Thirteen Blackbirds Looking at a Man
I
It is calm.
It is as though
we lived in a garden
that had not yet arrived
at the knowledge of
good and evil.
But there is a man in it.
II
There will be
rain falling vertically
from an indifferent
sky. There will stare out
from behind its
bars the face of the man
who is not enjoying it.
III
Nothing higher
than a blackberry
bush. As the sun comes up
fresh, what is the darkness
stretching from horizon
to horizon? It is the shadow
here of the forked man.
IV
We have eaten
the blackberries and spat out
the seeds, but they lie
glittering like the eyes of a man.
V
After we have stopped
singing, the garden is disturbed
by echoes. It is
the man whistling, expecting
everything to come to him.
VI
We wipe our beaks
on the branches
wasting the dawn's
jewellery to get rid
of the taste of a man.
VII
Nevertheless,
which is not the case
with a man, our
bills give us no trouble.
VIII
Who said the
number was unlucky?
It was a man, who,
trying to pass us,
had his licence endorsed
thirteen times.
IX
In the cool
of the day the garden
seems given over
to blackbirds. Yet
we know also that somewhere
there is a man in hiding.
X
To us there are
eggs and there are
blackbirds. But there is the man,
too, trying without feathers
to incubate a solution.
XI
We spread our
wings, reticulating
our air space. A man stands
under us and worries
at his ability to do the same.
XII
When night comes
like a visitor
from outer space
we stop our ears
lest we should hear tell
of the man in the moon.
XIII
Summer is
at an end. The migrants
depart. When they return
in spring to the garden,
will there be a man among them?
poem by Ronald Stuart Thomas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
While Lounging In A Chair
While lounging in a chair, I looked up at the ceiling
Where, teasing my imagination,
A circle hangs above the quiet lamp,
And spins just like a ghostly shadow.
Within the flicker there's a trace of autumn sunset:
As if, above the rooftop and the garden,
Unable to fly off, afraid to land,
Dark flocks of blackbirds circle. . .
No, it's not wings I hear, but hooves at the front gate!
I hear the trembling hands . . .
How chill the pallor of a lovely face!
How bitter parting's whisper! . .
Lost and in silence, I survey the distant road
Beyond the dimming garden,-
While the impatient flock of blackbirds,
Unsheltered, circles still.
poem by Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Good Friend To Me
The gold billed blackbird whistling upon the the garden tree
For the past few years a good neighbour to me
He whistles every day all through the Spring
And his song to it has a distinctive ring.
From the other all dark males of his race him I know
Since on his left wing a few flight feathers white as snow
He tells other males of his kind in his song
This patch of ground to me and mine belong.
Each time I hear the blackbird pipe and sing
My thoughts return to the far northern Spring
On Spring evenings in groves by Millstreet Town
The blackbirds pipe before the sun goes down.
The blackbird whistling on the wattle tree
He only sings to proclaim territory
His neighbour males the warning in his song hear
And his border they dare not venture near.
The blackbird in the garden a good friend to me
I know him by sight each time him I see
By the few white feathers on his left side wing
And his song it takes me to the Northern Spring.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Snake & Two People
There is a snake with the evil
In the garden of eden
There is a tree with the apple
And the apple was eaten
Now the trouble has started
In the garden of eden
But there is only two people
And its evil believing
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
This is how it all started
In the garden of eden
Now what does it matter,
That the apple was eaten ?
What does it matter,
That the people were leaving ?
Let me tell you the truth now
About the trouble and (? )
(? )
(? ) deceiving
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
This is how it all started
In the garden of eden
Wheres that snake ?
(repeat)
I fell down on my knees
And I searched through the trees
Oh, I need some assistance
Can you hear from that distance
So I set up my (? )
Can I dance with your daughter ?
He said: (? ) you want, son, but I dont think you (? ) her
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
This is how it all started
In the garden of eden
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
There is a snake with the evil
In the garden of eden
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
This is how it all started
In the garden of eden
song performed by by Heaven 17
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Snake And Two People
There is a snake with the evil
In the garden of eden
There is a tree with the apple
And the apple was eaten
Now the trouble has started
In the garden of eden
But there is only two people
And its evil believing
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
This is how it all started
In the garden of eden
Now what does it matter,
That the apple was eaten ?
What does it matter,
That the people were leaving ?
Let me tell you the truth now
About the trouble and (? )
(? )
(? ) deceiving
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
This is how it all started
In the garden of eden
Wheres that snake ?
(repeat)
I fell down on my knees
And I searched through the trees
Oh, I need some assistance
Can you hear from that distance
So I set up my (? )
Can I dance with your daughter ?
He said: (? ) you want, son, but I dont think you (? ) her
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
This is how it all started
In the garden of eden
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
There is a snake with the evil
In the garden of eden
Where did adam go ?
And how was eve to know ?
This is how it all started
In the garden of eden
song performed by by Heaven 17
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When The Leaves Come Falling Down
I saw you standing with the wind and the rain in your face
And you were thinking bout the wisdom of the leaves and their grace
When the leaves come falling down
In september when the leaves, come falling down
And at night the moon is shining on a clear, cloudless sky
And when the evening shadows fall Ill be there by your side
When the leaves come falling down
In september when the leaves, come falling down
Follow me down, follow me down, follow me down
To the place beside the garden and the wall
Follow me down, follow me down
To the space before the twilight and the dawn
Oh, the last time I saw paris in the streets, in the rain
And as I walk along the boulevards with you, once again
And the leaves come falling down
In september, when the leaves come falling down
Follow me down, follow me down, follow me down
To the place between the garden and the wall
Follow me down, follow me down
To the space between the twilight and the dawn
And as Im looking at the colour of the leaves, in your hand
As were listening to chet baker on the beach, in the sand
When the leaves come falling down,
Woe in september, when the leaves come falling down
Oh when the leaves come falling down
Yeah in september when the leaves come falling down
When the leaves come falling down
In september, when the leaves come falling down
When the leaves come falling down in september, in the rain
When the leaves come falling down
When the leaves come falting down in september, in the rain
When the leaves come falling down
song performed by by Van Morrison
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Life's Garden
We all grow up in this Garden called Life,
There are many inner and outer strifes,
In the silence, in the silence,
In this beautiful Garden called Life!
There are weeds and pests in this Garden called Life,
They are know as ignorance, greed, and vice.
In the silence, in the silence,
In this beautiful Garden called Life.
Every garden needs sunshine and rain,
In this garden you will find joy and pain.
In this silence, in the silence,
In this beautiful Garden called Life!
Plant sparsely, your harvest will be a pittance,
Plant bountifully, your harvest will be munificence,
In this silence, in the silence,
In this beautiful Garden called Life!
Did you plant deeds of joy, love and peace?
Or did you drop seeds of hatred, conflict, and gloom?
The world will know by the plants' bloom.
In the silence, in the silence,
In this beautiful Garden called Life!
poem by Anna B. Kurzweil
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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In the Garden, With My Father
It is spring.
As in my garden, I stand.
In the garden -
My father is there;
... though long since gone...
He IS there.
I tend to the weeds,
The veggies and flowers...
He is there.
I never understood him
(as I should have, could have) ...
Until now,
Here, in the garden.
Where I, like he, work the soil.
I've come just recently
(these last few years)
To enjoy and love my garden so.
- I am not as surprised afterall, as I would have thought,
To find him here.
Here, in the garden.
He loved his garden very much.......
I - at that early age of restless youth - had no use
For such slow moving things.
But now, I see, and myself move, at a much slower pace.
Therefore, it is him I am here and now able to see,
In the garden.
Watching it all grow, so peacefully.
It is somewhat sad, that now,
When I can no longer tell him,
I understand.
For I have come to find... I love the garden too,
Just as much as he;
And we both always will.
My father - standing in the garden -
I now know.
After all these long years.
And I've missed him so;
But, how wonderful to find,
He IS here...
In the garden, our garden,
Always, with me.
poem by Smoky Hoss
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Note That You Must Read When You Wake Up
before i embark on another trip today
i depart from the usual
silence, there is something inside me that wants
to
say something, like a note that i have written last night
which i put
inside my pocket and if by chance my tongue cannot get away
from its sealed
lips, i may just take that note and put it beside your table while
you are
still asleep, and if i had to, if i shall not forget, I'll put
a rose beside it,
the one that i pick from your garden, still fresh with dew on its
petals,
it is like, i only give what i take from you, a rose from your garden,
and a note from me, that despite all those stormy days,
i think, and this you must treasure like all the flowers that grow
in your garden, that which you water and nurture,
that it is my fault, that even if you cannot forgive me,
as i pack my bag, to give your flowers more space, and for you to be at peace, i, too, shall take a deep breath, saying
i still love you.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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In the spring garden
In the spring garden
~
In the spring garden
Birds sing and chatter
While flowers raise their heads
To greet the morning sun
A garden filled with colour bright
A garden which now fills with life
The bee and the butterfly hover
From flower to flower gathering nectar
Seeding the flowers blossom
Throughout the spring garden
The dew glistens upon the grass
While the wind gently rolls in the tree
All the world slowly waking
Soon to this bounty of great beauty
Every hue from natures pallet
Is here free for all to see
In the spring garden
poem by Matthew Holloway
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Sunny On the Other Side
Let not a rainy day,
cast a shadow upon your garden.
Let not your worries be over your head.
Let not others downfall be your upbringing.
Let not anger define your character.
Let not your garden be full of weeds.
Let not greed entangle like vines.
Let not life loose it's meaning.
Let not love be lost to lust.
Let not your passions fade away.
Let not your book have few pages.
Let your book become a novel, and in that novel, control the outcome.
Let rainy days inflict the greatest growth.
Let your garden become a jungle.
Keep your gate open to the seeds of life,
and inside those gates, dreams will bare the sweetest fruit.
Let only the sun,
cast a shadow upon your garden.
poem by Jacob Gifford
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My Childhood Garden
my childhood garden
my childhood garden
lush and green
it was so happy it made me scream
my joy and hopes
and all my mopes
my childhood garden
my childhood garden
with the ups and downs
when i jumped i could not touch the ground
with my purle ponys
it made it homey
my childhood garden
my childhood garden
flying high
with the little lies
the grass fine
up in the sky my kite
my childhood garden
my childhood garden
now in the past
i now know that it can never last
now as i get taller
it was differnt when i was smaller
my childhood garden
poem by Danielle Eager
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Wondrous Budding Ever Loving Garden
The day's circular saw compact
welding torch of all the years
forward forging life force
cosmic mineral earth
the grains of pure charity
golden wheat of a clear light horizon
pastoral winds whisper the regenerate
self contained
secret of the soul
great water crest womb of time's garden
sprouting seeds sown
serene incubation
within the atmospheric bubble
well worked and accomplished
our dirt
living under the firm handed
fingernail sheild belonging
to the breathless
gentle touch soft stroke
creator
never ceasing (and yet)
always at peace
element's vast eternal sleep
O! such a wonderous and hungry
garden
(wonder not which garden)
our garden always
this garden of ever budding love
let us tend to the roots with spring's
mothering evergreen
well spring essence of
Eden's eternity
fresh winds of aware open air
and our common hands of earthen compassion
poem by Gregory Allen Uhan
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When You Define A Thing
when you define
a thing, you limit it,
it is like fencing
your garden
the garden becomes
a set of exclusive
flowers, and anything
not like it becomes
a weed, and anything
that moves
becomes a pest
it is not that you
do not define, we do
it sometimes
only to understand
the limits of
understanding,
but we must be open
to other possibilities
of a garden,
a garden of stones
a garden of sand
of mud, of water
a fountain, a garden
of winds, of clouds
a garden of memories
like a poem
for instance, a garden
of words,
words with arms open
to the magic
of further creation
words still trying
to define themselves
in the garden
of the unknown
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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In The Garden
The streets are always wet with rain
After a summer shower when I saw you standin
In the garden in the garden wet with rain
You wiped the teardrops from your eye in sorrow
As we watched the petals fall down to the ground
And as I sat beside you I felt the
Great sadness that day in the garden
And then one day you came back home
You were a creature all in rapture
You had the key to your soul
And you did open that day you came back to the garden
The olden summer breeze was blowin on your face
The light of God was shinin on your countenance divine
And you were a violet colour as you
Sat beside your father and your mother in the garden
The summer breeze was blowin on your face
Within your violet you treasure your summery words
And as the shiver from my neck down to my spine
Ignited me in daylight and nature in the garden
And you went into a trance
Your childlike vision became so fine
And we heard the bells inside the church
We loved so much
And felt the presence of the youth of
Eternal summers in the garden
And as it touched your cheeks so lightly
Born again you were and blushed and we touched each other lightly
And we felt the presence of the christ
And I turned to you and I said
No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the father in the garden
No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the father and the
Son and the holy ghost
In the garden wet with rain
No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature and the holy ghost
In the garden, in the garden, wet with rain
No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the father in the garden
song performed by by Van Morrison
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hanging Garden
Creatures kissing in the rain
Shapeless in the dark again
In the hanging garden
Please don't speak
In the hanging garden
No one sleeps
In the hanging garden
In the hanging garden
Catching haloes on the moon
Gives my hands the shapes of angels
In the heat of the night
The animals scream
In the heat of the night
Walking into a dream . . .
Fall fall fall fall
Into the walls
Jump jump out of time
Fall fall fall fall
Out of the sky
Cover my face as the animals cry
In the hanging garden
In the hanging garden
Creatures kissing in the rain
Shapeless in the dark again
In a hanging garden
Change the past
In a hanging garden
Wearing furs
And masks
Fall fall fall fall
Into the walls
Jump jump out of time
Fall fall fall fall
Out of the sky
Cover my face as the animals die
In the hanging garden
As the animals die
Cover my face as the animals die
In the hanging garden
song performed by by Cure
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Renunciation
ROSE of the desert of my heart,
Moon of the night that is my soul,
Thou can'st not know how sweet thou art,
Nor what wild tides thy beams control.
For all thy heart a garden is,
Thy soul is like a dawn of May.
And garden and dawn might both be his,
Who from them both must turn away.
Oh, garden of the Spring's delight!
Oh, dewy dawn of perfect noon!
I will not pluck thy roses white
Or warm thy May-time into June.
I can but bless thee, moon and rose,
And journey far and very far
To where the night no moonbeam shows,
To where no happy roses are!
poem by Edith Nesbit
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The Garden
The Garden
By: Adam M. Snow
The garden blooms to your delight;
to and from this very night.
When you are but one;
this garden blooms until you're done.
Keep that in mind but out of sight;
this garden is full of roses so white.
Open up and let shine the sun;
for Springtime has only begun.
Show off your garden so bright;
for there is no need to fight.
Now go on, no need to run;
when you're in your garden my son.
poem by Adam M. Snow
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May Song
BIRDS in the green of my garden
Blackbirds and throstle and wren,
Wet your dear wings in the tears that are Spring's
And so to your singing again!
Birds in my blossoming orchard,
Chaffinch and goldfinch and lark,
Preen your bright wings, little happy live things;
The May trees grow white in the park!
Birds in the leafy wet woodlands,
Cuckoo and nightingale brown,
Sing to the sound of the rain on green ground--
The rain on green leaves dripping down!
Fresh with the rain of the May-time,
Rich with the promise of June,
Deep in her heart, where the little leaves part,
Love, like a bird, sings in tune!
poem by Edith Nesbit
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Our Marriage Is Our Garden
Our marriage is our garden.
I want our garden to be beautiful.
With lush green grass,
With fragrant and colourful flowers.
A place of solace.
A place of peace.
A place of love.
Our garden must be watered.
Not watered too much.
As that would saturate the ground.
Not watered too little.
As that would leave the plants wilted.
And our grass barren.
But regularly.
So the flowers can stand tall
It must be weeded.
It must be maintained.
It must be loved.
We will plant seeds in our garden.
For new life makes any garden more beautiful and diverse.
We can harvest the fruit trees, but our harvest is limited
If we eat all the fruit too quick,
Then we must wait until the next harvest to eat again.
If we don't pick the fruit when it is right, it will spoil.
Our harvest is for our family.
If I eat all the fruit myself, then they will starve.
If we eat too much we will get sick.
If we eat what we are supposed to, then we will be healthy.
If we do not monitor the fruit,
Then someone might eat more than their share.
If we do not stand guard in our garden,
A thief might come into the garden to steal our fruit.
The fruit for our family.
For their garden must be barren and their crops have spoiled.
Our garden will stand the test of all seasons.
As all gardens do.
Another garden will also experience the same seasons.
Just at different times.
All gardens face rain.
All gardens get sun.
It is the rain that nourishes the garden and helps it's life to grow.
But our garden must be maintained regularly.
Only artificial things require no maintenance.
The artificial has no life.
It is fake, it is plastic.
Our garden needs to be real.
So life may grow and continue to grow.
So one day our children can enjoy a garden of their own.
For them and their children.
May their garden be overflowing with life and love.
And be the most beautiful garden in the world.
poem by Ryan Lee Morris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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L.O.S.T.
I got my work
I got my work
The profit of doom is walking the beach
With a psychotic breakdown cardboard sign
Everything's faked and there's nothing to teach,
And there's no point in running crying
And i'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
Evil
I walk through the filthy sterile wasteland
When i'm no good they'll dump me on a scrap heap to die
Giant american tyrannosaur,
Even the animals are running away.
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
l.o.s.t. lost
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
In a garden of evil
Evil
Evil baby
I got my work
Yeah
I walk through the filthy sterile wasteland
when i'm no good they'll dump me on a scrap heap to die
Giant american tyrannosaur,
Even the animals are running away
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
I'm l.o.s.t. lost
song performed by by Iggy Pop
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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