Attack
AT dawn the ridge emerges massed and dun
In the wild purple of the glow'ring sun,
Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud
The menacing scarred slope; and, one by one,
Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire.
The barrage roars and lifts. Then, clumsily bowed
With bombs and guns and shovels and battle-gear,
Men jostle and climb to meet the bristling fire.
Lines of grey, muttering faces, masked with fear,
They leave their trenches, going over the top,
While time ticks blank and busy on their wrists,
And hope, with furtive eyes and grappling fists,
Flounders in mud. O Jesus, make it stop!
poem by Siegfried Sassoon
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Related quotes
Cassinga
Just like spring when the blue sky is full of falling leaves,
there are three hundred and seventy parachutes that decent,
on a ominous day
with enemy AA-guns reporting
and the enemy are more
than a thousand and a half in number.
The barrels of the enemy AA-guns are lowered,
to break us
and the enemy tries to sow havoc
and to decimate us.
Enemy snipers are shooting from trees
and from everywhere
there are shots being fired,
that munches pieces from us
From behind ruins
we fire almost endlessly
at trenches where some enemy soldiers hide
and launch mortar bombs
all over the place,
while bullets are coming down like rain.
We return heavy fire
to the enemy at the AA-guns,
while other soldiers replace them
which keeps the battle hanging in balance
Shot after shot are being fired
and the smell of death
is strong in the air
and there’s nowhere
for the enemy to escape to.
The last resistance disappears
and there’s apparent peace
and dead enemies everywhere
and some of the bats,
get into pumas
and the rest of us wait
with nowhere to go.
The border is too far to walk
and there’s nothing to drive away with,
when Cuban tanks and armoured cars
find us there.
.
With RPG-7 iron fists
four tanks are destroyed
and a landmine stops another tank in its tracks,
but only paratroops against oncoming armour
are canon feed
and nothing diminishes the danger
of a Cuban mechanized battalion.
Till two Mirages destroys ten armoured cars
and everywhere there’s smoke and dust
and a Buccaneer comes from the sun,
to let moments turn into eternity.
Time after time
it flashes by and fires its rockets
at the oncoming tanks
and with no ammo left,
dives fearlessly over shooting AA-guns
to make the tanks take cover.
It’s very ruff going
but the last pumas land
in a clouds of dust,
to evacuate us
while enemy tanks keep firing.
I try and hold the rearguard with a LMG
before the shot out ruins fades away from me
and we leave forty living enemies behind
and all of us are safely gone,
but for four brave men
whose lives are spent.
[References: AA-guns=> Anti aircraft guns. Bats=>Parabats=>Airbourne soldiers. RPG-7 iron fists=> Rocket propelled grenade launchers=> Bazookas. Mirages=> Mirage fighter jets. Buccaneer=> Buccaneer ground support bomber. Pumas=> Puma helicopters. LMG=> Light machinegun.]
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Fortress Around Your Heart
Under the ruins of a walled city
Crumbling towers and beams of yellow light
No flags of truce, no cries of pity
The siege guns had been pounding all through the night
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the fields Id known
I recognized the walls that I once made
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines Id laid
And if I built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
Then I went off to fight some battle
That Id invented inside my head
Away so long for years and years
You probably thought or even wished that I was dead
While the armies are all sleeping
Beneath the tattered flag wed made
I had to stop in my track for fear
Of walking on the mines Id laid
And if I built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
This prison has now become your home
A sentence you seem prepared to pay
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the fields where Id once played
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines Id laid
And if I built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
song performed by by Sting
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A New Day!
lay down your guns,
your knives, your flags.
get out of your tanks,
your planes, get off
of your carriers.
stop the bombs,
the rhetoric, the patriotic march....
unball your fists, open your hands.
proclaim this a new day....
the first day of forever...
when humanity decided
to become human again!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Fire Your Guns
Wild beast, Ill make you mine
Taste your kiss, sweet lips devine
She got moves, drips of sweat
She got eyes of blue, body curves
n legs thatll break your nerves
Chorus:
Fire - when shes going down
Fire - then she make you drown
Fire - then she blow you round
Yeah, you want some fun
Fire your guns
Fire your guns
Fire your guns
Fire your guns
That lady bites, hard style
Drips of sex, eyes are wild
She got moves, long long legs
She got eyes of blue, body curves
Legs thatll shake the earth
Chorus
Yeah, you want some fun
You gotta fire your guns
Fire your guns
You gotta fire your guns
Fire your guns
(yeah, yeow!)
Yeah
Chorus
Yeah, you want some fun
Gotta fire your guns
Fire your guns (x9)
song performed by by AC-DC
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Zombie
Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
But you see it's not me,
it's not my family
In your head, in your
head they are fighting
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head,
In your head they are cryin'
In your head
Zombie
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie
Another mother's breakin'
heart is taking over
when the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken
It's the same old theme since 1916
In your head,
In your head they're still fightin'
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head they are dyin'
In your head, in your head
Zombie
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie
song performed by by Cranberries
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Take Me
I pull my boots off, throw my weapons on the floor
Cry my eyes out, in my private little war
Well it seems Ive been a soldier
Heaven knows Ive been no saint
In my camouflage and armor, cold heart and grease paint
To you this has no meaning the armistice laid down
The armies are all quiet and the guns dont make a sound
cause you melted the steel walls, tore down the barbed wire
Filled in the trenches, demanded a cease fire
And now youre leaving, theres nothing I can do
I want you to know youre gonna take me with you
Well now three on a match is suicide in the foxhole of my mind
And way off in the distance the air raid sirens whine
And they sing your song of rescue to my tattered worn out shell
You drag me to your safety from this my front line hell
cause you melted the steel walls, tore down the barbed wire
Filled in the trenches, demanded a cease fire
And now youre leaving, theres nothing I can do
I want you to know youre gonna take me with you
The blood that was spilled in the heartache before
Left road maps of scars that I never could ignore
cause you melted the steel walls, tore down the barbed wire
Filled in the trenches, demanded a cease fire
And now youre leaving, theres nothing I can do
I want you to know youre gonna take me with you
song performed by by Edwin McCain
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Born To Be Wild
(Be wild)
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
Born to be wild
Born to be wild
song performed by by Kim Wilde
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hang Wire
Theyre going higher
Wind is whistling on the barbs
Your heads a hammer
Hang wire, hang wire
Hang wire
(meet you at the) hang wire
That man is a liar
The day is like a warm night
Salt rusts the cold line
Hang wire, hang wire
Hang wire
(meet you at the) hang wire
Every morning and every day
Ill bossanova with ya
If there were a fire
Can we scratch beneath this
Hang wire, hang wire
Hang wire
(meet you at the) hang wire?
song performed by by Pixies
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Reveille
Come forth, you workers!
Let the fires go cold—
Let the iron spill out, out of the troughs—
Let the iron run wild
Like a red bramble on the floors—
Leave the mill and the foundry and the mine
And the shrapnel lying on the wharves—
Leave the desk and the shuttle and the loom—
Come,
With your ashen lives,
Your lives like dust in your hands.
I call upon you, workers.
It is not yet light
But I beat upon your doors.
You say you await the Dawn
But I say you are the Dawn.
Come, in your irresistible unspent force
And make new light upon the mountains.
You have turned deaf ears to others—
Me you shall hear.
Out of the mouths of turbines,
Out of the turgid throats of engines,
Over the whistling steam,
You shall hear me shrilly piping.
Your mills I shall enter like the wind,
And blow upon your hearts,
Kindling the slow fire.
They think they have tamed you, workers—
Beaten you to a tool
To scoop up hot honor
Till it be cool—
But out of the passion of the red frontiers
A great flower trembles and burns and glows
And each of its petals is a people.
Come forth, you workers—
Clinging to your stable
And your wisp of warm straw—
Let the fires grow cold,
Let the iron spill out of the troughs,
Let the iron run wild
Like a red bramble on the floors….
As our forefathers stood on the prairies
So let us stand in a ring,
Let us tear up their prisons like grass
And beat them to barricades—
Let us meet the fire of their guns
With a greater fire,
Till the birds shall fly to the mountains
For one safe bough.
poem by Lola Ridge
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Iron
Guns,
Long, steel guns,
Pointed from the war ships
In the name of the war god.
Straight, shining, polished guns,
Clambered over with jackies in white blouses,
Glory of tan faces, tousled hair, white teeth,
Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses,
Sitting on the guns singing war songs, war chanties.
Shovels,
Broad, iron shovels,
Scooping out oblong vaults,
Loosening turf and leveling sod.
I ask you
To witness--
The shovel is brother to the gun.
poem by Carl Sandburg
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Sonnet: Kargil War-song
March Ye forward, O Indian sepoy!
’Tis wartime again on land, sea and sky;
Our foes occupy the Kargil hills O boy!
And mountains and vales, where war-planes can’t fly.
March Ye forward, O Indian soldier!
The north-west sky is filled with smoke and fire;
Kashmir’s vale’s at stake, so is the frontier;
The enemy has the vantage, not attire.
March Ye forward, O Indian jawan;
Ye flush out the intruders everyone;
Climb the mountains by night and strike by dawn;
Give thy precious life to silence their gun.
March Ye forward, March Ye forward, nev’r stop;
Hoist the Indian tricolor Kargil-top!
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I'll Be Around
i'll be around...
in the wind that rustles your curtains,
in the whisper of darkness that taunts the moonlight.
in the silence that roars, and is then still...
in the prayers that children do not understand,
in the dying old man's aloneness.
in the blood that testifies against the hands,
in the hands that cannot escape the heart.
in the feet walking by their own will,
in the soul scarred by mistakes.
in the hungry mouth and the desperate eyes
that have seen and known too much.
in the fear that comes in the middle of the night,
and the dawn that never seems to come.
in the need to worship and the faith to act,
in the doubt that destroys false idols.
in the pound of the guns, the cries for help,
and the fire that has no favorites.
in the defiant stand, feet set firm,
the mark of the chains on backs and wrists.
in the freedom that does not buy and sell,
that sees beneath the skin.
in the constant dialogue of 'i and thou',
in the me that disperses and dissolves.
in the hammer, the saw, and the shovel,
in the grasses beneath bare feet.
in the song of the whipporwill,
and the final hoot of the owl.
in the howling of wolves,
and the sleepy stillness of the cattle.
in the hidden depths of your heart,
and the quiet darkness that forms your thoughts.
in the grain of the tree just cut,
and the rhythm of the fire going dead.
in every voice that cries for justice,
in every hand that reaches for help!
in the working hum of common thread,
in the simple dignity of the family.
in the ghosts of soldiers lost in battle,
in the weeping of mothers over their graves.
and in the constant courage of the peacemakers,
the voice of reason and compassion.
in the truth that all men are equal...
in the bridge from here to there!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Western Union Wire
(kinky friedman)
From a cheap hotel in dallas
On a cold december day
A telegram was traveling on its way
Like a sad old song from somewhere
In the distance of a dream
Flashing cross the darkness
On the telegraph machine.
It said, from billy, at the bottom, to baby, at the top
Western union wire please help me stop.
Western union wire dont leave me. stop.
Well, the taxicab it took her
To the airport in the dawn,
She knew in just an hour shed be gone.
She was standing near the platform
bout to board the big pan am
When someone came
And put the lonely message in her hand.
It said, from billy, at the bottom, to baby, at the top
Western union wire please help me stop.
Western union wire dont leave me. stop.
Headin high above chicago
Just a-reachin for the skies
She found herself with teardrops in her eyes.
And a little boy beside her asked her,
mama, where is pop ?
And she just broke down a-cryin
cause she knew she couldnt stop.
It said, from billy, at the bottom, to baby, at the top
Western union wire dont leave me. stop.
ah, you said youd always love me how could you ? stop,
in pieces on the runway I love you. stop.
song performed by by Kinky Friedman
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Drifting Too Far
Out on the perilous deep,
Where danger silently creeps,
And storm's so violently sweeping,
You're drifting too far from shore.
Chorus:
Drifting too far from shore,
You're drifting too far from shore,
Come to Jesus today,
Let Him show you the way
You're drifting too far from shore.
Today, the Tempest rose high,
And clouds o'er shadow the sky.
Sure death is hovering neigh,
You're drifting too far from shore.
Drifting too far from shore,
You're drifting too far from shore,
Come to Jesus today,
Let Him show you the way
You're drifting too far from shore.
Why meet a terrible fate?
Mercies abundantly wait.
Turn back before it's too late
You're drifting too far from shore.
Drifting too far from shore
You're drifting too far from shore (peaceful shore)
Come to Jesus today. Let him show you the way
You're drifting too far from shore...
song performed by by Emmylou Harris
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Blank
Blank pages, blank lines
Blank heart, blank mind
Blank feeling, blank soul
Blank high, blank low.
I dont know why
You just cant see
That all you've ever known
Is the blank side of me.
Glow
(feat. Raphael Saadiq)
[verse 1:]
There's a wild streak in me
But it's only for u to see
Look to my heart, cause u know I'm ready to start
I guess I'm tryin to say, yes I've been waiting for this very day
Hope ur goin too slow, cause we're bout to shoot the sun a-glow
[hook:]
How do we make it, I do know
If there was ever a problem they had to go
Sometimes it's kinda hard yes I do agree
See 1 + u just equals me
They'll just watch us glow, they'll just watch us glow
[verse 2:]
Now in love something crazed ,
Exude from ur eyes when they are fixed on me & like the eternal flame,
We have a fire that won't ever stop burning
There's a power in numbers baby,
But 2 is deemed the perfect team
Me & u equals 2
We will battle the masses baby, but we will claim the victory
[hook:]
How do we make it, I do know
If there was ever a problem they had to go
Sometimes it's kinda hard yes I do agree
See 1 + u just equals me
They'll just watch us glow, they'll just watch us glow
[bridge:]
Some said we would never change.
Look at us now people tried to tear it all apart,
Boy u stole my heart so quickly
[hook:](until music fades)
How do we make it, I do know
If there was ever a problem they had to go
Sometimes it's kinda hard yes I do agree
See 1 + u just equals me
They'll just watch us glow, they'll just watch us glow
song performed by by Kelis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Purple Dress
Emerald hope in the misty hills
The sea rescues meaning like a dream
Let the tides roll with wild poetry
You are an old kiln of love
Emerson brings words of golden stone
Granite ghosts in the winds
Poets ridge like a candle of eyes
Time brings grand shadows of Concord
Longfellow haunts the sun
Boston regal as a Irish maiden
First fruits grow like summer wheat
Amber December
Litany with quiet satin
Laughter in the third person
Stars appear
Moonlight sings
Vapor vows glow
Red and blue make purple
Your purple dress of sage desire
poem by Joseph Narusiewicz
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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School Fight
How you got into a fight
with Woolgar in the school
playground God only knows
but it seems to stem from
him pushing into you and
knocking you against the wire
fence and then you rush at him
like a bull in a marketplace with
a flurry of punches catching him
high on the cheek with a tight fist
then a crowd gathers and an almost
perfect ring and on the periphery
out of the corner of your eye you
see them gathered excitedly chanting
loudly bundle bundle fight fight then
Woolgar put up his fists in front of
his face and you know instinctively
he’s no fighter that he’s not put
those fists up in a real fight and the
fire seeps from you and you move
your fists in the way you’d been taught
and duck and weave but you’re just
going through motions now and his eyes
widen in fear and you know you ought
to go off and leave him there as the
anger has almost gone then there’s
a shout of PREFECTS! and the audience
of eager schoolboys disperses and you
walk off into the crowd and Woolgar
drops his hands by his side and stares
up and out at the hills as if some voice
had called him like some ancient prophet
and the school prefects seeing nothing or
no one go off disgruntled and forget.
poem by Terry Collett
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Battle Cup
Three miles off the coast of beirut
New jerseys guns get ready to shoot
Take a walk down the firing room
Fire one its shakedown cruise
Battle ship battle ship
See the sailor boys dressed in blue
Cheer the change to make the news
Send the shell down the spiral groove
Bombs away its a shakedown cruise yeah
Battle ship battle ship
song performed by by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Business and busyness
‘I’m very busy at the moment; but
I’ll look forward to reading your message
when I have more time…’
yeah yeah…
oh you ‘busy’ ones –
I’m on to you…
tell me that it’s not because
you’re ‘busily’ maintaining
a self-important picture of yourself–
(a picture based on fear?):
tell me that it’s not because
it’s your deceitful way to ‘prioritise’
what you want to give yourself to,
and that which you don’t…
‘Occupied’; ‘constantly active’ –
that sounds a little better,
a little more impersonal -
there’s hope for you…
But don’t we all love –
love them, even before we meet –
those (you know them?)
who seem, miraculously, to ‘have time’
for everyone – by appointment; or in emergency;
how do they manage it? Can it be,
they know the measures of the human heart
that make of time and space this lovely art?
poem by Michael Shepherd
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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