"aden" poems
What a strange title
When I went to Aden (South Yemen) in 1964
It was to fight infiltrators from North Yemen
How to spot where mines had been laid
Where ambushes could take place
Trained in how to **** at long and very close range
But nobody mentioned the bugs
Camel spiders almost four inches across
Now they gave us great fun because we would catch them
Then bet big money on the outcome of a fight with
Another spider or a big scorpion
Most times the spider would win but would then die
But by then the bets had been paid
Stephen E Yokum and Jonny Angel
And thousands of American and British ex military
Know about bugs
Centipedes 9/12 inches long and stinking like you'd never believe
Get one of those crawling on your skin and pull it off the wrong way and bingo
You end up with a permanent tattoo
Because their feet dig in
We did have the good ones though
Chameleons, we would keep them in our tents
And feed them crickets and in return they would keep the flies down
We learned to live with BUGS
Oct 4, 2014
Oct 4, 2014 at 4:21 PM UTC
[After Flanders Fields, by Major John McCrae, 1915]
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields,
the beaches of France,
Palestine groves,
Malaya's tropics,
Korean mountains,
Egypt's deserts,
Cyprus' beaches,
Borneo's forests,
Aden's marshes,
Falkland's heaths,
Balkan's tundra,
Afganistan bush,
Iraqi highlands,
[Keep list open....]
Nov 10, 2018
Nov 10, 2018 at 6:58 AM UTC
Through a petite shimmer
that unravels large
as a blackened rainbow
in this whitened mirage
I glimpsed the thespians
of nature, afar
the romances of whom
always fell apart
Through a petite shimmer
that unravels large
I glimpsed the kiss
of twilight and dawn
the betrothed pair
betrayed at last
by the shadows born
from the womb of fall
Through a petite shimmer
that unravels large
I glimpsed the awaiting
mote of sand
for the single kiss
of a drop of sea
the wetness of which
an embrace to be
The drop was alas!
wrenched away
by the vicious ocean
oarsmen as waves
As the mote of sand
looked on and on
strangled was the drop
by the murderers around
leaving the mote
awaiting in vain
for the single kiss
that will never remain
Through a petite shimmer
that unravels large
I glimpsed the kiss
of the soaring breeze
to the greenish cheeks
of a branch's leaf
The breeze was alas!
brutally deceived
as the odes of peace
from its whispering breath
beheaded the leaf
chanting words of death
Betrayal O!Breeze
Order of the storm
Your love,a dream
in the years to come.
As birds with feathers
of seconds of the past
lay dead and cold
on my memory's path
as a drop of rain
from the clouds above
paint myriad wrinkles
in the whitened mirage
the petite shimmer
that unraveled large
grows brutally dimmer
and enlightens my last
As the hideous shadow
of the glowing monarch
arose from the seas
with scroungers as drops
the birth of a dawn
as dark as dusk
bloomed the flower
in the aden of death
Blinded was I
to the eternal kiss
of the lips of the shell
that closes in bliss
Blinded was I
to the eternal love
not ever senile,
but remains a bud
A futile beholder
of otiose memories
Iam indeed a rainbow
eclipsed and maligned
by the merciless touch
of the curse of sight
of loves betrayed
and shattered to bits
of flowers that lost
its aroma within.
Sep 8, 2010
Sep 8, 2010 at 5:22 AM UTC
Halfway down that trail to hell
He did stop to rest a spell
Barking dogs and darkened cells
Turning thoughts from black to pale
Cold as cold as cold as ice
Empty hearts no alibis
Mothers tears and soldiers lies
Predators and babies cries
The sun shined a cloudless rain
Broke the spell unlocked the chain
Washed away the fear and pain
From Red Sea port to home again
r 6 Jan 14
Jan 6, 2014
Jan 6, 2014 at 8:04 AM UTC
M y love is like a red, red rose
Y oung with the dew-kissed promises of spring.
L aden with unique perfume,
O n a slender stalk it blooms
V ery near the edge of a sunlit garden,
E ndlessly transforming but always the same.
I offer you this rose in hopes that
S someday fields of them will shine.
L oving you turns ugly weeds
I nto rare exotic blossoms that
K iss the summer breezes with their scent
E ven as they wither and turn brown.
A bsolute perfection is my love and this red flower.
R each out and touch this rose I offer-
E very thorn is gentle and not sharp-
D o not fear of hurt from it.
R ather fill your senses with the joy of it,
E ndlessly fresh within your hand, and never
D ying, only changing to become more sweet.
R eceive this gift I bring to you and
O nly let me be that rose
S o that my soul lies in your hand and heart for all
E ternity.
<< >>
Apr 23, 2017
Apr 23, 2017 at 5:37 PM UTC
Best things in life is being with you
Rather than being alone
In the midst of the dark
Across the deep blue sea
Nothing compares when I’m with you
Precious smile I’ll never get tired to see
Always hoping it’ll never leave
Uncommon yet it shows veracity
Laden heavily by your own difficulty
Videos and music we’ve shared together
Inseparable moments that will last forever
Racing hearts but never exposed
Anxious of the possibilities ahead of our road
Youth, hindered us from the unspoken words of our own sentiments
Considering my thoughts
Raging for every reasons I have
In leaving you behind the walls we unconsciously built or
Staying beside you with the lump on my throat
Observing how you suddenly adapt to our new world
Shredding me into utmost invisible piece
Together-forever remained just a thought in the void
Over-thinking of the road ahead, no more
Messed-up mind glued to the shore
On my way to the paradise and mend a heart once broke
Jul 15, 2015
Jul 15, 2015 at 3:00 PM UTC
mefrends men soo mesh tome
widout dem i woodnet bee wer iam todai
i hav hed ah tuff tiem recentlie
lostboy has reelee hepled ne amd he dodent noo
dankoo aden zzz
Sep 13, 2017
Sep 13, 2017 at 5:21 PM UTC
Amelia or Aden I'll never know
That sits in me real low
I love you no matter what
But you scarred me like a deep cut
You could of been a boy
Me and your mom both know you'd be a joy
You could've also been a girl
I would of hope you had little curls
I feel the urge to hear little feet slapping the floor
All the little things I would've got to adore
The first time I would've held you
But I'll never even have a clue.
I'll never see your face
I'll never feel your heart pace
I'll never be the same
Me and your mom couldn't place the blame
We went our separate ways
Even when she begged me to stay
I couldn't look at her without breaking down
She was my queen that I should've gave a crown
So to Amelia Marie Collins
Or Aden Jeffrey Collins
We love you
-Caleb Collins
Aug 23, 2017
Aug 23, 2017 at 12:19 AM UTC
Dabble in travel duel citizen?
Come from the land of elims?
Most are not from Rome or Turin,
Berlin or Bavaria-
Most don't speak Italian or German.
Likewise with Russian, Mandarin,
Arabic, the King's English, Hebrew.
No winding Rhine,
No rushing Niagara,
No swelling Yellow River.
All the ponds & gulfs left behind
Like Aden, Bothnia, Carpentaria.
No more Urals, no more Himalayas,
No Alps, no Andes,
No Atlas, no Pyrenees.
No more blackcurrants,
Going without papaya.
Put back that whiskey,
Send back that bourbon.
No more Jarlsberg cheese,
No more bottles of champagne.
Cut out the list of avocado,
No more palm or olive oils extra virign.
No more fancy foreign fruits,
No more spoiled rotten vegetables.
Right?
This is nationalism
As it's being directed,
You'll get to watch the film.
I'm sure it'll be inaccurate,
But I doubt it.
Feb 14, 2025
Feb 14, 2025 at 10:38 PM UTC