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"interpreter" poems
He will not light long enough for the interpreter to gather the tatters of his speech. But the longer we listen the calmer he becomes. He shows me the place where his daughter has rubbed with a coin, violaceous streaks raising a skeletal pattern on his chest. He thinks he's been hit by the wind. He's worried it will become pneumonia. In Cambodia, he'd be given a special tea, a prescriptive sacrifice, the right chants to say. But I know nothing of Chi, of Karma, and ask him to lift the back of his shirt, so I may listen to his breathing. Holding the stethoscope's bell I'm stunned by the whirl of icons and script tattooed across his back, their teal green color the outline of a map which looks like Cambodia, perhaps his village, a lake, then a scroll of letters in a watery signature. I ask the interpreter what it means. It's a spell, asking his ancestors to protect him from evil spirits— she is tracing the lines with her fingers— and those who meet him for kindness. The old man waves his arms and a staccato of dipthongs and nasals fills the room. He believes these words will lead his spirit back to Cambodia after he dies. I see, I say, and rest my hand on his shoulder. He takes full deep breaths and I listen, touching down with the stethoscope from his back to his front. He watches me with anticipation—as if awaiting a verdict. His lungs are clear. You'll be fine, I tell him. It's not your time to die. His shoulders relax and he folds his hands above his head as if in blessing. Ar-kon, he says. All better now.                                                         by Peter Pereira .
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Jan 26, 2014
Jan 26, 2014 at 1:02 AM UTC
What's Written on the Body (Peter Pereira)
He will not light long enough for the interpreter to gather the tatters of his speech. But the longer we listen the calmer he becomes. He shows me the place where his daughter has rubbed with a coin, violaceous streaks raising a skeletal pattern on his chest. He thinks he's been hit by the wind. He's worried it will become pneumonia. In Cambodia, he'd be given a special tea, a prescriptive sacrifice, the right chants to say. But I know nothing of Chi, of Karma, and ask him to lift the back of his shirt, so I may listen to his breathing. Holding the stethoscope's bell I'm stunned by the whirl of icons and script tattooed across his back, their teal green color the outline of a map which looks like Cambodia, perhaps his village, a lake, then a scroll of letters in a watery signature. I ask the interpreter what it means. It's a spell, asking his ancestors to protect him from evil spirits— she is tracing the lines with her fingers— and those who meet him for kindness. The old man waves his arms and a staccato of dipthongs and nasals fills the room. He believes these words will lead his spirit back to Cambodia after he dies. I see, I say, and rest my hand on his shoulder. He takes full deep breaths and I listen, touching down with the stethoscope from his back to his front. He watches me with anticipation—as if awaiting a verdict. His lungs are clear. You'll be fine, I tell him. It's not your time to die. His shoulders relax and he folds his hands above his head as if in blessing. Ar-kon, he says. All better now.                                                         by Peter Pereira .
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43
You’ve read of several kinds of Cat, And my opinion now is that You should need no interpreter To understand their character. You now have learned enough to see That Cats are much like you and me And other people whom we find Possessed of various types of mind. For some are same and some are mad And some are good and some are bad And some are better, some are worse— But all may be described in verse. You’ve seen them both at work and games, And learnt about their proper names, Their habits and their habitat: But How would you ad-dress a Cat? So first, your memory I’ll jog, And say: A CAT IS NOT A DOG. And you might now and then supply Some caviare, or Strassburg Pie, Some potted grouse, or salmon paste— He’s sure to have his personal taste. (I know a Cat, who makes a habit Of eating nothing else but rabbit, And when he’s finished, licks his paws So’s not to waste the onion sauce.) A Cat’s entitled to expect These evidences of respect. And so in time you reach your aim, And finally call him by his NAME. So this is this, and that is that: And there’s how you AD-DRESS A CAT.
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3.2k
The Ad-Dressing Of Cats
I played with whipped cream last night... Coated my fingertips...like candles snuffed at their prime... Each fingertip returning to its original cleanliness under the spell of my tongue... Circling the shape of my eyes...the maps that guide my soul into motion.... Tracing the slope of my nose...interpreter of the sensations that surround me... Amazing the sensualities that are carried on the wind... Scaling the outline of my lips....filling every crease and curve... Jealous my body becomes...taking in the delights from above... Shoulder slope...slippery slide...collar bones coated...nipples nestled... The tips of my fingers crave more canvas...more skin... Sticky steam caresses me...bubbles spawn webs of lace upon my skin...as for the rest? Delicacies dancing within me.
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Jan 11, 2013
Jan 11, 2013 at 5:56 PM UTC
Whipped Cream...
God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill, He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sov'reign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding ev'ry hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow'r. Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan his work in vain; God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain.
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2.6k
Light Shining Out Of Darkness
In a parallel universe A universe of opprtunities and justice A universes that gives people their rights People would each follow a path That truly represents what's in their hearts Instead of a doctor I'd be A ballerina An architect An interpreter A writer I would be All the dreams that were stolen from me In a world so damaged To fulfill a child's dream Therefore it destroys the talents Before it grow beyond its rein
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Aug 31, 2018
Aug 31, 2018 at 5:10 PM UTC
A parallel universe
Poetry is when I play interpreter to my heart Fumbling to find the right words Stumbling to convey love beyond a four letter word A million things get lost in translation I inscribe loneliness most times Happiness she prefers left unwritten And you, she'd rather kept hidden But I know you from all the unintended traces that spill unto everything she says I try not to write about you Or at least eclipse you in between the lines But it's impossible when you're the one all her words are meant for
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Feb 13, 2018
Feb 13, 2018 at 12:21 AM UTC
I Try Not To Write About You
God, if you only knew the things these eyes have seen. I feel as if I’m the only one to have felt this heaviness in my soul. It breaks me down. I’m scavenging for survival. For hope, for humanity. I wait patiently in the dark hoping to watch as the light breaks through this darkness I live in. Will the sun rise? Will the moon give in to its brutal blows? Or will I be left again, left wondering where I’m meant to travel to next. I watched my family torn from the places once called sacred. The treasures they held once before meant nothing, their lives were the only treasure they had left. The only treasure I had left. Some tore their way out of that hell. The mental affliction that caused them to drown in their own murderous screams. They moved on with their quest for a purpose, ripping away the flaws and scars left by the pain experienced. Becoming something new, remade. Still beautiful, they didn’t break. They persevered. I watched as others tied the fear and pain to their ankles, always dragging it with them. Others would notice the chains they pulled, but never say a word. Never reach out a hand to search for the key to these aches. Just watching them survive, I watch them survive. I survive. But the worst of all to watch was The Interpreter. The ones who fell for the lies that got them with me in this black hole. The ones who never coped, never wanted a purpose, they wanted revenge. Revenge on the ones who tore their soul apart, piece by piece. The ones who took every bit of sanity they had and laughed as it fell unreachable by any man. I watched as something once so beautiful, miraculous, pure and true turn into something that made me want to cringe. So hungry. Always remembering the starvation they suffered from and using it as a crutch and weapon to fill the hole that cannot be filled by things as such. I try to help but they snarl in defense, forgetting that once I was their friend. Only thinking of the world as an enemy, and everyone in it an enemy as well. I try to stop them, plead for them to stay, just to here a few words. Just to know that they aren’t alone, I’m here in the darkness too.
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Mar 7, 2013
Mar 7, 2013 at 8:11 PM UTC
Lone Wolf.
God, if you only knew the things these eyes have seen. I feel as if I’m the only one to have felt this heaviness in my soul. It breaks me down. I’m scavenging for survival. For hope, for humanity. I wait patiently in the dark hoping to watch as the light breaks through this darkness I live in. Will the sun rise? Will the moon give in to its brutal blows? Or will I be left again, left wondering where I’m meant to travel to next. I watched my family torn from the places once called sacred. The treasures they held once before meant nothing, their lives were the only treasure they had left. The only treasure I had left. Some tore their way out of that hell. The mental affliction that caused them to drown in their own murderous screams. They moved on with their quest for a purpose, ripping away the flaws and scars left by the pain experienced. Becoming something new, remade. Still beautiful, they didn’t break. They persevered. I watched as others tied the fear and pain to their ankles, always dragging it with them. Others would notice the chains they pulled, but never say a word. Never reach out a hand to search for the key to these aches. Just watching them survive, I watch them survive. I survive. But the worst of all to watch was The Interpreter. The ones who fell for the lies that got them with me in this black hole. The ones who never coped, never wanted a purpose, they wanted revenge. Revenge on the ones who tore their soul apart, piece by piece. The ones who took every bit of sanity they had and laughed as it fell unreachable by any man. I watched as something once so beautiful, miraculous, pure and true turn into something that made me want to cringe. So hungry. Always remembering the starvation they suffered from and using it as a crutch and weapon to fill the hole that cannot be filled by things as such. I try to help but they snarl in defense, forgetting that once I was their friend. Only thinking of the world as an enemy, and everyone in it an enemy as well. I try to stop them, plead for them to stay, just to here a few words. Just to know that they aren’t alone, I’m here in the darkness too.
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1
Mother of Light, and the Gods! Mother of Music, awake! Silence and speech are at odds; Heaven and Hell are at stake. By the Rose and the Cross I conjure; I constrain by the Snake and the Sword; I am he that is sworn to endure -Bring us the word of the Lord! By the brood of the Bysses of Brightening, whose God was my sire; By the Lord of the Flame and Lightning, the King of the Spirits of Fire; By the Lord of the Waves and the Waters, the King of the Hosts of the Sea, The fairest of all of whose daughters was mother to me; By the Lord of the Winds and the Breezes, the king of the Spirits of Air, In whose ***** the infinite ease is that cradled me there; By the Lord of the Fields and the Mountains, the King of the Spirits of Earth That nurtured my life at his fountains from the hour of my birth; By the Wand and the Cup I conjure; by the Dagger and Disk I constrain; I am he that is sworn to endure; make thy music again! I am Lord of the Star and the Seal; I am Lord of the Snake and the Sword; Reveal us the riddle, reveal! Bring us the word of the Lord! As the flame of the sun, as the roar of the sea, as the storm of the air, As the quake of the earth -let it soar for a boon, for a bane, for a snare, For a lure, for a light, for a kiss, for a rod, for a scourge, for a sword - Bring us thy burden of bliss -Bring us the word of the Lord!
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2.1k
The Interpreter
Touch You cannot lift or load it, over your shoulder, throw it, to best assay its weight - is it ponderous, full of big *** gravitas or a snack, a parfait desert, a haiku delight? You cannot touch it, but it can touch you, It can grasp both your shoulders, shake you from complacency, put its hands upon thy throat, gasp emit, a scream demanded, paint whimsy lines on thy face, from ear to ear. See With yours eyes, by a mere glance, true reveal its length, stanzas multiple or an itty bitty ditty, but this gives no value clue,   Ogden Nash vs. Tennyson, in two minutes make you laugh, in twenty, make you beg, mercy! Smell Some Poe poems do stink, befouled mushrooms in a dank place, some require nerve to read, but your olfactory be ill suited for poetic deconstruction and criticism. Hear Wake you with kisses upon thy face, inject love poems into thy ears, straight to the brain verbal crack ******* yet even the hearing the whisper of words from my lips, is an insufficient, sensorily speaking methodology, of how a poem, to best comprehend How then? If touch, vision, smell and cursory hearing alone can't essence capture, what then, weary reader, is the supposed Laureate's approved analytical tool? Taste Each letter, a morsel in your mouth, Each phrase, a fork full of pleasure, Each stanza, a full fledged member in a tasting menu, Perfect only in conjunction with the preceding flavor, and the one that follows,  and the one that follows. Taste each poem upon thy tongue and then pass it on, you know how.... Each word, whether chewed thoroughly, or lightly placed upon a bud for flavor, needs the careful consideration of your mouth. Feel the light pressure of the tongues tip upon the roof of your mouth and the exalted exhalations of air rushing past thy cheeks as you messenger breath from your chest to be shared with the world, over the poem's interpreter, your tasting lips. *As I lay each word down, a brick by brick edifice construct of mine own design, I am sated, fulfilled only, when with I see your lips move as you savor my words, my taste you share, and we are closer for it.* ***Deaf, dumb and blind, all such travails can be conquered, assailed, but when I cannot, no longer anymore taste my poems upon thy lips, then I breathe no more.***
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Mar 14, 2014
Mar 14, 2014 at 4:22 PM UTC
How to Read a Poem (Hint: Not With Your Eyes)
Touch You cannot lift or load it, over your shoulder, throw it, to best assay its weight - is it ponderous, full of big *** gravitas or a snack, a parfait desert, a haiku delight? You cannot touch it, but it can touch you, It can grasp both your shoulders, shake you from complacency, put its hands upon thy throat, gasp emit, a scream demanded, paint whimsy lines on thy face, from ear to ear. See With yours eyes, by a mere glance, true reveal its length, stanzas multiple or an itty bitty ditty, but this gives no value clue,   Ogden Nash vs. Tennyson, in two minutes make you laugh, in twenty, make you beg, mercy! Smell Some Poe poems do stink, befouled mushrooms in a dank place, some require nerve to read, but your olfactory be ill suited for poetic deconstruction and criticism. Hear Wake you with kisses upon thy face, inject love poems into thy ears, straight to the brain verbal crack ******* yet even the hearing the whisper of words from my lips, is an insufficient, sensorily speaking methodology, of how a poem, to best comprehend How then? If touch, vision, smell and cursory hearing alone can't essence capture, what then, weary reader, is the supposed Laureate's approved analytical tool? Taste Each letter, a morsel in your mouth, Each phrase, a fork full of pleasure, Each stanza, a full fledged member in a tasting menu, Perfect only in conjunction with the preceding flavor, and the one that follows,  and the one that follows. Taste each poem upon thy tongue and then pass it on, you know how.... Each word, whether chewed thoroughly, or lightly placed upon a bud for flavor, needs the careful consideration of your mouth. Feel the light pressure of the tongues tip upon the roof of your mouth and the exalted exhalations of air rushing past thy cheeks as you messenger breath from your chest to be shared with the world, over the poem's interpreter, your tasting lips. *As I lay each word down, a brick by brick edifice construct of mine own design, I am sated, fulfilled only, when with I see your lips move as you savor my words, my taste you share, and we are closer for it.* ***Deaf, dumb and blind, all such travails can be conquered, assailed, but when I cannot, no longer anymore taste my poems upon thy lips, then I breathe no more.***
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73
THIS Mohammedan colonel from the Caucasus yells with his voice and wigwags with his arms. The interpreter translates, "I was a friend of Kornilov, he asks me what to do and I tell him." A stub of a man, this Mohammedan colonel ... a projectile shape ... a bald head hammered ... "Does he fight or do they put him in a cannon and shoot him at the enemy?" This fly-by-night, this bull-roarer who knows everybody. "I write forty books, history of Islam, history of Europe, true religion, scientific farming, I am the Roosevelt of the Caucasus, I go to America and ride horses in the moving pictures for $500,000, you get $50,000 ..." "I have 30,000 acres in the Caucasus, I have a stove factory in Petrograd the bolsheviks take from me, I am an old friend of the Czar, I am an old family friend of Clemenceau ..." These hands strangled three fellow workers for the czarist restoration, took their money, sent them in sacks to a river bottom ... and scandalized Stockholm with his gang of strangler women. Mid-sea strangler hands rise before me illustrating a wish, "I ride horses for the moving pictures in America, $500,000, and you get ten per cent ..." This rider of fugitive dawns....
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1.8k
Mohammed Bek Hadjetlache
I saw a dream once upon a time. Don’t know when but often it seems as old as time. Until comes the interpreter goodness knows where that’s feet are. No one was primping but the meaning shows up all in all is a mirror. Oh, when did it all begin? Now, looking at the mirror often it makes me wonder, is there a past or future, besides an omnipresent like now truly a full moon picture.
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Aug 6, 2021
Aug 6, 2021 at 1:00 PM UTC
Dream In The Mirror
I was doing research in Hubei Where they executed Yu, That deity soldier glorified By Buddhists, Taoists too, I sat perusing manuscripts That dated from the Ming, And came across a reference About Yu’s finger ring. A ring of gold so broad that it Would fit a peasant’s wrist, For Guan Yu was a mighty man His ring, an amethyst, Set round with groups of diamonds It was lost the day, they said, That Sun Quan had ordered them To lop off Guan Yu’s head. They lost it for a thousand years It turned up with the Ming, Was lost again in battle with That mighty force, the Qing, I’d heard it round the market place A whisper, now and then, That ring, it might have surfaced In the village of Maicheng. I scoured the streets and alleyways For signs of old antiques, Researching as I went, I walked Around the town for weeks, I found a backstreet corner shop One night, and open late, Run by a dodgy Chinaman A total reprobate. He had links to the Triads, they Would come into the shop, A shifty group of gangsters with Their stolen goods to pop, From where I sat with manuscripts Up on the second floor, I’d look straight down the staircase Watch them come in through the door. One day they brought in a bundle Tied up in a burlap sack, Threw it down on the counter, said: ‘What do you make of that?’ Fang Zhang then opened the parcel and He pulled out a giant hand, The flesh the texture of leather with A monstrous golden band. The ring was almost immoveable The hand, with fingers spread, Could grasp a maiden around the waist Or crush a warrior’s head, I held my breath as the Triad tried To disengage the thing, And all the while the diamonds flashed On that massive golden ring. Fang Zhang paid over a block of notes That looked more like a brick, There must have been a million Yuan From what I saw of it, The Triad left and I caught my breath Fang Zhang had pulled it off, He threw the hand in a ******* bin And then I left the shop. He hid the ring as I walked on through I had to get some air, I’d caught a glimpse of a famous ring, A thing I couldn’t share, They’d say it didn’t exist, that I Was dreaming, if I tried, They thought that it had been lost to view The day that Yu had died. I went back down the following day The Police were there in force, They stood out front and barred the way From normal *********** They told me through an interpreter Of the ****** of Fang Zhang, His face was black, for around his neck Was a massive, ringless hand! David Lewis Paget (Pronunciation: Guan Yu - Gwon you Hubei - Who - bay; Sun Quan - Sun Chu-arn Qing - Ching; Maicheng - My - cheng Fang Zhang - Fang Shjang (soft J))
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Oct 26, 2013
Oct 26, 2013 at 9:26 PM UTC
Guan Yu's Finger Ring
I was doing research in Hubei Where they executed Yu, That deity soldier glorified By Buddhists, Taoists too, I sat perusing manuscripts That dated from the Ming, And came across a reference About Yu’s finger ring. A ring of gold so broad that it Would fit a peasant’s wrist, For Guan Yu was a mighty man His ring, an amethyst, Set round with groups of diamonds It was lost the day, they said, That Sun Quan had ordered them To lop off Guan Yu’s head. They lost it for a thousand years It turned up with the Ming, Was lost again in battle with That mighty force, the Qing, I’d heard it round the market place A whisper, now and then, That ring, it might have surfaced In the village of Maicheng. I scoured the streets and alleyways For signs of old antiques, Researching as I went, I walked Around the town for weeks, I found a backstreet corner shop One night, and open late, Run by a dodgy Chinaman A total reprobate. He had links to the Triads, they Would come into the shop, A shifty group of gangsters with Their stolen goods to pop, From where I sat with manuscripts Up on the second floor, I’d look straight down the staircase Watch them come in through the door. One day they brought in a bundle Tied up in a burlap sack, Threw it down on the counter, said: ‘What do you make of that?’ Fang Zhang then opened the parcel and He pulled out a giant hand, The flesh the texture of leather with A monstrous golden band. The ring was almost immoveable The hand, with fingers spread, Could grasp a maiden around the waist Or crush a warrior’s head, I held my breath as the Triad tried To disengage the thing, And all the while the diamonds flashed On that massive golden ring. Fang Zhang paid over a block of notes That looked more like a brick, There must have been a million Yuan From what I saw of it, The Triad left and I caught my breath Fang Zhang had pulled it off, He threw the hand in a ******* bin And then I left the shop. He hid the ring as I walked on through I had to get some air, I’d caught a glimpse of a famous ring, A thing I couldn’t share, They’d say it didn’t exist, that I Was dreaming, if I tried, They thought that it had been lost to view The day that Yu had died. I went back down the following day The Police were there in force, They stood out front and barred the way From normal *********** They told me through an interpreter Of the ****** of Fang Zhang, His face was black, for around his neck Was a massive, ringless hand! David Lewis Paget (Pronunciation: Guan Yu - Gwon you Hubei - Who - bay; Sun Quan - Sun Chu-arn Qing - Ching; Maicheng - My - cheng Fang Zhang - Fang Shjang (soft J))
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85
"Don't work with the Americans." "Don't help the Americans." This is what some of the Afghan interpreters are saying After their poor treatment by the United States government The Afghan Interpreters are angry And they have a right to be After most U.S. troops have left Some are stuck hiding in Kabul The Taliban tell the local people That they are infidels The Taliban **** many interpreters The Afghan Interpreters struggle Only about 30% get their visa Some only have enough money To make it to Greece They live together Barely any money No hot water Persecuted by the local police One interpreter saved the life of an American soldier The soldier helped him put together his visa packet His visa took three years!!! This interpreter had fought with them for 7 years Had saved the lives of five American soldiers Had been the personal interpreter for 12 U.S. senators One interpreter Did not leave on a flight approved by the U.S. He had to leave on the next flight Because the Taliban  was threatening to **** him Thankfully the U.S. soldier Had a place for him to stay And could give him some money The soldier promised him He would help him get resettlement benefits Even though the U.S. government stated He was not eligible to receive his benefits Because he did not arrive on a U.S. approved flight The Vice Interviewer Learns from the lawyers working for the interpreters That there is a massive bureaucracy The Department of Defense doesn't consider them veterans The soldier tried to get a bill introduced That would streamline the process And increases the number of visas To help the Afghan Interpreters No legislation regarding immigration was introduced Because of bickering among Republican members The program ran out in September of 2014 So now thousands will be stuck in Afghanistan One interpreter that was interviewed Was stuck in Afghanistan Working as a taxi driver Fearing for his life Many of the Taliban prisoners Have been released Now he fears for his life He doesn't know what will happen 6,000 applicants For 280 available visas As of July 2014 May God bless the Afghan interpreter Trying to live his life in peace May God bless the Afghan people It seems things never change for them
0
Feb 26, 2015
Feb 26, 2015 at 12:51 PM UTC
Afghan Interpreters
"Don't work with the Americans." "Don't help the Americans." This is what some of the Afghan interpreters are saying After their poor treatment by the United States government The Afghan Interpreters are angry And they have a right to be After most U.S. troops have left Some are stuck hiding in Kabul The Taliban tell the local people That they are infidels The Taliban **** many interpreters The Afghan Interpreters struggle Only about 30% get their visa Some only have enough money To make it to Greece They live together Barely any money No hot water Persecuted by the local police One interpreter saved the life of an American soldier The soldier helped him put together his visa packet His visa took three years!!! This interpreter had fought with them for 7 years Had saved the lives of five American soldiers Had been the personal interpreter for 12 U.S. senators One interpreter Did not leave on a flight approved by the U.S. He had to leave on the next flight Because the Taliban  was threatening to **** him Thankfully the U.S. soldier Had a place for him to stay And could give him some money The soldier promised him He would help him get resettlement benefits Even though the U.S. government stated He was not eligible to receive his benefits Because he did not arrive on a U.S. approved flight The Vice Interviewer Learns from the lawyers working for the interpreters That there is a massive bureaucracy The Department of Defense doesn't consider them veterans The soldier tried to get a bill introduced That would streamline the process And increases the number of visas To help the Afghan Interpreters No legislation regarding immigration was introduced Because of bickering among Republican members The program ran out in September of 2014 So now thousands will be stuck in Afghanistan One interpreter that was interviewed Was stuck in Afghanistan Working as a taxi driver Fearing for his life Many of the Taliban prisoners Have been released Now he fears for his life He doesn't know what will happen 6,000 applicants For 280 available visas As of July 2014 May God bless the Afghan interpreter Trying to live his life in peace May God bless the Afghan people It seems things never change for them
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64
My father. Old sailor. Old farmer. Old carpenter. Old interpreter. Old archive of facts And history. He knows Our ancestory by heart down To the 1600s. Born 1946, 68 years Old today. Bought me my first pen, My first book, taught me English From the age of five. Told me I Had the gift of language and Expression. And that I was A stronger boy than any Anyone had ever seen By the time I began   To learn English. I owe him credit For every word I have written. Weak now With age and Bad lungs, I still See him as a giant Handling a chainsaw, Smelling of forestry and Gasoline and winter, smiling At me with eyes deep blue from Seeing more ocean and sky than I Ever will know with my own. His name to me is pappa. After a few pints of his homemade Wine, I sometimes let him beat me at Armwrestling. Then we laugh like Old friends, remembering how The roles were different back Then. I am glad I stopped by For a cuppa on this day. He Would never ask me to. Happy Birthday, pappa. I'd cut a decade from my lifetime To add a single year To yours.
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May 7, 2014
May 7, 2014 at 3:22 PM UTC
For my Father, P.G.H.
Gudron graced many a viking's visions, like a Helen or a Guenevere. But no ray of light could be shone on her four disturbing dreams. Until one day a wise kinsman called, a dream interpreter, who told her that she would outlast four husbands. His foretelling came to pass. But she never wed the man she loved. He set sail. Gudron remained. Iceland's first christian nun.
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May 24, 2016
May 24, 2016 at 2:17 PM UTC
Tha Laxdaela Saga - Gudron's Song
God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill He treasures up His bright designs, And works His sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan his work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.
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1.4k
God Moves In A Mysterious Way
Poetry lies intermingled Tangled recognition, interpretation Drawn meaning like syringe Conceptual life, Intellectual dream. Walking, swimming, fighting, Forest branches weaving Filling air, with wooden breath Growing standing Still and strong Wise beards ferns green Brown coffee time and maturity Professor, interpreter Language ciphening Hourglass ideas. Sifting sorting exalting dropping Sliding through grasps of Clasps of minds. Grip and resignation Trains and tracks Lay directing paths for feet That fly and touch not ground nor map Atmosphere, time, space Wind, water, sand Scrunched paper words Crushed branches pasted ingrained Elements Nature is poet Words in the sky that fills our lungs Breathing as filtered light – We become, Complete.
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Apr 22, 2013
Apr 22, 2013 at 12:10 AM UTC
Poetic Breath
Talk about the we've been takin thinking about how the sun don't shine. Trying to find myself. Cause im already Missing my mind. Just trying to unwind.Each night follows a shattered day. Everything I hear is unclear.What even matters. Each word spoken like fm static. To me no surprise, I automatically don't deny, existence. In an instant friends flashes past my ride. And I Chorus I've lost my mind. Ive lost my mind, I'm shaking my mind Loosing my time. Same old saying. Fire melting my brain. Getting high to feel sane. But the song repeats is played in my heart.Tellingme I've lost it all. I was scrambling into halls with no light. Trampled onto the surface of gods I had in store. Shouldn't ignore because there just plain possesion. I've noticed cooperation is your obsession. Chorus I've lost my mind. Ive lost my mind, I'm shaking my mind Loosing my time. Same old saying. Fire melting my brain. Getting high to feel sane. But the song repeats is played in my heart.Telling me I've lost it all Stuck to mistakes like medal to a magnet. Like tape on paper. I need a mime on the side of my shoulder. No longer trying to decide the things to say. I've needed a interpreter anyway. Can't find Anyone cause everyone silent. Can't try to hard. It figures it over my sense of direction. Falling into the pit of confusion. Walked in and out into walls. I thought I would find my way out. Chorus I've lost my mind. Ive lost my mind, I'm shaking my mind Loosing my time. Same old saying. Fire melting my brain. Getting high to feel sane. But the song repeats is played in my heart.Telling me I've lost it all
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Apr 24, 2010
Apr 24, 2010 at 6:05 PM UTC
Lost my sense
Talk about the we've been takin thinking about how the sun don't shine. Trying to find myself. Cause im already Missing my mind. Just trying to unwind.Each night follows a shattered day. Everything I hear is unclear.What even matters. Each word spoken like fm static. To me no surprise, I automatically don't deny, existence. In an instant friends flashes past my ride. And I Chorus I've lost my mind. Ive lost my mind, I'm shaking my mind Loosing my time. Same old saying. Fire melting my brain. Getting high to feel sane. But the song repeats is played in my heart.Tellingme I've lost it all. I was scrambling into halls with no light. Trampled onto the surface of gods I had in store. Shouldn't ignore because there just plain possesion. I've noticed cooperation is your obsession. Chorus I've lost my mind. Ive lost my mind, I'm shaking my mind Loosing my time. Same old saying. Fire melting my brain. Getting high to feel sane. But the song repeats is played in my heart.Telling me I've lost it all Stuck to mistakes like medal to a magnet. Like tape on paper. I need a mime on the side of my shoulder. No longer trying to decide the things to say. I've needed a interpreter anyway. Can't find Anyone cause everyone silent. Can't try to hard. It figures it over my sense of direction. Falling into the pit of confusion. Walked in and out into walls. I thought I would find my way out. Chorus I've lost my mind. Ive lost my mind, I'm shaking my mind Loosing my time. Same old saying. Fire melting my brain. Getting high to feel sane. But the song repeats is played in my heart.Telling me I've lost it all
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4
I bake my words, served to you with love Until they've simmered through and through And although they may seem meaningless I still recommend you slowly chew There is a flavor to my words The ingredients, I myself grew Each morsel hand picked to be used For the stew made for just us two A dash of this and a dash of that All while conscious not to include trans fat A healthy meal of friendly chat That's where I see us, that's where we're at The stove acts as the interpreter That transcends consumption into fact And it's the essence of a home cooked meal Which allows for opposites to attract I put my soul in to my soul food I stir up the fun in my fondue Just as I do with my advice to you To be washed down with a frothy brew I speak with good intentions I'll use my past experience as proof You'll see.... I'll have you dancing beside your tastebuds Before this evening's through With song in heart and stomach full
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Oct 9, 2015
Oct 9, 2015 at 9:26 PM UTC
Soul Food
How to Read a Poem (Hint:  Not With Your Eyes) Touch You cannot lift or load it, over your shoulder, throw it, to best assay its weight - is it ponderous, full of big *** gravitas or a snack, a parfait desert, a haiku delight? You cannot touch it, but it can touch you, It can grasp both your shoulders, shake you from complacency, put its hands upon thy throat, gasp emit, a scream demanded, paint whimsy lines on thy face, from ear to ear. See With yours eyes, by a mere glance, true reveal its length, stanzas multiple or an itty bitty ditty, but this gives no value clue,   Ogden Nash vs. Tennyson, in two minutes make you laugh, in twenty, make you beg, mercy! Smell Some Poe poems do stink, befouled mushrooms in a dank place, some require nerve to read, but your olfactory be ill suited for poetic deconstruction and criticism. Hear Wake you with kisses upon thy face, inject love poems into thy ears, **straight to the brain verbal crack ******* yet even the hearing the whisper of words from my lips, is an insufficient, sensorily speaking methodology, of how a poem, to best comprehend How then? If touch, vision, smell and cursory hearing alone can't essence capture, what then, weary reader, is the supposed Laureate's approved analytical tool? Taste *Each letter, a morsel in your mouth, Each phrase, a fork full of pleasure, Each stanza, a full fledged member in a tasting menu, Perfect only in conjunction with the preceding flavor, and the one that follows,  and the one that follows.* Taste each poem upon thy tongue and then pass it on, you know how.... Each word, whether chewed thoroughly, or lightly placed upon a bud for flavor, needs the careful consideration of your mouth. Feel the light pressure of the tongues tip upon the roof of your mouth and the exalted exhalations of air rushing past thy cheeks as you messenger breath from your chest to be shared with the world, over the poem's interpreter, your tasting lips. As I lay each word down, a brick by brick edifice construct of mine own design, I am sated, fulfilled only, when with I see your lips move as you savor my words, my taste you share, and we are closer for it. Deaf, dumb and blind, all such travails can be conquered, assailed, but when I cannot, no longer anymore taste my poems upon thy lips, then I breathe no more.
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May 26, 2013
May 26, 2013 at 8:13 AM UTC
Not with Your Eyes
How to Read a Poem (Hint:  Not With Your Eyes) Touch You cannot lift or load it, over your shoulder, throw it, to best assay its weight - is it ponderous, full of big *** gravitas or a snack, a parfait desert, a haiku delight? You cannot touch it, but it can touch you, It can grasp both your shoulders, shake you from complacency, put its hands upon thy throat, gasp emit, a scream demanded, paint whimsy lines on thy face, from ear to ear. See With yours eyes, by a mere glance, true reveal its length, stanzas multiple or an itty bitty ditty, but this gives no value clue,   Ogden Nash vs. Tennyson, in two minutes make you laugh, in twenty, make you beg, mercy! Smell Some Poe poems do stink, befouled mushrooms in a dank place, some require nerve to read, but your olfactory be ill suited for poetic deconstruction and criticism. Hear Wake you with kisses upon thy face, inject love poems into thy ears, **straight to the brain verbal crack ******* yet even the hearing the whisper of words from my lips, is an insufficient, sensorily speaking methodology, of how a poem, to best comprehend How then? If touch, vision, smell and cursory hearing alone can't essence capture, what then, weary reader, is the supposed Laureate's approved analytical tool? Taste *Each letter, a morsel in your mouth, Each phrase, a fork full of pleasure, Each stanza, a full fledged member in a tasting menu, Perfect only in conjunction with the preceding flavor, and the one that follows,  and the one that follows.* Taste each poem upon thy tongue and then pass it on, you know how.... Each word, whether chewed thoroughly, or lightly placed upon a bud for flavor, needs the careful consideration of your mouth. Feel the light pressure of the tongues tip upon the roof of your mouth and the exalted exhalations of air rushing past thy cheeks as you messenger breath from your chest to be shared with the world, over the poem's interpreter, your tasting lips. As I lay each word down, a brick by brick edifice construct of mine own design, I am sated, fulfilled only, when with I see your lips move as you savor my words, my taste you share, and we are closer for it. Deaf, dumb and blind, all such travails can be conquered, assailed, but when I cannot, no longer anymore taste my poems upon thy lips, then I breathe no more.
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52
Why do I smell cinnamon in the corner of the room? We must begin this taxing slow-dance before my mother hears us. My Cradle. Your Cradle.             I felt your pulse spike before my back hit the wall.             And we’re both young enough to say this can’t really mean anything. The sea whisper’d me. The staunch, scarlet statues. The ringing phone in the glove compartment.             No, I’ll take paper, instead. The renegade robots are all dead. This flight. This grip.             Talk to the scumbag rocker in the Primus hoodie.             Did you spy the shoes on the power lines?             Don’t worry – we’ll keep our arms at the level of our eyes. We bumped into the roses in the closet. A wasp could sting you then sting me. Such is the burden of my position --             An interpreter and a translator of the venom             passed through a sting.             The mail-sorter in the dead letter office. Oh, hey --             Could you stake your paw print on it? I would take the slivers from this past year’s thigh. Down a trickle, faceted deep within a pulled star’s root. I’ll follow that root back to where it came – dig and pitch the grime from a catalyst’s pores. Times slopes and our teeth rattle with each somersaulting channel of memories.
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May 31, 2012
May 31, 2012 at 7:09 PM UTC
To Fill a Space
Hidden like a treasure inside my chest. Buried under the palms of my hands. Well kept, well protected. Like a secret. Sustains the unsaid. Interpreter of the acceptable. These hands have caught the salty tears of sweet miseries. They've known the touch of beauty in its highest form of perfection. These hands can melt together in a beautiful interlock and become one. Part of a beautiful history they are. They've folded themselves into prayers of despair. An extension piece of the inexplicable tongue they are. So don't tell me that hands can't speak. They have a code. A voice. They are a language. These hands will be ready to comfort, to hold and to love. A poetic instrument they are. Without them poetry would non-exist. Non-written. Where would i be? Lost, like souls without peace.
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Dec 29, 2013
Dec 29, 2013 at 10:52 PM UTC
Hands down
My friends a pizza cowboy My uncles a interpreter For the grainery My cousin lives inside Dry mouths and my mother Makes fake smiles my other cousin sticks his pruned up Hands in rivers of unwanted pasta My father makes sure Boats do not go gently Against the stolen tides. I think of the underdogs Whenever were all together We sit on the same green couches Durring the holidays. The same ones that tell us No matter what happens Were going to be ok.  We sink And recline in the coushins And forget about Nine to five for a few honest hours.   While we drink and eat and lauph Underneath the same old popcorn celings. The same living room Where every thing happening now never went unoticed because Ireland found England after The bombs after the soccer game Where she said (after the game) "I want nothing to do with that ******* Are you sure about that grandma. Better stay away from uncle george (the keeper) He wants you to meet his friend (the forward) Who played for the Blackburn rovers.
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Sep 10, 2013
Sep 10, 2013 at 1:09 AM UTC
family background