a simple game a child could play
It was easy then to tell right from wrong
Easy then to tell weak from strong
When a man should stand and fight
Or just go along
But today, there is no day or night
Today, there is no dark or light
Today, there is no black or white
Only shades of gray
I remember when the answer seemed so clear
We had never lived with doubt, or tasted fear
It was easy then to tell truth from lies
Selling out from compromise
Who to love and who to hate
The foolish from the wise
But today, there is no day or night
Today, there is no dark or light
Today, there is no black or white
Only shades of gray
It was easy then to know what was fair
When to keep and when to share
How much to protect your heart
And how much to care
But today, there is no day or night
Today, there is no dark or light
Today, there is no black or white
Only shades of gray
Only shades of gray
song performed by by Monkees
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Too Tired To Notice The Storm Of The Earth...
i wake up early today
i open the windows and the door
the ground is flooded
the trees shed more leaves
the chickens' feathers are
thoroughly wet
some branches are cut-off
from those old tall trees
our dog is not wagging its tail
the lights at the kitchen are not turned off
by the looks of it
there was a big storm last night
i did not notice it
i was dead asleep
too tired of my own inner storms
my door is closed,
all my windows are shut.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Sails Of Charon
Dark night, there is no light
In the realm of the black magic man
Soul's flight into the cold blight
Of the destroyer's magic land
Poor man, whose spirits are stronger
They're a little too weary
You're starting to...
Blind man, you're suckin' your own blood
Soon black magic's dying
You'd better start crying
Blind man, you're suckin' your own blood
Soon black magic's dying
You'd better start crying
Throw out your evil desire
The dark king's kingdom is
Made out of mire
Throw out your evil desire
The dark king's kingdom is
Made out of mire
Keep on for the kingdom of light
There is no darkness, there is no night
song performed by by Scorpions
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
The Vagabonder
it is a long trail
it rains so hard
you are wet and you come
upon a home of an
abandoned house to shelter
you finally
amid the tall trees
and wild grass
and darkness
the house has
a door which is closed
and a window
without light
you try taking the stairs
but the snake is there first
and it has become its
territory
it is tiring
the night is deep
the rain falls so hard
you are cold
but by then you have to
move some more
to find
time
whether it holds
a place for you
whether luck
is near
whether life still
cares.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Sail Of Charon
The sails of charon
Dark night, there is no light in the realm of the black magic man
Souls flight into the cold blight of the destroyers magic land
Poor man whose spirits are stronger
There the ones who will reign, your strugglings are in vain
Blind man, youre sucking your own blood
Soon black magics dying, youd better start crying
Blind man, youre sucking your own blood
Soon black magics dying, youd better start crying
Burn out your evil desire
The dark angels kingdom is built out of mire...
Burn out your evil desire
The dark angels kingdom is built out of mire
Keep out for the kingdom of light
There is no darkness, and there is no night
song performed by by Scorpions
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
The Rain Maker
Dull clouds shade the bright stars in the sky
Bring rain to fuel my desire.
Bring rain to feed the masses.
Bring rain to make the world green and lively
Then shoo the clouds away to begin a new day.
Created by the man above
To give life the world below
Supplied by Mother Nature
And Father Earth to provide life
So that man can exist, live, and work for a better future.
Man sows the land and seeds the dirt.
Flowers sprout, bountiful vegetables.
Powerful smells of the future so bright.
Love and nourishment for the masses
Become the Rain Maker.
It is His gift to man.
Rain shrouds the gray sky.
He makes the rain so we can live
To serve Him on the mortal lands.
He is the Rain Maker.
poem by Megan Ayscue
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
From A Bleak Start
Another day that’s gray and bleak; and what a way to start the week.
But, as the weather changes friend, we too, could have a better end.
With the sun, the sky is brighter, and with The Lord a load is lighter.
When your heart is weighed down, only in Jesus, a Peace is found.
It always seems darkest when, your strength seems to be at its end,
That is when you will see The Lord, open for you a brand new door.
It’s always darkest before the light, as Christ Jesus breaks the night.
Then you see as you regain full sight, that everything will be all right.
So when your life seems overcast, you can be certain it will not last.
As the sun sheds away the gray, Jesus Christ will light up your way.
When in the darkness of this life, use the Light that’s found in Christ.
For Christ’s Light shines so bright, when the days are dark as night.
During these times, it is Christ, who guides you through all your life.
For He will not forsake you friend, indeed, He is with you to the end.
Through the week lean upon Him, Jesus will guide you in everything.
And all the gray will soon subside, as in Christ Jesus you fully abide,
Friend, others shall see your light, when their days are not so bright.
And any light that others can see, is just a small glimpse of eternity.
When Jesus will be The Light, that continually shines forever bright.
A time when all darkness will be, banished throughout all of eternity.
Never again shall we see night, as Christ my friend is Eternal Light.
A time when His Light won’t lack, so to the world we won’t look back.
It is this hope that is in our heart, that keeps us going from the start.
You will see by the week’s end, that it’s not like the beginning friend.
Afternoon Musings 6
(the time is 6: 02 pm
Philippine time)
imagine myself situate yourself
in my own place
i am writing a poem on the ground floor of this house
the brown curtain is laced and tied to a window
that opens beyond this red painted wrought iron fence
outside the mango trees are full of leaves
and the grasses are running wild
on mud where the earthworms are thriving
the sky is turning gray and the horizon turns
pale orange as the sun finally descends to
hand this total darkness on this land of mine
you hear the sound of the strong wind from the
sea moving towards the big mountains that i
see from where i am sitting and writing
i am telling you again, the sound is howling
and i am telling you again, i am just alone staring
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Back To The Usual Walk In The Rice Fields
i am back to this place
and i am feeling strange
there are changes
and some i can tell have been missing
a few meters from where i stand
under this mahogany tree
where the wind is cold and fresh
flavored by the newly cut rice stalks
over this spread of golden fields
the well is still there
but the brown woman with earth skin is gone
an island of coconut trees
(and some mango trees
and banana shrubs)
has turned bald
and the grasses claim another territory to its grassland
the sparrows must have migrated to the nearby forest
the cable lines run an empty length of a sigh
from one pole to another
endlessly clinging is this anonymous electricity
the twenty or so white herons are here again
pecking on some little frogs in small ponds
i walk under the sun
revisiting reevaluating rekindling perhaps
the reasons why i must go on living
a life unlived for quite a time
why are the fields empty? why are the blackbirds circling the tree?
why do people pass by this path unable to know the significance
of this human journey?
the sun is up like an absurdity triumphant
a dog comes near me
it is waggling its tail and i am calling him another name.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Shades Of Gray
By barry mann and cyntha weil
When the world and I were young,
Just yesterday.
Live was such a simple game,
A child could play.
It was easy then to tell right from wrong.
Easy then to tell weak from strong.
When a man should stand and fight,
Or just go along.
But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light.
Today there is no black or white,
Only shades of gray.
I remember when the answers seemed so clear
We had never lived with doubt or tasted fear.
It was easy then to tell truth from lies
Selling out from compromise
Who to love and who to hate,
The foolish from the wise.
But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light.
Today there is no black or white,
Only shades of gray.
[instumental interlude]
It was easy then to know what was fair
When to keep and when to share.
How much to protect your heart
And how much to care.
But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light.
Today there is no black or white,
Only shades of gray.
Only shades of gray.
song performed by by Monkees
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
High Hopes
Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our troughts strayed constandly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begin
Along the long road and on down the causeway
Do they still meet there by the cut
There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The night of wonder
Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide
At a higher altitude with flag unfuried
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world
Eneumbered forever by desire and ambition
Theres a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road weve been so many time
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river
Forever and ever
song performed by by Pink Floyd
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Sketches For A Fine Day
actually i like the sound of
brooms sweeping the street today
a young girl
short for her age
and brown and
bow legged
does her assigned task in the street
gathering dead leaves
as i watch
it is a bright day
the street light is turned off
a young boy's hand is held by her mother
crossing the street
waiting for the school bus
a white dog pisses
on the side of the trunk of the
mahogany tree
a black car from the right side of the village
wheels its way towards the boulevard
a young woman with short blue jeans
jogs along the green valley
the sea is sky
blue and the sun slowly rises from the horizon
like a man's face peeping upon a table's edge
the long line of trees along the faded street
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Regeneration
The pine needles covered the ground like a carpet
and their fragrance was all around.
The pinecones scattered here and there
punctuated the ground.
The firs were thick, stately and tall
and had grown for many a year.
They grew with the company of each other
and it did appear
that all of the forest creatures
whether large or small
were content to see the pine needles
continuously fall.
All seemed peaceful and quiet
on the forest floor,
until the animals sensed a danger.
Then there came a roar.
Most feared by all the fir trees
a spark had created a flame
and as the animals ran for their life,
nothing was the same.
The fire spread and one by one
the firs were engulfed by smoke.
Unable to breathe, they stood their ground
and silently did choke.
Consumed by a blazing fire
they quietly went to sleep.
The sweet pine aroma was absent
and into the air did creep
a sorrow for all of the trees that died
that once had stood so high.
The rain that came to cleanse the ground
was a gift to them from the sky.
For they would begin to grow again
from the rain and sun that shone.
The firs would grow and regenerate
and then would come the cone.
poem by Edwina Reizer
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
At The Rural Side Of This World
when i step out of my door
i see a road lined with mahogany trees
an empty wide road
but not that muddy really
at this rainy season of the year
i hear the chirping of birds
and the hushing of the wind
greeting me with the coolness of
an after rain,
the grasses are still wet with dew,
the paths still dappled with water,
the pebbles glistening
to the sunlit view of
the hills which are so green and vibrant
the distant mountains shaded blue
tall and huge their tips almost touching the sky
there are no cars here just wooden sleds
pulled by the cows
of the working men
at the other side of the river nearby
some water buffaloes are restive on
cool wade in their mud holes
their tails whipping their butts
to drive away the gnats
i am waiting for the bus going to the city
the only bus for the day
and it will pass by here at eight.
on the bench opposite where i am seated
three girls are giggling
a handsome boy riding on a horse whistles
at the one with the long black hair
the sun is shining brightly on an ordinary day like this
on the rural side of this world that i have chosen to visit
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
In Darkness
I
The twilight is framed and covered in black,
drawn closed on the one side,
when suddenly it carries blue-white thunder
that burns sparking, it's deadly risky,
where no sign of any moon
rise up against the closed night sky,
there are only thunder flashes hitting flickering
without a sign of the Southern Cross
and still the earth waits on drops of rain
to start their irrigation
when a shower continuously patters down,
seeping into the deep ground,
thunderbolts reports constantly
while twilight falls silver over the beach.
II
While twilight falls silver over the beach
the neon lights of the night glitter,
cut-off from the whole universe
as if each one is waiting for discovery
and it's as if the backwash wants to
pull you deeper into the sea,
in the space where the great ocean stretches
and there is something in each dream and wish
like that Wide Ocean unlimited
that waits free without any bonds,
as if each day and night
works together in a perfect balance,
as if the darkness keeps you for moments,
here where the dark night now folds around me.
III
Here where the dark night now folds around me.
I hear your steps coming closer
the wild wind jerks some of the windows open,
in thunder I am stripped from you
and grief will after years have an impact
that still strips me down roughly
from reason and all kinds of hope,
to keep you against me once more.
The much deeper pain of only being human
does not want to subside in my heart, in my soul,
and sometimes like now with full fury
it becomes real in each thought, in fear,
outside purity is in everything,
as if the white street light shines with sympathy.
IV
As if the white street light shines with sympathy
the city lies stretched out in the distance
as if it is a gigantic spaceship
that continually draws people to it
of which the lights flash on and off
when travellers in their cars come near,
bright lights are seen from a distance
while people gather at many places.
At places the lights are blinding
where people revel at each kind of place
or as if it wants to takeoff with a wild wind
while the darkness of the city stretches out wide,
I wonder where people go soulless;
it's night with a very small crescent moon.
V
It's night with a very small crescent moon
that hangs somewhat shameful in the darkness,
at places shadows catch my eyes,
with popular branches swishing about,
I can swear something is following me for a while,
somewhere something hisses like a cat or snake,
I stretch my steps and am far too scared
to look back or now to stop walking,
it's as if something is suddenly blowing in my neck,
now I am afraid, my arm hairs raise
and I hear the churchyard gate moaning shrilly
while I am in a much greater hurry,
against my back there's a cold shiver,
with open eyes I pray for God to protect me.
VI
With open eyes I pray for God to protect me,
see some old tramps standing around a fire
when a black cat suddenly moans next to me,
while I see coals with flames rising.
It's only a big cat moving next to me
and I bend down and stroke it gently,
it's no unearthly kind of thing
as I had imagined,
above us stars are blazing the night full,
prostitutes triple on like display-dolls,
on the horizon lights are red, yellow and white
one whistles at me while I pass them,
three stand astride arguing with each other,
one girl draws up her blouse and I walk past.
VII
One girl draws up her blouse and I walk past,
I see breasts in their finest detail,
wonder how people live in this godless city,
every thing is getting worse than it had been.
I am alone and almost late
to get bread and milk at the Spar
and I cross the busy street,
hear them call in a choir at me
where one of the girls pulls her skirt up
showing her legs and a white panty,
trying her best to arouse desires,
I catch the smell of vinegar, chips and aniseed
while she begs: Come along with me;
the twilight is framed and covered in black.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!