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"fortunes" poems
*The poverty of yesterday was less squalid than the poverty we purchase with our industry today. Fortunes were smaller then as well.* (The Elderly Lady) After a while you learn the subtle difference Between holding a hand and chaining a soul, And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning And company doesn’t mean security. And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts And presents aren’t promises, And you begin to accept your defeats With your head up and your eyes open With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child, And you learn to build all your roads on today Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight. After a while you learn… That even sunshine burns if you get too much. So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul, Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure… That you really are strong And you really do have worth… And you learn and learn… With every good-bye you learn. {…} *As I think of the many myths, there is one that is very harmful, and that is the myth of countries. I mean, why should I think of myself as being an Argentine, and not a Chilean, and not an Uruguayan. I don't know really. All of those myths that we impose on ourselves — and they make for hatred, for war, for enmity — are very harmful. Well, I suppose in the long run, governments and countries will die out and we'll be just, well, cosmopolitans.*    --J. L. Borges
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Apr 17, 2014
Apr 17, 2014 at 10:17 AM UTC
You Learn (by Jorge Luis Borges)
*The poverty of yesterday was less squalid than the poverty we purchase with our industry today. Fortunes were smaller then as well.* (The Elderly Lady) After a while you learn the subtle difference Between holding a hand and chaining a soul, And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning And company doesn’t mean security. And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts And presents aren’t promises, And you begin to accept your defeats With your head up and your eyes open With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child, And you learn to build all your roads on today Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight. After a while you learn… That even sunshine burns if you get too much. So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul, Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure… That you really are strong And you really do have worth… And you learn and learn… With every good-bye you learn. {…} *As I think of the many myths, there is one that is very harmful, and that is the myth of countries. I mean, why should I think of myself as being an Argentine, and not a Chilean, and not an Uruguayan. I don't know really. All of those myths that we impose on ourselves — and they make for hatred, for war, for enmity — are very harmful. Well, I suppose in the long run, governments and countries will die out and we'll be just, well, cosmopolitans.*    --J. L. Borges
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29
its amazing what we’re capable of when pressed; lunar launches and shaman healing hail marys and fortunes of gold heavy hauls and broken borders war, compassion and treaties of peace all those wild and lofty regressions from the mean; soul re-settings (from deadly deeds) scores and scriptures liberty and peace walls, asylums (in the jaws of defeat!) channeled spirits of warmth and love and connection and sometimes, it’s just a little fodder; pyramids and viaducts aqua-lines and chunnels spider climbs and deep dives (with base jumps near the high wire) gardens, and divine art and even water boards (for beauty is always in the eye of the beholder!) have a look around... and let gratitude be your guide
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Mar 28, 2017
Mar 28, 2017 at 11:56 PM UTC
The Miracle Room
‘To bed! To bed!’ Said Sleepy-head; ‘Tarry awhile,’ said Slow; ‘Put on the pan,’ Said Greedy Nan; ‘We'll sup before we go.’ (from Mother Goose) They sat at the kitchen table as The candle flickered low, And Greedy Nan put on the pan To indulge her sister, Slow, While Sleepy Weepy Annabelle Blotted her book with tears, And thought of her Beau from long ago Who she hadn’t seen for years. ‘Why doesn’t Roger notice me, Why doesn’t Alan Dell? I’m wearing the dress cut low for me And I’ve hitched my skirt as well. I’ve a pretty turn to my ankle, so You’d think it would drive them wild.’ ‘But men are a mystery,’ said Slow, ‘And Alan Dell’s a child.’ While over the pan stood Greedy Nan, Was cracking a turkey’s egg, A lump of yeast and a slice of beast And a single spider’s leg. With a wing of bat and an ounce of fat And a toe of frog for the spell, She needed to turn her sister off From her crush on Alan Dell. For Greedy Nan was the eldest girl And would have to marry first, The other two would wait in the queue Or their fortunes be reversed, The omelette sizzled, and in the pan She added before they saw, A piece of some Devil’s Trumpet plant For the mating game meant war. She sliced the omelette into half And she served them up a piece, ‘Didn’t you want?’ said Annabelle But Slow enjoyed the feast. ‘I’m not that terribly hungry now I’ve cooked it up in the pan, I think I’ll just have a slice of bread,’ Said the scheming Greedy Nan. They finished up and they sat awhile, And they mused about their fate, ‘If Greedy Nan isn’t married soon, For us it will be too late.’ ‘I’ve set my sights on a country squire,’ Said Nan, without a blink, Lured them away from her secret fire To confuse what they might think. ‘The room is woozy, spinning around, I’d better get me to bed,’ Said Annabelle, while Slow with a frown Saw Dwarves dancing in her head. But Greedy Nan was cleaning the pan To clear all signs of the spell, Her back was turned to her sisters, spurned For the sake of Alan Dell. And when he came in the morning Greedy Nan was sat by the door, While Annabelle and her sister Slow Were lying dead on the floor, ‘I didn’t mean it to **** them, Al, It was only a simple spell,’ But as he cuffed and led her away He frowned, did Alan Dell. David Lewis Paget
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Jan 25, 2015
Jan 25, 2015 at 8:01 PM UTC
To Bed! To Bed!
‘To bed! To bed!’ Said Sleepy-head; ‘Tarry awhile,’ said Slow; ‘Put on the pan,’ Said Greedy Nan; ‘We'll sup before we go.’ (from Mother Goose) They sat at the kitchen table as The candle flickered low, And Greedy Nan put on the pan To indulge her sister, Slow, While Sleepy Weepy Annabelle Blotted her book with tears, And thought of her Beau from long ago Who she hadn’t seen for years. ‘Why doesn’t Roger notice me, Why doesn’t Alan Dell? I’m wearing the dress cut low for me And I’ve hitched my skirt as well. I’ve a pretty turn to my ankle, so You’d think it would drive them wild.’ ‘But men are a mystery,’ said Slow, ‘And Alan Dell’s a child.’ While over the pan stood Greedy Nan, Was cracking a turkey’s egg, A lump of yeast and a slice of beast And a single spider’s leg. With a wing of bat and an ounce of fat And a toe of frog for the spell, She needed to turn her sister off From her crush on Alan Dell. For Greedy Nan was the eldest girl And would have to marry first, The other two would wait in the queue Or their fortunes be reversed, The omelette sizzled, and in the pan She added before they saw, A piece of some Devil’s Trumpet plant For the mating game meant war. She sliced the omelette into half And she served them up a piece, ‘Didn’t you want?’ said Annabelle But Slow enjoyed the feast. ‘I’m not that terribly hungry now I’ve cooked it up in the pan, I think I’ll just have a slice of bread,’ Said the scheming Greedy Nan. They finished up and they sat awhile, And they mused about their fate, ‘If Greedy Nan isn’t married soon, For us it will be too late.’ ‘I’ve set my sights on a country squire,’ Said Nan, without a blink, Lured them away from her secret fire To confuse what they might think. ‘The room is woozy, spinning around, I’d better get me to bed,’ Said Annabelle, while Slow with a frown Saw Dwarves dancing in her head. But Greedy Nan was cleaning the pan To clear all signs of the spell, Her back was turned to her sisters, spurned For the sake of Alan Dell. And when he came in the morning Greedy Nan was sat by the door, While Annabelle and her sister Slow Were lying dead on the floor, ‘I didn’t mean it to **** them, Al, It was only a simple spell,’ But as he cuffed and led her away He frowned, did Alan Dell. David Lewis Paget
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72
Fulfill the dreams of yearning heart Under the arch lights, bathed in glory Reminiscing the path that you took Forlorn and strewn with hurdles At times an effortless glide ahead Blended with mixed fortunes Inching towards the destination Trial of patience as going gets tough Dreams will be fulfilled, after tribulations Don’t stop dreaming just yet Ignore the furtive glances of cynics Dreams are to be nurtured and fulfilled
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Jul 24, 2014
Jul 24, 2014 at 11:23 PM UTC
Achieving Dreams
come sit on my words dear reader like outdoor furniture for thin hips while spooky poets peer up under gaudy umbrellas nervous about making a good impression all of your hosts snuffed candles burning-out for metaphors and alliterations begging one poem at a time for a light that we will never see go ahead antagonize me you, who live in an idealized passed fear the future and ignore the present while i hide like a little girl   behind the bare legs of poetry that will show you! my head a hanging web that feels words like cosmic storms tumbling stone heads onto boulders of terracotta shards my ink smells like stinky saliva a dragging wet tongue of ambiguity a kabuki fight to the death unwinding paper machete viscera and plucking out make-believe hearts while gobbling fortune cookies containing   jokes, platitudes, and fortunes that never come true in a dreamland of masturbation's i'm trying to break something in you!
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Jul 9, 2018
Jul 9, 2018 at 4:45 PM UTC
Spooky Poets
Your colors are so heavy, how dare I, I cannot sleep. Years inundated under, through skin coils, marigold fields. Yellow crocuses, orange California poppies. Moors of cattle ranchers, yokes of oxen. Plasticine uber-confidence, silky white-skinned testubular thrice people harmonies. Blisses of contagion, contagious bliss. Wrists and incisors, tying down in a bedroom, waking up to live harps and choruses. You dance like you're so alive, but I'm so alive I can't dance. Or breathe. Or knead my fists of earthen wears, or sell my soul completely. I drove off a cliff last night, but the four foot fall ended neatly. The plateau authors my chance to sew my bright, beyond- my fortunes. But the hour before I fall asleep, seems to be the greatest torture.
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Apr 26, 2014
Apr 26, 2014 at 4:54 AM UTC
good night moon
Let me move slowly through the street, Filled with an ever-shifting train, Amid the sound of steps that beat The murmuring walks like autumn rain. How fast the flitting figures come! The mild, the fierce, the stony face; Some bright with thoughtless smiles, and some Where secret tears have left their trace. They pass--to toil, to strife, to rest; To halls in which the feast is spread; To chambers where the funeral guest In silence sits beside the dead. And some to happy homes repair, Where children, pressing cheek to cheek, With mute caresses shall declare The tenderness they cannot speak. And some, who walk in calmness here, Shall shudder as they reach the door Where one who made their dwelling dear, Its flower, its light, is seen no more. Youth, with pale cheek and slender frame, And dreams of greatness in thine eye! Goest thou to build an early name, Or early in the task to die? Keen son of trade, with eager brow! Who is now fluttering in thy snare? Thy golden fortunes, tower they now, Or melt the glittering spires in air? Who of this crowd to-night shall tread The dance till daylight gleam again? Who sorrow o'er the untimely dead? Who writhe in throes of mortal pain? Some, famine-struck, shall think how long The cold dark hours, how slow the light, And some, who flaunt amid the throng, Shall hide in dens of shame to-night. Each, where his tasks or pleasures call, They pass, and heed each other not. There is who heeds, who holds them all, In his large love and boundless thought. These struggling tides of life that seem In wayward, aimless course to tend, Are eddies of the mighty stream That rolls to its appointed end.
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7.8k
The Crowded Street
Let me move slowly through the street, Filled with an ever-shifting train, Amid the sound of steps that beat The murmuring walks like autumn rain. How fast the flitting figures come! The mild, the fierce, the stony face; Some bright with thoughtless smiles, and some Where secret tears have left their trace. They pass--to toil, to strife, to rest; To halls in which the feast is spread; To chambers where the funeral guest In silence sits beside the dead. And some to happy homes repair, Where children, pressing cheek to cheek, With mute caresses shall declare The tenderness they cannot speak. And some, who walk in calmness here, Shall shudder as they reach the door Where one who made their dwelling dear, Its flower, its light, is seen no more. Youth, with pale cheek and slender frame, And dreams of greatness in thine eye! Goest thou to build an early name, Or early in the task to die? Keen son of trade, with eager brow! Who is now fluttering in thy snare? Thy golden fortunes, tower they now, Or melt the glittering spires in air? Who of this crowd to-night shall tread The dance till daylight gleam again? Who sorrow o'er the untimely dead? Who writhe in throes of mortal pain? Some, famine-struck, shall think how long The cold dark hours, how slow the light, And some, who flaunt amid the throng, Shall hide in dens of shame to-night. Each, where his tasks or pleasures call, They pass, and heed each other not. There is who heeds, who holds them all, In his large love and boundless thought. These struggling tides of life that seem In wayward, aimless course to tend, Are eddies of the mighty stream That rolls to its appointed end.
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44
Time will say nothing but I told you so, Time only knows the price we have to pay; If I could tell you I would let you know. If we should weep when clowns put on their show, If we should stumble when musicians play, Time will say nothing but I told you so. There are no fortunes to be told, although, Because I love you more than I can say, If I could tell you I would let you know. The winds must come from somewhere when they blow, There must be reasons why the leaves decay; Time will say nothing but I told you so. Perhaps the roses really want to grow, The vision seriously intends to stay; If I could tell you I would let you know. Suppose all the lions get up and go, And all the brooks and soldiers run away; Will Time say nothing but I told you so? If I could tell you I would let you know.
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7.8k
If I Could Tell You
Waiting near the shore Trying to find a foothold On sands of uncertainties Giving way to the burden Waiting for the waves To sweep you off your feet Now the waves come rushing To kiss the fortunes Get ready to surf The waves of ecstasy and freedom For you shall ride with them To the shores of beauty The sun kissed land waits for you With welcome hands Sea of opportunities here To feel the warmth of promise, again
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Dec 31, 2014
Dec 31, 2014 at 11:04 AM UTC
Waves of Fortune
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
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May 14, 2017
May 14, 2017 at 8:30 AM UTC
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
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46
A beautiful soul, so lost in the haze. Only ever gifted, dirt, grit, and graves. You fight for your passions, and breath your beliefs. Your voice is so boundless, seemless, unique! The trials are endless,  the outcome seems bleak. Yet you have something to hold onto, and something you seek. This challenge won't be the last, but when it's complete. There will not be a single foe, you cannot defeat. With this being said, and fortunes being read. I'll ask, how do you feel? And If you, being here, feeling, breathing this air, is even ******* real? Then i have no questions, and I need not answer. And without any qualms, we can't create cancer. But without random deaths, how can we live? and with no sense of love, why would one give? Just find out what made you, the way that you are. Then no one can tell you, that you've gone too far. To far from your goals, to far from your dreams. These "outlandish ideas" aren't as far as they seem. So keep it in close, this love for your art. And never stop feeding, the beat in your heart.
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May 28, 2015
May 28, 2015 at 11:03 PM UTC
A Beautiful Soul
the ashes of ancient alchemical martyrs glow in the great tunnels of Hadron, whizzing faster than time at the behest of man, the measurer of all things including whether things are worth measuring or not a sordid joke on the great minds that sorted the mystery out long before quantum physicists crawled out from under the church’s labyrinth of insulting confabulations and pillaged the fortunes of others to build the great rings shall we bow to the new God? **** your experience, I’ll prove you wrong* He bellows from the podium built from the finest endangered trees and polished with the spit of all who disagree, and yet it’s truth in action the 9mm’s omniscient song sung across this suffering world: **** with me, and you’ll discover the truth**
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Mar 7, 2011
Mar 7, 2011 at 7:36 PM UTC
Collision
In times of yore, A name arose – With vulnerable emerging markets, The “Sick Man” of Asia! But it has primed its cutback! “Sick Man” was now a former name, Call him this nation To breed at ‘breakneck’ pace! The snap back is faster As global growth stirs in its revival, And billions of dollars are in his shares! Philippines vs. U.S. With 7 percent, the peso was down for the year! And we were knocked out! It was more a reflection of global fears! – About higher U.S. interest rates, Then, the worries ‘bout the realm’s own fortunes, Has to be forgotten. Southeast Asian nation's prospects remain bright, Likely to produce “predictable growth,” Yes, the three stars with lone sun – Now sky-scraping , With Filipinos making a stand. Moving far.. From being a financial basket case, The government has cut its debt, Carry on! March on Filipinos! (2/25/13 @xirlleelang)
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May 27, 2014
May 27, 2014 at 9:53 PM UTC
When the Sick Man Unearths its Bright Spot
Underneath the leaves of life, Green on the prodigious tree, In a trance of grief Stand the fallen man and wife: Far away the single stag Banished to a lonely crag Gazes placid out to sea, And from thickets round about Breeding animals look in On Duality, And the birds fly in and out Of the world of man. Down in order from the ridge, Bayonets glittering in the sun, Soldiers who will judge Wind towards the little bridge: Even politicians speak Truths of value to the weak, Necessary acts are done By the ill and the unjust; But the Judgment and the Smile, Though these two-in-one See creation as they must, None shall reconcile. Bordering our middle earth Kingdoms of the Short and Tall, Rivals for our faith, Stir up envy from our birth: So the giant who storms the sky In an angry wish to die Wakes the hero in us all, While the tiny with their power To divide and hide and flee, When our fortunes fall Tempt to a belief in our Immortality. Lovers running each to each Feel such timid dreams catch fire Blazing as they touch, Learn what love alone can teach: Happy on a tousled bed Praise Blake's acumen who said: "One thing only we require Of each other; we must see In another's lineaments Gratified desire"; This is our humanity; Nothing else contents. Nowhere else could I have known Than, beloved, in your eyes What we have to learn, That we love ourselves alone: All our terrors burned away We can learn at last to say: "All our knowledge comes to this, That existence is enough, That in savage solitude Or the play of love Every living creature is Woman, Man, and Child."
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5.9k
The Riddle
Underneath the leaves of life, Green on the prodigious tree, In a trance of grief Stand the fallen man and wife: Far away the single stag Banished to a lonely crag Gazes placid out to sea, And from thickets round about Breeding animals look in On Duality, And the birds fly in and out Of the world of man. Down in order from the ridge, Bayonets glittering in the sun, Soldiers who will judge Wind towards the little bridge: Even politicians speak Truths of value to the weak, Necessary acts are done By the ill and the unjust; But the Judgment and the Smile, Though these two-in-one See creation as they must, None shall reconcile. Bordering our middle earth Kingdoms of the Short and Tall, Rivals for our faith, Stir up envy from our birth: So the giant who storms the sky In an angry wish to die Wakes the hero in us all, While the tiny with their power To divide and hide and flee, When our fortunes fall Tempt to a belief in our Immortality. Lovers running each to each Feel such timid dreams catch fire Blazing as they touch, Learn what love alone can teach: Happy on a tousled bed Praise Blake's acumen who said: "One thing only we require Of each other; we must see In another's lineaments Gratified desire"; This is our humanity; Nothing else contents. Nowhere else could I have known Than, beloved, in your eyes What we have to learn, That we love ourselves alone: All our terrors burned away We can learn at last to say: "All our knowledge comes to this, That existence is enough, That in savage solitude Or the play of love Every living creature is Woman, Man, and Child."
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60
Night is for the hours Cowards, Let a man of God speak or night Will continue to burn flowers It's been said napkins are the greatest currency For it holds the food spittle of man Like how ambulances sit waiting To clean up after misfortunes And make fortunes for the fortun- Who Ate paragraphs of spider webs And patted weaves like black men seating at the back of the limited luxurious Q46 bus nodding heads to the noise of Toyota cameras they couldn't afford in the land where they spend $300 million to part the seas for summer entertainment While they only spent $40 on California cuteness and walked on water with 13 Jesus' and ate at the bottom of the sea with only three tokes from the plastic bag Let a man of God speak or night Will continue to burn flowers For we graduated from 30 hot nights of mathematics Only to find that the future will always be white and in the *******
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May 2, 2013
May 2, 2013 at 7:44 PM UTC
Breakfast for a 31st century genius
Under a spreading chestnut-tree The village smithy stands; The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands. His hair is crisp, and black, and long, His face is like the tan; His brow is wet with honest sweat, He earns whate’er he can, And looks the whole world in the face, For he owes not any man. Week in, week out, from morn till night, You can hear his bellows blow; You can hear him swing his heavy sledge, With measured beat and slow, Like a sexton ringing the village bell, When the evening sun is low. And children coming home from school Look in at the open door; They love to see the flaming forge, And hear the bellows roar, And catch the burning sparks that fly Like chaff from a threshing-floor. He goes on Sunday to the church, And sits among his boys; He hears the parson pray and preach, He hears his daughter’s voice, Singing in the village choir, And it makes his heart rejoice. It sounds to him like her mother’s voice, Singing in Paradise! He needs must think of her once more, How in the grave she lies; And with his hard, rough hand he wipes A tear out of his eyes. Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing, Onward through life he goes; Each morning sees some task begin, Each evening sees it close; Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night’s repose. Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend, For the lesson thou hast taught! Thus at the flaming forge of life Our fortunes must be wrought; Thus on its sounding anvil shaped Each burning deed and thought.
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5.6k
The Village Blacksmith
Under a spreading chestnut-tree The village smithy stands; The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands. His hair is crisp, and black, and long, His face is like the tan; His brow is wet with honest sweat, He earns whate’er he can, And looks the whole world in the face, For he owes not any man. Week in, week out, from morn till night, You can hear his bellows blow; You can hear him swing his heavy sledge, With measured beat and slow, Like a sexton ringing the village bell, When the evening sun is low. And children coming home from school Look in at the open door; They love to see the flaming forge, And hear the bellows roar, And catch the burning sparks that fly Like chaff from a threshing-floor. He goes on Sunday to the church, And sits among his boys; He hears the parson pray and preach, He hears his daughter’s voice, Singing in the village choir, And it makes his heart rejoice. It sounds to him like her mother’s voice, Singing in Paradise! He needs must think of her once more, How in the grave she lies; And with his hard, rough hand he wipes A tear out of his eyes. Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing, Onward through life he goes; Each morning sees some task begin, Each evening sees it close; Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night’s repose. Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend, For the lesson thou hast taught! Thus at the flaming forge of life Our fortunes must be wrought; Thus on its sounding anvil shaped Each burning deed and thought.
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48
the dendrites don't know what's right anymore. the tipsy balance is falling off the table, and there's nothing there to stop it. gravity is such a ***** but, so are a lot of things, and i can't seem to grasp onto anything good anymore by standing right in front of the doors that lead to something better. i knew it when i found my body still in the second row of the dark movie theater, crying at the smiling stars on the explosion of a projection screen. i'm pretty sure i was feeling sorry for myself lapping up some kind of enlightenment. i've been too nice for too long, but i've been old since the day i turned eight. that was when i learned about the rough bodies portraying the new style of *** on a vhs, and my eyes stung because i didn't want to watch and it seems to hormone driven boys that it's ingrained in my dna. i have been uncomfortable for ten years now. but not as winded on the day it burned a hole in my solar system, the milky way told me to love the metal hearts and always be kind. i can't do that anymore, there's too much anger in my stomach for my body not to convulse in shame. it was never my fault, but everyone else likes to think so and i've always held it gently so no one else would have to breathe in sawdust and exhale hurt. i always had it covered with my hands lined with fortunes. palms, can you tell what's in store for me now?
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Mar 27, 2011
Mar 27, 2011 at 6:40 PM UTC
**** in patterns.
Instant messages from the multiverse Rhyming verses of deliverance A four-line limerick Spoken with just an utterance.    Words I needed to hear Words spoken so casually, when I am so unnaturally, irrationally Unsure of anything Instant messages from the multiverse I need to emphasize Some are heavy, some are light Some come like thieves in the night Some come so unexpectedly I hope they treat me gently Whatever their intent be My emotions are raw Or is it just a slow thaw I really don’t know, but I’m wise to their game I’m not a fool for their pain Not addicted to the synchronicities And don’t take it personally Still How do they know Just what to say How do they know? Just the same I’m wise to their game. I’m a gypsy telling fortunes I’m a seer telling lies, but Nobody, no nobody Knows what I see in your eyes When my need for you is more than I can bear I turn on the radio, just to hear Instant messages from the multiverse Only I was meant to hear Conducting the orchestra with an uncanny flair I tune to your frequency to always keep you near And fast forward when they’re saying something,   I don’t want to hear. I’m wise to their games This love path is not for the meek A game of hide and seek Isn’t there some other way A formula, a technique It is in this way That I get through the day And that medley of love songs Well, they’re just foreplay. Are we on the same frequency? Creating beautiful melodies. A symphony of many notes Half notes, whole notes Blue notes too. Don’t ever lose the love notes sent from me to you
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Sep 13, 2018
Sep 13, 2018 at 12:00 PM UTC
Frequency
Instant messages from the multiverse Rhyming verses of deliverance A four-line limerick Spoken with just an utterance.    Words I needed to hear Words spoken so casually, when I am so unnaturally, irrationally Unsure of anything Instant messages from the multiverse I need to emphasize Some are heavy, some are light Some come like thieves in the night Some come so unexpectedly I hope they treat me gently Whatever their intent be My emotions are raw Or is it just a slow thaw I really don’t know, but I’m wise to their game I’m not a fool for their pain Not addicted to the synchronicities And don’t take it personally Still How do they know Just what to say How do they know? Just the same I’m wise to their game. I’m a gypsy telling fortunes I’m a seer telling lies, but Nobody, no nobody Knows what I see in your eyes When my need for you is more than I can bear I turn on the radio, just to hear Instant messages from the multiverse Only I was meant to hear Conducting the orchestra with an uncanny flair I tune to your frequency to always keep you near And fast forward when they’re saying something,   I don’t want to hear. I’m wise to their games This love path is not for the meek A game of hide and seek Isn’t there some other way A formula, a technique It is in this way That I get through the day And that medley of love songs Well, they’re just foreplay. Are we on the same frequency? Creating beautiful melodies. A symphony of many notes Half notes, whole notes Blue notes too. Don’t ever lose the love notes sent from me to you
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After so long an absence At last we meet agin: Does the meeting give us pleasure, Or does it give us pain? The tree of life has been shaken, And but few of us linger now, Like the prophets two or three berries In the top of the uppermost bough. We cordially greet each other In the old, familiar tone; And we think, though we do not say it, How old and gray he is grown! We speak of a Merry Christmas And many a Happy New Year; But each in his heart is thinking Of those that are not here. We speak of friends and their fortunes, And of what they did and said, Till the dead alone seem living, And the living alone seem dead. And at last we hardly distinguish Between the ghosts and the guests; And a mist and shadow of sadness Steals over our merriest jests.
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The Meeting
an oval antique photograph from the century just passed six youthful brothers must be sunday dressed exuding life and promise facing forward all in line symmetry pervading sister mary in their center on the photos right a startling recognition an image seen before colins great grandfather raymond often ray in features and a gaze seemed as colin would have stood photo has a crease fading but still clear now with photos recent privileged to compare colin next to ray both fully present yet a gaze away rays gaze anticipating army time in paris fortune seeking in the west fortunes to be found four generations branching to colin and beyond colins gaze capturing a journey now beginning does he see montana paris or the stars repeating patterns forward reflect photographic truth music completes the pattern with colorings of sound rays trumpet and harmonica introducing a guitar which colin has absorbed thus in his confirmation new dimensions now foreseen confirming four generations reflecting many more expanding light and love carrying our gratitude for the glimpse an old photograph favored us to find (poem written for my grandson's confirmation....)
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May 9, 2012
May 9, 2012 at 12:38 PM UTC
confirmation
Rows of starched green and yellow paisley feather stalks Marching in ordered lines along the road to 57 Eldon Way Hot dogs and char burgers charge the air with yesterday's homecoming Buds of moxie memories tipping long ears to big blue Listening to the chickadees vocal pecking at kernels from the past Morsels fall to the dirt signal life again for those willing to root Pulled magpies to lines spy intimate joy-scattered seed below Promising fortunes creased by hourglasses settled sand White washed porches with rose printed borders Nestle a "his and her" swing vantage over familiar fields Imagined better-time scenes from selfie soaked movies More real than all the forgotten stones ever stepped upon Sweet tea sugar fills tall glasses of yarn spun dreams Glory red and navy rippling a windy beat To the clang of their steal pole clasp Dance Swing with them and recall a time of slower horizons Of richer baskets Of brighter springs Of longer summers Take a dip in the swimming hole Naked, together, and happy © 2019 MJL
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Mar 11, 2019
Mar 11, 2019 at 7:43 PM UTC
Upstate
under the sludge of this depression, I am awake. it’s morning outside but that doesn’t change a thing. tiredness takes me to quiet places. I follow like I’m devout. this forest is new. there’s a drumming of a heartbeat within the trunks of these trees. it thrums under my fingertips. blood rushes forward to touch this rhythm. songbirds nest, plume against plume for love and for rest. the birdsong is sweet as saccharine. I taste the sap on my lips, its nectar, thick with agape. a salve for myriad laments under the roof of a single bell jar. the indigo sky convulses, telling of fortunes. the clouds retch gilded roses. blades of grass fence the circumferences of leaves in gypsy winds. the forest warms like a flame. my body sways in solipsistic wonder. the crescents of my nails are crusted with lichen. my limbs are drawn into its boughs, like gravity. like the bark is starved. my mind is foliage and my crown is littered with inflorescence. my sky is finally cerulean and lilac. each gall is an ancient hurt. each wound is a knot. I breathe my mourning. I wait to bloom.
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Apr 24, 2020
Apr 24, 2020 at 3:07 AM UTC
dreams of a dryad
I dared to love my brother’s wife And I am not in love alone. I took her while he was at war as I will take his throne. True, Hamlet smote the sledded ****** And gained Denmark a prize, But I have a poison that will freeze his blood- guaranteeing his demise. Gertrude, love, he left your bed so many years ago. Now the King lusts for younger flesh; Look- he eyes Ophelia so. Polonius sees and will declare And place me on the throne We’ll join our hands and fortunes Before your son gets home. My brother’s art is violence With which he overawes the world. I do my deeds in silence, Deadly schemes I thus unfurl. So, Gertrude, love, give me a kiss. Provide me with the key. That I, with poison, enter in and set both of us free. I dared to love my brother’s wife And I am not in love alone. I took her while he was at war as I will take his throne
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Jan 15, 2012
Jan 15, 2012 at 6:30 PM UTC
Gertrude and Claudius
He declared himself a refugee, and ran away from his country Running away from hunger and poverty, to the overseas, He roams foreign countries from one place to another, Chewing foreign fortunes of historical efforts, Of blood and sweat shed by the fore(wo)men of those countries, He is prostrate and defenseless to foreign languages, Begging for sympathy to be made a citizen in Europe, His rapacious appetite wedding his tongue, Swallowing saliva on sight of European fortune, Feating into mad appetite for sweat of others proceeds. He burned the bridges on the way back to his home Lest he be told the piffling of going back to his emaciated mother, He changed his names to become a foreign native Out of laziness not to fight for political and social change, An imperative need of his motherland and fatherland, Blind cowardice made him to over measure homespun folly In the patriotic spirit of verve-less readiness To die for political goodness of his motherland, A (de)patriotic syndrome to only which Hugo Garcia Manriquez sang a limerick The best of all poems in his time of solitude; (The fear of representation, of going back to representation, that is, to animosity)
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May 7, 2014
May 7, 2014 at 10:27 AM UTC
AWAY FROM HOME
Who controls our banking? Ruinous fees for money lending. Who questions their investing? Why so dear for money dealing? Who does profit from accounting? Our finances they're controlling, While our economy they're ruining, They're amassing fortunes pecuniary, Big business for them, commercially. Let's question their accountability For our faceless Australian economy, Profits overseas they're sending--- So much for Australian banking!!!
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Feb 19, 2016
Feb 19, 2016 at 1:12 PM UTC
HIGH FINANCE