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"minstrel" poems
my love thy hair is one kingdom the king whereof is darkness thy forehead is a flight of flowers thy head is a quick forest filled with sleeping birds thy ******* are swarms of white bees upon the bough of thy body thy body to me is April in whose armpits is the approach of spring thy thighs are white horses yoked to a chariot of kings they are the striking of a good minstrel between them is always a pleasant song my love thy head is a casket of the cool jewel of thy mind the hair of thy head is one warrior innocent of defeat thy hair upon thy shoulders is an army with victory and with trumpets thy legs are the trees of dreaming whose fruit is the very eatage of forgetfulness thy lips are satraps in scarlet in whose kiss is the combinings of kings thy wrists are holy which are the keepers of the keys of thy blood thy feet upon thy ankles are flowers in vases of silver in thy beauty is the dilemma of flutes thy eyes are the betrayal of bells comprehended through incense
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160.2k
My Love
You're the Wacky Wolf-man, Tearing through our pages with a single huff. Breathing life into us little piggies, Blasting your way through the daily fluff. You're the Word Wizard. Leaving us in awe and in dribbles. Waving your wand, Conjuring magical and spellbinding scribbles. You're the Living Legend, Almost like a deity of some sort. Garnering shiploads of admiration, Through words of encouragement, banter and retort. You're the Bad Boy Bard... Never mincing your words. Unconventional, you howl amidst the flocks... You never did chirp like the birds... You're the Minstrel Mobster, Shooting your Tommy, never missing. Flicking forward your fedora, Strung lute ever smoking. You're one Cool Cat. Fending off haters with a bat. Everyone just wants to be that. Like a superhero whose symbol is a bat... You're a Gem Generator. Cogs and gears churning the jewels laid Machine malfunction! My system's jammed! Well I guess that's just it... Enough said!
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Oct 5, 2014
Oct 5, 2014 at 3:18 PM UTC
Marvel Man
White folks: pack your bags and go. Our nut-brown world is quite offended. Make your shame-faced exit NOW, And leave your mansions unattended. Wait—before you pass the doors, It's time to settle ethnic scores. No more ragtime Minstrel Show. Our Moorish Science took it down. Black lives matter. White, less so— Now move your pale face out of town . . . But first, shell out for racial shame Caucasian losers of the game. Cultural pride is ours alone: Kings and Egyptian queens we were. The glories of our race, well-known Bedazzle in a darkened blur (Clear to Africa's descendants— Puzzling to you white dependents). Blackness lent your world its light, Taught the Dutch to tend those flowers. Scandinavia grew bright Under our beneficent powers. Negroes gave your blondes their beauty; Helped those Norsemen shake their ***** The Seven Wonders of the world: We built them all. No vain conjecture Dims our banner, black, unfurled, Above eternal architecture. Arts and knowledge gained from us Are what we threaten to discuss. We invented math and science Which you robbed from Timbuktu. Swarthy wisdom's brave defiance Caused Old Europe to renew. All our treasure that you plundered Testifies: your days are numbered. Classics of our Greeks you stole: Philosophy was never yours. Shame upon your racist soul; For Bach and Mozart both were Moors. Misappropriated treasures call for ruthless hard-line measures. Latino fate falls next—but, where ? Jews, Turks, and Arabs: are you. . . white ? Orientals everywhere: Choose your side and join the fight. Blackness rising! Late the hour; Heed your call to fight the power. Crackers need to check your race— Stop rooting for that ****** clown. Rednecks all up in our face; Racist throwbacks got us down. But as your statues bite the dust Your light goes dark (you know it must). So move on out, oppressor, thief. Long have you held our nation back. In some white galaxy seek relief— But here the light itself is black. Stars are racist. So is the sun. Now let God's great black will be done.
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Sep 23, 2017
Sep 23, 2017 at 12:03 PM UTC
Betting on the Races
White folks: pack your bags and go. Our nut-brown world is quite offended. Make your shame-faced exit NOW, And leave your mansions unattended. Wait—before you pass the doors, It's time to settle ethnic scores. No more ragtime Minstrel Show. Our Moorish Science took it down. Black lives matter. White, less so— Now move your pale face out of town . . . But first, shell out for racial shame Caucasian losers of the game. Cultural pride is ours alone: Kings and Egyptian queens we were. The glories of our race, well-known Bedazzle in a darkened blur (Clear to Africa's descendants— Puzzling to you white dependents). Blackness lent your world its light, Taught the Dutch to tend those flowers. Scandinavia grew bright Under our beneficent powers. Negroes gave your blondes their beauty; Helped those Norsemen shake their ***** The Seven Wonders of the world: We built them all. No vain conjecture Dims our banner, black, unfurled, Above eternal architecture. Arts and knowledge gained from us Are what we threaten to discuss. We invented math and science Which you robbed from Timbuktu. Swarthy wisdom's brave defiance Caused Old Europe to renew. All our treasure that you plundered Testifies: your days are numbered. Classics of our Greeks you stole: Philosophy was never yours. Shame upon your racist soul; For Bach and Mozart both were Moors. Misappropriated treasures call for ruthless hard-line measures. Latino fate falls next—but, where ? Jews, Turks, and Arabs: are you. . . white ? Orientals everywhere: Choose your side and join the fight. Blackness rising! Late the hour; Heed your call to fight the power. Crackers need to check your race— Stop rooting for that ****** clown. Rednecks all up in our face; Racist throwbacks got us down. But as your statues bite the dust Your light goes dark (you know it must). So move on out, oppressor, thief. Long have you held our nation back. In some white galaxy seek relief— But here the light itself is black. Stars are racist. So is the sun. Now let God's great black will be done.
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60
Because my mouth Is wide with laughter And my throat Is deep with song, You do not think I suffer after I have held my pain So long? Because my mouth Is wide with laughter, You do not hear My inner cry? Because my feet Are gay with dancing, You do not know I die?
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11.6k
Minstrel Man
They cut it down, and where the pitch-black aisles Of forest night had hid eternal things, They scaled the sky with towers and marble piles To make a city for their revellings. White and amazing to the lands around That wondrous wealth of domes and turrets rose; Crystal and ivory, sublimely crowned With pinnacles that bore unmelting snows. And through its halls the pipe and sistrum rang, While wine and riot brought their scarlet stains; Never a voice of elder marvels sang, Nor any eye called up the hills and plains. Thus down the years, till on one purple night A drunken minstrel in his careless verse Spoke the vile words that should not see the light, And stirred the shadows of an ancient curse. Forests may fall, but not the dusk they shield; So on the spot where that proud city stood, The shuddering dawn no single stone revealed, But fled the blackness of a primal wood.
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9.9k
The Wood
∙∙∙◦◦•◎•◦◦∙∙∙ Caribbean blue sail's a galaxy rivers gushing, mumbling for an eternity reflections of Love forms to thee Suddenly silence adumbrate aesthete, A lustful tint of Peruvian trees petrichor whiffs of earth's virginity A syzygy that I can't apprehend but, can fully appreciate its denouement rebirth of once I fell in love been Listen to its sotto voce ruffling preterlabent streams, resplendent hymns humming grasses cues to sing Upon the mountain tops hidden rocks of geos sighting a treasure within only to discover lore’s of forbidden Cascading trees whispered a cold a journey I never knew how to go as told trap between floras along the road Propinquity of my eyes closing thin soul reserved for death, till breath hops in trodden a land ****** for me to begin A minstrel with hands like marbles strung a fiddle of tessellated symphonies open wonders the eyes never seen A bouquet of amaranth revealed the longing heart found someone of new sighs my feelings and away I strew
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Jul 8, 2017
Jul 8, 2017 at 3:22 AM UTC
Xenization of a Lover's Heart
Resplendent rose, luminous green, Lucid paradisaical palette, The jewel delivers It's dyed, distinctive sheen Graciously, unassumingly Casting a pink and emerald crewel Coalescing into traces, Cuisine for sunbeams Brushing nature's easel -- Bedecking the constellation lighting on earth, Realizing among tureens: Scalloped edge profusions offering The spoonbill waif Sweet adrenaline, Fueling it's sojourn in the atmosphere. Bird of prey, humming minstrel, Airy, iridescent meddler Between red blooms, Distant gem's sparkle Gracing redolent, languid afternoons Cloaked in shimmering velveteen, Beating velocious wings, remaining still.
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Aug 13, 2010
Aug 13, 2010 at 9:11 AM UTC
Hummingbird
Inside the Rainbow Forest Where unicorns are born, And fairy dust floats on the air From sundown until dawn, There dwells in royal splendour Yet very rarely seen, The king of all the pixies With his pretty pixie queen. His palace is a mushroom As tall as any tree, With bright red spots upon it That will make you squeal with glee. A winding golden staircase Stretches to the very top, In a mesmerizing spiral That you think will never stop. All those brave enough to climb it Would soon chance upon a door, With the most enormous knocker That you really ever saw. One hard tap summons the butler, A polite and friendly gnome, Serving tea and fondant fancies That will make you feel at home. Through a maze of vaulted chambers Each more lavish than the last, Passing walls lined with the portraits Of kings from the distant past, That dear gnome shall gently guide you, With much merriment and song, To the Great Hall of his master Who resides there all day long. From beneath a silver archway Set with precious gems galore, You will enter to the fanfare Of ten trumpets, maybe more. Dainty apple blossom petals Shall be scattered at your feet, As you bow your head in homage To the king you are to meet. With a heart bursting with wonder You will hastily be brought, To the throne of his most highness Far across the royal court, Threading through the marble towers Of an ornate colonnade, And a troupe of prancing dragons With their riders on parade. Seated high upon a pumpkin In a matching orange gown, Curly shoes of bright green velvet And an elderflower crown, The king shall bid you welcome With a beaming toothy grin, As he beckons to the minstrel For the music to begin. With his beard like cotton candy Waving wildly in the air, As he slides down to embrace you From atop his lofty chair, Both your arms shall link together To the fiddler's merry tune, Clicking heels and laughing loudly As you skip around the room. In the magic of the moment You will give yourself to fun, As the mischief making monarch Tweaks your ears and cracks a pun, All those cares your heart now carries Shall dissolve and simply be Lost in wondrous celebration Of a pixie jamboree!
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Sep 27, 2014
Sep 27, 2014 at 6:38 PM UTC
The Pixie King
Inside the Rainbow Forest Where unicorns are born, And fairy dust floats on the air From sundown until dawn, There dwells in royal splendour Yet very rarely seen, The king of all the pixies With his pretty pixie queen. His palace is a mushroom As tall as any tree, With bright red spots upon it That will make you squeal with glee. A winding golden staircase Stretches to the very top, In a mesmerizing spiral That you think will never stop. All those brave enough to climb it Would soon chance upon a door, With the most enormous knocker That you really ever saw. One hard tap summons the butler, A polite and friendly gnome, Serving tea and fondant fancies That will make you feel at home. Through a maze of vaulted chambers Each more lavish than the last, Passing walls lined with the portraits Of kings from the distant past, That dear gnome shall gently guide you, With much merriment and song, To the Great Hall of his master Who resides there all day long. From beneath a silver archway Set with precious gems galore, You will enter to the fanfare Of ten trumpets, maybe more. Dainty apple blossom petals Shall be scattered at your feet, As you bow your head in homage To the king you are to meet. With a heart bursting with wonder You will hastily be brought, To the throne of his most highness Far across the royal court, Threading through the marble towers Of an ornate colonnade, And a troupe of prancing dragons With their riders on parade. Seated high upon a pumpkin In a matching orange gown, Curly shoes of bright green velvet And an elderflower crown, The king shall bid you welcome With a beaming toothy grin, As he beckons to the minstrel For the music to begin. With his beard like cotton candy Waving wildly in the air, As he slides down to embrace you From atop his lofty chair, Both your arms shall link together To the fiddler's merry tune, Clicking heels and laughing loudly As you skip around the room. In the magic of the moment You will give yourself to fun, As the mischief making monarch Tweaks your ears and cracks a pun, All those cares your heart now carries Shall dissolve and simply be Lost in wondrous celebration Of a pixie jamboree!
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72
By: Cedric McClester You lying *** You so and so, You didn’t know, That she would go? As if the general Didn’t tell you though, You’re claiming ignorance And putting on a show You lying *** You so and so Keep it up And your nose will grow Just like the puppet Pinocchio You’re trying to reach A new plateau You lying *** You so and so, You paint a picture But you’re no Van Gogh You’re gonna fall Like a domino See you belong In a minstrel show You lying *** You so and so, You hired her Don’t cha think We know? That you’re duplicitous As world leaders know, yo Like Canada's Justin Trudeau Cedric McClester,  Copyright © 2018.  All rights reserved.
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Aug 13, 2018
Aug 13, 2018 at 7:16 PM UTC
YOU LYING ***
My palms rest Upon the blackened trunk Of a melancholy hawthorn It's choked wood crumbling Into dust Falling between my fingers I rest the side of my face My good ear listening For the tree's whispered secrets... Through the tunnels of my ear The plucking of a lute... The kind voice of a lone minstrel.... Is echoed in every Corner of my mind Promising eternal memory The minstrel sits under a tree The same tree whose burned Breast stands against my face Only a thousand years in the past When the hawthorns skin Was a gold brown tan Fresh and beautiful When pink and white blossoms Grew amongst its green leaves Fresh and beautiful When the young hawthorn's Memory was still young Fresh and beautiful.... The old minstrel sat with his gnarled back Against the hawthorn's body Willow wood lute in hand Face lined with Twelve thousand wrinkles White beard long and weathered Old eyes conversing With the overhanging branches The old minstrel plucks the Gut strings of his lute As if plucking kisses From a **** lover... The lute Being the minstrel's Only companion So many years.... Returning from the hawthorn's Memory of the past It drew tears from My closed eyes I kiss the burned Body of the old tree... Tasting ashes on my wet lips I embrace the tree All my love pouring through This embrace As if we were making love Under the stormy Smoky sky With the ending sighs Of my lungs The hawthorn's Last flow of water The remaining embers Burning black and blood red Engulf both our bodies Our wailing voices Echoing for days.... All that is left Two piles Of gray ashes One to keep the other company In this melancholy World....
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Aug 16, 2012
Aug 16, 2012 at 10:35 PM UTC
Burning Hawthorn
My palms rest Upon the blackened trunk Of a melancholy hawthorn It's choked wood crumbling Into dust Falling between my fingers I rest the side of my face My good ear listening For the tree's whispered secrets... Through the tunnels of my ear The plucking of a lute... The kind voice of a lone minstrel.... Is echoed in every Corner of my mind Promising eternal memory The minstrel sits under a tree The same tree whose burned Breast stands against my face Only a thousand years in the past When the hawthorns skin Was a gold brown tan Fresh and beautiful When pink and white blossoms Grew amongst its green leaves Fresh and beautiful When the young hawthorn's Memory was still young Fresh and beautiful.... The old minstrel sat with his gnarled back Against the hawthorn's body Willow wood lute in hand Face lined with Twelve thousand wrinkles White beard long and weathered Old eyes conversing With the overhanging branches The old minstrel plucks the Gut strings of his lute As if plucking kisses From a **** lover... The lute Being the minstrel's Only companion So many years.... Returning from the hawthorn's Memory of the past It drew tears from My closed eyes I kiss the burned Body of the old tree... Tasting ashes on my wet lips I embrace the tree All my love pouring through This embrace As if we were making love Under the stormy Smoky sky With the ending sighs Of my lungs The hawthorn's Last flow of water The remaining embers Burning black and blood red Engulf both our bodies Our wailing voices Echoing for days.... All that is left Two piles Of gray ashes One to keep the other company In this melancholy World....
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73
grow a beard... buy a jazz double-bass... start stroking it... attempt to look pensive... and then write some Cockney comedy... and?    **** Oxford.       **** 'em good; can't be, ******* arsed...           where's a ******* jazz double bass the kind i need to stand up to play?! where?!     gone, "nowhere"...         Achilles would sooner find a tortoise, you ******* half-whit bull bullock base catcher... yummy yummy... no ******* double whammy if there ain't a greasy dough nnnnnnnn in my mouth oozing a squid's mating call... from the Jules Verne estimate of how... big the ******* could become... oh please...    **** is a conjunction word... akin to and...      spew effect, regurgitation, founded upon... so... so... farting in a public place is less offensive than uttering a word of oath?! **** me...     more **** less ***** images... i guess that's how you habitually attack Christian h'america... **** **** **** and impose a curb of a ***** show me the puppies kitchen ***** Kentucky style **** ******* wankers... dreaming up some **** in long lost Cockney rhyming slang for some: willkommen zu verirrt amstetten... .................... ................................... .............. ................ SCHMILE... boorish ******* gnomes dancing the leprechaun gamblers' dance... skivvy ************* sure... censor the words... but god forbid you censor showing all the ******* because... if you do? guess what... i might forget my farming impulse... of imagining a a cleavage to also imply a pork buttocks... funny... how a show of cleavage is synonymous with a show of pork buttocks... and then i begin thinking of milking... which throws a ***** **** out with the baby and the bathwater and... i'm shinging... what's that name of the place?! New Orleans! yeah... like some minstrel in that part of the world that part of the world that's a ******** what?! you spew on me... i spew on you... we can at least exchange... what we "love" about each other... but i implore! i implore! visit Warsaw! alone... no, not with other people... ah-loan - a-l-o-n-e.... i'll be your companion, when you peer at your shadow, and attempt, to pretend, to disappear.
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Sep 11, 2018
Sep 11, 2018 at 8:48 PM UTC
Wankers United
grow a beard... buy a jazz double-bass... start stroking it... attempt to look pensive... and then write some Cockney comedy... and?    **** Oxford.       **** 'em good; can't be, ******* arsed...           where's a ******* jazz double bass the kind i need to stand up to play?! where?!     gone, "nowhere"...         Achilles would sooner find a tortoise, you ******* half-whit bull bullock base catcher... yummy yummy... no ******* double whammy if there ain't a greasy dough nnnnnnnn in my mouth oozing a squid's mating call... from the Jules Verne estimate of how... big the ******* could become... oh please...    **** is a conjunction word... akin to and...      spew effect, regurgitation, founded upon... so... so... farting in a public place is less offensive than uttering a word of oath?! **** me...     more **** less ***** images... i guess that's how you habitually attack Christian h'america... **** **** **** and impose a curb of a ***** show me the puppies kitchen ***** Kentucky style **** ******* wankers... dreaming up some **** in long lost Cockney rhyming slang for some: willkommen zu verirrt amstetten... .................... ................................... .............. ................ SCHMILE... boorish ******* gnomes dancing the leprechaun gamblers' dance... skivvy ************* sure... censor the words... but god forbid you censor showing all the ******* because... if you do? guess what... i might forget my farming impulse... of imagining a a cleavage to also imply a pork buttocks... funny... how a show of cleavage is synonymous with a show of pork buttocks... and then i begin thinking of milking... which throws a ***** **** out with the baby and the bathwater and... i'm shinging... what's that name of the place?! New Orleans! yeah... like some minstrel in that part of the world that part of the world that's a ******** what?! you spew on me... i spew on you... we can at least exchange... what we "love" about each other... but i implore! i implore! visit Warsaw! alone... no, not with other people... ah-loan - a-l-o-n-e.... i'll be your companion, when you peer at your shadow, and attempt, to pretend, to disappear.
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104
The chrysolites and rubies Bacchus brings To crown the feast where swells the broad-vein'd brow, Where maidens blush at what the minstrel sings, They who have coveted may covet now. Bring me, in cool alcove, the grape uncrush'd, The peach of pulpy cheek and down mature, Where every voice (but bird's or child's) is hush'd, And every thought, like the brook nigh, runs pure.
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3.6k
The Chrysolites And Rubies Bacchus Brings
Ring Out, Wild Bells by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light; The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. Ring out the grief that saps the mind, For those that here we see no more, Ring out the feud of rich and poor, Ring in redress to all mankind. Ring out a slowly dying cause, And ancient forms of party strife; Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweeter manners, purer laws. Ring out the want, the care the sin, The faithless coldness of the times; Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes, But ring the fuller minstrel in. Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease, Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring in the valiant man and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring out the darkenss of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be.
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3.4k
Ring Out, Wild Bells
Ethereal minstrel! pilgrim of the sky! Dost thou despise the earth where cares abound? Or, while the wings aspire, are heart and eye Both with thy nest upon the dewy ground? Thy nest which thou canst drop into at will, Those quivering wings composed, that music still! Leave to the nightingale her shady wood; A privacy of glorious light is thine; Whence thou dost pour upon the world a flood Of harmony, with instinct more divine; Type of the wise who soar, but never roam; True to the kindred points of Heaven and Home!
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3.2k
To A Skylark
I The Princess sings: I am the princess up in the tower And I dream the whole day thro’ Of a knight who shall come with a silver spear And a waving plume of blue. I am the princess up in the tower, And I dream my dreams by day, But sometimes I wake, and my eyes are wet, When the dusk is deep and gray. For the peasant lovers go by beneath, I hear them laugh and kiss, And I forget my day-dream knight, And long for a love like this. II The Minstrel sings: I lie beside the princess’ tower, So close she cannot see my face, And watch her dreaming all day long, And bending with a lily’s grace. Her cheeks are paler than the moon That sails along a sunny sky, And yet her silent mouth is red Where tender words and kisses lie. I am a minstrel with a harp, For love of her my songs are sweet, And yet I dare not lift the voice That lies so far beneath her feet. III The Knight sings: O princess cease your dreams awhile And look adown your tower’s gray side— The princess gazes far away, Nor hears nor heeds the words I cried. Perchance my heart was overbold, God made her dreams too pure to break, She sees the angels in the air Fly to and fro for Mary’s sake. Farewell, I mount and go my way, —But oh her hair the sun sifts thro’— The tilts and tourneys wait my spear, I am the Knight of the Plume of Blue.
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3k
The Princess In The Tower
O BID the minstrel tune his harp, And bid the minstrel sing; And let it be a perfect strain That round the hall shall ring: A strain to throb in lady's heart, To brim the warrior's soul, As dew fills up the summer rose And wine the lordly bowl! O let the minstrel's voice ring clear, His touch sweep gay and light; Nor let his glittering tresses know One streak of wintry white. And let the light of ruddy June Shine in his joyous eyes, If he would wake the only strain That never fully dies! O what the strain that woos the knight To turn from steed and lance, The page to turn from hound and hawk, The maid from lute and dance; The potent strain, that nigh would draw The hermit from his cave, The dryad from the leafy oak, The mermaid from the wave; That almost might still charm the hawk To drop the trembling dove? O ruddy minstrel, tune thy harp, And sing of Youthful Love!
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2.9k
A Perfect Strain
It ain’t too bad to be from there Just ask my family and friends But it’s too flat, ain’t no way out The roads are all dead ends. Sometime soon I’ll find a place Where the music I’ll enjoy But for now I keep on tryin’ To escape from Illinois! There’s a river on the border west That moves a lot of dirt Mighty Muddy Mississipp Drowns the pain and covers hurt Yeah, I’m movin’ south to New Orleans Maybe I can find employ In a blues bar down on Bourbon Street Escape from Illinois! Well I stopped a week along the way When I saw the Gateway Arch. But the folks out by the airport Were stagin’ up a march. Seems a white cop fired a shot that killed An unarmed teenage boy Oh yeah, the teenage boy was black, Escape from Illinois. Kept walkin’ to the Landing (Named for Pierre Laclede) It has most every thing you want But nothing that you need Some travelin’ folk told me some news That made me jump for joy Memphis maybe had some work Escape from Illinois! Found the haunted house called Graceland And the grave where Elvis lay Where half a million go each year (Fifteen thousand every day) They all want to pay respects To the rockin’ – rollin’ boy Put their finger in the bullet holes Escape from Illinois. Went downtown, knocked on some doors Once or twice I went inside But Beale Street was broken The travelin’ folks had lied. ‘Cuz there ain’t no jobs in Memphis, Or maybe I’m too coy So I hitched a ride to Nashville Escape from Illinois. Nashville’s a big old meltin’ *** Lots of great ones started here But most end up as tourists Getting’ ****** and drinkin’ beer So money’s at a premium And fame’s a fake decoy End up workin’ in a record store Escape from Illinois? From Asheville to Atlanta From Austin to LA From Biloxi back to Baton Rouge Need a place where I can play I’ll follow all the buskers, Form a musical convoy Livin’ day by day and town by town Escape from Illinois! I’m a minstrel, like a rubber band I keep on snappin’ back I’m gonna make it somewhere Singing somewhere, that’s a fact Got my guitar and my music Gotta do what I enjoy Find a place to sing my songs for you, Hell, it may be Illinois! Phil Lindsey  6/4/15
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Jun 4, 2015
Jun 4, 2015 at 1:46 PM UTC
Escape From Illinois
It ain’t too bad to be from there Just ask my family and friends But it’s too flat, ain’t no way out The roads are all dead ends. Sometime soon I’ll find a place Where the music I’ll enjoy But for now I keep on tryin’ To escape from Illinois! There’s a river on the border west That moves a lot of dirt Mighty Muddy Mississipp Drowns the pain and covers hurt Yeah, I’m movin’ south to New Orleans Maybe I can find employ In a blues bar down on Bourbon Street Escape from Illinois! Well I stopped a week along the way When I saw the Gateway Arch. But the folks out by the airport Were stagin’ up a march. Seems a white cop fired a shot that killed An unarmed teenage boy Oh yeah, the teenage boy was black, Escape from Illinois. Kept walkin’ to the Landing (Named for Pierre Laclede) It has most every thing you want But nothing that you need Some travelin’ folk told me some news That made me jump for joy Memphis maybe had some work Escape from Illinois! Found the haunted house called Graceland And the grave where Elvis lay Where half a million go each year (Fifteen thousand every day) They all want to pay respects To the rockin’ – rollin’ boy Put their finger in the bullet holes Escape from Illinois. Went downtown, knocked on some doors Once or twice I went inside But Beale Street was broken The travelin’ folks had lied. ‘Cuz there ain’t no jobs in Memphis, Or maybe I’m too coy So I hitched a ride to Nashville Escape from Illinois. Nashville’s a big old meltin’ *** Lots of great ones started here But most end up as tourists Getting’ ****** and drinkin’ beer So money’s at a premium And fame’s a fake decoy End up workin’ in a record store Escape from Illinois? From Asheville to Atlanta From Austin to LA From Biloxi back to Baton Rouge Need a place where I can play I’ll follow all the buskers, Form a musical convoy Livin’ day by day and town by town Escape from Illinois! I’m a minstrel, like a rubber band I keep on snappin’ back I’m gonna make it somewhere Singing somewhere, that’s a fact Got my guitar and my music Gotta do what I enjoy Find a place to sing my songs for you, Hell, it may be Illinois! Phil Lindsey  6/4/15
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73
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light: The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. Ring out the grief that saps the mind, For those that here we see no more; Ring out the feud of rich and poor, Ring in redress to all mankind. Ring out a slowly dying cause, And ancient forms of party strife; Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweeter manners, purer laws. Ring out the want, the care, the sin, The faithless coldness of the times; Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes, But ring the fuller minstrel in. Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease; Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring in the valiant man and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be.
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In Memoriam A. H. H. OBIIT MDCCCXXXIII: Part 106
In every moon there is a man And in every man there is a heart inside of which lives a woman Who doesn't clean Who doesn't cook Who doesn't serve him Only lives within the walls of his heart And within every woman living in a man's heart There is a desire to be free It is not odd to imagine her leaving Merely odd to see her go Riding on the back of an elephant In high heels With a bottle of Chateau de Michelle And weilding the sword of a swallowing minstrel Drunkenly yelling songs of a time in which she never lived And that will never leave a man Whether the next woman comes in riding a golden chariot pulled by blazing reindeer Or mounted on a shark wearing a cocktail dress And while he laments her going She regrets her ever having left So she turns around Looks into the vast nothing behind her Trampled under the weight of the elephant Cut down by her drunken fit of rage Burned and eaten by the coming and going of others And she sees That beyond the husk of the home she once knew Lay merely arteries and valves And no soft place to lay her head So she dismounts her companion Lays down her sword Crashes the bottle upon the rocks Tears the heels from her shoes And limps into the desert Looking for that which she had already found While he lie Filling the emptiness of his ravaged heart With the tender touch of fleeting acrobats
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Dec 7, 2012
Dec 7, 2012 at 4:56 AM UTC
Women, Swords, Regrets
When first, descending from the moorlands, I saw the Stream of Yarrow glide Along a bare and open valley, The Ettrick Shepherd was my guide. When last along its banks I wandered, Through groves that had begun to shed Their golden leaves upon the pathways, My steps the Border-minstrel led. The mighty Minstrel breathes no longer, ’Mid mouldering ruins low he lies; And death upon the braes of Yarrow, Has closed the Shepherd-poet’s eyes: Nor has the rolling year twice measured, From sign to sign, its stedfast course, Since every mortal power of Coleridge Was frozen at its marvellous source; The rapt One, of the godlike forehead, The heaven-eyed creature sleeps in earth: And Lamb, the frolic and the gentle, Has vanished from his lonely hearth. Like clouds that rake the mountain-summits, Or waves that own no curbing hand, How fast has brother followed brother, From sunshine to the sunless land! Yet I, whose lids from infant slumber Were earlier raised, remain to hear A timid voice, that asks in whispers, “Who next will drop and disappear?” Our haughty life is crowned with darkness, Like London with its own black wreath, On which with thee, O Crabbe! forth-looking, I gazed from Hampstead’s breezy heath. As if but yesterday departed, Thou too art gone before; but why, O’er ripe fruit, seasonably gathered, Should frail survivors heave a sigh? Mourn rather for that holy Spirit, Sweet as the spring, as ocean deep; For Her who, ere her summer faded, Has sunk into a breathless sleep. No more of old romantic sorrows, For slaughtered Youth or love-lorn Maid! With sharper grief is Yarrow smitten, And Ettrick mourns with her their Poet dead.
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Extempore Effusion Upon The Death Of James Hogg
When first, descending from the moorlands, I saw the Stream of Yarrow glide Along a bare and open valley, The Ettrick Shepherd was my guide. When last along its banks I wandered, Through groves that had begun to shed Their golden leaves upon the pathways, My steps the Border-minstrel led. The mighty Minstrel breathes no longer, ’Mid mouldering ruins low he lies; And death upon the braes of Yarrow, Has closed the Shepherd-poet’s eyes: Nor has the rolling year twice measured, From sign to sign, its stedfast course, Since every mortal power of Coleridge Was frozen at its marvellous source; The rapt One, of the godlike forehead, The heaven-eyed creature sleeps in earth: And Lamb, the frolic and the gentle, Has vanished from his lonely hearth. Like clouds that rake the mountain-summits, Or waves that own no curbing hand, How fast has brother followed brother, From sunshine to the sunless land! Yet I, whose lids from infant slumber Were earlier raised, remain to hear A timid voice, that asks in whispers, “Who next will drop and disappear?” Our haughty life is crowned with darkness, Like London with its own black wreath, On which with thee, O Crabbe! forth-looking, I gazed from Hampstead’s breezy heath. As if but yesterday departed, Thou too art gone before; but why, O’er ripe fruit, seasonably gathered, Should frail survivors heave a sigh? Mourn rather for that holy Spirit, Sweet as the spring, as ocean deep; For Her who, ere her summer faded, Has sunk into a breathless sleep. No more of old romantic sorrows, For slaughtered Youth or love-lorn Maid! With sharper grief is Yarrow smitten, And Ettrick mourns with her their Poet dead.
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The club is small and dark and hazy like the veiled comedy of minstrel performers. Those dingy lights do little for the atmosphere— dangling hemp from clouds of cigarette smoke. This hole is filled with the classy of day and the sassy of night—a real “blue material” kinda crowd. Harry, the manager, after calling quarter and five, booked some awful oleo acts just minutes before “places!” —The crowd sits on their hands ‘til they’re numb and lame like the fish they watch flop on the boards. Two acts down followed by some soot-covered clown’s lazzo about who’s who and what’s what. Give me a break! The crowd wants fresh fish to fry— Girlies in pearlies with spun out legs that tower the torsos they’re pinned to. Give them that New York Style Cheese-cakewalk Variety Act! The listless listeners of this K.A. circuit let out a snake-like hiss, en masse. (The only show stoppers are off the billing, stage left at some other club!) The manager thinks fast like a quick change act— Harry snatches a prop from the nearest kook— In a long brown bathrobe, with a broad brown cane. He hushed the crowd of loud, jeering jerks, in one swift swoop of his leg-breaking, knockout **** called The Vaudeville Hook.
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Jun 23, 2012
Jun 23, 2012 at 8:10 PM UTC
The Vaudeville Hook
O woe is me, my heart is sad, For I should never know If Love came by like any lad, Without his silver bow. Or if he left his arrows sharp And came a minstrel weary, I’d never tell him by his harp Nor know him for my dearie. “O go your ways and have no fear, For tho’ Love passes by, He’ll come a hundred times, my dear, Before your turn to die.”
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Song (O Woe Is Me, My Heart Is Sad)
*Blow, winds, blow He wanders in and out of dream scapes, Seeking refuge from the nameless ache, The burn of a thousand cloudless days. The tumbleweed of his joy blows in the dunes of neglect, Vaguely rooted in the sands of discontent. Blow, winds, blow! Shift the sand beneath his feet, Tumble him to the river of rejoice, Where his seeds can bury deep In the fertile soil of complete.* Walk on, Lonely Pilgrim Would that you would go a spell further, Fight a round harder, walk a mile longer, Perhaps you will see the clear waters, The soaring vistas, the spring flowers. Sandstorms blind your eyes and sting your throat, Your music lost into the wind. Walk on, lonely pilgrim, Walk on, and meet me In the green valley, It's just 'round the bend. I've a song to play for you! Welcome Song for the Weary Traveler With unsure steps, tread the ground, Gaze out with open eyes. Cast away all fear and doubt. Let the music sing your soul! This river will wash your bedrock, Polish the rough stones of your longing, Flow away your worried mind. When this love-seed settles in the soil of your heart, Your rose will bloom, in fertile field, Where nightingale warbles its melodious tune. Lay down your head upon alfalfa pillow, Let the music take you high, Where daffodil dreams and mystic streams Sing you sweetest lullaby. Now close your eyes and feel the pull This song, the lodestone to your heart, Drawing out your own sweet tune. Hear gentle clouds that roll on by, Smell sweet the scented breeze in sky, Feel the love, Let go, Now fly Lonely Pilgrim Dreams The lonely pilgrim fell asleep on his pillow of dreams, As minstrel sung songs that floated on air. He struggled to wake from his trance like state, As he found himself deep in the quagmire of regret, Wondering how he had found himself Wandering in green valleys, How he had been so easily lulled to sleep. He wondered, too, if dreams are ever real, And what he would see at morning's light. Minstrel sang on, into the night, Singing all good things into his heart, Breathing love into his pillow, Playing for light, Playing the tune of her heart strings that night. She was not sure what song she sang anymore, But wanted to sing, And sing some more.
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Nov 7, 2013
Nov 7, 2013 at 5:11 PM UTC
The Minstrel's Trilogy
*Blow, winds, blow He wanders in and out of dream scapes, Seeking refuge from the nameless ache, The burn of a thousand cloudless days. The tumbleweed of his joy blows in the dunes of neglect, Vaguely rooted in the sands of discontent. Blow, winds, blow! Shift the sand beneath his feet, Tumble him to the river of rejoice, Where his seeds can bury deep In the fertile soil of complete.* Walk on, Lonely Pilgrim Would that you would go a spell further, Fight a round harder, walk a mile longer, Perhaps you will see the clear waters, The soaring vistas, the spring flowers. Sandstorms blind your eyes and sting your throat, Your music lost into the wind. Walk on, lonely pilgrim, Walk on, and meet me In the green valley, It's just 'round the bend. I've a song to play for you! Welcome Song for the Weary Traveler With unsure steps, tread the ground, Gaze out with open eyes. Cast away all fear and doubt. Let the music sing your soul! This river will wash your bedrock, Polish the rough stones of your longing, Flow away your worried mind. When this love-seed settles in the soil of your heart, Your rose will bloom, in fertile field, Where nightingale warbles its melodious tune. Lay down your head upon alfalfa pillow, Let the music take you high, Where daffodil dreams and mystic streams Sing you sweetest lullaby. Now close your eyes and feel the pull This song, the lodestone to your heart, Drawing out your own sweet tune. Hear gentle clouds that roll on by, Smell sweet the scented breeze in sky, Feel the love, Let go, Now fly Lonely Pilgrim Dreams The lonely pilgrim fell asleep on his pillow of dreams, As minstrel sung songs that floated on air. He struggled to wake from his trance like state, As he found himself deep in the quagmire of regret, Wondering how he had found himself Wandering in green valleys, How he had been so easily lulled to sleep. He wondered, too, if dreams are ever real, And what he would see at morning's light. Minstrel sang on, into the night, Singing all good things into his heart, Breathing love into his pillow, Playing for light, Playing the tune of her heart strings that night. She was not sure what song she sang anymore, But wanted to sing, And sing some more.
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The wandering minstrel, sung a song that kept hidden, deep in his lonely heart, it touched the dancing girl so much, she sprang up on her feet unprompted, and danced the way the song spoke to her. Oh! it was marvelous and she was swift like a lightening during monsoon, there was a subtle absence that heightened her presence, her admirers, a whole lot, was caught by surprise, strangely, they got agitated, as her move was unexpected, that stirred a hornet's nest which, then  led to a melee of sorts, every one was running helter- skelter, while the whirlwind swirled around, the girl still danced like possessed. Only now they saw the Dervish, with long white hair and flowing dress, while he gently circled, his aura bright created a dazzling circle of light. It became difficult to see what happens, to most, without the inner light. **To the few with opened inner eyes it was revealed at once thus: the swirling dervish, the ecstatic dancer and the wandering minstrel lost in  his song went beyond, became one in spirit.**
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Feb 6, 2013
Feb 6, 2013 at 11:46 PM UTC
The mystical moment of oneness.