Homage To Updike
HOMAGE TO UPDIKE
For so many years we have had.
The angular elegance of your lines
The fine metaphoric precision
Eye for the everyday
The infinite variety in translating
The ordinary American Landscape
To Literature.
Man’s time is short
And all must die
But some deaths
Deprive us more
Of the new Beauty
We so long for and need.
Go gently great writer,
To your Eternal End-
The Arts in America
Have lost their best Friend.
poem by Shalom Freedman
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Shakespeare, Where Are You? (For Harold Bloom)
SHAKESPEARE, WHERE ARE YOU? (FOR HAROLD BLOOM)
Shakespeare, where are you?
You should be living at this hour.
Literature has need of you.
We have become a fen of stagnant voices
A parody of noble and great lines
All our efforts have become a deriding
Of our own spirit.
We need your Beauty and your Magnitude
The Metaphoric motions of your Incredible most awkward Lines
We need Your Richness and Your Song
Your Endless Entertainment of our own Emotions
Your deep play of Character and Feeling
We need you now Shakespeare
To remind us that to be Human
Is still to be the Glory Jest and Riddle
And that our voices somehow can still say
In Times beyond our own knowing
The wisdom and the way
To what is best within and beyond us
poem by Shalom Freedman
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Classics and beauty
A piece of literature,
Though meritorious,
To attain its status,
Must get seasoned.
A beauty queen on stage,
Still in bloom of fragrance,
From a new entrance,
Must die of elegance.
Literature ferments to gain.
Beauty fades from new stains.
16.05.2004
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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Show Tune II
That's the long and short of it
now you know
how I've been waiting all these years
where I'm coming from
that's the long and short of it.
That's the long and short of it
now you see
just how hot hot jazz was
how it turned about, my bookcase
that's the long and short of it.
That's the long and short of it
now you know
that my arrest record's
not my best record
that's the long and short of it.
That's the long and short of it
now you see
how the Past's like a love
you can neither leave nor live
that's the long and short of it
That's the long and short of it
now you know
it was no gun in my pocket
it was a rocket
that's the long and short of it.
That's the long and short of it
and you're wond'ring dear
how I kept so pure
hull, it was easy
that's the long and short of it.
That's the long and short of it
now you see
so bounce your head
into bed
that's the long and short of it.
That's the long and short of it
read the blues
in these tattoos
make a song of it
that's the short and long of it.
How I wish
there was a bridge-
then I could burn it;
or the train
of a refrain
then I could board it
but there isn't
no there isn't, so...
poem by Morgan Michaels
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She Ain't Your Ordinary Girl
(Robert Jason)
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She don't love carelessly that's what I've always heard
'Can't use the usual lines she measures every word
No empty promises proof is what it takes to win her heart
The truth and nothing less, simple things that set her far apart
Save your diamonds and your furs she's not your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, no she's not
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, oh no
She ain't your ordinary girl
No midnight alibis, no foolish games for her
And if you cross the line you'll get what you deserve
But when you see her smile nothing seems to matter anymore
And in a little while you'll feel like you've never felt before
Like no other in the world, she's not your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, no she's not
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, oh no
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
Save your diamonds and your furs, she ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
song performed by by Alabama
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Its Been A Long Long Time
Its been a long time...
Since I held you tight.
Its been a long time...
Everyday in this fight.
Its been a long...long...time.
Its been a long time...
Since I've had a kiss.
Its been a long time...
You're pretty blue eyes I miss.
Its been a long...long...time.
Its been a long time...
This Iraqi tour.
Its been a long time...
I miss you so and more.
Its been a long...long...time.
Its been a long time...
Hot days with freezing nights.
Its been a long time...
Sunburned face, mosquito bites.
Its been a long...long...time.
Its been a long time...
Had a real bad day.
Its been a long time...
Lost some soldiers today.
Its been a long...long...time.
Its been a long time...
I suffer everyday.
Its been a long time...
For me to be away.
Its been a long...long...time.
Its been a long time...
For me to be alone.
Its been a long time...
No talking on the telephone.
Its been a long...long...time.
Its been a long time...
Since you heard me say...
Baby, my sweet darling...
I'm leaving Iraq today!
poem by Philip Lore
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America's Journey To Peace
America's Journey To Peace
9/11/01 A Day of Many Heroe's
Terrorist intruders dropped one morning
from the sky.
U.S. Citizens became warrior combatants,
fighting back hurling them howling to their deaths.
Americas peace challenged
we could not, would not! be pushed over the edge.
We awakened united in anger
transformed into purpose
to perpetuate throughout the whole world
American's hurt, wounded, thousands dead,
would not be our end, but our begining.
Our flag still waves for freedom
from the homes of all America in a united
quest to hold dear all those who were lost.
As we journey forward in our daily lives
let their deaths be not in vain,
Let America's Freedom forever Reign!
Esther Brush
poem by Esther Brush
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I Am A Poet Of Short Lines
I am a poet of short lines-
Of lines that are phrases,
Of lines that are small and broken-
I am a poet of short lines-
Of impatience and small breath,
Of hurrying and not taking time-
I am a poet of short lines-
Of condensation and conciseness,
Of maximum meaning in minimum space-
I am a poet of short lines
Short ones.
poem by Shalom Freedman
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Shall I compare thee to a romantic night?
Shall I compare thee to a romantic night?
Thou art more glorious and more stunning:
Rough winds do shake thy beauty and thy loveliness,
And romantic night hath all too short of a date:
Sometimes too cold for the lovers to enjoy,
And often it amorous beauty has gone un-notice;
And from fair to fair its passion is dimmed,
By chance or nature’s changing course thy tender beauty is eternal;
But thy eternal loveliness shall not diminish;
Nor lose thy possession on thy loving heart;
Nor shall romance destroy thy relation;
When in undying lines thou beaming beauty are shown
So long as human can love and eyes can grasp,
So long live this and this gives life to thee
poem by Jeffrey Liminsang
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Anglo-American Poet
Many great Masters have taken flight
To America, leaving this Island of green...
Satisfying life's ambition to capture
The International scene.
America may offer citizenship
With a place in the main A stream
But after a short while 'home' is calling
When many great men return to the fold
Then referred to as 'Anglo-American'
As was ordained in days of old.
One such poet from an English town
Wystan Hugh Auden,20th Century
Anglo-American Poet of much renown.
poem by Joyce Hemsley
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Voice Of America
I heard you on the radio
Some other time
From some forgotten studio
Way down the line
So long, so long Ive waited now
To hear you again
That song, that song will still remain
Become an old friend
And now, the tears are in my eyes
The sound you cant disguise
The truth comes back from lies
And all I want to hear
Voice of america, ooh, america
Voice of america, ooh, america
And then you came in stereo
Calling to me
And so I watch the videos
Across the t.v.
That sound, still ringing in my ears
From a decade ago
Around, around my head, the sound from my radio
I thought, that after all these years
The tears, the growing fears
That I would never hear
Never again
Voice of america, ooh, america
Voice of america, ooh, america
song performed by by Asia
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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America 'The Great
If America's so beautiful
If America's so great
Then why is it everywhere I go I only see hate
If America is the greatest country in the world
Why so many needless deaths?
It makes my stomach curl
Sure there's opportunity but who's it for you ask?
People who make it big by chance or the one's who already have cash
So if you think your countries bad think of what I say
America's going down the drain so wherever you are just stay
poem by Rodney Quills
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Caught Between Two Guys
Tell me tell me tell me,
Tell me what to do.
Cause I’m lost I’m lost I’m lost,
And don’t know what to do.
Two great guys, one great girl,
And they ask me to choose.
One’s left for the army two years ago,
He’s coming home and wants to have another go.
I’m lost I'm lost I'm lost,
And don’t know what to do.
The other’s been a great friend.
He’s always been there,
And promised to be until the end.
Tell me tell me tell me,
Tell me what to do.
Cause I’m lost I’m lost I’m lost,
And don’t know what to do.
Two great guys, one great girl,
And they ask me to choose.
I’ve loved one for years,
And years still to come.
While the other it’s been two year,
And yes, I guess I’ve missed him some.
Do I turn left?
Do I turn right?
Or do I go strain on my own?
Do I take the hand of the army brave?
Or the one whose road is already paved?
Tell me tell me tell me,
Tell me what to do.
Cause I’m lost I’m lost I’m lost,
And don’t know what to do.
Two great guys, one great girl,
And they ask me to choose.
copyright 2007
poem by Jess Schwarcz
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In things to be seen at once, much variety makes confusion, another vice of beauty. In things that are not seen at once, and have no respect one to another, great variety is commendable, provided this variety transgress not the rules of optics and geometry.
quote by Christopher Wren
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Thus Spoke Sister Sarah Two Step
Oh mensch! Gieb acht!
Oh man! Take heed!
from, 'Zarathustra's Rundgesand'
by Friedrich Nietzche
Hey man! Catch ny drift!
Listen deep!
Catch a Midnight's Voice
Piquancy
'I've done my time
paid all my dues
And now's my right
come I to sue'
'Infinite is the world
beyond what I can say
Infinite is it's woe
but light be there everyday'
'And darkness has a say to play
far from the darkest misery of it's land
To the lightness eternal of it's day
there Joy and Eternal step hand in hand'
poem by Midnights Voice
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Undesrtanding Art
exercises of the mind,
this morning chill and the waiting hours,
i open the window
to see what they call is another
ordinary day,
a vine hangs in the garden wire
freely it gives three flowers
which the wind takes away,
i take time
this is the moment of conversion
when the ordinary day becomes
special when the three flowers
symbolize the trinity
of faith, hope and love,
the ordinary human eye
seeing the whole world
in such a short time
such beauty,
art plus
sensitivity and
humanity
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Hearts That Love Nature
Hearts that love nature
will be eternaly young,
eternal and immortal
like the nature itself,
which never dies to this
loving, beating heart,
nature that is alive
in the air that we breathe,
in the crowning glory of
the sun rising from
amidst the depths of the horizon;
Nature that is immortal,
the songs of the nightingale
and the cuckoo and the songbird,
will ring out in harmony
for infinite years,
the melody will keep playing
even when dust is created
and destroyed to dust,
hearts that feel nature
will become nature and live on,
amidst the vast sky
of splendour and elegance,
within the deepest corners
of the infinite oceans,
along on the breeze
that blows across this land;
Hearts that love nature
will be eternally young and immortal,
will strive in peace and silence,
the calmness and tranquility,
of merging with mother nature,
born again with
the leaves of new birth,
those fresh blossoms of spring,
whose scent is divine perfume
to this awakening earth,
and our hearts will be one,
playing gently on those meadows
surrounded by diasies that
once intrigued great poets of the past,
and we remain young and
immortal, forever...
poem by Amatulla Mohammadi
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America Is Not... Is
America is something far greater
beyond the borders of the united states
America is not made of rock land or sea
America is not the country
we were fooled into
mistaking it to be
America is not a monger of war
not a preacher of nationalism
America does not exploit
the weaknesses of humanity
America has never been
represented accurately
or depicted properly
by those career manipulators
America is not a place
where one man can reject
the presence of another
America is raw unearthed potential
freedom truth beauty equality!
America resides in the heart and mind
America is home of the human spirit
America is a dream of potential earth utopia
America is something we all cherish and long for
America, its time we redefine ourselves
rethink our concept of who we are.
poem by Gregory Allen Uhan
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Ernie......
a long time
and now here you are with all these gray hairs,
and you confess
that at this age all that you want to do is listen
it is unlikely that you write
for their will be more corrections and it will really take
a whole lifetime to
finish and
remove all these errors
you watch Fox News everyday
have more time for Hollywood movies
and the local news
you don't go for a walk anymore in the boulevard to
breathe salty air
it does not interest you
old friends are forgotten
they are of no use somehow
what is normal for you
and routine is this need for an injection of insulin
when others talk you always look at your watch
and as you move a glass of cola falls upon your stomach
lots of lapses this time
and oh, as usual, you have become so mortal
so human
i am a writer
a poet Ernie and will always be both.
and so here i am again,
babbling, exploring,
experimenting where to
put monotony
and make it appear so beautiful
like an ordinary weed beside
a cheap flower
as a centerpiece of the interior part
of the renovated
living room in the house of a long dead
friend.....
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Ordinary
Whose eyes am I behind?
I don't recognize anything that I see
Whose skin is this design?
I don't want this to be the way that you see me
I don't understand anything anymore
And this web that I'm tired of
Is taking me right up these walls
That I climb up to get to your story
It's anything but ordinary
And when the world is on its knees with me
It's fine
And when I come to the rescue
I get nothing but left behind
Everybody seems to be getting what they need
Where's mine?
'Cause you're what I need so badly
But I'm anything but ordinary
Can you save me from this world of mine?
Before I get myself arrested with this expectation
You are the one, look what you've done
What have you done?
This is not some kind of joke, you're just a kid
You weren't ready for what you did, no . . .
And when the world is on its knees with me
It's fine
And when I come to the rescue
I do it for you time after time
Everybody seems to be getting what they need
Where's mine?
'Cause you're what I need so badly
But I'm anything but ordinary
I think I'm trying to save the world for you
You've been saving me too
We could just stay in and save each other
I'm anything but ordinary
I'm anything but ordinary (ordinary . . .)
song performed by by Train
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Friendly fragrance of the night flowers
Some they bloom in the night
While the other flowers, bees and butterflies were slept.
A way lost desperate hornet comes and verifies;
'Are these tears or dew my dearest,
So warm under the Moonlit night? '
'It's a mixture of dew and tears comrade,
A fine elixir that keeps you young forever if you taste.
And do not bother to wake up in the broad daylight.
Brother you can jump into a sound sleep indeed
until you come again to my Promise land.'
Queen of the night played her role very efficiently.
* Dedication to poor harlots for their eternal struggle.
Also to my new Irish friend Todd Hatchard who's a short story writer accidentally I met him in Huntington Beach on St.Patrick's day.
poem by Nimal Dunuhinga
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