The Challenge
All alone in this armidillo desert...?
One cactus and a makeshift dusty road-
The sweltering heat plays tricks on my eyes...
Enter: Mirages of vast mesas covered in Gold;
Oh the rites of the deserts drum beats out to me...
As i enter someones land through a 'rusty' 'iron' gate-
Lo and behold, i find a delapidated farmhouse empty...
And as if into a downward spiral-i approach my fate! ! !
I am descending from the top of the mesa...
My body is laced in the deserts sands veil-
Dressed in rag-tag camoflouge glittering...
Not accepting the challenge: Of Mice and Men, i fail! ;
For what is it that is so special of Mice and Men?
That deciphers the muck for the Winning Crown?
Is it who can out last another in 'Extreme Conditions? ? ? '
With no answer forthcoming-alas, 'tis the armidillo desert, i am bound;
poem by Theodora Onken
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Maria's Lullaby
An extract from a poem written for my grandchildren to Brahms Lullaby
Sleep; little mice sleep
Mother will watch over you
Shut your eyes and don't peek
Tomorrow the skies will be blue
Sleep; little mice sleep.
Sleep; little mice sleep
No harm will come whilst I am here
The sun has gone down by the peak
When the day dawns it will appear
Sleep; little mice sleep.
Sleep; little mice sleep
Your father is watching the house
That no owl or cat dares to seek
Harm to creatures or mouse
Sleep; little mice sleep.
Sleep; little mice sleep
Tomorrow you run and play
Now is not time to speak
When you awake a new day
Sleep; little mice sleep.
Sleep; little mice sleep
Rest now for your own sake
Shut your eyes now be asleep
I will be here when you awake
Sleep; little mice sleep.
poem by Thomas Golding
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My heart is a cactus flower
My heart is a cactus flower
Unwilling to bend...
Unwilling to wilt...
Unwilling to die...
But—still.
I just can't walk away...
I've sold my life.
For a deserts ray
For a deserts ray
Of light!
Thirsty and more!
Blistered and sore!
My soul is damned,
To confess:
My eyes are parched
For more, more
Than I can posses.
Envisage.
In a—mirage!
But—still.
I just can't walk away...
I've sold my heart and soul.
For a deserts ray
For a deserts ray
Of light!
poem by Mark Heathcote
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Live Not Being Bothered
Mice cannot live where cats will not enter.
Mice do not abandon feeding and mating
Because there's a threat from the predators.
Let me live my life, not being bothered.
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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Nowhere Roads
Northern Nevada,
Where they lay a road
Through a choked desert
Up a mountain,
Then down to another clawed land.
Somewhere between the deserts
I saw a single boot
Dead in the road.
Where was this man, I wondered?
Stumbling hurt among the cacti?
I doubted it,
Peering into the shadows
At the ghosts
Who were nowhere.
poem by Stan Petrovich
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Mad Man Moon
Was it summer when the river ran dry,
Or was it just another dam.
When the evil of a snowflake in june
Could still be a source of relief.
O how I love you, I once cried long ago,
But I was the one who decided to go.
To search beyond the final crest,
Though Id heard it said just birds could dwell so high.
So I pretended to have wings for my arms
And took off in the air.
I flew to places which the clouds never see,
Too close to the deserts of sand,
Where a thousand mirages, the shepherds of lies
Forced me to land and take a disguise.
I would welcome a horses kick to send me back
If I could find a horse not made of sand.
If this deserts all therell ever be
Then tell me what becomes of me.
A fall of rain?
That must have been another of your dreams,
A dream of mad man moon.
Hey man,
Im the sand man.
And boy have I news for you;
Theyre gonna throw you in gaol
And you know they cant fail
cos sand is thicker than blood.
But a prison in sand
Is a haven in hell,
For a gaol can give you a goal
[and a] goal can find you a role
On a muddy pitch in newcastle,
Where it rains so much
You cant wait for a touch
Of sun and sand, sun and sand...
Within the valley of shadowless death
They pray for thunderclouds and rain,
But to the multitude who stand in the rain
Heaven is where the sun shines.
The grass will be greener till the stems turn to brown
And thoughts will fly higher till the earth brings them down.
Forever caught in desert lands one has to learn
To disbelieve the sea.
If this deserts all therell ever be
Then tell me what becomes of me.
A fall of rain?
That must have been another of your dreams,
A dream of mad man moon.
song performed by by Genesis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Spirit Of Christmas
The star of Bethlehem was shining
Across a Palestinian sky
The Church of the Nativity was crying
And we looked on, who can tell me why?
Where are the wise men when they're wanted?
Nowhere to be seen, like thieves in the night
The desert is drifting every closer
The world won't sleep well tonight
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
Lost in the desert or covered in snow
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
If you can find it, please let me know
The shepherds are in the fields sleeping
Waiting for a sign to light up the sky
Heaven is moving ever closer
The promise of a child born on high
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
Lost in the desert or covered in snow
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
If you can find it, please let me know
Looking for an answer that escapes me (Love set me free!)
If there is a reason let me know (Whoa!)
Drifting slow through time and space not knowing where we are
How did we ever get this far?
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
Lost in the desert or covered in snow
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
If you can find it, please let me know
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
Lost in the desert or covered in snow
Where did the spirit of Christmas go?
If you can find it, please let me know
song performed by by Moody Blues
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Fata Morgana
O sweet illusions of song
That tempt me everywhere,
In the lonely fields, and the throng
Of the crowded thoroughfare!
I approach and ye vanish away,
I grasp you, and ye are gone;
But ever by night and by day,
The melody soundeth on.
As the weary traveller sees
In desert or prairie vast,
Blue lakes, overhung with trees
That a pleasant shadow cast;
Fair towns with turrets high,
And shining roofs of gold,
That vanish as he draws nigh,
Like mists together rolled --
So I wander and wander along,
And forever before me gleams
The shining city of song,
In the beautiful land of dreams.
But when I would enter the gate
Of that golden atmosphere,
It is gone, and I wonder and wait
For the vision to reappear.
poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Within Paradise Landscapes
we are the wilderness
the wilderness is us
deserts are paradises
of possibility awaiting
return long departed
rains years missing
ever ready
to flower
in instant rain
into vast desert seas
of flower blooms
within paradise landscapes
of all bliss minded
to swim river wind
flows of desert flowers
poem by Terence George Craddock
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To Tame A Land
He is the king of all the land
In the kingdom of the sands
Of a time tomorrow
He rules the sandworms and the fremen
In a land amongst the stars
Of an age tomorrow
He is destined to be a king
He rules over everything
On the land called planet dune
Bodywater is your life
And without it you would die
On the desert the planet dune
Without the stillsuit you would fry
On the sands so hot and dry
In a world called arrakis
It is a land thats rich in spice
The sandriders and the mice
That they call the muad dib
He is the kwizatz haderach
He is born of caladan
And will take the gom jabbar
He has the power to foresee
Or to look into the past
He is the ruler of the stars
The time will come for him
To lay claim his crown
And then the foe yes
Theyll be cut down
Youll see hell be the
Best that theres been
Messiah supreme
True leader of men
And when the time
For judgements at hand
Dont fret hes strong
And hell make a stand
Against evil the fire
That spreads through the land
He has the power
To make it all end
song performed by by Iron Maiden
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Beneath A Desert Moon
From the mountains of the moon to the mighty delta
From the deserts of the West to the shining sea
Beneath the canopy of stars flowed the serpent river
Flowing through my father's land that he left to me
From the baker to the priest to the candle maker
From the highest to the low in my father's land
We make our offer to the sun 'fore the break of morning
Or else everything we have will just turn to sand
I have a lot to ask
I have a lot that I need to say
I have so much to do
And all I need is another day
From the soldier to the scribe to the carpet maker
All the different colored threads in a carpet loom
A woven tapestry of life is our mighty nation
This is the writing on the wall of my father's tomb
We have a lot to ask
We have a lot that we need to say
We have so much to do
And all we need is another day
Beneath the desert moon I call you
Beneath the desert moon I sing
Beneath the desert moon so lonely
I'm just a boy who would be king
With just the moon to guide us
We sometimes lose our way
If there's a light inside us
We'll follow, follow it to the brightness of the day
Every single blade of grass every yellow flower
Every ripple on the sea or the blue blue Nile
Every leaf on every tree every single creature
From the smallest little bird to the crocodile
We have a lot to ask
We have a lot that we need to say
We have so much to do
And all we need is another day
Beneath the desert moon I call you
Beneath the desert moon we sing
Beneath the desert moon we're waiting
Before the coming of the king
Beneath the desert moon that's sinking
We see the Eastern skies on fire
This is where darkness leaves
And shining waters fall
And let the shadows run
And we'll say, "welcome to the sun"
Brand new day...
From the mountains of the moon to the mighty delta
From the deserts of the West to the shining sea
Beneath the canopy of stars flowed the serpent river
Flowing through my father's land that he left to me
song performed by by Sting
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Monuments
Crystal the desert
Sands sifted in dry air
Sun flecked sparkling.
Wind plays out,
Whistling, weathering rock
Sculpting.
Sand blasts in desert storms.
Fine glass moulds, shapes,
Caresses, smooths.
Forged in the heat of the desert days
Cold of its night.
Making monuments to natures art.
Towers of pink and yellow
Watch over rock strewn plains
Waterless river beds
In silent serenity.
Copyright P H Brookes 2012
poem by Paul Brookes
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Mice take over the Bundestag
Mice take over the Bundestag
Seeking refuge from the cold snap
In the country's parliament building
Here the mice have found a safe haven
Elsewhere in the city
More than a hundred brave hardy people
Enter a hole cut from the crust
Of Lake Oranke
All part of an annual tradition
Is this Ice-Swimming celebration
During the chill of an arctic wind
Which embraces all of Berlin
Meanwhile the Bundestag mice
Forthwith have been advised
To abandon their newfound haven
Or else face extermination
© Calac
In Berlin, even the mice were desperate to escape the cold: swarms of them have taken over the Bundestag, the country’s parliament, the daily newspaper Bild reported.
But more than 100 people jumped into a hole in the ice at Oranke Lake as part of an annual Berlin ice-swimming festival
poem by Chris Lane
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We Have Mice
We have mice in the bedroom,
the living room, kitchen and the loo.
I have even found one in the bathroom sink.
They come in all sorts of colours
red, green, purple, blue and pink.
They all belong to our cat family,
Arthur, Barney, Charlie and Daisy.
They leave them all over the house,
even hide them in our shoes and under the mats.
Sometimes they take them to bed
when they are lying on ours.
We have mice, mice and more mice,
ain’t life grand when your kitty winks have fun
and you suffer at their paws.
However, we would not be without them,
as all cat lovers know.
11 January 2011
poem by David Harris
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High Stakes for Friend Thad
The sun scorched desert lies in wait.
Implacable but patiently
Its moving contours undulate
moving swiftly but silently.
There are no landmarks men can see
to know exactly where they are
On every side hostility
the desert’s not particular.
They have no way to navigate
across the ever changing sea
of endless dusty real estate
which alters imperceptibly.
The sunlit slopes and shadows change
more quickly than men think they can
The desert’s free to rearrange
the landscape and so baffle man
.
That he despairs surrenders to
the tactics that he cannot fight.
Then as so many travellers do
is lost forever to men’s sight.
Implacable hostility
the desert show the human race
and also its ability.
To erase men and leave no trace.
Though sometimes sun bleached bones appear
by constant friction polished clean
Then just as quickly disappear
almost as if they’d never been.
The sun scorched desert lies in wait
today as it has always done
For foolish men to challenge fate.
Though very seldom men have won.
23-Feb-08
poem by Ivor Or Ivor.e Hogg
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Hobo
Hobo of the night
Drinking your 'Lightning White'
Avoiding park bench frostbite.
Long finished crying
-Diminished
And slowly dying
Within his shell
What special hell
- A drunken song can tell.
Look into his eyes
Take your heart out of disguise
And realise
It could be you.
Strangers
Yet we walk the same road
- We do.
Hobo plays the blues at dusk
Pouring his heart
Outside the Mart.
Self medication
Is his need to busk
Keeps him comfortably numb
Though empty as a drum.
The boozing
- Is soothing a savaged heart
As demons stand at his gate
Such a cruel lady is fate.
Go on, look into his soul
For a life that someone stole.
Society, devoid of a clue
But we all walk the same road
- We do.
poem by Kevin East
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Desert Rats
Desert rats
Take cover in the heat,
They know what to toss
And what to keep -
They skillfully hide under big sombreros
And down lots of water,
They've learned well when to sit, and when to quit,
When to stay, and when to scatter -
The desert calls them
Right to the edge of existence;
But, too wise are they, any foolish games to play,
For in the desert they have found the art of survival is patience -
Listen close my friends for the divine desert to call you...
By all means, come and see,
But, with eyes wide open tread slowly
Following the tracks of wise old desert rats...
Just like me.
(this is for my pal Juan O. A fellow 'desert rat'!)
poem by Smoky Hoss
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For Wanting To Write....
perhaps, because of this
i may end up
with a head cut, or
a body shredded like
cheese,
tired limbs like
burnt toast,
perhaps because of that
i may not reach
what destination is reserved by
the lines of my palms,
perhaps i may not even end at
all,
because here you are
reading these lines
and you will like them
not because they are as palatable
as exotic friend frogs
but because you have felt sorrow
and have the smell of pain
the sound of acidic rain
over your hair
now melting and before you notice it
you too have become bald
because of having known much
than what is permitted by all these lines
it is about us,
it is about our being part of this vast
nothingness
sands of the desert
light of the moon spreading on sands of the desert nights
hushing wind
taking all the possible directions
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Blue Mesa
Blue Mesa
Land of the Sioux and Crow
Blue Mesa
No matter where I go
You will always be
Home, sweet, home to me
Blue Mesa.
Moonlight shines as
Purple shadows fall
Silence broken by the lonesome
Cototes call on:
Blue Mesa
Land of the Sioux and Crow
Blue Mesa
No matter where I go
You will always be
Home, sweet, home to me
Blue Mesa.
Herds of buffalo
Graze peacefully
I can almost hear
Those black hills callin' me to:
Blue Mesa
Land of the Sioux and Crow
Blue Mesa
No matter where I go
You will always be
Home, sweet, home to me
Blue Mesa.
Ridin' high above the prairie floor
With every passin' day
I swear I love you more:
Blue Mesa
Land of the Sioux and Crow
Blue Mesa
No matter where I go
You will always be
Home, sweet, home to me
Blue Mesa.
Blue Mesa
Land of the Sioux and Crow
Blue Mesa
No matter where I go
You will always be
Home, sweet, home to me
Blue Mesa.
You will always be
Home, sweet, home to me
Blue Mesa...
song performed by by Randy Travis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If I Ever Was a Snake
If I was a snake, my eyes would be green,
I would wander the land and look real mean.
If I was a snake, I'd know how to sting,
Despite all the trouble it would bring.
If I was a snake, I'd be red and gold,
I would slither and slather and eat my mice cold.
If I was a snake, I'd rattle my tail,
But I'd be polite and never go to jail.
If I was a snake, I'd slide on my tummy,
Hamsters and mice would be real yummy.
If I was a snake, I'd live on the ground,
Sleeping and snoring 'till I was found.
I would never learn how to rake,
If I ever was a snake.
poem by October Bradley
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Memories Of The Pacific Coast
I know a land, I, too,
Where warm keen incense on the sea-wind blows,
And all the winter long the skies are blue,
And the brown deserts blossom with the rose.
Deserts of all delight,
Cactus and palm and earth of thirsty gold,
Dark purple blooms round eaves of sun-washed white,
And that Hesperian fruit men sought of old.
O, to be wandering there,
Under the palm-trees, on that sunset shore,
Where the waves break in song, and the bright air
Is crystal clean; and peace is ours, once more.
There Beauty dwells,
Beauty, re-born in whiteness from the foam;
And Youth returns with all its magic spells,
And the heart finds its long-forgotten home,--
Home--home! Where is that land?
For, when I dream it found, the old hungering cry
Aches in the soul, drives me from all I planned,
And sets my sail to seek another sky.
poem by Alfred Noyes
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