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Carla Marie May 2013
Cardinal Number…  The product of ten and five... or
Degrees of temperature… or half’a century … or the amount of feet
I be screamin for folks  to
Back up and give me
labor pains… and mental strain… Losses…  Gains…   and I’m still sane and baby
I’ve paid my dues…  yes sir I’ve paid some dues… and at times…
Paid a coupla other folks dues too… rememberin
stretchin the hell out some red beans & rice…
candle lit camp outs in the livin room… laughin our way through unpaid bills… rememberin
hiding behind bushes… jumping from tree to tree…  so they think they’re
trick or treatin by themselves… thinkin
Can you say “TEENAGER”…  I sho can… both bein one…  and raisin some…
shootin from the hip tryin ta figure it all out…
Young folks askin you the meanin of life… and YOU don’t even know yet what it’s all about...
Gettin mad when HER teacher gave YOUR science project a C… cuz you know YOU do A work...
Sittin off by yourself as he walks across the stage… cuz this moment is to be savored...
Learnin the difference between ALONE and LONELY…  
Learnin that **** is not something you take off or put on… ******, **** just is…
Learnin to work with what you got...
Learnin that nobody can MAKE you happy… you got to find that for yourself...
Learnin to see the Big Picture and pick out whats important… cuz
It’s tough to get to Fifty…
That’s why a lotta folks don’t make it….
All the moments… good and bad…
break ups…
break downs…
and breakthroughs...
It’s Fifty…
And by Fifty
We’ve all paid our dues…
Yes, Fifty
You've paid your dues…  and if you're lucky…  and livin right…
Paid a coupla other folks dues too
Max Neumann Jan 2020
dis here speech addresses all colors
this speech addresses all colors

try to appreciate life
try ta appreciate life feel me?

try ta respect everyone
try to respect everyone

yo maybe eved try ta love people
maybe even try to love people

tis be what i done been learnin' in stationary treatment  
that's what i've been learnin in stationary treatment

if ya don't embrace such values
if you don't embrace such values

try at least tolerating others:

you's black, white and biracial brothers
your black, biracial and white brothers

don't forget you's sisters
don't forget your sisters:

black, biracial, white

24 hours be made of day and night
24 hours are made of day and night

ya feel me?
do you understand?

every man be a mister
every man is a mister

every woman be a lady
every woman is a lady

racists are lazy
racists be lazy

since they don't want to understand "others"
since dey don't finna understand "others"

lovin', tho, be de best mood to make it trough dis state that we call life.

loving, though, is the best mood to make it through this state that we call life.  

from me to you:
from me to you:

MUCH COLORBLIND LOVE
Today is a good day.
Bunhead17 Nov 2013
Intro: 2Pac

There's gon' be some stuff you gon' see
that's gon' make it hard to smile in the future.
But through whatever you see,
through all the rain and the pain,
you gotta keep your sense of humor.
You gotta be able to smile through all this *******.
Remember that.
Mmm, yeah.
Keep ya head up.Yeah.

Verse One: 2Pac

Our lifestyles be close captioned
addicted to fatal attractions
Pictures of actions be played back
in the midst of mashin'
No fairy tales for this young black male
Some see me stranded in this land of hell, jail, and crack sales
Hustlin' and heart be a ***** culture
or the repercutions while bustin' on backstabbin' vultures
Sellin' my soul for material wishes, fast cars and *******
Wishin' I live my life a legend, immortalized in pictures
Why shed tears? Save your sympathy
My childhood years were spent buryin' my peers in the cemetary
Here's a message to the newborns, waitin' to breathe
If you believe then you can achieve
Just look at me
Against all odds, though life is hard we carry on
Livin' in the projects, broke with no lights on
To all the seeds that follow me
protect your essence
Born with less, but you still precious
Just smile for me now

Chours: Johnny P, 2Pac

Smiiiiiile for me , won't you smile (smile for me now)
Just smiiiile (smile), smile for me
(What cha lookin' all sad for, ***** you black, smile for me now)
Smiiiiiile for me (***** you ain't got nothin' to be worried about)
Won't you smile (no doubt, smile for me now) just smiiiiile
(And the next generation)

Verse Two: Scarface

Now as I open up my story
with the blaze a your blunts
And you can picture thoughts slowly
up on phrases I wrote
And I can walk you through the days that I done
I often wish that I could save everyone
but I'm a dreamer
Have you ever seen a ***** who was strong in the game
overlookin' his tomorrows and they finally came?
Look back on childhood memories and I'm still feelin' the pain
Turnin' circles in my life came to dealin' *******
To many hassles in my local life, survivin' the strain
And a man without a focus, life could drive him insane
Stuck inside a ghetto fantasy hopin' it'd change
But when I focus on reality we broke and in chains
Had a dream of livin' wealthy and makin' it big
And after all my momma's thankin' God for blessin' the child
All my momma gots to do now is collect it and smile
Smile

Chorus (without 2pac)

Verse Three: 2Pac

**** the world as we ???? and witness furious speeds
of nasty questions keep us all stressin', curious G's
Backstabbed and bleedin', ******' thoughts laced with ****
Learnin', duckin' stray shots, bullets be hot, they burnin'
Inhalin' sherm smoke, visualized the flames
Will I be smothered by my own pain?
Strange whispers, cowards conversate, so quick to dis us
Takin' pictures for the feds, and desperate hopes they'd get us
Hit us off, give us plenty centuries, forgive my sins
Since I ain't in many penitenturies the best revenge is **** friends
We military minded soldiers, bustin' shots blindly
Tryin' to find Jehovah to help me
Somebody save me
Lost and crazy, scared to drop a seed hopin' I ain't cursed my babies
Maybe now ****** feel me now, picture my pain
embrace my words make the world change
And still I smile *****

(Scarface talking)

And now a moment of silence, let us pray
And as you journey into outerspace
may the angels help to lead the way
shine up on your soul to keep you safe
And all the homies that done passed away
They there to greet you as you pass the gates
And as you headed to the tunnel's light
I hope it leads to eternal life
We say the prayers for our homie 'Pac
Smile

(Smile for me)
(All ya need to do is smile)
(Woooo smile for me)
(Come on smile for me)
R.I.P : (2pac) Tupac Shakur. #bandanna and nose ring  
the lyrics to "Smile" by Tupac.
Emily Jun 2010
We have never had to compete.
You are so much older than I am
So much prettier
So much wittier (you have said so yourself).
You are healthy
Not very wealthy
You proclaim your wisdom.

But I don't think you are as wise as you think.
With your doctorate,
You may have book learnin'
But you never learned how to be a part of our family.

I don't live in a liberal state
I don't eat all organic things
I am not involved in as many things
as you feel I should be
But I am trying to find my way
Without destroying our mother.

Every time you come
You bring chaos
And hurtful words.
You bring blame and hate
And you spew it.

You never think of anyone except
For yourself
And you twist the truth
In your mind,
Like you lied about being kidnapped,
Until you believe that you are the wronged.

You don't feel safe?
I don't feel safe with you.
I'm glad we don't compete...
There's no way I could win,
And hurt Mom, or our sister, or our nephew...
Or anyone
As much as you do.
Deadwood Haiku Mar 2015
it is the learnin'
******' nothin', my friend, that
keeps me lookin' young
Deadwood haiku
Bunhead17 Nov 2013
[Intro: Jhene Aiko]
What's up?
Been a minute since we kicked it, you've been caught up
With them *******, I don't get it, you're a star love
You shouldn't have to deal with that
I'd never make you feel like that
Cause...

[Hook: Jhene Aiko]
I love me, I love me enough for the both of us
That's why you trust me, I know you been through more than most of us
So what are you? What are you, what are you so afraid of?
Darling you, you give but you cannot take love

[Verse 1: Drake]
I needed to hear that ****, I hate when you're submissive
Passive aggressive when we're textin', I feel the distance
I look around the peers that surround me, these ****** trippin'
I like when money makes a difference but don't make you different
Started realizin' a couple places I could take it
I want to get back to when I was that kid in the basement
I want to take it deeper than money, *****, vacation
And influence a generation that's lackin' in patience
I've been dealing with my dad, speakin' of lack of patience
Just me and my old man gettin' back to basics
We've been talkin' 'bout the future and time that we wasted
When he put that bottle down, girl that *****'s amazin'
Well, **** it, we had a couple Coronas
We might have rolled a white paper, just somethin' to hold us
We even talked about you and our couple of moments
He said we should hash it out like a couple of grown ups
You a flower child, beautiful child, I'm in your zone
Lookin' like you came from the 70's on your own
My mother is 66 and her favorite line to hit me with is
Who the **** wants to be 70 and alone?
You don't even know what you want from love anymore
I search for somethin' I'm missing and disappear when I'm bored
But girl, what qualities was I lookin' for before?
Who you settlin' for? Who better for you than the boy, huh?

[Hook]

[Verse 2: Drake]
Thinkin' 'bout Texas, back when Porscha used to work at Treasures
Or further back than that, before I had the Houston leverage
When I got Summer a Michael Kors with my momma's debit
A weak attempt at flexin', I'll never forget it
Cause that night I played her three songs
Then we got to talkin' 'bout something we disagreed on
Then she start tellin' me how I'll never be as big as Trey Songz
Boy was she wrong, that was just negative energy for me to feed off
Now it's therapeutic blowin' money in the Galleria
Or Beverly Center Macy's where I discovered Bria
Landmarks of the muses that inspired the music
When I could tell it was sincere without tryin' to prove it
The one that I needed was Courtney from ******* on Peachtree
I've always been feelin' like she was the piece to complete me
Now she engaged to be married, what's the rush on commitment?
Know we were goin' through some ****, name a couple that isn’t
Remember our talk in the parking lot at the Ritz
Girl I felt like we had it all planned out, I guess I ****** up the vision
Learnin' the true consequences of my selfish decisions
When you find out how I’m livin' I just hope I’m forgiven
It seem like you don’t want this love anymore
I’m actin' out in the open, it’s hard for you to ignore
But girl, what qualities was I lookin' for before?
Who you settlin' for, who better for you than the boy, huh?

[Hook]

[Outro: Baka]
"Been Baka aka Not Nice from time, G. Been a East Side ting. Scarborough ting from time, G, been have up di ting dem from time, G. So I don't know what's wrong with these little wasteman out here eh? Y'all need to know yourself."
I love this song... "From Time" by Drake Ft. Jhene Aiko ****. By: Chilly Gonzales & Noah "40" Shebib
Vinnie Brown Jun 2014
I'm searchin', I'm hurtin', I'm workin'
How can you tell me that I stand above the rest
It’s up to you to wear the weight of that regret like a vest
I’m learnin' that workin' a nine to five was never my purpose, I’m certain
I’m going crazy, or maybe that’s what they made me
I wanna save the world, but can't even save me from myself
It's hard, I'm stuck here trying to follow up my Kindest Regards
I've been staring at this ******' blank page for 24 hours
This made me realize all the fake **** that I see through
This made me realize all the power in an I love you
Now everybody has a dream, see I’m just willing to chase it
This is your story you decide how it’s gonna finally be read
I'm nervous the verses that I write will never sound perfect
I'm here to show you writing can be so much deeper than surface
Stand up
We were the kids who weren't supposed to win so they can’t stand us
Think about it everyday I feel it's finally safe to say that
You
You could be the one to rescue
Rescue me, you could be the one to rescue me.
Witty.
Chik J Duncan Jan 2015
Wee cosy, tranquil Gatehouse Library
Ah come in quite a lot tay see yi,
Tay read yir books and use yir wifi
                An' chat tay Joannie,
Sae noo Ah'm goannie sing yir praises,
                Ah'm pure dead goannie.

Ye're sic' a cultural oasis,
Wan o' ma favourite learnin' places,
Yir books can form the verra basis
                O' Scottish brain power,
Enrichin' minds an' cheeky faces
                O' Scottish wean power.

So let us pray they never close yi
Tay those who would, we will oppose yi.
We'll be the storm an ill wind blows yi
                At sic' a crunch time.
The only closin' we'll allow
                Is Joannie's lunch time.
Over the last year or so of visiting Gatehouse Of Fleet for short breaks I've got to know the librarian, Joan. I was there during Book Week Scotland 2014 and saw a few "love letters to your local library" on the walls.  When I mentioned it to Joan she immediately said, "You could write one too."
"I don't have my laptop or any paper," I said, making a pathetic attempt at an excuse.
"I'll give you some paper," comes the reply.
And so instead of spending the planned hour and a half catching up on some reading, I spent it writing this.

this poetess known as Elizabeth Squires
with ways of writin' by waves to admire
the one i read here caught my attention
managin' all styles of apprehensions

for i love all of her works she gets penned
i say readin' her poems i find well spent
by her, learnin' beauties of Rosarians
i dared attemptin' to the rotarian

this writin' to her, for she to inspire
seein' as one of my inspirations
it's hers becomin' as musin' impends
bein' it against or pro-contrarian

i am a fan of this amazin' ma'am
hopin' she'll keep blessin' us with her slams


*
..love always...




عرفان بن يوسف © AH 24/04/1437

'a (pentameter) Sonnet'
John Thomas Oct 2010
Sometimes I wish I could talk about the pain an hurt that I hold inside..
I guess it’s just a matter of maintaining self worth and emboldened pride…
That, and I hate revealing the scars and wounds I take time to carefully hide…
Because I’m pretty sure that’s not a look of empathy I’m seein there in your eye…

See, I’m usually the last man in the line lookin for a handout or pity…
And sometimes I’d rather stroll at night alone and get swallowed up by the city,
than go out thinking about how I’m feelin hollow an still tryin to act witty..
But it’s a good thing I got drive to get past it and I thank my father that he instilled it in me..

See I grew up a good kid on the wrong side of the tracks, just a half a block past hope..
Had a childish dream of bein a politician or a lawyer but here I am, still *** broke...
That life was stolen when the last bit of air was gasped from my fathers throat..
It wasn't his fault he passed away that night, I just never learned to cope..
Instead I went out an found another life, I stayed hustlin an lightin up dope..
Constantly lookin at my morals dying through a smokey ****** scope...
A shell casing of self loathing almost destroyed the work of my loving folks..

Still through it all my mom an sis never gave up on me though..
Matter of fact, they fought harder for me at times than I did, that's the love I know!
Real talk, my big sister probably saved the life of her little kid bro..
That day she dragged my *** to college, pointed me forward, and told me to go!

I didn’t change overnight though an I’m still walkin forward on that road..
Yea, I’ve stumbled to the point that all I got left now is ****** nubs for toes..
But one foot keeps falling diligently a step ahead of where the other goes..
An aching reminder in every stride that pain and I are forever juxtaposed…

Burned into my consciousness, it’s seared deep with a long list of heartbreaks and R I P’s...
Coupled with the dull ache of lonely nights, lost love, and shattered beliefs…
These thoughts clatter around in my head whether I’m awake or asleep..
But with twin sides to every dagger, it also keeps me sharp on my feet..
Cause I don’t think there’s a heaven with angels pluckin harp strings on a golden street..
It sounds too good to be true… when it ends, I think we just skid to a stop, a whole six feet deep…

To me, there ain’t nothin heavenly about a grave, no matter how elaborate the headstone…
I know from experience that cross displayed won’t ever give you a hug or a friendly welcome home..
Even so, I still persuade myself to open my heart an truly love my fam, now I never fear the unknown..
In order to cope I’m self taught, my lesson plan to shed words instead of tears, formed into a poem..

So I live with the pain inside and hurt that glows deep in my bones and I’m learnin to happily explore it..
Call me a *******, but I figure if I gotta suffer a beautiful life on earth, I might as well be smiling for it..
A collection of saliva sits on the ground.
The substance heaped in a short little mound.
Attention drawn from all around.
As the boy sits in clothes from the lost and found.

        Covered in *****
                    A pant soaked burden
A question asked during learnin’
                                                  The answer being Martin Van Buren

                   Told he shouldn’t be in school
              By those glaringly cruel.
          Constantly made to seem the fool.
Leading to an increase in the pouring drool.

                       His eyes sit at an angle.
              Bulging out as if enduring a quick strangle.
       Caught in the shine of a young girl’s bangle.
He twists his hair into a locked tangle.

The girl bats an eye.
                                 His mouth goes dry.

A boy flicks a small paper ball.
     It sits in the air to pivot and stall.
                                Lands inaccurately out in the hall
                                              The teacher seizes it bracing up against the wall.

Unfolds the note,
        And reads what he wrote.

It held a cruel remark.
About handicap spaces and keeping him for the sake of a quick park.

The boy didn’t wish he were dead.
                Nor was he agonized by the insult recently said.
       The remark went right over his head,
    He was stuck thinking about how sympathy only comes to those who have bled.
Still wet behind the ears

still playing the fool

For God sakes you better wake yourself up

and for a change do something cool

You can do it for money

You can do it for love

for your brothers and your sisters

and the good Lord above

I'm learnin the hard way

don't ask me why

If you don't do a little livin while you're livin

You might as well lay right down and die

lay right down and die

sometimes it seems so silly

I don't know where to begin

what difference does it make

what kind a dirt you're lyin in

You make your money, you play your games

but when you deal your last card

don't it all turn out the same

I'm learnin the hard way

Don't ask me why

If you don't do a little livin while you're livin

You might as well lay right down and die

lay right down and die
YieShawn Scutt Mar 2016
You never find me in big crowds of people
Because from afar it appears fun and peaceful
but looks can often be deceitful
I never had sleepovers with the girls
Because they'd send my emotions sky rocketing in swirls
And I know for a fact I'm fragile like pearls
So putting myself in those situations just seemed cheatfull
don't spend time with many people
I clamp on to one person
They'll throw me a bone and Ill continue the burden
Learnin the hurting has turned me into a person weak people have been subdued to servin
Realizing I'm manipulative
I stalk my prey And do so premeditative  
The cycle starts over every year it's repetitive
To me
The game is easy
Not very competitive
Terry Jordan Oct 2015
When I retire in Ireland
I'll be fit and sixty-five
Then I'll ride the DART for free
and explore the country-side

I'll rent an old thatched cottage
Buy a bicycle with gears
Tool along Connor Pass Road
Out to ******, drink some beers

Eating the Irish breakfasts
Drinking too much Guinness to mention
Uncle Sam sends my social security
I'll collect my teacher's pension

Mornings I'll write a novel
About my Irish sojourn
A boat to Blasket Islands
Some Gaelic I'll be learnin'

I'll check my geneology
The DART to Cork and I go
Fitzpatrick's, a talented family,
Doctors, fighters, writers in the know

Always an ear to the music
Familiar faces all around
Perhaps some long lost relatives
Still in Cork who could be found

Yes, I'm in love with Ireland
The Cliffs of Moher call to me
I'll go hiking west of Doolin
Rent an apartment in Dun Laoghaire (dun leary)
I've enjoyed 2 trips to Ireland and both times felt as if I belonged there, that the faces I saw seemed familiar, like family.
Mike Essig Sep 2015
by Rudyard Kipling*

By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
‘Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!'
      Come you back to Mandalay,
      Where the old Flotilla lay:
      Can't you ‘ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
      On the road to Mandalay,
      Where the flyin'-fishes play,
      An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China ‘crost the Bay!

‘Er petticoat was yaller an' ‘er liggle cap was green,
An' ‘er name was Supi-yaw-lat–jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen,
An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot,
An' a-wastin' Christian kisses on an ‘eathen idol's foot:
      Bloomin' idol made o' mud–
      Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd–
      Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed ‘er where she stud!
      On the road to Mandalay,
      Where the flyin'-fishes play,
      An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China ‘crost the Bay!

When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow,
She'd *** ‘er little banjo an' she'd sing ‘Kulla-lo-lo!'
With ‘er arm upon my shoulder an' ‘er cheek agin my cheek
We useter watch the steamers an' the hathis pilin' teak.
      Elephints a'pilin' teak
      In the sludgy, squdgy creek,
      Where the silence ‘ung that ‘eavy you was ‘arf afraid to speak!
      On the road to Mandalay,
      Where the flyin'-fishes play,
      An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China ‘crost the Bay!

But that's all shove be'ind me–long ago an' fur away,
An' there ain't no ‘busses runnin' from the Bank to Mandalay;
An' I'm learnin' ‘ere in London what the ten-year soldier tells:
‘If you've ‘eard the East a-callin', you won't never ‘eed naught else.'
      No! You won't ‘eed nothin' else
      But them spicy garlic smells,
      An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly-temple -bells;
      On the road to Mandalay,
      Where the flyin'-fishes play,
      An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China ‘crost the Bay!

I am sick o' wastin' leather on these gritty pavin'-stones,
An' the blasted English drizzle wakes the fever in my bones;
Tho' I walks with fifty ‘ousemaids outer Chelsea to the Strand,
An' they talks a lot o' lovin' but wot do they understand?
      Beefy face an' grubby ‘and–
      Law! Wot do they understand?
      I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land!
      On the road to Mandalay,
      Where the flyin'-fishes play,
      An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China ‘crost the Bay!

Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst,
Where there aren't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst;*
For the temple-bells are callin', and' it's there that I would be–
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;
      On the road to Mandalay,
      Where the old Flotilla lay,
      With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay!
      On the road to Mandalay,
      Where the flyin'-fishes play,
      An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China ‘crost the Bay!
Robert McKinlay Jan 2011
The room dark, as I see images pass by
my mind active, I try to ignore...
wealth not clarity,
health a disparity...
an existence started;
invited to beauty.

I don't always have something to say,
learnin' that's okay,
I smile now and think more...
I got so much to adore.

I can be literal,
a fool;
impute magical powers to my being...
and I smile,
and it cracks smooth lines...
a delightful guffaw.

An introduction to me!
Run Run Run,
that little boy...
http://www.robross.ca
jeffrey robin Nov 2014
(                                                            
                                            )
(                                      
                             )
(            
   )
\/
/\
/    \
+

The first time I saw him ....... (!)



I had never seen ........ (!)

///                      

In the park

He ...........
Smiling and carrying on !

By the senior 's center

Sharing himself with those so hungry for love



Then this god almighty beautiful gal
Come up

And they hugged !

And the universe exploded

and I seen

Somethin !

Yeah !

It was somethin



AND THEN THEY BOTH

SMILED AT ME !

//

Man

I ain't been the same since

I DIDNT KNOW !

I JUST DIDNT KNOW !

That the world contained such possibilities !

//

And here I am ......

              ...............
Nomad May 2014
Up that hill,
is an old man,
and that cranky old man,
lives there still.

Lord knows, he's as old as dust,
but his ticker's still tickin,
thank God it don't rust.

Well that ol' man,
was my ol' man,
as old a man can be.
That old man was my old man,
he's my old man to me.

That ol' man,
taught me more than my ol' man could,
but then again, he was never there,
even when he should.
He was gone with the wind,
never to be heard again,
he left ma and me, and the house,
before I ever turned sev-en.

So that ol' man, up on that hill,
treated me better, than any other father will.
Straight off the bat,
he offered me a job,
I worked hard and long,
to earn just a corn on the cob.

But then I came back for more,
hoping for better pay,
but the next thing I knew,
I was fixing his door.

Again I tried,
and with more work
he had already supplied.
Because I was getting paid,
with the knowledge that he readily provide.

He taught me
how to fix up a house,
he taught me how
to bait and trap the pesky little mouse.
Taught me the meanin' of words,
he taught me to not ignore
the small songs of the birds.
That the wind blew this way,
meant for a storm within the day,
that if the sun rose up red,
he taught me something sailors said.

He taught me skills
I that I used around at home,
it kept me out of trouble,
his land big enough to roam.

He was grouchy a lot,
liked to curse and spit too,
but not once did he raise his voice,
and my liking to this man, always grew.

My kid siblings and I
would visit ever chance we got,
it helped us so much,
for a moment, our pains...we forgot.
He tried to keep the grouch on,
every night and day,
but when he saw us kids run up the street,
I saw the grouch in his eyes, all gone.

Sure he didn't like to show it,
his feelings on his sleeve,
but for some strange reason,
I just bet that when he saw us,
all he could be is relieved.

That sweet ol' man,
living up that dusty ol' hill,
gave us hope for our future,
better than any story book father ever will.

He raised us right,
right from the start,
he might've been a Devil's Dog at some point,
lots of bark, but an even better heart.

God Bless that ol' man,
as he lies on his death bed,
I always remember those clear commanding words,
the first words I remember he said.

"Don't Sir me, bullsh!t! I ain't gonna give you a dime's worth o' work! I'm gonna teach ya how to work so you can do it right! *******."

Thanks ol' man, for all the memories,
you promised me that house one day,
I'll turn that dusty hill, to an orchard full of trees!
And I swear to you ol' man,
I'll fix her right back up
make her nice and pretty,
make it as it once was, in its former glory.

For you ol' man,
I'd do anything you if you only ask,
cause you taught me a lotta things,
from livin, lovin, learnin, and all,
and especially 'bout the people, and the people behind the mask.

Thanks Ol' man.
Up on that hill,
the greatest man to live,
and forever
Will.
Jonathan Bell Feb 2014
Things are real heavy weighing on my chest, try to breathe real deep, but can't even take a breath. Thoughts and possibilities are overcrowding my mind, baby mama moved out and my ***** might be doin time. It's hard to keep a smile in a life full of frowns, but happiness is contagious, so I guess that's why it takes the crown! It gives us a purpose, and a reason to thrive, gives us motivation with the option to strive, but that's just it, an option, a possible reality or maybe just another mental concoction. How do we differentiate reality from fiction, well that's the question of life although it's a synonym of affliction. It's death with a positive spin, it's doin bad, while keepin a grin. Life is a learnin lesson disguised in a blessin.
Brycical May 2013
Where do you go
when I look at you?
Feels like floatin through space
suffocating on life’s
little
hang-ups—

Like a starvin' artist
tryin to paint portraits on the metro.
Like a hero who’s
forgotten courage sticking their head in a lion’s mouth oh

When your mind is turnin'
your eyes seem to scream your heart is hurtin' for something more.
At least that’s what it seems to me
as I wonder  

Where do you go
when I look at you?
Feels like floatin’ through space
suffocating on life’s
little
hang-ups—

Like when you try explainin' to me
that are but we aren’t and we gotta wait and see.
Like when we’re sittin’ at the shihsa bar
and you look at me despite not knowing what we are…

But when your mind is turnin’
I’m intent on learnin’ how to understand
until one day you looked at me and said

Where do you go
when I look at you?
Feels like floatin’ through space
suffocating on life’s
little
hang-ups
Keep it in the moment bang-a-rang with your fist up
in the air let it be let be let it be in the air
like Rumi said love calls everywhere and
always

always
always!
Love calls everywhere and always!
Inspired by some recent conversations and pink floyd's more melancholy songs like "Wish You Were Here."
Miley Cyrus Feb 2015
Miss thang learnin how to ****** breathe again
...ya feels ma vibes
I'm hitting up wit dat yoga ****
I don't gotta ***** but I realized that ***** don't bring da sunshine....
That clothes don't bring it
Nor do events n **** like whatevs to life right now
Like I'm infinit...I'm not who I think I am
I'm not who I was yesterday...
Oooh I'm not this one show monkey
I'm poly
I'm a poly
As are you
I'm not this rocker chic who loves miley
...but I am on this journey in digging deep into my soul and allowing the beams to radiate...
Putting down any expectation i have in this whole life thang n breathing...
I'm finally going to live in vitality...
And that's pretty exciting to know of a day where I'm not searching my past 24/7
That I can just breathe, sit back and enjoy my life....
Hint my...
What a dream
To not have a care in the world
But to have all of my cares in the world
And to put those before me...
Terry Jordan Jan 2018
When I retire in Ireland
I'll be fit and sixty-five
Then I'll ride the DART for free
and explore the country-side

I'll rent an old thatched cottage
Buy a bicycle with gears
Tool along Connor Pass Road
Out to ******, drink some beers

Eating the Irish breakfasts
Drinking too much Guinness to mention
Uncle Sam sends my Social Security
I'll collect my teacher's pension

Mornings I'll write a novel
About my Irish sojourn
A boat to Blasket Islands
Some Gaelic I'll be learnin'

I'll check my geneology
The DART to Cork and I go
Fitzpatrick's, a talented family,
Doctors, fighters, writers in the know

Always an ear to the music
Familiar faces all around
Perhaps some long lost relatives
Still in Cork who could be found

Yes, I'm in love with Ireland
The Cliffs of Moher call to me
I'll go hiking west of Doolin
Rent an apartment in Dun Laoghaire (dun leary)
I've enjoyed 2 trips to Ireland and both times felt as if I belonged there, that the faces I saw seemed familiar, like cab-drivers who looked like my brothers.  Also the 1st poem I posted when I joined HP.
dennis drain Aug 2016
Day dreams of having a home that belong to me bought in cash didint get a loan and im the only one who says who can come  and go
In the front its lookin nice enough for a president to roll up
Int the back tho its a party lets ball till throw up
Gang signs excluded unless your included in mine If you wanna chill around font be actin like your learnin is behind no  scraps allowed any ****** time
blue Jan 2017
Isn't eazy
and it isnt fair.
to those very few who i hold dear,
please
forgive me of my disrspects and forgive me of my lies
forgive my hella wrongs
and the stupid alibi's
oh.... and last but not least
to those of y'all who fell victim to
my scandalous deeds.
please don't hate me
i didnt ask to play in this game
so hate the game and not I     
you see Im just a product of the eieghties
at the time a poisoned baby
growing up to be the maybe
who can save me from the shady?
when everyone fits the description
the opposition grow weary cause
I get mine I ain't got time
to think long marinating on
thoughts so  wrong
I find a way through this melee
cause this loco can't affort to lose a single step
cause if i trip then I'm got
i wont quit and i will never stop
its a cold *** world  
but its all part of learnin  
Life is Life
and it isnt meant to be eazy
you live from what youve learned
play with the flame the fire is gonna burn
take in every word and remember what was right
that way  when wrong comes to visit youll have something to win the fight.   









































ou
D
Phil Lindsey Apr 2015
been listn’n to poets
for ten or twelve weeks
ten or twelve weeks
ten or twelve weeks
been listn’n to poets
to hear what they speak
hear what they speak
hear what they speak
been listn’n to lovers
as they open their hearts
open their hearts
open their hearts
been hearin’ the hatred
that tears us apart
tears us apart
tears us apart
been talkin’ to strangers
to tell how I feel
tell how I feel
tell how I feel
been talkin’ to strangers
to show them I’m real
show them I’m real
show them I’m real
been hopin’ and prayin’
that someone will hear
someone will hear
someone will hear
been hopin’ and prayin’
that the end is not near
end is not near
end is not near
been listn’n and hearin’ and talkin’ and prayin’
and hopin’ and seein’ and sharin’ and sayin’
and learnin’ and lookin’ and play’n and waitin’
and showin’ and growin’ and all the time knowin’
if I listen to others they’ll help me to see
help me to see
help me to see
if I listen to others they’ll listen to me
listen to me
listen to me.
Phil Lindsey, April, 2015
Joined HP the end of February, very happy I did.  Great people here:
Thanks!
periodontal disease the bane
of **** Sapiens,
   and many a canine species
   such as Great Dane

or an alien pet smart tumblr trying to feign
bing the best faux pas footed friend
   to kind hearted primates of man kind,
   which latter perhaps an aristocratic
   Anglo Saxon overlord
   generously re pay hay'n

his/her diligent indentured serfs,
   and more importantly air
unlimited pro bono dental care
at Ivy League storied University of Pennsylvania

   School of Dentistry
   which demonstrably crafts aspiring
   reputable Dentists,
   many anon dis track did Engineer
or among other additional
   competitive uber pursuits

   nonetheless, said accredited blessed charges
   per this institution of higher learnin'
   paying back every single buck
renown for plethora of duck
quacking supremely smart graduated students
   drooling to bark out

   bone a fide intelligence fluct
chew waiting genius stratosphere
   comprising grueling vetting process
   scoring acceptance,

   a combination menu demanding
   eminent genetic luck
incorporating top notch
   flying colors and pluck

   initial pre admission screening interview
   (from prospective students
   leaving a positive first impression stuck
   thru rigorous quizzing presentation paces),

   which gauntlet on par with Olympic ardor  
   assiduously, modestly,
   swimmingly convincing board
   with collective listening ear
  
   comprising decision makers, judging fair
   how fated genetic sprig wrought
   (from imponderable hereditary blend his/her
   that above average intelligent head gear

to be applied at afore
   mentioned die hard lessons here
trials and tribulations didst ap pear
at timely juncture at me then young life

   when onset
   of periodontal disease didst rear
innocuously unbeknownst then,
   that...nada one tooth experts could spare
though grievously sad to bid teeth adieu

     now, tis gratitude these words
   pour favor at a tear
and second to none false teeth
   at age LIX doth veer
rill lee inspire this
   very satisfied patient
   February of 2018th year.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
back in the day
aye gladly placed trust
   asper resigned then questionable oral fate
   before hairs turned gray

joining high achiever pact (and pack)
to endure academic gauntlet
   divesting global incentive
   with alacrity, humility, tenacity
and thus this poetic disquisition

to pay homage to aspiring successful
   and alumni sporting ring of brass
aye honor within elite chattering class
   one significant summa *** laude graduate
   sum decades ago,

   perhaps reclining, reflecting, and reimagining
   latex  gloved gloved hands (now retired)
   'pon some tropical island paradise,
   or freshly mown grass

incognito with sun glasses
   revels Doctor John Brent
   perchance bred (bingo) begot astute lass
or lad exemplary instructing

   thru his own blood, sweat and tears
who (for x number of years)
   treated patients in an ever growing mass
sieve lee tending a family dental practice
   within Harleysville, Pennsylvania

asserted superb reference (on my behalf)
   via telephone to Doctor Montgomery
(aye presume) also enjoying
   his twilight phase (if alive - I hope).
Donall Dempsey Feb 2017
AS DEW IN APRYLLE

It is as if
he has fallen

from the end of
the 15th century

into this
present day.

A Friday as it
happens.

And falling from
century to century

he has lost weight
the flesh fallen from him

so that
Simon Sadd

(“Sadd by name…sadd by nature!”)

arrives at this
particular now

nothing but
a bag of bones

with a skin
that no longer fits him.

As if…as if
he had once been a fat man

and Time had
thinned him…tamed him.

And so it is
I bathe him

sing songs for him
recite for him

carols, poems, hymns
anything

that lets him escape
even for a moment

this nursing home.

My voice carries him
back to his Norfolk childhood

where his mother
bathes him

on some forgotten Friday
in the once upon a time.

Soap stings his eyes
then and now.

“Moder ‘ud give us
such a ding on the lug.”

He laughs as if
she were there.

“Cor blarst me...stop yer blarin!
Such a sharmin’!”

he scolds himself
with her voice.

Then she’d hush me with…
“I SYNG OF A MAYDEN”

“I syng of a mayden
þat is makeles,
kyng of alle kynges
to here sone che ches.”

I finish it for him.

“My heart alive…how does
a yung feller like you…no dat!”

  
“He came also stylle
þer his moder was
as dew in aprylle,
þat fallyt on þe gras.”

“You must have high learnin’
bor!”

He, for his part,
creates a world of words.

I enter entranced
into his voice

where a ladybird
transforms itself into

a bishy barneybee!

A woodlouse
becomes a Charley pig.

A jasper
is a wasp.

“Ahhh look a King Harry
by the Lady’s smock!”

And when I look
the goldfinch has

already flown away
into the lost years.

The Canterberry Bells
still…so still

“…as dew in Aprylle.”

His mind a “bishy bishy
barneybee…”

“When will yer weddin’ be?
he says softly to himself

“If it be a ‘marra day..."
I towel him dry.

“Tairk yer wings an’
floi away!”
I SING OF A MAYDEN

I syng of a mayden
þat is makeles,
kyng of alle kynges
to here sone che ches.  

He came also stylle
þer his moder was
as dew in aprylle,
þat fallyt on þe gras.

He cam also stylle
to his moderes bowr
as dew in aprille,
þat fallyt on þe flour.  

He cam also stylle
þer his moder lay
as dew in Aprille,
þat fallyt on þe spray.;  

Moder & mayden
was neuer non but che –
wel may swych a lady
Godes moder be.

***

I SING OF A MAIDEN

I sing of a maiden
That is matchless,
King of all Kings
For her son she chose

He came as still
where his mother was
As dew in April
That falls on the grass

He came as still
To his mother’s bower
As dew in April
That falls on the flower.

He came as still
Where his mother lay
As dew in April
That falls on the spray

Mother and maiden
There was never, ever one but she;
Well may such a lady
God’s mother be

***

Some nice Norfolk words!

bred and born  - instead of "born and bred"

Bishy-barney-bee  -  ladybird

Bor  - friend/boy...pronounced Buh!

Burr -  haze around the moon

charleypig/barneypig  - wood louse

Coshies/cushies   -  sweets

Cuckoo  -   cocoa

Dudder    -  shiver yet shiver for a splinter

Ding   -  sharp blow

Dickey   -  donkey

Dockey  -    a labourer’s dinner

Dodman/dundmun/doderman   -  snail

Duzzy  -  silly

Erriwiggle   -  earwig

fillum    -  film or movie

fumble-******   -  clumsy

gansey   -  jersey

Garp/gorp   -  gape

Co ter heck  - go to hell as in amazement

guzunder  - goes-under...another word for chamber-***

Hedge Betty   -  hedge sparrow

High learned  -  well-educated, clever

Hold yew hard ! -  Hang on there! or Wait a moment!

harnser  - heron or a goose for which the Latin name is Anser

hoddy-doddy (very small)

jiffle   -  fidget

kewter  -  money

King Harry   -  goldfinch

Lady’s smock   -  Canterbury bell

Mardle   -  gossip

mawkin   -  a scarecrow

Muckwash  -  sweat a lot

My heart alive! (expression of surprise or just "my heart"

occard   - awkward

"Oi hent nart gart none",  - "I haven't got any".

Pingle   -  play with your food

Pishamire  -  an ant

Pollywiggle   -  a tadpole

puckaterry   - stress/panic

Quackle  -   to strangle

Rafty   -  damp raw weather

Rimer  -  **** frost

Shiver   -  splinter

skerrick   -  a morsel of food

Smur   -  fine rain drizzle

snob   -  shoemaker

squit   -  nonsense

stannicle   -  tadpole

tempest   -  thunderstorm

"The Fenians are coming!"  - a  commotion nearby.

tittermatorter  -   see-saw

*****-totty   -  very small
a wodge uh Wrigley’s
  ‘ard an knobbly on thuh underside
uh desks

shufflin’ tuh DJ Caspar
  in thuh ‘all
unduh thuh gaze uh
  year three’s

it were
  packed lunches,
dislodging mi brace
  from thuh roof of mi mouth
like extractin’ a tooth,
  scoffin’ bars uh white chocolate

years-old Blu-Tack
  stamped black intuh carpets,
grey plastic-y chairs,
  writin’ learnin’ objectives,
underlinin’ dates
  with shatterproof rulers,
I upgraded tuh a pen
  in year four

same time
  remember listenin’ on the radio
in Scottish Clark’s mobile
  when it wuh Ingland v Brazil,
summer uh ‘02,
  thuh likes of Sheringham, Beckham
in audio only, no picture,
  and thuh TA came in
  ‘alfway throo a lesson,
said ‘we’re out’

and the time
  I cort that cricket ball,
dived and it stung mi hand,
  a crimson-drizzled palm,
throbbin’ ring

and the time
  we played football wi’ tennis *****
and I blurted intuh a trio
  uh eager classmates,
a tumble-shirt compote,
  knee flecked wi’ grit, mi own spit,
skinny whispers uh blood

and thuh time
  I plagiarised Potter
around Azkaban,
  got a Woolies notebook,
ragged Pritt-Sticked cuttins’
  of Watson in the pink ‘oodie,
but it wuh the seed
  for thuh next decade and more,
standin’ up,
  tellin’ a story,
somethin’ or othuh
Written: October 2017.
Explanation: A poem written for university in my own time, influenced by the work of Liz Berry. Changes are very possible. It is written in a slightly exaggerated version of my accent. Please note that Wrigley's refers to the chewing gum company, DJ Caspar to the musician, year three's/year four to students aged between seven and nine in England, Blu-Tack to the putty-like adhesive, 'Ingland' v Brazil to the knockout round match in the World Cup of 2002 (David Beckham and Teddy Sheringham were players at the time), TA to teaching assistant, Woolies to the former British retail chain Woolworths, Pritt-Stick to the glue stick adhesive, and Watson to the actress Emma Watson. A link to my Facebook writing page can be found on my HP home page.
NOTE: Many of my older pieces will be removed from HP at some point in the future.
Michael Marchese Mar 2017
Your Mount Olympus fortresses
Erode and then they crumble  
When my Trojan horse of truth invokes
Unholy Roman rumble
From down under to the jungle
Made of concretes I be steppin'
For the Amazons I'm reppin'
Down to earth, I'm crackin' wise
To the starways I be trekkin'
With a metalcore aggression
Down a dead end street oppression
Up the chain
Of command
A Hindu caste ascension
I'm a lion-hearted man
Cub learnin' from Bageera
I don't fear ya'
cuz' I'll sheer ya'
Khan on some Tarzan drugs
Aheeeyaheeeyaa'n all the Clayton outta my lungs

With a wicked tongue
Venom fangs
Icy veins and monkey brains
Acid spittin' bigger bangs
Where the silver surfer hangs
You will find me chillin'
Like a villain
Drawin' blanks? Let me fill 'em
With the guts that I be spillin'
I be killin' your God willin'
Let me finish, you diminish
What your faith can not replenish
Are the energy resources
You relinquish to the menace
That the devil still endorses
This four horsemen rule enforces
An apocalyptic foot race
To the end of days

End of times
End of all the real divines
Locked inside the mind confines
Imprisoned by the color blinds
Open up and step outside
The system's crooked party lines
Left is wrong, wrong is right
But freedom's always black and white
So leave it, take it, you can't fake it
Higher powers? Easy bake it
Peace through war, you do not make it
Law and order? ******' break it
Rock this world which'yo earthquake ****
Feel the supernova sun
Explode within as you become
The impetus of synthesis
The universe of life and death
Creator of the infinite
Dimensions in a single breath
jeffrey robin Sep 2014
¥            ¥
O     O
@
<>
¥

THE TEACHER

|||

(  Ya know what I mean ?  )



Born in the midnight

Burnin with

The star light

( the midnight Oil )


How ya gonna understand

Everything ya gottta know ?

|||

GOOD QUESTION !        ! JEFFY  BOY!

|||

----------Really ------------

(       YA  GOTTA       KNOW    )

|||

How ya gonna understand

Everything ya gotta know ?

••••
••••

alone

The lonely walk in the woods

He

Slipping away

Out by himself he

Alone in the woods

••••
••••

WE KNOW HE NOT ALONE      !JEFFY BOY!

HE LOOKIN FOF GOD  -- EH !        .!EFFY BOY!   (?)

(   we figured it out  )

|||

///

Well   Sure
He lookin for    Sumpthin

But do he find it ?

Eh ?

What da story here?

What da true story ?

If yer lookin for    IT
have you found out
Anything about what ya gotta find out about ?

I mean

What.   IS   Your story ?

YOURS !

••
••

The beggar in the meadow

Then in the marketplace

Everybody turning
Into a policeman

••

Born in the midnight

Burnin with the star light

( the midnight oil )

LEARNIN  EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW

gentle beggars on the road
Collins Carlin Aug 2014
I'm a blue-collared, back talkin' *******
Without an ounce of respect for this world
Got a beer in my left hand, a guitar in my right
Black eyes that shine like diamonds and pearls

Got a switchblade sharper than your girlfriend's knees
Better hold your breath, baby, I'm a social disease
And if there's one thing with the time I'm alive
If you wanna learn to live, you gotta know how to die

So let's go for a ride through the canyons of Hell
Where we're goin', no one knowin', too afraid to tell
Ain't no stoppin' this train til we're off the tracks
And this conductor says there ain't no turnin' back

Pin the throttle to the floor, three hundred and six
Where the hellraising ******* of rock get their kicks
'Til we're passed out on the tracks and to the heavens we cry
Cuz ain't nothin' like livin' like learnin' to die
Lyrical work in progress.
dennis drain Mar 2017
****....
                You really wanna know??.....
  I can tell you but you better sit And listen.
                             (Chorus:)
See.... growin up I liked to climb trees  
Sway in the breeze.
Somethin bout high places always helped me think.
does anybody understand that I am what I've seen??
I feel alone and different cuz the other kids don't understand my life's position.
All alone on a farm with my grandpa takin my parents position.
Independent and good in the kitchen,
I spent most days learnin how to fit in.
Playin ***, drugs, and prison.
I was to well educated in the art of sinnin
3 years old an adults had my head spinnin
I had trouble sleepin,
I'd stay awake and listen, wishin I could party with the big kids.


I think I'm kinda crazy. I don't show it but-
  I'm always thinkin bout the wrong things.
Hustlin ****** fightin and drugs,
Acted like a ****, i was shown no love
I didint have friends when i was growin up.
Nobody liked me, cuz I was to busy fightin the ones they loved.

I chose to be the most wanted outlaw in history....
I Taught myself to live in the streets.
When no one was lookin I was always crookin.
Looking at life from a delinquents position.
I dreamed of drug dealin, sellin and, cookin.
I saw myself as a gangster in prison.
Practiced cuz I figured that a menace needs
To know what he's dealin with if gonna
Grow up to be a street soldier.
there are things i want to say
to the nobody listening
youll be somebody some day
if you live long enough
so settle in
do everything your way
the lessons in the learning it
the journey not the destination
death decides the terminus
time is neither measure
nor a tether on your consciousness
its time to take no notice
when the watch is on anothers wrist
the sooner you remember to forget it
then it doesnt exist
the longer you can stay in the now
because thats all their is
be ignorant of others wants
with full awareness of their wishes
try to help where you can
never harm
unless they raise their fists
violence begets violence
when youre in a fight
remember this
words can take a bigger bite
so try to end it with your lips
many a night began in anger
became morning kisses
we could speak the same language
but we all respond to it differently
reaction has a knack
of turning nothing into certainty
perspective requires distance from the self
to ever truly see
whats in front of it
dennis drain Mar 2017
****....
                You really wanna know??.....
  I can tell you but you better sit And listen.
                             (Chorus:)
See.... growin up I liked to climb trees  
Sway in the breeze.
Somethin bout high places always helped me think.
does anybody understand that I am what I've seen??
I feel alone and different cuz the other kids don't understand my life's position.
All alone on a farm with my grandpa takin my parents position.
Independent and good in the kitchen,
I spent most days learnin how to fit in.
Playin ***, drugs, and prison.
I was to well educated in the art of sinnin
3 years old an adults had my head spinnin
I had trouble sleepin,
I'd stay awake and listen, wishin I could party with the big kids.


I think I'm kinda crazy. I don't show it but-
  I'm always thinkin bout the wrong things.
Hustlin ****** fightin and drugs,
Acted like a ****, i was shown no love
I didint have friends when i was growin up.
Nobody liked me, cuz I was to busy fightin the ones they loved.

I chose to be the most wanted outlaw in history....
I Taught myself to live in the streets.
When no one was lookin I was always crookin.
Looking at life from a delinquents position.
I dreamed of drug dealin, sellin and, cookin.
I saw myself as a gangster in prison.
Practiced cuz I figured that a menace needs
To know what he's dealin with if gonna
Grow up to be a street soldier.
OnwardFlame Aug 2016
A ******* the train
Rubs her damp weary bangs
Grease oozing into her finger tips
Like it all might provide solutions
I feel like I've been expanding
Growing from fear and excess
I go from love to hatred
For my body, for my brain
And I know I ain't alone.

You could be the one we excitedly say
Mama and papa ruin it for me
Like they get to choose
When we decided to have a night apart
I didn't fight you on it
Cuz it's new and we learnin'
I don't get to wear eye make up tonight
I'm tired and won't be as good as a two
And made me own plans for Friday
Just because I have my own feet.

You give so much love and a listening ear
My stomachs been bothering me
I'm gonna dance so much Friday
And call you on the phone
Just to say I adore you baby.

I'm so sick of not getting paid
everyone ask if I'm making that money yet
Judge me if I regrettably say no for now
Luxuriate in what's not mine
But can't you all see I'm my own worst enemy
Gonna be late to this student film
Don't even care.


You are having a hard time today too
And it's this moment where I nod to myself and think
I'm weary and so sick of
High and mighty
I know better than you
Opinions.

So I sweat and swear
Struggle to find my transfer train
Feeling bloated and worthless
And drag myself to the next thing.

— The End —