Appearances
What do we notice
when we look without observing?
What do we think
when we decide without understanding?
Appearances deceive.
It appears nothing is as it first appears.
I wonder about that.
I wonder about what I think.
Or, is it about what I think I think about?
Juxtaposed with other pondering perceptions
- those of the far more educated -
are my thoughts trivial and trite?
confused and confusing?
disarrayed and discombobulated?
dark and distant?
How would I know?
for I do not have or hold
nor understand fully
anyone else's thoughts.
Nor they mine.
Some thoughts appear
invalid or void...
appearances deceive.
So observe, and
try to understand.
Don't be deceived,
pay humble attention to your fellow man.
poem by Smoky Hoss

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Deception
Sighs and lies fill the air
Appearances deceive
She may seem weak
But she hides her strengths
The silence you mistake
As unintelligence
Masks a bright mind with
Things to shout at the world
Behind and exterior of calm
A war rages just below
And underneath a still facade
Her eyes burn bright and true
Sighs and lies fill the air
Appearances deceive
poem by Autumn Winds

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They Themselves Deceive
When people sell with a doing,
To those who become sold...
They themselves deceive.
With a doing done they say they do,
They themselves deceive.
They themselves deceive.
Since many possess college degrees....
In the hopes to receive achievement to get,
Competence with a common sense...
But they themselves deceive...
With minds feeding on 'bling' and greed.!
People like this are not taught how to feel,
A difference between what is fake and what's real.
They themselves deceive.
With a thinking they do this to other people,
They themselves deceive.
People like this are not taught to assess,
Correct ways to live and with honesty best.
People who cheat find it weak to confess.
They themselves deceive,
Unknowing it with doing!
They themselves deceive.
They themselves deceive!
With a making of lies to tell and sell.
They themselves deceive!
And a manifesting of this done too well.
They themselves deceive!
They themselves deceive!
They themselves deceive!
With a making of lies to tell and sell.
They themselves deceive.
With a manifesting of this done too well.
They themselves deceive.
With a growing of this to be known and shown.
They themselves deceive.
With a growing of this to be known and shown.
They themselves deceive.
They themselves deceive.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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Happy Thoughts, Happy Thoughts, Think Happy Thoughts
I have to keep reminding myself to forget you.
Forget you and me.
(Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, think happy thoughts.)
You wanted me to promise to never say it again
Those three words
(Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, think happy thoughts)
Which is laughably easy to do right now because
We are so far out of touch I couldn’t reach you if I tried
(Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, think happy thoughts)
So I plod through grey days and inky dark nights
Heavy laden with regret
(Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, think happy thoughts)
Tomorrow I will remind myself to forget you.
Forget you and me.
12-25-07
djlw
poem by Shannon Wright

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You Are Asking Now For A Metaphor To Understand
i heard you when you said you find it hard to understand
my scribblings on the sand
words seem not to be related to the next word
illogical
not having a connection between their close distances
how can you connect a star to an ant
or an electric eel to a ladle
the sea to a cooking pot
something too far and something too near
the universe to a grain of sand
the wilted sunflower
to the screw of this motorcycle,
make the link, that is a challenge and you complain
i am just confusing you
there is no meaning to all these bickerings of thoughts and
anti-thoughts, you tell me
but let me ask you my friend,
how do you relate to God?
is He the same as You,
far and near
thoughts to anti-thoughts
matter to non-matter
flesh to spirit
you want a word always to correspond to an object
at first
there is no problem here but go beyond what the word
should be
or what a word must be to non-objects
you need the help somewhere
you are asking now for a metaphor
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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Do You Have Any Thoughts About Me?
Do you have any thoughts about me?
And I want to know if the thoughts that you have about me
Are any good?
Do you mind sharing the thoughts about me?
What are the thoughts about me like?
Are the thoughts about me semtimental?
Are the thoughts about me very romantic?
Are the thoughts about me full of love?
poem by Aldo Kraas

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Appearances
Appearances, appears, ran, sea, pans, sear, ear, pace, aces, era, pens, peace;
The wealth of the land is now exposed to us!
But only few are controlling it and majority do suffer.
Appearances, pears, peers, an, as, rapes, raps, reaps, peas, cans, near, races;
The wealth of the land is controlled by only few people and,
Majority suffers in the name of practicing democracy.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis

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In my thoguhts i am alone
In my thoughts i am alone
where i fear no one understands
the pain the illness the sadness
the nightly terrors i handle alone
this experience i cant handle of this illness
they call bipolar the way im defined or labled that
one can not see past to see who i am beyond the illness
who is scared of herself who is caring for others more than herself
who will do anything to make another happy
but for one to meet someone who is 'bipolar' thats what they see
unstable depressed manic angry mood swing mess
but what they dont understand is how stable is not in our world
and it doesnt define us it makes us who we are
this illness we battle alone cause unless you have it
you can never fully understand and even if you do i dont think
we can fully understand it...
alone in this illness
alone in these thoughts
alone is how i feel
i cry alone when i feel alone
i sleep to be alone to feel nothing
to feel nothing or empty is what i need
it would be better than the saddness and hurt and
the feeling of alone
my tears fall alone
i enjoy being alone but the feeling of alone is
something i can not handle
to feel like there is no one
to feel like no one can truely understand or care
i only ache with this fear
i try to cry and scream for help but no one seems to hear
so lost in this illness and how to not feel alone
poem by Juliana Willsey

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Thought-Program
A program of thoughts surrounds us with virtue,
The broad picture of delight appears openly.
The problematic issues in current times
Are far too slow and thoughts are controlled.
poem by Naveed Akram

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Creases
Falling to pieces
Fold up in creases
Baron trees bending with breeze
No wonder they have no leaves
My mind is a waste land with not thoughts
No thoughts than can hold my attention
Staring at the sky
Thinking if only i
Now i have a thought
No its gone again
Okay just relax and think again
Time to clear my mind
Think of a better time
Well they are a distant memory now
So have i succumbed to being alone to long
Have all my thoughts and emotions
Packed up and gone
Have i been lost from reality way to long
Is it to late to start anew
Can i return to the person i once new
This void i have deep in me
Its not of lost love cause i choose to be free
So what is this void that is emptying me
Maybe my life has gone stale and old
Needing something new excitement to take hold
I know i am just a number
A number in this game
What number am i
Are there numbers the same
Is there someone out there just like me
Seeking the answers of what they should be
Time will tell
Is there enough time to discard this shell
Shell of a life i have been living
Always waiting for a new beginning
How dose that happen how do i start
Where do i enroll how do i take part
Live life to the fullest enjoy every day
How can you do this when you dont know the way
My days are of writing and writing how i feel
Is there nothing left to write about
Nothing more to feel
Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.
quote by Duane Michals

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Understanding and Knowledge
Those who know don’t talk;
Those who talk don’t know;
Those who speak don’t write;
Those who write don’t speak.
Those who think don’t actions;
Those who actions don’t think;
Those who think don’t judge;
Those who judge don’t do.
Small understanding is no match for great understanding;
Small knowledge cannot understand great knowledge knows.
Great wisdom has great understanding;
Great knowledge has wise sayings.
Great knowledge and understanding is wide and vast;
Small knowledge and understanding is trivial and cramped.
Great speech blaze forth as a huge fire;
Small speech is empty and trivial.
We understand what is appropriate;
Because of what we understand to be inappropriate.
We understand right;
Because of our understanding of wrong.
Use the light of wisdom to see,
Beyond the world of right and wrong.
One can only really understand things,
By understanding one’s true self.
(extracted and translated from Tao Te Cheng Book)
© Nov 2011 Lawrence Hiung
poem by Lawrence Hiung

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Love Consuming
Thoughts of you consume me
Hold power over me every
Second of the day
I wonder at His glory that is
a woman and ask who is
She that walks so proudly?
Thoughts of you consume me
Hold power over me every
Dream I dream
You walk through me like
A chill on winters eve. I see
You but I am but a shade
Unto you
Thoughts of you consume me
Hold power over me every
Breathe I take
You are the forest to my trees
That hide me from your sight.
We dance the dance of the
Stars and thoughts of you
Consume me
Thoughts of you consume me
Hold power over me every
Death I die
Her being, her beauty burns
Through me. I died in her
Passing when she smiled unto
Me
Thoughts of you consume me
Hold power over me every
Kiss you kiss me...
poem by Leonid Gonzalez

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Keeping Up Appearances
Darkness appears to be the absence of light
but absence of darkness is not light.
Misery appears to be the absence of happiness
but absence of misery is not happiness.
Isolation appears to be the absence of love
but absence of isolation is not love.
Ignorance appears to be the absence of knowledge
but absence of ignorance is not knowledge.
Being what we are simply means
coming out of what appears to be.
But being what we are cannot be dependant
on coming out of something we are not.
We have always been and will always be
what we are.
So, we are realised but
we don’t realise it yet?
Until we come out of what we are not
which is only an appearance.
There is a lot to this keeping up of appearances
and no effort in simply being…………
And ego said
“Whatever. What’s for lunch”
poem by David Taylor

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My Thoughts
Thought in the eyes,
The ears.
Thought in mind,
The brain,
Thought in heart,
The soul.
Great thought is great
when it becomes great deeds.
With my thoughts within
Building my world within
Learning with thought;
Is great learning wisdom.
Learning without thought,
Is opportunity lost.
Thought for others
Thought for God
Thought for good
Thought for God’s blessing
Thoughts teach me,
Thoughts educate me,
Thoughts clarify me,
Thoughts enlighten me.
Thoughts make me wise
Thoughts make me patience
Thoughts make me trust others
Thoughts make me clam.
Thoughts before act
Is smart and wise
Act before thoughts
Is stupid and foolish
That’s my thoughts
They make thinking clear
They make belief deepen
They make confidence high.
In thoughts, my world
In my world, make my thoughts.
In thoughts, my words
In my words, make my speech
It’s my thoughts count
Counting my thoughts
To endless counting thoughts
Thinking the thoughts endlessly
My thoughts and thoughts again.
poem by Lawrence Hiung

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Modify as Needed
Look closer by writing dreams, insights, ideas, thought forms -
Harbor creative solitude by going into solitude actively instead of drifting -
Notice more than thoughts but what causes these thoughts -
Observe attachment, emotion, change....without seeking -
Modify as needed....
poem by Bullion Grey

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Sonnet 39: O, how thy worth with manners may I sing
O, how thy worth with manners may I sing,
When thou art all the better part of me?
What can mine own praise to mine own self bring?
And what is't but mine own when I praise thee?
Even for this let us divided live,
And our dear love lose name of single one,
That by this separation I may give
That due to thee which thou deserv'st alone.
O, absence what a torment wouldst thou prove,
Were it not thy sour leisure gave sweet leave
To entertain the time with thoughts of love,
Which time and thoughts so sweetly doth deceive,
And that thou teachest how to make one twain
By praising him here who doth hence remain!
poem by William Shakespeare

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Bones of a Bad girl
Flesh to flesh
Thoughts to thoughts
Bad girl, bad thoughts
Bad girl wants to touch flesh
But bad man slaps hand away
Bad deeds, good thoughts
No flesh for bad girl
Girls do not touch, thoughts unwelcome
Boys touch flesh, no bad boys
Friends who hold hands, bad girls
Boys who touch girl, good thoughts, warm flesh
Girls crave flesh, bad bad girl
Flesh turns cold, bad thoughts
No way out, big trouble
Flesh is melted, distorted, explored
Thoughts revere, devilish girl
Boys do deeds, good thoughts
Girl slapped on the wrist, more bad
Boys given treats, deeds undone
Girls have bad thoughts, naught arms purple
Flesh dark circles, sketches, screams
Bad wirls with thoughts and deeds, girl want flesh
No flesh is for free, girls still scream
poem by Kelsey Wallace

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You Seem To Have The Whole Pot Of That To Yourself!
How utterly preposterous you are...
To be consumed of thought that my thoughts,
Are of your making.
That my desire to express my understanding...
Would be a point of view,
Of your...
Point of view explored.
How boring can you get?
To 'assume' that is my quest.
Your limitedness is not my goal at all.
How utterly preposterous you are...
To be consumed of thought that my thoughts,
Are of your making.
You must have learned that from some historical teachings.
Something that assured you with ego and overconfidence.
Something to you that only makes sense!
As for me...?
You are just an obstacle on my journey.
An issue like baggage,
Dealt with and ignored!
How utterly preposterous you are...
To be consumed of thought that my thoughts,
Are of your making.
Self destruction is not my cup of tea.
You seem to have the whole pot of that to yourself!
And it appears you find it quite delicious?
I have no taste for that kind of waste!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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Sonnet 39
O! how thy worth with manners may I sing,
When thou art all the better part of me?
What can mine own praise to mine own self bring?
And what is't but mine own when I praise thee?
Even for this, let us divided live,
And our dear love lose name of single one,
That by this separation I may give
That due to thee which thou deserv'st alone.
O absence! what a torment wouldst thou prove,
Were it not thy sour leisure gave sweet leave,
To entertain the time with thoughts of love,
Which time and thoughts so sweetly doth deceive,
And that thou teachest how to make one twain,
By praising him here who doth hence remain.
poem by William Shakespeare from Sonnets (1609)

Submitted by Dan Costinaş
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Train thoughts
You see the train fires our thoughts-
We find a white metallic sky up there,
As though the train itself were the earth
Spinning like a top in cosmic space.
The train’s hoot pierces our awareness.
We then come down from the upper berth
To mundane matters of trivial concern-
Thoughts which are not train thoughts
But home kitchen and patio thoughts
Waiting for inquisitive neighbours to talk
So that we could pick large comic holes.
In the train, between our finiteness and sky
There is another white sky, train sky
Under which several celestial thoughts
Take place in our upturned sleeping faces
It is as though the metal sky does not exist
And we are faced with the Big sky itself.
poem by Jagannath rao Adukuri

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