The Approach
1.
In the Grass: Halt by the Wayside
In my tired, helpless body
I feel my sunk heart ache;
But suddenly, loudly
The far, the great guns shake.
Is it sudden terror
Burdens my heart? My hand
Flies to my head. I listen…
And do not understand.
Is death so near, then?
From this blazing light,
Do I plunge suddenly
Into vortex? Night?
Guns again! the quiet
Shakes at the vengeful voice…
It is terrible pleasure
I do not fear; I rejoice.
2.
On the Way Up
The battery grinds and jingles,
Mile succeeds to mile;
Shaking the noonday sunshine,
The guns lunge out a while
And then are still a while.
We amble along the highway;
The reeking, powdery dust
Ascends and cakes our faces,
With a striped, sweaty crust.
Under the still sky's violet
The heat throbs in the air…
The white road's dusty radiance,
Assumes a dark glare.
With a head hot and heavy,
And eyes that cannot rest,
And a black heart burning
In a stifled breast,
I sit in the saddle,
I feel the road unroll,
And keep my senses straightened
Toward to-morrow's goal.
There over unknown meadows,
Which we must reach at last,
Day and night thunders
A black and chilly blast.
Heads forget heaviness,
Hearts forget spleen,
For by that mighty winnowing
Being is blown clean.
Light in the eyes again,
Strength in the hand,
A spirit dares, dies, forgives
And can understand.
And best! Love comes back again
After grief and shame,
And along the wind of death
Throws a clean flame!
The battery grinds and jingles;
Mile succeeds to mile;
Suddenly battering the silence
The guns burst out a while.
I lift my head and smile.
3.
Nearer
Nearer and ever nearer….
My body tired but tense
Hovers 'twixt vague pleasure
And tremulous confidence.
Arms to have and to use them,
And a soul to be made
Worthy if not worthy;
If afraid, unafraid!
To endure for a little.
To endure and have done:
Men I love about me,
Over me the sun!
And should at last suddenly
Fly the speeding death:
The four great quarters of heaven
Receive this little breath.
poem by Robert Nichols
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
The Day's March
The battery grides and jingles,
Mile succeeds to mile;
Shaking the noonday sunshine
The guns lunge out awhile,
And then are still awhile.
We amble along the highway;
The reeking, powdery dust
Ascends and cakes our faces
With a striped, sweaty crust.
Under the still sky's violet
The heat throbs on the air….
The white road's dusty radiance
Assumes a dark glare.
With a head hot and heavy,
And eyes that cannot rest,
And a black heart burning
In a stifled breast,
I sit in the saddle,
I feel the road unroll,
And keep my senses straightened
Toward to-morrow's goal.
There, over unknown meadows
Which we must reach at last,
Day and night thunders
A black and chilly blast.
Heads forget heaviness,
Hearts forget spleen,
For by that mighty winnowing
Being is blown clean.
Light in the eyes again,
Strength in the hand,
A spirit dares, dies, forgives,
And can understand!
And, best! Love comes back again
After grief and shame,
And along the wind of death
Throws a clean flame.
The battery grides and jingles,
Mile succeeds to mile;
Suddenly battering the silence
The guns burst out awhile….
I lift my head and smile.
poem by Robert Nichols
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Nearer
Nearer and ever nearer...
My body, tired but tense,
Hovers 'twixt vague pleasure
And tremulous confidence.
Arms to have and to use them
And a soul to be made
Worthy, if not worthy;
If afraid, unafraid.
To endure for a little,
To endure and have done:
Men I love about me,
Over me the sun!
And should at last suddenly
Fly the speeding death,
The four great quarters of heaven
Receive this littlle breath.
poem by Robert Nichols
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On The Prowl
Well night after lonely night
My head dont touch the bed
Im on a two-lane black-top
Cruisin in my rocket sled
Im on the prowl
Yeah Im on the prowl
Well Im looking for a gal, gal, gal
Hey, hey, hey, Im on the prowl
Theres only one thing that Im certain
Every mile, mile, mile
Keep a-searchin, serachin, serachin
For a wild, wild, child
Im on the prowl
Im on the prowl
Im looking for a gal, gal, gal
Hey, hey, hey, Im on the prowl
They got a name for dracula
And frankensteins son
They aint got no name now (mister)
For this monster (thing that) Ive become
Im on the prowl
Im on the prowl
Im looking for a gal, gal, gal
Hey, hey, hey, Im on the prowl
I keep lookin
I keep searchin
I keep searchin
I keep searchin
Only one thing that Im certain
Every mile, mile, mile
I keep searchin, searchin, searchin, searchin, searchin
In the morning I check my mirror
And I hang my head and cry
But at night I get a burning, burning, burning deep inside
Im on the prowl
Im on the prowl
Im looking for a gal, gal, gal
Hey, hey, hey, Im on the prowl
In the morning I check my mirror
And I hang my head and cry
But at night I get a burning, burning, burning, burning, burning. burning
Theres only one thing that Im certain
Every while, while, while
While my heart is hurtin, hurtin
Every mile, mile, mile
I gotta keep searchin, searchin, searchin, searchin, searchin
song performed by by Bruce Springsteen
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Suddenly
Suddenly, I have eyes that now may see;
That which I never fathomed before, now may be;
Suddenly, I have ears that now may hear,
Which call me toward you, without any form of fear;
Suddenly, I have a heart, no longer coffered-
That longs for the love, you long ago offered.
Suddenly, I have a soul that needs for its mate,
Which embraces the exaltation she does create.
Suddenly, my mind is unafeared, and in accord;
Any further resisitance is something I cannot afford;
Suddenly, mere sight of your visage takes my breath away-
Thought of a life lived with your grace keeps death away!
Suddenly, I am a humble appreciant, and in awe
Of the love I feel in my heart, which has not, a flaw!
-Maurice Harris,15 August 2011
poem by Maurice Harris
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Midnight Lamentation
When you and I go down
Breathless and cold,
Our faces both worn back
To earthly mould,
How lonely we shall be!
What shall we do,
You without me,
I without you?
I cannot bear the thought
You, first, may die,
Nor of how you will weep,
Should I.
We are too much alone;
What can we do
To make our bodies one:
You, me; I, you?
We are most nearly born
Of one same kind;
We have the same delight,
The same true mind.
Must we then part, we part;
Is there no way
To keep a beating heart,
And light of day?
I could now rise and run
Through street on street
To where you are breathing–you,
That we might meet,
And that your living voice
Might sound above
Fear, and we two rejoice
Within our love.
How frail the body is,
And we are made
As only in decay
To lean and fade.
I think too much of death;
There is a gloom
When I can’t hear your breath
Calm in some room.
O, but how suddenly
Either may droop;
Countenance be so white,
Body stoop.
Then there may be a place
Where fading flowers
dropp on a lifeless face
Through weeping hours.
Is then nothing safe?
Can we not find
Some everlasting life
In our one mind?
I feel it like disgrace
Only to understand
Your spirit through your word,
Or by your hand.
I cannot find a way
Through love and through;
I cannot reach beyond
Body, to you.
When you or I must go
Down evermore,
There’ll be no more to say
–But a locked door.
poem by Harold Monro
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Give up the fight
Do you know what's worth fighting for?
When it's not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away and you feel
yourself suffocating?
Does the pain weigh out the pride?
And you look for a place to hide?
Did someone break your heart
inside, you're in ruins
One,21 Guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One,21 Guns
Throw up your arms into the sky
You and I...
When you're at the end of the road
And you lost all sense of control
And your thoughts have taken their toll
When your mind breaks the spirit of your
soul
Your faith walks on broken glass and the
hangover doesn't pass
Nothing's ever built to last, you're in ruins
One,21 Guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One,21 Guns
Throw up your arms into the sky
You and I...
Did you try to live on your own?
When you burned down the house and
home?
Did you stand too close to the fire?
Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a
stone
When it's time to live and let die
And you can't get another try
Something inside this heart has died, you're
in ruins
One,21 Guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One,21 Guns
Throw up your arms into the sky
One,21 Guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One,21 Guns
Throw up your arms into the sky
You and I
poem by Pawan Kumar 'Meonlafesta'
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Rondel of Merciless Beauty
Your two great eyes will slay me suddenly;
Their beauty shakes me who was once serene;
Straight through my heart the wound is quick and keen.
Only your word will heal the injury
To my hurt heart, while yet the wound is clean -
Your two great eyes will slay me suddenly;
Their beauty shakes me who was once serene.
Upon my word, I tell you faithfully
Through life and after death you are my queen;
For with my death the whole truth shall be seen.
Your two great eyes will slay me suddenly;
Their beauty shakes me who was once serene;
Straight through my heart the wound is quick and keen.
poem by Geoffrey Chaucer
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On The Wire
O God, take the sun from the sky!
It's burning me, scorching me up.
God, can't You hear my cry?
Water! A poor, little cup!
It's laughing, the cursed sun!
See how it swells and swells
Fierce as a hundred hells!
God, will it never have done?
It's searing the flesh on my bones;
It's beating with hammers red
My eyeballs into my head;
It's parching my very moans.
See! It's the size of the sky,
And the sky is a torrent of fire,
Foaming on me as I lie
Here on the wire . . . the wire. . . .
Of the thousands that wheeze and hum
Heedlessly over my head,
Why can't a bullet come,
Pierce to my brain instead,
Blacken forever my brain,
Finish forever my pain?
Here in the hellish glare
Why must I suffer so?
Is it God doesn't care?
Is it God doesn't know?
Oh, to be killed outright,
Clean in the clash of the fight!
That is a golden death,
That is a boon; but this . . .
Drawing an anguished breath
Under a hot abyss,
Under a stooping sky
Of seething, sulphurous fire,
Scorching me up as I lie
Here on the wire . . . the wire. . . .
Hasten, O God, Thy night!
Hide from my eyes the sight
Of the body I stare and see
Shattered so hideously.
I can't believe that it's mine.
My body was white and sweet,
Flawless and fair and fine,
Shapely from head to feet;
Oh no, I can never be
The thing of horror I see
Under the rifle fire,
Trussed on the wire . . . the wire. . . .
Of night and of death I dream;
Night that will bring me peace,
Coolness and starry gleam,
Stillness and death's release:
Ages and ages have passed, --
Lo! it is night at last.
Night! but the guns roar out.
Night! but the hosts attack.
Red and yellow and black
Geysers of doom upspout.
Silver and green and red
Star-shells hover and spread.
Yonder off to the right
Fiercely kindles the fight;
Roaring near and more near,
Thundering now in my ear;
Close to me, close . . . Oh, hark!
Someone moans in the dark.
I hear, but I cannot see,
I hear as the rest retire,
Someone is caught like me,
Caught on the wire . . . the wire. . . .
Again the shuddering dawn,
Weird and wicked and wan;
Again, and I've not yet gone.
The man whom I heard is dead.
Now I can understand:
A bullet hole in his head,
A pistol gripped in his hand.
Well, he knew what to do, --
Yes, and now I know too. . . .
Hark the resentful guns!
Oh , how thankful am I
To think my beloved ones
Will never know how I die!
I've suffered more than my share;
I'm shattered beyond repair;
I've fought like a man the fight,
And now I demand the right
(God! how his fingers cling!)
To do without shame this thing.
Good! there's a bullet still;
Now I'm ready to fire;
Blame me, God, if You will,
Here on the wire . . . the wire. . . .
poem by Robert William Service
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Sun Will Hide
Thirsty I endure a wicked desert.
Scorching wind plucks the eyes.
Legs ache. Ankles swell. Drag we must in fever.
To forbidden land.
Tell me how far we have to go?
There is only the defiant spirit
which is burning incessantly.
The secret flight of a river took place
at night,
leaving the banks dry as bone.
On the shores the guns are positioned.
Green parrots have suddenly departed
from the tall branches.
Any time the explosions will start
with deafening row.
This very day the sun will hide
when the ravens will start descending
and eagles swoop for the knocking death.
poem by Satish Verma
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I dream one night
I dream one night
that I stand in front of the Creator
and flames lash glowing,
from His mighty throne.
There’s a black book in His hand
and I see Him writing something in it
and wonder what He is doing?
There’s peace and great angels
around His throne
and I am almost blinded,
by the sheer light of it all.
All around me every thing is white and pure
and I feel as if I can escape away,
to somewhere in the earth.
It’s terrible to be before One,
that reads every deed
and thought accurately
and His voice speaks in my head
and I watch Him while I shake with fear.
What do you want from Me?
Resounds immediately in my thoughts
and I see how I get angry with my brother
and I think,
teach me to love my fellow man
and when I suddenly wake up;
I see how the clock
ticks of the minutes before midnight.
poem by Gert Strydom
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And Suddenly The World Goes Dark
to Simoncelli
The night lost its star
And suddenly the world goes dark
The light turns out to dim
And I barely see the clear sight
The life without you
And suddenly the world goes blind
Where did you go from this way
And what you left behind
The love lost its warmth
And suddenly the world goes cold
Did the wind blow too strong
Or did I forget to take my breath
The face without smile
And suddenly the world goes hard
I could only feel bitterness
And the cry of sorrow screaming inside
poem by Maria Sudibyo
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How Does It Feel
How does it feel"
I'm not afraid of anything
I just need to know that I can breath
I don't need much of anything
But suddenly, suddenly
I am small and the world is big
All around me is fast moving
Surrounded by so many things
But suddenly, suddenly
How does it feel,
to be different from me?
Are we the same?
How does it feel,
to be different from me?
Are we the same?
How does it feel?
I'm young, and I am free
But I get tired, and I get weak
I get lost, and I can't sleep
But suddenly, suddenly
How does it feel,
to be different from me?
Are we the same?
How does it feel,
to be different from me?
Are we the same?
How does it feel?
Would you comfort me
Would you cry with me;
Ahh, ahh, ahh-ah
ahh, ahh-ah
ahh, ahh-ah
ahh, ahh-ah
Ahh, ahh, ahh-ah
ahh, ahh-ah
ahh, ahh-ah
ahh, ahh-ah
I am small and the world is big
But I'm not afraid of anything;
How does it feel,
to be different from me?
Are we the same?
How does it feel,
to be different from me?
Are we the same?
How does it feel,
to be different from me?
Are we the same?
How does it feel,
to be different from me?
Are we the same?
How does it feel
How does it feel
Different from me, different...
How does it feel
How does it feel
Different from me, different...
How does it feel
How does it feel
Different from me, different...
How does it feel
How does it feel
Different from me
(ahh, ahh, ahh-ah;
ahh-ah,
ahh-ah,
ahh, ahh, ahh-ah;
ahh-ah,
ahh-ah)
song performed by by Avril Lavigne
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Maker
Oh, Oh Deep water
Black, and cold like the night
I stand with arms wide open
I've run a twisted mile
I'm a stranger
in the eyes of the maker
I could not see
for fog in my eyes
I could not feel
for the fear in my life
From across the great divide
In the distance i saw a light
Jean baptiste
walking to me with the maker
My body is bent and broken
by long and dangerous sleep
I can work the fields of abraham
and turn my head away
I'm not a stranger
in the hands of the maker
Brother john
Have you seen the homeless daughters
standing there
with broken dreams
I have seen the flaming swords
there over east of eden
burning in the eyes of the maker
burning in the eyes of the maker
burning in the eyes of the maker
burning in the eyes of the maker
oh river rise from your sleep
song performed by by Dave Matthews Band
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Songs of the Lathes
The fans and the beltings they roar round me.
The power is shaking the floor round me
Till the lathes pick up their duty and the midnight-shift takes over.
It is good for me to be here!
Guns in Flanders--Flanders guns!
(I had a man that worked 'em once!)
Shells for guns in Flanders, Flanders!
Shells for guns in Flanders, Flanders!
Shells for guns in Flanders! Feeds the guns!
The cranes and the carriers they boom over me,
The bays and the galleries they loom over me,
With their quarter-mile of pillars growing little in the distance--
It is good for me to be here!
The Zeppelins and Gothas they raid over us.
Our lights give warning, and fade over us.
(Seven thousand women keeping quiet in the darkness!)
Oh, it's good for me to be here.
The roofs and the buildings they grow round me,
Eating up the fields I used to know round me;
And the shed that I began in is a sub-inspector's office--
So long have I been here!
I've seen six hundred mornings make our lamps grow dim,
Through the bit that isn't painted round our sky-light rim,
And the sunshine through the window slope according to the seasons,
Twice since I've been here.
The trains on the sidings they call to us
With the hundred thousand blanks that they haul to us;
And we send 'em what we've finished, and they take it where it's wanted,
For that is why we are here!
Man's hate passes as his love will pass.
God made Woman what she always was.
Them that bear the burden they will never grant forgiveness
So long as they are here!
Once I was a woman, but that's by with me.
All I loved and looked for, it must die with me;
But the Lord has left me over for a servant of the Judgment,
And I serve His Judgments here!
Guns in Flanders--Flanders guns!
(I had a son that worked 'em once!)
Shells for guns in Flanders, Flanders!
Shells for guns in Flanders, Flanders!
Shells for guns in Flanders! Feeds the guns!
poem by Rudyard Kipling
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Love You To Death
Marriage isn't always black and white
It is on this subject I feel I must write
Sometimes it's black and blue
Like it was that night
The night of their first fight
'For better or for worse'
Things were so much better at first
She feels the worse is yet to come
But better days...
She hopes there will be some
'To have and to hold'
Behind those walls he could be so cold
Marriage isn't always black and white
Sometimes it isn't even right
Even when you try with all your might
Because sometimes it's red
As red as the blood she bled
The blood she bled from her stubborn head
'From this day foward'
She tried to understand the love he had for her
and the hell she had to endure
'Til death do you part'
I know she loved him with all her heart
She gave her blood and her tears
And told no one of her fears
Right up to her very last breath
When she finally let him love her to death
poem by Dyna Misery
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Thunderstorm
Layers vapour against the window
while the rain
fall for days long without end
and I see forked lightning
like blue-white tentacles
feeling the earth
and here and there
are a few stars
that gleams through the clouds
as if something
is peering from above to below
and I can hear the breath of it
rattling the windows
while it comes nearer
and I wonder if it is urine
or tears
that falls without end
and nothing out of that heaven
can decent to me
but outside the streetlights
glows citrine yellow
and the slippery wet road
shines like onyx
and suddenly the sky is dark
and somewhere I hear a car
breaking and slipping
and hitting another
with a great bang
and suddenly the monster
is gone
while tears
hisses down softly
from the heaven
and sirens come nearer
and higher up in the street
there are flashing blue and red
and white lights that shine up and down.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Till We Cease
i'll take the plunge
before you
let us meet death as one
together
walking alone together forever
take my hand
as you took my heart
death steals my pulse
as you stole my heart
past the first time, to the wedding band
death cant break our hands apart
i know it in the flecks of your eyes
even if we die
our hearts wont die
a single solitude together
we walk together
alone and consumed in death
forever
promise you wont ever
let my hand
my heart
go
the fire in you soul
lights our way
hoping its a blackhold
just think....
lost forever
together
with my love
catch the blood flow
in the heart
the beat of my heart
in sync with the beat of our steps
maybe well stop to rest
make me yours
make you mine
you inside me, inside this night
and at the end
of forever
hold my hand tight
dont let go
till we cease to breath this dank death
you had my life, and now the rest
with your eyes holding my eyes
our eyes a firelight
of passion
torches burning to the soul
my guide through a blackhole
my hand and yours melted so tight
making eachother ours in this night
firelight your eyes
the love that never dies
poem by Kathryn Garner
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Red Lights
(d. pickerill/p. odonoughue)
You stop on a red light, your life starts again on green
You watch all the colours then fall back into a dream
Theres headlights behind you, they flash out a silver surprise
You go for the hand brake, theres madness behind your eyes
Chorus:
The road goes on for mile and miles
You rush cos you havent got the time
Stop, stop, stop for the red light
Yay, yay, yay is for the green
One, one, one Im on a blue light
Keep your licence clean
He flicks on the amber, a machine gun in all but name
You push down the lever, well, two can play that game
As red lights rush by you theyre vivid and red as blood
The chase makes you feel so good
The road goes on for mile and miles
You rush cos you havent got the time
Dont, dont dont go on a red light
Yay, yay, yay is for the green
One, one, one Im on a blue light
Keep your licence clean
The flash lines are flowing, streaking by so fast
Signposts are flying and grey rain is slanting past
The colours are spinning, a pain on the side of your face
And blackness surrounds you, you finally lost the race
The road goes on for mile and miles
You rush cos you havent got the time
Dont, dont dont go on a red light
Yay, yay, yay wait for the green
One, one, one Im on a blue light
Keep your licence clean
song performed by by Lisa Stansfield
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A moment in eternity
Outside the streets are filled with light,
doors are closed and locked
when the nightly silence is lingering,
while some people look out through dark windows
we walk with your hand fitting into mine,
silver-white stars are all across the night sky
and we talk about places where we have been,
the old oak tree throws a huge dark spot.
Your lips are suddenly hot, sweet and soft
when my heart beats delightful in my throat,
a dove calls to its mate in the dark night
when in that moment time stops suddenly,
your eyes say that you also love me
and I look into their bright depths.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Gradually you grow into my life
Gradually you grow into my life,
you reconnoitre my body, soul and spirit
as if you are suddenly starting a new journey,
taking to the road without any fear
and on the way you become part of me
as my own wonderful wife
and before long
I am madly in love with you,
when hours suddenly escape in your presence,
when the morning comes far too suddenly after the night,
when continually I miss you when we are apart,
when small things suddenly do amaze me,
when together we take on weeks, months and years
when as the most lovely woman you are beside me.
poem by Gert Strydom
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