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"guarantees" poems
(for Christopher Isherwood) Seated after breakfast In this white-tiled cabin Arabs call the House where Everybody goes, Even melancholics Raise a cheer to Mrs. Nature for the primal Pleasure She bestows. *** is but a dream to Seventy-and-over, But a joy proposed un- -til we start to shave: Mouth-delight depends on Virtue in the cook, but This She guarantees from Cradle unto grave. Lifted off the ***** Infants from their mothers Hear their first impartial Words of worldly praise: Hence, to start the morning With a satisfactory Dump is a good omen All our adult days. Revelation came to Luther in a privy (Crosswords have been solved there) Rodin was no fool When he cast his Thinker, Cogitating deeply, Crouched in the position Of a man at stool. All the arts derive from This ur-act of making, Private to the artist: Makers' lives are spent Striving in their chosen Medium to produce a De-narcissus-ized en- During excrement. Freud did not invent the Constipated miser: Banks have letter boxes Built in their façade Marked For Night Deposits, Stocks are firm or liquid, Currencies of nations Either soft or hard. Global Mother, keep our Bowels of compassion Open through our lifetime, Purge our minds as well: Grant us a king ending, Not a second childhood, Petulant, weak-sphinctered, In a cheap hotel. Keep us in our station: When we get pound-notish, When we seem about to Take up Higher Thought, Send us some deflating Image like the pained ex- -pression on a Major Prophet taken short. (Orthodoxy ought to Bless our modern plumbing: Swift and St. Augustine Lived in centuries When a stench of sewage Made a strong debating Point for Manichees.) Mind and Body run on Different timetables: Not until our morning Visit here can we Leave the dead concerns of Yesterday behind us, Face with all our courage What is now to be.
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The Geography of the House
(for Christopher Isherwood) Seated after breakfast In this white-tiled cabin Arabs call the House where Everybody goes, Even melancholics Raise a cheer to Mrs. Nature for the primal Pleasure She bestows. *** is but a dream to Seventy-and-over, But a joy proposed un- -til we start to shave: Mouth-delight depends on Virtue in the cook, but This She guarantees from Cradle unto grave. Lifted off the ***** Infants from their mothers Hear their first impartial Words of worldly praise: Hence, to start the morning With a satisfactory Dump is a good omen All our adult days. Revelation came to Luther in a privy (Crosswords have been solved there) Rodin was no fool When he cast his Thinker, Cogitating deeply, Crouched in the position Of a man at stool. All the arts derive from This ur-act of making, Private to the artist: Makers' lives are spent Striving in their chosen Medium to produce a De-narcissus-ized en- During excrement. Freud did not invent the Constipated miser: Banks have letter boxes Built in their façade Marked For Night Deposits, Stocks are firm or liquid, Currencies of nations Either soft or hard. Global Mother, keep our Bowels of compassion Open through our lifetime, Purge our minds as well: Grant us a king ending, Not a second childhood, Petulant, weak-sphinctered, In a cheap hotel. Keep us in our station: When we get pound-notish, When we seem about to Take up Higher Thought, Send us some deflating Image like the pained ex- -pression on a Major Prophet taken short. (Orthodoxy ought to Bless our modern plumbing: Swift and St. Augustine Lived in centuries When a stench of sewage Made a strong debating Point for Manichees.) Mind and Body run on Different timetables: Not until our morning Visit here can we Leave the dead concerns of Yesterday behind us, Face with all our courage What is now to be.
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80
Mom makes you smile for a picture in front of the bus on your very first day of school, "You only have one first day of kindergarten!" she says. But every time you hear the scratching of leather seats, You are back to that day When tears rolled off your tiny pink cheeks, onto the front of your Lion King tee shirt The first time you ever had to be afraid that you would never see her again. Brother tells you not to worry about the boy that bothered you, the impact of a fist on his right eye is a warning that guarantees he'll never disrespect a girl again. But every time you step in the pebbles on a playground, You're still struggling to run just slow enough not to slip yet fast enough to keep from being caught and held captive by the first boy to ever kiss you without permission. Grandma tells you to "appreciate today" every day because you'll never get it back. But every time you hear the crash of waves against a shoreline, You're there with her in your favorite place in the world. And the sun is overhead with looks of never coming down, But you'd be okay if it did because you swear these colors of the sunset don't exist when you see it from anywhere else And you never feel so close to God as you feel right here. Dad is sad when you're growing up because you'll only be little once. But every time you get the surprising scent of metal and grease, You're five years old again and dad is getting home from work and he lifts you up in a hug and you bury your face in his shirt and breathe in, And you're confident that he will carry you to bed later that night on that same shoulder when you fall asleep on the couch. You're told over and over to forgive and your mother keeps trying, too. But every time a green van passes by, you're a vulnerable twelve-year-old with a record that says easy prey and you're back at that police station and you're both still crying and forgiveness still seems so far away. Everyone tells you that "first love" is something you only feel once. But every time September rolls around, You're still staring back into the first eyes to look at you in awe, His palms feel sweaty in yours but you don't mind. And you can still taste his lips and smell the sweet mint Stride on his breath and you feel everything. It’s strange how they promise that you can't turn back time,
 yesterday is gone, 
today will only happen once. 
Because I go back all the time; And I still feel everything.
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Feb 4, 2014
Feb 4, 2014 at 9:12 PM UTC
Time Travel
Mom makes you smile for a picture in front of the bus on your very first day of school, "You only have one first day of kindergarten!" she says. But every time you hear the scratching of leather seats, You are back to that day When tears rolled off your tiny pink cheeks, onto the front of your Lion King tee shirt The first time you ever had to be afraid that you would never see her again. Brother tells you not to worry about the boy that bothered you, the impact of a fist on his right eye is a warning that guarantees he'll never disrespect a girl again. But every time you step in the pebbles on a playground, You're still struggling to run just slow enough not to slip yet fast enough to keep from being caught and held captive by the first boy to ever kiss you without permission. Grandma tells you to "appreciate today" every day because you'll never get it back. But every time you hear the crash of waves against a shoreline, You're there with her in your favorite place in the world. And the sun is overhead with looks of never coming down, But you'd be okay if it did because you swear these colors of the sunset don't exist when you see it from anywhere else And you never feel so close to God as you feel right here. Dad is sad when you're growing up because you'll only be little once. But every time you get the surprising scent of metal and grease, You're five years old again and dad is getting home from work and he lifts you up in a hug and you bury your face in his shirt and breathe in, And you're confident that he will carry you to bed later that night on that same shoulder when you fall asleep on the couch. You're told over and over to forgive and your mother keeps trying, too. But every time a green van passes by, you're a vulnerable twelve-year-old with a record that says easy prey and you're back at that police station and you're both still crying and forgiveness still seems so far away. Everyone tells you that "first love" is something you only feel once. But every time September rolls around, You're still staring back into the first eyes to look at you in awe, His palms feel sweaty in yours but you don't mind. And you can still taste his lips and smell the sweet mint Stride on his breath and you feel everything. It’s strange how they promise that you can't turn back time,
 yesterday is gone, 
today will only happen once. 
Because I go back all the time; And I still feel everything.
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49
Spring is the awaited child, seeds to plant, plans to explore, conjuring promise and renewal, That awakens our soul. Summer inspires with long sunny days basking in the embrace of green crops growing, relief from heat under leafy trees, leisurely nights of clean skies, bright stars on high to infinity. Fall comes as a warning beacon, days of long shadows, cool nights with chill breeze, bedecked trees in reds and yellow. The report of hunters guns from the depths of the forest. Winter's a prelude to gloom, short days, low sun when it appears, wind-chills that burn. Snow to shovel, ice to befuddle. Conjuring envy and impatience for the return of Spring. So the seasons flow one into another, while every year lived the cycles grow shorter, with no guarantees of how many more may follow.
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Jul 2, 2018
Jul 2, 2018 at 12:00 AM UTC
Seasons Flow
Take a few minutes Each and every day Stand in front of the mirror Look at your reflection And ask yourself a few questions "How are you feeling today?" Ask politely, pause for a heartbeat or two "What's wrong?" With sincerity, mind you Because no one is as strong as they think "I haven't seen so-and-so for a while! It's so good to finally meet up with them again." Reminisce on good times long gone Imagine the future he'll give you "Do you really want to have to go through with this?" Ask yourself, staring into your own eyes Put down the razor and the skin cream Put away the curling iron and the makeup Give up the fad diet and the guarantees Stop worrying about what your parents will say Smile at yourself in the mirror Wink and lean in close So close your breath fogs up the mirror Have a good long laugh Send a few thoughts up his way 'Cause he's looking down from paradise And believe me when I say That God loves all his children as they are After all, he did make you that way
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Feb 17, 2016
Feb 17, 2016 at 9:47 PM UTC
In God's Image
*Differentiate impression to understand the question that guarantees concession of alternate force of will.*
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Mar 23, 2012
Mar 23, 2012 at 3:14 AM UTC
Differentiate Impression
Mouth full of metal Pocket full of teeth (broke) These are the trials for perfect smiles Our loss their gain The dentists make money again Weekly monthly wires crossing replacing Wondering if its even worth it Like false guarantees: "won't be like on TV" Not even close. Mouth full of wires Pocket full of stones One stops you at the airport- The other at the bottom of the bay...
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Dec 20, 2015
Dec 20, 2015 at 1:49 PM UTC
Mecha
If I were to be a day of the week, I would be a Tuesday Not a Monday, bright and yellow Understanding that today “there be dragons here” and we must be Ready to conquer, ready to claim, ready to fight Not Wednesday, Orange and steady Containing a consistency that reminds us we can make it, we will make it And not the vibrant green Thursday   Full of promise, anticipation And the hope of what’s to come But nor am I the explosive Friday Dark, and passionate, dedicated To the thrill and fervor of life Or a Silver Saturday Slick and slippery with the idea Of adventure but that holds no guarantees Yet still I cannot be Sunday Muted Gold with warm mornings and laid back afternoons but always With the lingering remembrance of tomorrow No, I am Tuesday I am faded red I am the waiting day The looked over bridge of What’s now, what’s next Stuck forever in some delicate limbo I am the stepping stone The illusive day floating in and out Behind the scenes, behind the week I am tuesday
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Mar 18, 2015
Mar 18, 2015 at 11:25 AM UTC
Tuesday
A blood red sunset drips over the black asphalt city skyline somewhere in a lost part of America where the dream has long been dead and buried and hate and fear rule the rural streets that are protected by peace keepers that practice ****** more often than upholding the law It has been declared open season on any crow the color of a starless night sky and the dove has become a symbol of to protect and serve their own kind birds of a feather that cover for one another justice is blinded by the snow covered truth and the color of corruption is coincidentally the same as the color of money the poor have little choice but to trade their bones and their hopes to the corporations of the new land of the free to be owned by and controlled by a minimum wage that only guarantees to keep the poor poor enough   to work another day     and another day       and another day until there bones are nothing but powder and their beds are nothing but coffins for the barely living and life somewhere in a lost part of America at the end of everyday the sky turns red and the color of blood runs through the streets as the doves go along with their business of the murdering of crows
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Sep 23, 2018
Sep 23, 2018 at 10:27 PM UTC
a lost part of America
you'd like to argue 'no, your grades don't indicate your intelligence' because you have bad grades and you don't want to think of yourself as stupid and now you've settled yourself into a pit of oh, I have bad grades, but that means I'm smart in a better way than them, it's like a smug superior thing, like 'those people have such an ordinary intelligence' and 'here I am, someone whose mind cannot be contained by this fragile institution' and you've made yourself satisfied with your bad grades because you think yourself to be unorthodoxically intelligent and those who have good grades are boring, pointless individuals. you don't want to feel bad about yourself or put in the work to make them better so you decided this mindset would work best for you but I'd like to propose that yes, your grades do indicate your intelligence- it's only a certain kind of intelligence, mind you, but it's the type of intelligence we measure as ordinary intelligence. if you have bad grades you A) don't understand the material B) aren't paying attention C) aren't putting in enough effort or D) there is no D because grades are a combination of homework, tests, quizzes, participation, and projects. I get if you're a bad test taker. I personally don't understand how that works- like, you get the material until someone asks you something about it and then you can't communicate your knowledge? I mean, if you know something, then you know it, and putting it on a paper, test or otherwise, shouldn't be difficult if you actually know what you're talking about. which ties in to A. if you don't understand it, then actually, you C. aren't putting in enough effort. but okay, I'll accept that reason- even though I think bad test takers are a myth. you can't possibly be bad at homework unless you don't put in the time to do it. projects, too. if you fail those, you C. and participation is B. all those are easily solved by hard work if you lack, for now, the kind of 'intelligence' we measure. so if you have bad grades, no, it doesn't mean you're unintelligent. but it does mean you're lazy. or have reached a point where you don't believe you can do more- which is a lie. because you are capable of solving every problem you believe you are capable of solving. and telling yourself 'I'm just not good at school' guarantees that you are not good at school. if you appreciate your capability you can go so much farther. there is a limit to human potential, but I don't think it is different for everyone. I think the limit is where you either cut yourself off or the upper limit- very few people have reached that limit. perhaps no one. but it is very high up there. the limit where you cut yourself off is that imaginary edge of human behavior at which people say "boys will be boys" or "evil is human nature" or "certain people are more inclined to ____ than others, and I am not one of those people" or "everybody's potential is different" because that is not ******* true your potential is what you say it is and the line you draw for yourself is a wall you can now never cross because you don't think you can like 'I will never be more than what I am' or 'All I can be is me' or 'accept me just the way I am' because you can be more. and as a human being with this amazing power of metacognition, you are obligated to be more you are obligated to train yourself and change yourself and program yourself into the best possible human you can be because every action you take builds you higher and every choice you take breaks down the wall you just have to make the decision that you will reach the stars you will do whatever it takes because at the top of that mountain you will realize you can do anything now, you can go anywhere now, you've made it all the way here- now to the moon! and I dare you to go because I know you can.
0
Apr 3, 2014
Apr 3, 2014 at 9:57 PM UTC
a vent
you'd like to argue 'no, your grades don't indicate your intelligence' because you have bad grades and you don't want to think of yourself as stupid and now you've settled yourself into a pit of oh, I have bad grades, but that means I'm smart in a better way than them, it's like a smug superior thing, like 'those people have such an ordinary intelligence' and 'here I am, someone whose mind cannot be contained by this fragile institution' and you've made yourself satisfied with your bad grades because you think yourself to be unorthodoxically intelligent and those who have good grades are boring, pointless individuals. you don't want to feel bad about yourself or put in the work to make them better so you decided this mindset would work best for you but I'd like to propose that yes, your grades do indicate your intelligence- it's only a certain kind of intelligence, mind you, but it's the type of intelligence we measure as ordinary intelligence. if you have bad grades you A) don't understand the material B) aren't paying attention C) aren't putting in enough effort or D) there is no D because grades are a combination of homework, tests, quizzes, participation, and projects. I get if you're a bad test taker. I personally don't understand how that works- like, you get the material until someone asks you something about it and then you can't communicate your knowledge? I mean, if you know something, then you know it, and putting it on a paper, test or otherwise, shouldn't be difficult if you actually know what you're talking about. which ties in to A. if you don't understand it, then actually, you C. aren't putting in enough effort. but okay, I'll accept that reason- even though I think bad test takers are a myth. you can't possibly be bad at homework unless you don't put in the time to do it. projects, too. if you fail those, you C. and participation is B. all those are easily solved by hard work if you lack, for now, the kind of 'intelligence' we measure. so if you have bad grades, no, it doesn't mean you're unintelligent. but it does mean you're lazy. or have reached a point where you don't believe you can do more- which is a lie. because you are capable of solving every problem you believe you are capable of solving. and telling yourself 'I'm just not good at school' guarantees that you are not good at school. if you appreciate your capability you can go so much farther. there is a limit to human potential, but I don't think it is different for everyone. I think the limit is where you either cut yourself off or the upper limit- very few people have reached that limit. perhaps no one. but it is very high up there. the limit where you cut yourself off is that imaginary edge of human behavior at which people say "boys will be boys" or "evil is human nature" or "certain people are more inclined to ____ than others, and I am not one of those people" or "everybody's potential is different" because that is not ******* true your potential is what you say it is and the line you draw for yourself is a wall you can now never cross because you don't think you can like 'I will never be more than what I am' or 'All I can be is me' or 'accept me just the way I am' because you can be more. and as a human being with this amazing power of metacognition, you are obligated to be more you are obligated to train yourself and change yourself and program yourself into the best possible human you can be because every action you take builds you higher and every choice you take breaks down the wall you just have to make the decision that you will reach the stars you will do whatever it takes because at the top of that mountain you will realize you can do anything now, you can go anywhere now, you've made it all the way here- now to the moon! and I dare you to go because I know you can.
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103
I don't want to walk in to a room full of strangers have you even thought of the dangers? Well I have at 3 am each night they sure do bring me great delight I don't want to walk in oh my god give me some gin They won't like me I'm just a wannabe Imposter syndrome I just wanna go home I don't want to walk in They're looking at the white's of my eyes I don't mean to dramatise but I might die I don't want to talk in and I can feel my chest I'm so ******* stressed I'm walking in Is this auto-pilot because this is your captain speaking and get ready for a crash and ****** burn I've reached the point of no return Walk in you big ******* baby whats the worst that could happen? I talk too fast with too much passion? so what if they don't like me I already sound like banshee At least try to be care-free I can't make any guarantees but step by step in to the room it won't be all doom and gloom Just walk in and see you might even make a friend in the end who didn't want to walk in to too
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Sep 15, 2017
Sep 15, 2017 at 2:25 PM UTC
I don't want to walk in
We lie amidst Ripe mountain herbs, The nightingale has just begun its summer trill, This hymn for golden vocal cords Composed no owner of a writing quill So sweet were melodies produced That I mistook the front row lady’s cheap perfume For blossoms, above which haunting hornets mused; For an aroma of our Shakespeare love in bloom. The serenading cardboard creatures – Those thieve their voice from birds with no address. Meanwhile a glass raised in a playhouse features But colored water, as red as gipsy’s dress. When the last spectator goes, Having not found at least one genuine sun, As actors, we recede into descending roles; Electric blood in lamps’ capillaries feels numb.   A lovely ladybug, I doubt, I will ever catch, A lifelike flower, dipped in a painting fusion: All this, fine artists tenderly attach   To lifeless decorations, for aid they do us in a willful staged illusion. Three burnt sienna pearls run down your spine Yet after a big round of applause These jewels are no longer signs of the divine, But witches’ marks or, rather, unalluring flaws. After the play I went to buy a notebook from my shopping list To store the overgrowing verses, such as these; A sheet of paper guarantees To treat them like extinguishing bees Cashiers ****** the change into my hand, You purchased hothouse roses with; And up those pretty useless beauties stand In someone’s vase, whose name remains a myth. They give me back those polished dimes You traded for a pair of shoes. I’ve seen you marshal through onstage lifetimes, Yet to disclose personas’ traces the theater walls refuse. Your chocolate hair has just fallen from the hairdresser’s hand,– That’s how I know the summer’s coming to a bitter end.
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Apr 6, 2019
Apr 6, 2019 at 7:02 PM UTC
“A fictional confession”
We lie amidst Ripe mountain herbs, The nightingale has just begun its summer trill, This hymn for golden vocal cords Composed no owner of a writing quill So sweet were melodies produced That I mistook the front row lady’s cheap perfume For blossoms, above which haunting hornets mused; For an aroma of our Shakespeare love in bloom. The serenading cardboard creatures – Those thieve their voice from birds with no address. Meanwhile a glass raised in a playhouse features But colored water, as red as gipsy’s dress. When the last spectator goes, Having not found at least one genuine sun, As actors, we recede into descending roles; Electric blood in lamps’ capillaries feels numb.   A lovely ladybug, I doubt, I will ever catch, A lifelike flower, dipped in a painting fusion: All this, fine artists tenderly attach   To lifeless decorations, for aid they do us in a willful staged illusion. Three burnt sienna pearls run down your spine Yet after a big round of applause These jewels are no longer signs of the divine, But witches’ marks or, rather, unalluring flaws. After the play I went to buy a notebook from my shopping list To store the overgrowing verses, such as these; A sheet of paper guarantees To treat them like extinguishing bees Cashiers ****** the change into my hand, You purchased hothouse roses with; And up those pretty useless beauties stand In someone’s vase, whose name remains a myth. They give me back those polished dimes You traded for a pair of shoes. I’ve seen you marshal through onstage lifetimes, Yet to disclose personas’ traces the theater walls refuse. Your chocolate hair has just fallen from the hairdresser’s hand,– That’s how I know the summer’s coming to a bitter end.
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38
I'm a fool for having the need to rely on someone for happiness. My happiness has two legs and a full name. I know I'm supposed to depend on myself only, but how can I do that when I feel whole when I'm with you? How can I depend on myself for happiness when whenever I think of home, the first name, the first face in my mind is yours? I'm a fool for calling you my happiness because nothing lasts forever and I'm afraid that if you walk away, I'll have to go down that road of pain all over again before I met you because everyone always leaves, and what guarantees me you came to stay?
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Apr 14, 2014
Apr 14, 2014 at 7:47 PM UTC
Fool
Rhyme Mechanic When talking to me, wear a hard hat, or on your face, you'll fall flat. I'm the **** and I'm where it's at. People get down on your knees, or I'll chop you down, like dead trees, I never promise or make guarantees. I take the roads less traveled, never confused and rarely baffled, in my web, you all get tangled. None of you can compete, I like girls that are petite, never will I take a back seat. It's me that people always follow, the girls I meet always swallow, so what if I'm very shallow. I'm all that and a bag of chips, my head's so big, everyday is an eclipse, no one has a bigger bag of tricks. I have an ego to the highest power, I bloom more than any kind of flower, don't mess with me, or I'll devour. No other person is close to me, I sting worse than a bumble bee, to all the secrets, I hold the key. Not my fault my head is big, mess with me and I'll stuff you like a pig, I shoot loads like an oil rig. I'll break your heart and rip out your soul, you can't touch me with a ten foot pole, my life is always in cruise control. This is me when I'm feeling manic, no need to worry, no need to panic, just call me the rhyme mechanic.
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Dec 6, 2013
Dec 6, 2013 at 3:24 PM UTC
Rhyme Mechanic
(Composed by Billy Liebert; Recorded by John Wayne -1973) Face the Flag of stars and bars, Of red and white and blue, A flag that guarantees the rights For men like me and you. Face the Flag, son! Read what's written there-- The history, the progress and the heritage we share. Our flag relects the past, son, but stands for so much more, And in this Age of Aquarius, it still flies in the fore. It leads the forward movement, shared by all mankind, To learn...to love...to live with peace of mind; To learn the mysteries of space, as well as those of earth; To love each man for what he is, regardless of his birth; To live without the fear of reprisal for belief; To ease the tensions of a world that cries out for relief. Face the Flag of stars and bars, Of red and white and blue, A flag that guarantees the rights For men like me and you. Face the Flag, son! Take a good long look. What you're seeing now can't be found in a history book. It's the present and the future, son. It's being written now, And you're the one to write it, but the flag can show you how. Do you know what it stands for? What its makers meant? To think...to speak...the privilege of dissent; To think our leaders might be wrong...to stand and tell them so. These are the things that other men under other flags will never know. But responsibility...that's the cross that free men must bear, And if you don't accept that, the freedom isn't there. Face the Flag of stars and bars, Of red and white and blue, A flag that guarantees the rights For men like me and you. Face the Flag, son, and face reality. Our strengths and our freedoms are based in unity. The flag is but a symbol, son, of the world's greatest nation, And as long as it keeps flying, there's cause for celebration. So do what you've got to do, but always keep in mind, A lot of people believe in peace...but there are the other kind. If we want to keep these freedoms, we may have to fight again. God forbid, but if we do, let's always fight to win, For the fate of a loser is futile and it's bare: No love, no peace...just misery and despair.
0
Jul 18, 2016
Jul 18, 2016 at 7:04 PM UTC
Face the Flag
(Composed by Billy Liebert; Recorded by John Wayne -1973) Face the Flag of stars and bars, Of red and white and blue, A flag that guarantees the rights For men like me and you. Face the Flag, son! Read what's written there-- The history, the progress and the heritage we share. Our flag relects the past, son, but stands for so much more, And in this Age of Aquarius, it still flies in the fore. It leads the forward movement, shared by all mankind, To learn...to love...to live with peace of mind; To learn the mysteries of space, as well as those of earth; To love each man for what he is, regardless of his birth; To live without the fear of reprisal for belief; To ease the tensions of a world that cries out for relief. Face the Flag of stars and bars, Of red and white and blue, A flag that guarantees the rights For men like me and you. Face the Flag, son! Take a good long look. What you're seeing now can't be found in a history book. It's the present and the future, son. It's being written now, And you're the one to write it, but the flag can show you how. Do you know what it stands for? What its makers meant? To think...to speak...the privilege of dissent; To think our leaders might be wrong...to stand and tell them so. These are the things that other men under other flags will never know. But responsibility...that's the cross that free men must bear, And if you don't accept that, the freedom isn't there. Face the Flag of stars and bars, Of red and white and blue, A flag that guarantees the rights For men like me and you. Face the Flag, son, and face reality. Our strengths and our freedoms are based in unity. The flag is but a symbol, son, of the world's greatest nation, And as long as it keeps flying, there's cause for celebration. So do what you've got to do, but always keep in mind, A lot of people believe in peace...but there are the other kind. If we want to keep these freedoms, we may have to fight again. God forbid, but if we do, let's always fight to win, For the fate of a loser is futile and it's bare: No love, no peace...just misery and despair.
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43
I'm twenty seven years old Not, old by any standard But, in my world...I'm seven Seven years removed from an IED Seven years away from the day that changed me Seven years into my new life We were on a routine mission If you can call anything in Khandahar routine Convoy escort, some press folks A country singer and his band And us....always us We were Military Police Bringing 'em in, taking 'em home there we were, Same trip, same road same barren landscape same potholes same, same, same Until November 4th, 2005 Nothing has been the same since then I'm a Sargeant, Military Police William Blankenship Fort Hood, Texas...just a kid...until We were on Operation Squire routine....all routine The first humvee hit an IED flipped right in front of us the bus of civilians, stopped radio chatter like mad Rocket fire took out the Stryker LAV Blew it to bits No survivors We were pinned down We didn't return fire Couldn't....didn't know where to And had to get the civilians to safety We were only 2 miles from base LAVs were on the road immediately I don't remember much about it Just, that it was routine Started with the headaches took about a month Then, the nightmares Sent me back home to get over it To a Veterans Hospital in Texas Still saw the humvee flip Heard the screams Saw the fire, and watched the explosion behind And I wasn't sleeping anymore Couldn't handle bright lights for a time Still can't, but not as bad Doctors said it was PTSD I said, "you think?" What else could it be Two years they kept me in there Two years I saw them die Then...they hooked me up with a service dog New program they said He'd keep me relaxed I couldn't take care of myself And now, they want me to have a dog I said, I'd try it...but no guarantees Said his name was Squire funny....I knew that name from somewhere But, couldn't remember where Big, oafish, Newf he was Like a small fridge with hair And big, brown eyes Squire.... First day he just sat and looked at me Waited until I started to move And he moved with me Came over, and pushed his head under my hand It's been that way ever since I move, he moves I eat, he eats three times as much We bonded pretty quick I still get the dreams, but, Squire knows and he's there Under my hand, calming me down That's all he does, calms me down He doesn't take away the dreams But, he helps I don't know how But, he helps They still die, and I still scream But, not as often Just routine....
0
Nov 7, 2012
Nov 7, 2012 at 4:29 PM UTC
Squire - a recollection of war
I'm twenty seven years old Not, old by any standard But, in my world...I'm seven Seven years removed from an IED Seven years away from the day that changed me Seven years into my new life We were on a routine mission If you can call anything in Khandahar routine Convoy escort, some press folks A country singer and his band And us....always us We were Military Police Bringing 'em in, taking 'em home there we were, Same trip, same road same barren landscape same potholes same, same, same Until November 4th, 2005 Nothing has been the same since then I'm a Sargeant, Military Police William Blankenship Fort Hood, Texas...just a kid...until We were on Operation Squire routine....all routine The first humvee hit an IED flipped right in front of us the bus of civilians, stopped radio chatter like mad Rocket fire took out the Stryker LAV Blew it to bits No survivors We were pinned down We didn't return fire Couldn't....didn't know where to And had to get the civilians to safety We were only 2 miles from base LAVs were on the road immediately I don't remember much about it Just, that it was routine Started with the headaches took about a month Then, the nightmares Sent me back home to get over it To a Veterans Hospital in Texas Still saw the humvee flip Heard the screams Saw the fire, and watched the explosion behind And I wasn't sleeping anymore Couldn't handle bright lights for a time Still can't, but not as bad Doctors said it was PTSD I said, "you think?" What else could it be Two years they kept me in there Two years I saw them die Then...they hooked me up with a service dog New program they said He'd keep me relaxed I couldn't take care of myself And now, they want me to have a dog I said, I'd try it...but no guarantees Said his name was Squire funny....I knew that name from somewhere But, couldn't remember where Big, oafish, Newf he was Like a small fridge with hair And big, brown eyes Squire.... First day he just sat and looked at me Waited until I started to move And he moved with me Came over, and pushed his head under my hand It's been that way ever since I move, he moves I eat, he eats three times as much We bonded pretty quick I still get the dreams, but, Squire knows and he's there Under my hand, calming me down That's all he does, calms me down He doesn't take away the dreams But, he helps I don't know how But, he helps They still die, and I still scream But, not as often Just routine....
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89
your words were so lovely that i never once doubted them, i couldn’t hear the emptiness or read into the sugar coated lies masquerading as sincere promises i wrote them in cursive and dotted the i’s with little hearts, counting on the vows to hold weight but when i finally tested them by throwing your “forevers” into the ocean, they did not sink to the bottom, instead they floated right on the surface your guarantees were like funhouse mirrors, i ran in one direction thinking it was leading me to where i needed to be, but i came to a dead end, trapped and broken hearted with your voice echoing somewhere “i cannot mend it” i will not let my journal turn into pitiful pages filled with only your name i will carry on, bruised by your half-truths and with eyes full of hope, nevertheless
0
May 10, 2013
May 10, 2013 at 11:29 AM UTC
carry on
our lives are fraught with numbers so many fractions of a second faster in a race   most wins on record   best jury votes highest flight   deepest dive   most goals meters of rising sea levels millions of refugees   and more displaced tens of thousands  honor killings thousands of deaths with Ebola   millions of Zika virus victims next year billions of deficit or profit in import/export     or the stock exchange votes in elections    or for beauty queens polls    tweets   virtual friends  & followers likes on the social media    on hellopoetry we have been taught to measure our status our importance   and the significance of our lives in clicks of other peoples’ digital devices even our time has been reduced to numbers the digital has long replaced the comprehensive instead of the round dial that shows 12 hours     suggesting the duration of a normal day we have a punctual display  without the whole the cyclical has lost against the linear 0101010101010101010101010101010101 we all look forward to our numbered future no past  and very little present our hands on smart phones    homes    TVs     pushing a button makes things move     swishing a screen displays the world over all that we easily forget that we ourselves have been reduced to numbers     of customers for businesses     of voters for the politicians     of workers for the corporations     of citizens for our nations digital quantities we have become and if we take a global view we are part of the seven billion plus that currently inhabit our earth all of which do expect their individuality be honored  and their dignity respected numbers don’t  honor individuality they simply count the units items  or people  are for them the same it’s left to us to find a way that leaves the numbers in their place yet guarantees us dignity as individual members of the human race
0
Feb 1, 2016
Feb 1, 2016 at 6:19 PM UTC
the numbers game
our lives are fraught with numbers so many fractions of a second faster in a race   most wins on record   best jury votes highest flight   deepest dive   most goals meters of rising sea levels millions of refugees   and more displaced tens of thousands  honor killings thousands of deaths with Ebola   millions of Zika virus victims next year billions of deficit or profit in import/export     or the stock exchange votes in elections    or for beauty queens polls    tweets   virtual friends  & followers likes on the social media    on hellopoetry we have been taught to measure our status our importance   and the significance of our lives in clicks of other peoples’ digital devices even our time has been reduced to numbers the digital has long replaced the comprehensive instead of the round dial that shows 12 hours     suggesting the duration of a normal day we have a punctual display  without the whole the cyclical has lost against the linear 0101010101010101010101010101010101 we all look forward to our numbered future no past  and very little present our hands on smart phones    homes    TVs     pushing a button makes things move     swishing a screen displays the world over all that we easily forget that we ourselves have been reduced to numbers     of customers for businesses     of voters for the politicians     of workers for the corporations     of citizens for our nations digital quantities we have become and if we take a global view we are part of the seven billion plus that currently inhabit our earth all of which do expect their individuality be honored  and their dignity respected numbers don’t  honor individuality they simply count the units items  or people  are for them the same it’s left to us to find a way that leaves the numbers in their place yet guarantees us dignity as individual members of the human race
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48
I’ll never forget to love you, So long as you’re gone, But once you’re home There are no guarantees; Daily luxuries And nightly TV Pray the devil in me.
0
May 13, 2014
May 13, 2014 at 10:49 PM UTC
So Long As You're Gone
it's time to find my old friend (my ******** it doesn't care about making amends (my ******** no false hopes or promises it does what it says (and advertises) (my ******** so back to the tried and true (my ******** in hopes I'll forget about you ... ... there's no guarantees
0
Jun 1, 2012
Jun 1, 2012 at 5:46 PM UTC
My ********
WHISTLING AND SNIFFING SIMULTANEOUSLY Whistling and sniffing at the same time Can’t hold hands or rather get married United and collaborative in any case This duo may perhaps land into the life of some person The kind of man whose who acts, Performs duties of the shepherd on the flock. Like his initial master, He condemns wickedness, Goes against what is religiously evil, And exults the righteous. But he soon he craves for another pair of his robe For he does accumulate an avalanche of resources, His eyes are soon blinded. Would his robe evade being soiled? Co-operative sniffing and whistling, Can hatch into temptations to anybody, Even the half-human, half God Did he not get tested in the wilderness? Our big man opens his eyes one day, Finds himself campaigning and competing for, Trying to woo for citizens’ keys, Essentials for serving the people in a wider circle. Perhaps his whistling guides his path. Brings him in the companionship of Other servants of the people. Any devoted service present in that house really? Brotherly whistling and sniffing, May make one’s conscience slither backwards, Two or more steps into mud. He is now influential, A famous societal figure. His fat salary seconded with some allowances. Or even thirded with public developmental resources, Guarantees him total luxury. Is this not an opportunistic opportunist? Our Sniffer and whistler is contended, Complacent with his success. Jubilant with him servant is his ‘first Master ’ For keeping to the ‘sacred’ scriptures. The vehicle which carried him straight, One way to heaven gets crippled, It can’t manage to hit the road Like its American, British and Chinese counterparts, His sincere promise goes unfulfilled Unmet due to his pretentious pretence. His ‘second’ Master gets extremely mad. For loyalty and faithfulness denied. And furiously plucks him from glory. Simultaneous whistling and sniffing, The ‘initial’ heaven can’t simply put up with them. A wise servant of the masses A true leader should only whistle at a time, Sniff at a time. But not sniffing and whistling simultaneously.
0
May 6, 2013
May 6, 2013 at 3:28 AM UTC
Whistling and Sniffing Simultaneously
WHISTLING AND SNIFFING SIMULTANEOUSLY Whistling and sniffing at the same time Can’t hold hands or rather get married United and collaborative in any case This duo may perhaps land into the life of some person The kind of man whose who acts, Performs duties of the shepherd on the flock. Like his initial master, He condemns wickedness, Goes against what is religiously evil, And exults the righteous. But he soon he craves for another pair of his robe For he does accumulate an avalanche of resources, His eyes are soon blinded. Would his robe evade being soiled? Co-operative sniffing and whistling, Can hatch into temptations to anybody, Even the half-human, half God Did he not get tested in the wilderness? Our big man opens his eyes one day, Finds himself campaigning and competing for, Trying to woo for citizens’ keys, Essentials for serving the people in a wider circle. Perhaps his whistling guides his path. Brings him in the companionship of Other servants of the people. Any devoted service present in that house really? Brotherly whistling and sniffing, May make one’s conscience slither backwards, Two or more steps into mud. He is now influential, A famous societal figure. His fat salary seconded with some allowances. Or even thirded with public developmental resources, Guarantees him total luxury. Is this not an opportunistic opportunist? Our Sniffer and whistler is contended, Complacent with his success. Jubilant with him servant is his ‘first Master ’ For keeping to the ‘sacred’ scriptures. The vehicle which carried him straight, One way to heaven gets crippled, It can’t manage to hit the road Like its American, British and Chinese counterparts, His sincere promise goes unfulfilled Unmet due to his pretentious pretence. His ‘second’ Master gets extremely mad. For loyalty and faithfulness denied. And furiously plucks him from glory. Simultaneous whistling and sniffing, The ‘initial’ heaven can’t simply put up with them. A wise servant of the masses A true leader should only whistle at a time, Sniff at a time. But not sniffing and whistling simultaneously.
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55
May I have your attention? This information is for you. Put this in your dictionary, ****** doesn’t mean ‘let’s ***** It might do where you come from But some of us were raised better. We recognize and accept The Constitution to the letter. It guarantees our freedom as Citizens of this fine nation. Nowhere does it say nudists should Be treated with degradation And blocked from freedom to be Who they really are at heart. Denying natural freedoms is Where fascism gets its start. If you have been trained in a way That genitalia is abomination You’re the one who is indecent And needs some repatriation. It’s not like someone naked is Automatically getting it on. That’s just inside your mind, so Only you can make it be gone. A lot of what you are thinking And the very thing you are fear Is not real, it’s irrational This is what you need to hear; Some may not find you **** When they see you naked But those are not nudists. They’re unclothed bigots that fake it. May I have your attention? This information is for you. Put this in your dictionary, ****** doesn’t mean ‘let’s ***** It might do where you come from But some of us were raised better. We recognize and accept The Constitution to the letter
0
Dec 3, 2015
Dec 3, 2015 at 10:18 PM UTC
NAKED TRUTH
I promise I’m trying my best not to back out and I promise and I promise and I know that you’re okay with me being unsure   but it feels like I’m just a lost cause waiting for the inevitable day when you see that this is it this is all you’re getting from me it feels like a lie though from day one you knew what you were getting into and I tell you all the time that I can’t even figure myself out and you offer to help me solve the puzzle but I don’t understand why you’re so willing when I give you no guarantees I guess you must love me not weighing up the pros and cons like I do you love unconditionally like you're supposed to and I can't help feeling like I'm not holding up my end of the deal and even though I do all I can I don’t think I'll ever feel the way that you do   is that enough for you?
0
Jul 2, 2018
Jul 2, 2018 at 7:22 PM UTC
Hydrangea