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"normandy" poems
In the cold grey light of the sixth of June, in the year of forty-four, The Empire Larch sailed out from Poole to join with thousands more. The largest fleet the world had seen, we sailed in close array, And we set our course for Normandy at the dawning of the day. There was not one man in all our crew but knew what lay in store, For we had waited for that day through five long years of war. We knew that many would not return, yet all our hearts were true, For we were bound for Normandy, where we had a job to do. Now the Empire Larch was a deep-sea tug with a crew of thirty-three, And I was just the galley-boy on my first trip to sea. I little thought when I left home of the dreadful sights I'd see, But I came to manhood on the day that I first saw Normandy. At the Beach of Gold off Arromanches, 'neath the rockets' deadly glare, We towed our blockships into place and we built a harbour there. 'Mid shot and shell we built it well, as history does agree, While brave men died in the swirling tide on the shores of Normandy. Like the Rodney and the Nelson, there were ships of great renown, But rescue tugs all did their share as many a ship went down. We ran our pontoons to the shore within the Mulberry's lee, And we made safe berth for the tanks and guns that would set all Europe free. For every hero's name that's known, a thousand died as well. On stakes and wire their bodies hung, rocked in the ocean swell; And many a mother wept that day for the sons they loved so well, Men who cracked a joke and cadged a smoke as they stormed the gates of hell. As the years pass by, I can still recall the men I saw that day Who died upon that blood-soaked sand where now sweet children play; And those of you who were unborn, who've lived in liberty, Remember those who made it so on the shores of Normandy. ________________________________________
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Jun 6, 2014
Jun 6, 2014 at 3:07 PM UTC
Shores of Normandy by Jim Radford
In the cold grey light of the sixth of June, in the year of forty-four, The Empire Larch sailed out from Poole to join with thousands more. The largest fleet the world had seen, we sailed in close array, And we set our course for Normandy at the dawning of the day. There was not one man in all our crew but knew what lay in store, For we had waited for that day through five long years of war. We knew that many would not return, yet all our hearts were true, For we were bound for Normandy, where we had a job to do. Now the Empire Larch was a deep-sea tug with a crew of thirty-three, And I was just the galley-boy on my first trip to sea. I little thought when I left home of the dreadful sights I'd see, But I came to manhood on the day that I first saw Normandy. At the Beach of Gold off Arromanches, 'neath the rockets' deadly glare, We towed our blockships into place and we built a harbour there. 'Mid shot and shell we built it well, as history does agree, While brave men died in the swirling tide on the shores of Normandy. Like the Rodney and the Nelson, there were ships of great renown, But rescue tugs all did their share as many a ship went down. We ran our pontoons to the shore within the Mulberry's lee, And we made safe berth for the tanks and guns that would set all Europe free. For every hero's name that's known, a thousand died as well. On stakes and wire their bodies hung, rocked in the ocean swell; And many a mother wept that day for the sons they loved so well, Men who cracked a joke and cadged a smoke as they stormed the gates of hell. As the years pass by, I can still recall the men I saw that day Who died upon that blood-soaked sand where now sweet children play; And those of you who were unborn, who've lived in liberty, Remember those who made it so on the shores of Normandy. ________________________________________
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29
Just a wicked peacenik’n quick draw from the Paw Game of Thrones’n the Shah, cRussian bones of the law And still spewing the news like the red dragon’s maw When the baby-skull splitters want nuclear winter Ideal New Cold steel and send Chernobyl shivers Down Roman Republicans’ severed headlines Till there’s no more dead kids on for prophet front lines I’m in exile sharpenin’ [sic]kles in style Pyongyang’n Kuomintang climate denials Erasing their nation-hate racial profiles Outpacing their skinhead disgraces by miles Shell casin’ this place like the Nuremberg trials For Fords sellin’ swastikas stockpile bibles Defiled by Normandy tide genocidals Fresh meat off the boat spreadin’ Plague mercantiles I smile and **** ‘em with kindness Then grind Battle tax in my acid bath Salt Marchin’ prime Because WAR IS THE CRIME I’m the Clown Prince of Rhyme, Level 9 state of mind Like the state of Rakhine The Black Hand before time Runnin’ Africa’s Luciest Sky Diamond mine I’m the ronin alone in The monkey god shrine And my guile’s reprisal’s Versailles treaty signed Strippin’ pride from the Rhine ‘Till your Motherland’s mine Swine
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Apr 8, 2018
Apr 8, 2018 at 2:37 AM UTC
Emissary of the Evil Empire
On this day 70 years ago they stormed across the sand Boys of many nations to remove the tyrants hand Heros all those boys so young who shed their blood for us In that ****** fight for freedom Across the sand they struggled neath a hail of shot and shell Never glancing backwards as around them comrades fell Fear was in their eyes, terror in their hearts Many never made it and twas on foreign sand they died Yes they died to give us the freedom that we have got this day They died to free the world, for us they made the play Boys from ever walk of life crossed the beaches there Office clerks and farmers and the ones who cut our hair Yes they were heroes all who gave their lives for us But lets not forget the few who made it possible The girls who made the shells, the men who built the tanks They were the unsung heroes They have also have earned our thanks Without their dedication to the task they had in hand Many more would have lost their lives on that shell torn blood stained sand They to can hold their heads up high, they knew they did their bit In bringing freedom to the masses when they broke the tyrants grip
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Jun 6, 2014
Jun 6, 2014 at 3:31 AM UTC
NORMANDY. ..D Day 6th Of June
Led down from the tower Head high and hands bound Blindfold declined against the wall Black square pinned to his heart Eyes afire and shining proud He sang... He sang of Caruso, Townes Van Zandt Pavarotti, Bocelli, Mercury, Carreras, he sang of Antoine, Of Sinatra, Lennon, Morrison, Redding He sang and songbirds paused in flight He sang like them all He sang a song of himself Of leaves of grass, of second comings Of Byron, and Bharti, and Cummings He sang of Neruda, and Plath, Tagore Dickinson, Kamala Das and Naidu Oh, he sang of them all He sang of art and beauty Of Mona Lisa and starry nights Girls in green dresses and pearls He sang of Van Gogh, of Picasso Of Rembrandt, da Vinci He sang of Michelangelo He sang of sadness, pain He sang of My Lai, Sand Creek Of Guernica and Krystallnacht He cried and sang of Wounded Knee Of Katyn Forest, Sabra and Shatila Oh, he wept as he sang He sang of history and wonders He sang of Olduvai and pyramids Machu Picchu, Tikal, and Angkor Wat He sang of a great wall, the Taj Mahal Stonehenge, Easter Isle, Mesa Verde His song took us to them all He sang of courage A song of Bunker Hill, Gettysburg Of the Alamo, Normandy, Stalingrad Of Lincoln, Guevara and Dr. King He sang of Bolivar, Bhutto, Ghandi He shamed us with their song He sang his song... As women sighed and peasants cried He  sang until the rifles fired, he died Songbirds fell from the sky Soldiers broke their guns on stones And marched into the deep blue sea. r ~ 4/12/14
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Apr 12, 2014
Apr 12, 2014 at 7:05 PM UTC
Song
Led down from the tower Head high and hands bound Blindfold declined against the wall Black square pinned to his heart Eyes afire and shining proud He sang... He sang of Caruso, Townes Van Zandt Pavarotti, Bocelli, Mercury, Carreras, he sang of Antoine, Of Sinatra, Lennon, Morrison, Redding He sang and songbirds paused in flight He sang like them all He sang a song of himself Of leaves of grass, of second comings Of Byron, and Bharti, and Cummings He sang of Neruda, and Plath, Tagore Dickinson, Kamala Das and Naidu Oh, he sang of them all He sang of art and beauty Of Mona Lisa and starry nights Girls in green dresses and pearls He sang of Van Gogh, of Picasso Of Rembrandt, da Vinci He sang of Michelangelo He sang of sadness, pain He sang of My Lai, Sand Creek Of Guernica and Krystallnacht He cried and sang of Wounded Knee Of Katyn Forest, Sabra and Shatila Oh, he wept as he sang He sang of history and wonders He sang of Olduvai and pyramids Machu Picchu, Tikal, and Angkor Wat He sang of a great wall, the Taj Mahal Stonehenge, Easter Isle, Mesa Verde His song took us to them all He sang of courage A song of Bunker Hill, Gettysburg Of the Alamo, Normandy, Stalingrad Of Lincoln, Guevara and Dr. King He sang of Bolivar, Bhutto, Ghandi He shamed us with their song He sang his song... As women sighed and peasants cried He  sang until the rifles fired, he died Songbirds fell from the sky Soldiers broke their guns on stones And marched into the deep blue sea. r ~ 4/12/14
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49
MEMORIAL DAY May 26th, 2014 **************************************************** To all of you that have ever worn "The Uniform", the uniform of safety and security, the uniform of pride the uniform of freedom, the uniform of liberty THE UNIFORM OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ********** THANK YOU Thank you to all, in every branch, in every time From: The American Revolution (most of us have roots to our founders) The Civil War (North or South) World War I World War II Korea Vietnam Cambodia Laos Panama Nicaragua The Falkland Islands Somalia Yugoslavia Bosnia Kuwait Iraq Afghanistan Pakistan The Persian Gulf ** areas and battlefields such as (not all locations are listed with no dis-respect) Lexington/Concord, Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor, Midway Island, Normandy, D-Day, Berlin, Tripoli, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, The 38th Parallel, The Bay of Tonkin, Me Lei, Hanoi, The Hanoi Hilton, Saigon, The ** Chi Minh Trail, Baghdad, Kabul, Ground Zero Manhattan, Pentagon 9/11, a field near Shanksville PA. and many many more, you are all heroes and role models, not for a nation, for the world, not for American Patriots, for all humanity, not only on this Memorial Day, for all days and all days to come. You are appreciated! because freedom has high costs and you pay the price for all of us. ****************************** Godspeed, safety and peace where ever you are. Sincerely, Warner C. Baxter Jr. American Patriot Scottsdale, AZ. U.S.A. God bless America
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May 25, 2014
May 25, 2014 at 12:44 PM UTC
MAY 26TH 2014
Stalingrad- Germany wanted control, But they weren't going to get it. Silly men, Unaware that they would freeze to the bone In those harsh Russian mountains. Is oil worth it? Torch- the British thought it was a simple plan. It was, but barely. The soft underbelly, The Mediterranean to France, through Italy? Kick the Axis out of North Africa? Piece of cake. D-Day- a finale? Maybe. The ships and planes at the ready, A possible surprise. Parachutes And men on foot storming the beaches of Normandy. Shots fired, push east where they belong. Coming from the North and South. Cinch like a corset Strings are drawn against the axis. Good luck holding up your empire in this day and age.
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Jun 10, 2014
Jun 10, 2014 at 10:00 PM UTC
In Order
'We were killing pigs when the Yanks arrived. A Tuesday morning, sunlight and gutter-blood Outside the slaughter house. >From the main road They would have heard the screaming, Then heard it stop and had a view of us In our gloves and aprons coming down the hill. Two lines of them, guns on their shoulders, marching. Armoured cars and tanks and open jeeps. Sunburnt hands and arms. Unarmed, in step, Hosting for Normandy. Not that we knew then Where they were headed, standing there like youngsters As they tossed us gum and tubes of coloured sweets'
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5.3k
Testimony
Her mind was in Hawaii, Dancing under waterfalls, Wandering through rainforests, Picking tropical flowers and Braiding them into her hair, Simmering on sandy beaches, And gazing at the stars. Her heart was in Normandy, Eating crepes and sipping lattes, Strolling through spring green fields And along lazy river banks, Kissing the walls of castles, And scooping up scallop shells, Soaking up French syllables. Her hands were in her pockets, High-fiving friends and Running through her lover's hair, Sewing, cooking, washing, Punching, tearing, scratching, Caressing and confessing, Catching the very first drops of rain. Her feet were on the streets of Seattle, Tapping to the rhythm of the bass, Shuffling in and out of the rain, Dodging puddles and strangers, Observing art and sculptures, Chasing down a taxi or her dog, and embracing the crisp autumn air. Her lips were on the edge of a soda can, Singing along to her favorite songs, Whispering sweet nothings into the air, Empowering the impoverished And scorning the injustice, Kissing a forehead, lips, and hads, And stonecold silent as her mind does the work. Her eyes were fighting back frosty tears, Swallowing scarlet sunsets, Painted in yesterday's make up, Tracing your stoic silhouette, Rolling like thunder before the storm, Lapping up dizzying moonlight, And buried in words, and words, and words. Her body was in Los Angeles, But, she was on a metanoia, Breaking free of past and future To find herself a presence That would always be worth fighting for, To reach sophrosyne, namaste, And to put her frantic body to peace.
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Jul 29, 2015
Jul 29, 2015 at 2:53 AM UTC
A Girl Divided
Her mind was in Hawaii, Dancing under waterfalls, Wandering through rainforests, Picking tropical flowers and Braiding them into her hair, Simmering on sandy beaches, And gazing at the stars. Her heart was in Normandy, Eating crepes and sipping lattes, Strolling through spring green fields And along lazy river banks, Kissing the walls of castles, And scooping up scallop shells, Soaking up French syllables. Her hands were in her pockets, High-fiving friends and Running through her lover's hair, Sewing, cooking, washing, Punching, tearing, scratching, Caressing and confessing, Catching the very first drops of rain. Her feet were on the streets of Seattle, Tapping to the rhythm of the bass, Shuffling in and out of the rain, Dodging puddles and strangers, Observing art and sculptures, Chasing down a taxi or her dog, and embracing the crisp autumn air. Her lips were on the edge of a soda can, Singing along to her favorite songs, Whispering sweet nothings into the air, Empowering the impoverished And scorning the injustice, Kissing a forehead, lips, and hads, And stonecold silent as her mind does the work. Her eyes were fighting back frosty tears, Swallowing scarlet sunsets, Painted in yesterday's make up, Tracing your stoic silhouette, Rolling like thunder before the storm, Lapping up dizzying moonlight, And buried in words, and words, and words. Her body was in Los Angeles, But, she was on a metanoia, Breaking free of past and future To find herself a presence That would always be worth fighting for, To reach sophrosyne, namaste, And to put her frantic body to peace.
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49
Gloomy skies line the beaches Treacherous waves battering the landing crafts Young soldiers getting sick sea in the swells But their fate is written in front of them Omaha, Normandy, Gold, Juno and Sword Beach The day, June 6, 1944 Bullets flying over their heads Whizzing by in deafening silence One soldier is killed, then the next one They hit the beach hard Operation Overlord is in full swing 156,000 soldiers invade the sands Duty, devotion and determination Hell is about to be unleashed Machine gun nests attack Mowing down the enemy that invade them Strike them with hot metal bullets into blood soaked seas The smell of war is everywhere and time slowed to a ticking second hand Fellow soldiers killed in front of you No time to think but you have to move on **** the enemy, **** the enemy The beaches turn crimson with the fallen Can not turn back The chaos surrounds you with a deadly grip Six days of heavy fighting to unite the beach front 10,000 wounded, over 4,000 dead Sacrifices of so many on the day the bullets hit the beach
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Nov 11, 2015
Nov 11, 2015 at 5:50 PM UTC
Bullets hit the Beach
MEMORIAL DAY June 1, 2015 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To all of you that have ever worn "THE UNIFORM" The Uniform of safety and security, The Uniform of pride and liberty THE UNIFORM OF FREEDOM THE UNIFORM OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THANK YOU Thank you to all, in every branch, in every time From: 1776 - 2015 The American Revolution The Civil War (North or South) World War I World War II Korea Vietnam Cambodia Laos Panama Nicaragua The Falkland Islands Somalia Yugoslavia Bosnia Kuwait Iraq Afghanistan Pakistan The Persian Gulf ~~ War Zones and Battlefields, such as: Lexington/Concord, Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor, Midway Island, Normandy, D-Day, Berlin, Tripoli, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, The 38th Parallel, The Bay of Tonkin, Me Lei, Hanoi, The Hanoi Hilton, Saigon, The ** Chi Minh Trail, Baghdad, Kabul, Ground Zero Manhattan, Pentagon 9/11, a field near Shanksville PA. and many many more, (not all locations are listed with no dis-respect) You are all Heroes and Role Models, not for a Nation, for A Peaceful Planet not for Americans, for all Humanity, not only today this Memorial Day, for all days and all days to come. You are appreciated! because freedom has high costs and you pay the price for all of us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Godspeed, safety and peace where ever you are. Sincerely, Warner C. Baxter Jr. American Patriot Scottsdale, AZ. U.S.A. GOD BLESS AMERICA Semper Vigilo
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Jun 1, 2015
Jun 1, 2015 at 2:26 AM UTC
MEMORIAL DAY
In the square circle your reality is sudden you see what is your intent ? I mean when one has to face the inner , not winner or loser. But brutal. no negotiation. No verbal Panzy assery. How do you assign pain. In the square circle that is. That is blood for blood. Blow for blow. Most people tip toe. Dont wanna know. We should all be made to go. toe to toe In the square circle.. How barbaric say ye. Talk is cheap. ink on paper a mere vapor. Gladiatorial. All we are saying .. is give peace a chance. There are greater tests. how does one best Cancer or say living on a stoop. after days in paradise.No time to think twice. Go take a dance in the circle. Pillar to post. A brutal analogy. How would you be. Why would one bother? Next time you see a dumb pug with cauliflower ears and a rearranged mug. Think it through. How would you do in a moment of truth facing the brute He wont listen to reason He wont negotiate. Next stop. Normandy. Pork chop hill.The Mekong.Baghdad...... The square circle takes many forms just wont conform to the norms. Havoc will be imposed. on the open mind or the closed. Real men die for reasons why ? Fodder. Step through the ropes for a thrice Feel if you have the fire or ice. Then take a warm shower and slide behind the wheel to a warm meal and Dancing with the stars.
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Oct 14, 2013
Oct 14, 2013 at 4:43 AM UTC
Punchline
From the starting point in Poland To the hedgerows of France High above the English countryside to the depths of the Atlantic In the sand-ridden dunes of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia to the foothills and mountains of Sicily and Italy From the Pacific to Asia minor we fought Storming the beaches of Normandy to taking back France From Guadalcanal to Okinawa from Burma to China We fought
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Aug 18, 2013
Aug 18, 2013 at 11:16 PM UTC
A Theater of War
They lay on Normandy. Two hundred miles away, the empty shells of humans Who lie below the streets Felt the poison that lurked above. They shuffled out of the underground, Boarding trains and ships like corpses And dropping bombs from miles above. A little French boy is spared. His brother whispers “Bon courage,” As the rest of the family are taken out back And shot like mad dogs. Twenty years later, he stands on the beach With his young wife Watching their sons roll and play in the sand. His tongue tastes a warm salt That couldn't come from the ocean. All he can taste from the ocean is blood. I can see my grandfather clearly With tears falling down his face As his mother shuts the piano. “There will be no music,” she says quietly. She is an immigrant And I wonder if she questions the choice That brought her son to a country where he might lay down his life For strangers, four thousand miles away. I can feel him now Hiding in the apple trees, High above the others. He is in Sainte-Mère-Église, and there are enemies below. And now I take them in my arms Cradling them like children “Je vous embrasse, les deux,” And I lie down on the edge of the ocean at Normandy. I exhale and hold them close. The sun is shining, and I do not cry; It is nothing but salt and water to me.
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Jan 18, 2015
Jan 18, 2015 at 9:27 PM UTC
for a french grandfather and an american grandfather
So desolate, I walked onward An expanse of sand running mile after mile In the distance the sound of thunder Then as if a mirage at sea a village of ramshackle homes Single story on a sandbank all with gardens of the strangest design A flea farm,  gooseberry bushes and butterflies in net cages Children playing, the voices of grandparents The sea now lapping at my heels and between their twisted porches, where on earth could I be In reality? For I no longer walked the earth The thunder was the howitzers shelling the beach The vilage, that of my childhood For my mind in its last throws had given me a thought of memory,  that of childhood and family that of loving not war The sea and sand being of beauty Now limbless, face down on a Normandy beach drowning. Then darkness Silence Peace
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Nov 4, 2013
Nov 4, 2013 at 8:09 PM UTC
Normandy on sea
phoebe will remain my hostage until four barrel's hipster overlords hear my plea we're all made of sparkledust and turkish delight and if you hate drinking sonoma butter and having money, my doctor Archmage Overlord said the the "happy drink" element you seek is less like strong coffee and more like the invasion of normandy with turkey slaughter in the background kfc's new turkey flavored chicken tried looking for drugs in the neighborhood but timothy leary, his suave excellency, sheik knight of nee abstained from the devil's coffee with headaches and brain fog anyway, that's why i attacked the complimentary peanuts and russian balloon juice FURIOUS POSTSCRIPT "no one can understand the truth until he drinks of the feline's frothy goodness"
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Nov 21, 2014
Nov 21, 2014 at 1:39 PM UTC
Daydreaming Of Getting Roughed Up By An Old Lady Dressed As Darth Vader Drinking Kool Aid
Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Mata los timbales Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Mata los timbales Go Tito Oye como va... the neighbors voices climbing out of windows left and right. Is that you Tito? Put down those pots and pans. Make better use of those hands. Don't you know those hands were made for working? Follow your father to his factory grave shift, Make razorblades to sell. We'll always have hair on our faces. Is that you Tito? Knock off that racket. Here I am trying to sleep And you've got my feet to moving. The night was made for dancing Tito, And dancing was made for Harlem, But that's bastante on a Wednesday mijo. The young king packs up his studio, Whistling dixie like she's never been whistled before. Twirling the melody from royal lips, Showing her how to use those God given hips. Where did you find that groove you in your neck? And do the words Puerto Rico still give you the chills? You have walked on too many streets in New York City And the Afro-beat is shacking up with the Cuban. You can hear their children playing in the barrio allá, And aquí they're blowing horns of imagination. Make those wooden sticks tap your telegram, Tito. Let the world know about this message brewing inside you. They hate. They yell. They love to see you dancing, But your ankles told you that wasn't right for you. Your hands never have been able to keep still. Maybe it's because they feel the future. Do you realize where your bridge will lead? You are the future Tito. Do what you got to do to be where you got to be. Play in Uncle Sam's band but don't you go to Normandy. Follow your hands back to the big apple, Take a bite out of this place they call Juliard. When you sleep at night are they still screaming… Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go somewhere where the floor is on fire With the fusion of jazz and samba. Make it bigger Tito until it looks like it did in your dreams. Pick up those sticks and mata los timbales. Have the decency to wink when they name you king. What is it that you mixed in that *** Your alchemy giving birth to new species. Have mercy Tito. Your music is feasting on the ears of the public, Your hands are drumming on the ecosystem. They call it salsa, and you laugh Because they can't taste the carne. Shine those pots and pans. Tip your hat to Spanish Harlem, Where windows stay open to let the dreamers dream big And the red brick walls are soaked with memories. Babarabatiri Tito, Teach the world how to dance. Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Mata los timbales Go Tito Oye como va... a legend.
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Apr 19, 2013
Apr 19, 2013 at 1:40 AM UTC
Tito 18/30
Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Mata los timbales Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Mata los timbales Go Tito Oye como va... the neighbors voices climbing out of windows left and right. Is that you Tito? Put down those pots and pans. Make better use of those hands. Don't you know those hands were made for working? Follow your father to his factory grave shift, Make razorblades to sell. We'll always have hair on our faces. Is that you Tito? Knock off that racket. Here I am trying to sleep And you've got my feet to moving. The night was made for dancing Tito, And dancing was made for Harlem, But that's bastante on a Wednesday mijo. The young king packs up his studio, Whistling dixie like she's never been whistled before. Twirling the melody from royal lips, Showing her how to use those God given hips. Where did you find that groove you in your neck? And do the words Puerto Rico still give you the chills? You have walked on too many streets in New York City And the Afro-beat is shacking up with the Cuban. You can hear their children playing in the barrio allá, And aquí they're blowing horns of imagination. Make those wooden sticks tap your telegram, Tito. Let the world know about this message brewing inside you. They hate. They yell. They love to see you dancing, But your ankles told you that wasn't right for you. Your hands never have been able to keep still. Maybe it's because they feel the future. Do you realize where your bridge will lead? You are the future Tito. Do what you got to do to be where you got to be. Play in Uncle Sam's band but don't you go to Normandy. Follow your hands back to the big apple, Take a bite out of this place they call Juliard. When you sleep at night are they still screaming… Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go somewhere where the floor is on fire With the fusion of jazz and samba. Make it bigger Tito until it looks like it did in your dreams. Pick up those sticks and mata los timbales. Have the decency to wink when they name you king. What is it that you mixed in that *** Your alchemy giving birth to new species. Have mercy Tito. Your music is feasting on the ears of the public, Your hands are drumming on the ecosystem. They call it salsa, and you laugh Because they can't taste the carne. Shine those pots and pans. Tip your hat to Spanish Harlem, Where windows stay open to let the dreamers dream big And the red brick walls are soaked with memories. Babarabatiri Tito, Teach the world how to dance. Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Go Tito, Go Tito Mata los timbales Go Tito Oye como va... a legend.
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78
I've never been a sentimental person but too soon did the smell of salty air, the sound of waves gaining and receding endlessly, reliably become dear to me. My memory betrays me long enough to drag up the sound of your laugh (the unintentionally honest kind that still raises goosebumps on my skin) along with the feeling of Normandy sand beneath my toes. No matter how much I want to let go, I'll keep the jar of sand on my dresser and the image of you with your arm around me, our hair and our hearts wild, in my mind forever.
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Jul 24, 2014
Jul 24, 2014 at 11:51 PM UTC
sentimental
*this poem didn't come easy. written amidst buffeting emo's, V will not be natural flow, probably flawed. You, self-chosen people, will come along, please, to see the process, and the proceeds too. But as usual, the poem was write before me, needing only human kindness overflowing to guide the way.* V V words lord, excluding all others, phonetic juggernauts, never met a V word that had no personality. victory is the one word that my/our brains think of first. sure there is vortex, victuals, veer and valor exam, the latter, what ever it means is a gift, curtsy-courtesy of auto-incorrect. but it is victory on top, victorious in its own way. try it on another if you must... what is the word that starts with a V that first comes to mind?* so let us talk of victories. so oft, I write in the dark, even as I do now. came home soul weary, face worn-worry, gotta go out to meet Peter Bogdanovich later, to chat about his latest movie. woman looks me over. X-ray glance, an MRI of my heart, no deductible charged, but oh yes, a co-pay due, indeed! Peter will keep, tonight you're-mine, to bed I send, right after we consume Large Thin Mush, cause pizza with shrooms contains mood serotonins, that erase the "pain of the day" that be a victory nonpareil. a Waterloo, a Normandy landing, that be a victory where both sides hug and kiss, and make with their long, stubby Churchillian fingers, V's all night long with goofy grins, cigars and bowler hats, just to go along. so here I am in the dark, having been "put" to bed, one mo' time, slicing and dicing letters into a word-salade, instead of resting. dreaming of the day when I can no longer need to pretend to be a Seuss, but truly, can be writing poems for all my children~friends. one for each letter of the alphabet, teaching us to write upon our faces laugh lines thin and fine, mine, ours, yours. product of pizza poems, some that come not circular, but tonite shaped just like a woman, just like a V.
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Nov 7, 2013
Nov 7, 2013 at 8:34 PM UTC
V: A Sorta-Commissioned Poem
*this poem didn't come easy. written amidst buffeting emo's, V will not be natural flow, probably flawed. You, self-chosen people, will come along, please, to see the process, and the proceeds too. But as usual, the poem was write before me, needing only human kindness overflowing to guide the way.* V V words lord, excluding all others, phonetic juggernauts, never met a V word that had no personality. victory is the one word that my/our brains think of first. sure there is vortex, victuals, veer and valor exam, the latter, what ever it means is a gift, curtsy-courtesy of auto-incorrect. but it is victory on top, victorious in its own way. try it on another if you must... what is the word that starts with a V that first comes to mind?* so let us talk of victories. so oft, I write in the dark, even as I do now. came home soul weary, face worn-worry, gotta go out to meet Peter Bogdanovich later, to chat about his latest movie. woman looks me over. X-ray glance, an MRI of my heart, no deductible charged, but oh yes, a co-pay due, indeed! Peter will keep, tonight you're-mine, to bed I send, right after we consume Large Thin Mush, cause pizza with shrooms contains mood serotonins, that erase the "pain of the day" that be a victory nonpareil. a Waterloo, a Normandy landing, that be a victory where both sides hug and kiss, and make with their long, stubby Churchillian fingers, V's all night long with goofy grins, cigars and bowler hats, just to go along. so here I am in the dark, having been "put" to bed, one mo' time, slicing and dicing letters into a word-salade, instead of resting. dreaming of the day when I can no longer need to pretend to be a Seuss, but truly, can be writing poems for all my children~friends. one for each letter of the alphabet, teaching us to write upon our faces laugh lines thin and fine, mine, ours, yours. product of pizza poems, some that come not circular, but tonite shaped just like a woman, just like a V.
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six chapters of Catcher in the Rye keeping my hero alive, Normandy how he must of felt, the headlines breaking his heart, America is full of heart break and all for the fickle romance and seductive nature of war time Hollywood. What a ***** fill that selfish empty hand, when the world twinkled for you and you were only in love with yourself in the mirror he may be passed away, and far over the disappointment the anger turmoil now understood of my favorite novel written on tour during the second world war and for what hundreds of thousands of copies of paper sold each year and all he wanted was that one ear to kiss, he confessed Holden to. I hope your life was as inspirational as it started , you hermit, you legend. but **** you ***** Charlie Chap Coke **** *******
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Jan 13, 2014
Jan 13, 2014 at 6:53 AM UTC
Oona Oneil
I’d love to take up the flag for something meaningful And by ‘love to’ I mean hate And by ‘something meaningful’ I mean anything
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Feb 12, 2013
Feb 12, 2013 at 12:32 PM UTC
On the beaches of Normandy
When she says she hears voices rattling and battling in the deepest recesses of her mind, then it's time to beware, take care, and make choices saddling you and leave her behind.      Shes a case study of its kind. That even Freud would throw up his hands, make a grand stand in his frustrations and demand a vacation to unwind. She's all that and more. She'll wrap a man around her fingers  make him putty in her hands, leave him babbling in his mirror trying so much to understand. He should feel something, but just can't comprehend, left a mute, numb, mumbling... carcass, of a man. She's like an itch that becomes a scratch that's becomes a pestering, festering **** till you look down horror bound as the ****** swollen thing has taken on a life of its own... then it starts maxing out your cards, throwing your clothes out on the yard, yelling hard. Snooping on your phone. Won't go home. Won't leave you alone. Is it a wound or a woman or a woman or a wound or both  simultaneously, concurrently?  Yes and no. Oh the trials and tribulations I've known! You can really pick em. Daddy used to say, in his haphazard way, and really lay it on me in the harshest of phrases,  meant to dazzle and daze me, rile and faze me, knock me a kilter off my normal day. Son, you stimulate and exhilarate  the spirit of an untamed, pained, wild child woman and it'll be the same, and here this, as an insane drain on the brain most personally and certainly and most notably and you can quote me.  It'll leave you feeling like the beach storming at Normandy.
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Jun 16, 2018
Jun 16, 2018 at 5:38 AM UTC
"Son, you can really pick em". Dad used to say.
When she says she hears voices rattling and battling in the deepest recesses of her mind, then it's time to beware, take care, and make choices saddling you and leave her behind.      Shes a case study of its kind. That even Freud would throw up his hands, make a grand stand in his frustrations and demand a vacation to unwind. She's all that and more. She'll wrap a man around her fingers  make him putty in her hands, leave him babbling in his mirror trying so much to understand. He should feel something, but just can't comprehend, left a mute, numb, mumbling... carcass, of a man. She's like an itch that becomes a scratch that's becomes a pestering, festering **** till you look down horror bound as the ****** swollen thing has taken on a life of its own... then it starts maxing out your cards, throwing your clothes out on the yard, yelling hard. Snooping on your phone. Won't go home. Won't leave you alone. Is it a wound or a woman or a woman or a wound or both  simultaneously, concurrently?  Yes and no. Oh the trials and tribulations I've known! You can really pick em. Daddy used to say, in his haphazard way, and really lay it on me in the harshest of phrases,  meant to dazzle and daze me, rile and faze me, knock me a kilter off my normal day. Son, you stimulate and exhilarate  the spirit of an untamed, pained, wild child woman and it'll be the same, and here this, as an insane drain on the brain most personally and certainly and most notably and you can quote me.  It'll leave you feeling like the beach storming at Normandy.
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I have died many times. My body hung next to Jesus at Golgotha. I was once decapitated in the French Revolution. I’ve had my eyes gouged out at Gettysburg. I have died many times. My chest was riddled with bullets on the beaches of Normandy. My lungs dissolved and I had a stroke in Auschwitz.  My skin baked, bubbled, and blistered from Hiroshima to Nagasaki. I have died many times. I bled out from a ruptured heart during Columbine. On 9/11, my rib caged cracked and I even stopped breathing. _______________________________________________________________ I have died too many times. I shot myself in the head last night. Dream-spells dripped out from the void and so I shot myself through the heart, stuck my fingers in the hole to see if it hurt and it stung a little. I have died too many times.  I took an ax and split my head open; a flock of pigeons were pecking at my cortex. They flew out and church hymns rang from my cerebellum. I have died too many times.  I lit a bonfire in my brain; the light burst from my eye sockets and now my head is a paper lantern. I clawed at my chest till I ripped my heartstrings; they sung happy birthdays in Arabic so I blew out the fire. I have died too many times. I took a baseball bat and busted my face open; I was swinging for the fences and swallowed my teeth on accident. I have died too many times.  I tore out my stomach, drank the acid, and ****** myself.  I tried pulling my lungs over my head just to suffocate. I have died too many times.  When I discovered my spinal cord, I plucked it out, wrapped it around my neck, and hung myself from the tallest redwood I could find.
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Dec 22, 2013
Dec 22, 2013 at 2:54 PM UTC
Apoptosis
I have died many times. My body hung next to Jesus at Golgotha. I was once decapitated in the French Revolution. I’ve had my eyes gouged out at Gettysburg. I have died many times. My chest was riddled with bullets on the beaches of Normandy. My lungs dissolved and I had a stroke in Auschwitz.  My skin baked, bubbled, and blistered from Hiroshima to Nagasaki. I have died many times. I bled out from a ruptured heart during Columbine. On 9/11, my rib caged cracked and I even stopped breathing. _______________________________________________________________ I have died too many times. I shot myself in the head last night. Dream-spells dripped out from the void and so I shot myself through the heart, stuck my fingers in the hole to see if it hurt and it stung a little. I have died too many times.  I took an ax and split my head open; a flock of pigeons were pecking at my cortex. They flew out and church hymns rang from my cerebellum. I have died too many times.  I lit a bonfire in my brain; the light burst from my eye sockets and now my head is a paper lantern. I clawed at my chest till I ripped my heartstrings; they sung happy birthdays in Arabic so I blew out the fire. I have died too many times. I took a baseball bat and busted my face open; I was swinging for the fences and swallowed my teeth on accident. I have died too many times.  I tore out my stomach, drank the acid, and ****** myself.  I tried pulling my lungs over my head just to suffocate. I have died too many times.  When I discovered my spinal cord, I plucked it out, wrapped it around my neck, and hung myself from the tallest redwood I could find.
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Above the beaches of Normandy In ordered rows they lie. They came to fight for freedom, And for that many had to die. They also lie in rows in Libya, In Italy and Greece The soldiers of democracy Who died fighting for the release Of millions locked in a tyranny Oppressed by an evil mind They died so that enlightenment Could guide the future of mankind. And in the East many more Monuments stand in memory Of the many millions of bravehearts Who died in the fight to be, Rid of the monstrous evil gang And their racist and murderous ideaology, Which planned genocide for these people In order to steal their whole country. And here we are almost seventy years Since the end of that terrible war Looking at election results which ask What was all that dying for? People in free democracies purchased With those millions of victims blood Have voted for the same ideaology That will trample in the mud All the freedoms for which they fought And for which they gave their lives It is as if history has never been taught And that sheer ignorance above all else,thrives. Tom Higgins 27/05/2014
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May 27, 2014
May 27, 2014 at 7:45 AM UTC
The Demeaning of Democracy.
We are buried under the sand. for us, no sun-kissed June day, no moistness of a morning dew, no soothing waves between our toes, no jubilant trumpet to herald our return, no voice to cheer freedoms new dawn, we are forever buried under the sand. © H V Swan
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Sep 4, 2014
Sep 4, 2014 at 8:05 AM UTC
The fallen (Normandy 1944)
A famous "Barry Hodges" poem! I was strolling along the Normandy beaches In the close vicinity of Caen one day With a very tasty piece of arm-candy to hand When I found a bleached human femur on the beach. Oh dear me, what thoughts this conjured up in my brain As I imagined whose bone it might have been! Perhaps some pathetic soldier boy landing in forty-four Who got slotted by a gallant German gunner, His eyes feasting on the sacrificial cannon fodder So foolishly supplied for his target practice. Then, as I grabbed my lady friend's juicy **** Causing her to turn and sink her tongue into my earhole, We sank onto the sands in order to sate our lusts, (enflamed by a very delicious meal of moules marinières and a bucket or two of well-chilled Muscadet sur Lie) I thought, what the **** does it all matter? This is now, and that was then, and this old world Has become a much nicer place nowadays; But how mistaken I was in that fond thought; Oh what an idealist I am in a world of woe. For, all of a sudden, a contingent of fat dwarfs appeared, Totally naked apart from their luminous Uncle Sam hats And the Stars and Stripes hanging from their arseholes; How I marvelled at their disgusting shapes (and how surprised was I to find their genitals were of normal measurements and thus rather intrusively large by comparison with the rest of their miniature bodies). O dear Lord and alleged Father of Mankind Forgive their horrid ways verily and forsooth. With a whoop, those demented military retards, [see note below] The famous 118th battalion ****** Marine veterans, A contingent of whom emerged from a portable toilet (which must have been a bit of a tight squeeze), Chopped my girl-friend up with their bayonets, Whereupon I crapped myself in terror and pity, Before retrieving the purse from the eviscerated corpse, Realizing that her PIN number was still useable Until 'les flics' discovered her unfortunate remains After the shore ***** had partaken thereof.
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Mar 10, 2015
Mar 10, 2015 at 8:08 AM UTC
Memories of the Normandy Beaches
A famous "Barry Hodges" poem! I was strolling along the Normandy beaches In the close vicinity of Caen one day With a very tasty piece of arm-candy to hand When I found a bleached human femur on the beach. Oh dear me, what thoughts this conjured up in my brain As I imagined whose bone it might have been! Perhaps some pathetic soldier boy landing in forty-four Who got slotted by a gallant German gunner, His eyes feasting on the sacrificial cannon fodder So foolishly supplied for his target practice. Then, as I grabbed my lady friend's juicy **** Causing her to turn and sink her tongue into my earhole, We sank onto the sands in order to sate our lusts, (enflamed by a very delicious meal of moules marinières and a bucket or two of well-chilled Muscadet sur Lie) I thought, what the **** does it all matter? This is now, and that was then, and this old world Has become a much nicer place nowadays; But how mistaken I was in that fond thought; Oh what an idealist I am in a world of woe. For, all of a sudden, a contingent of fat dwarfs appeared, Totally naked apart from their luminous Uncle Sam hats And the Stars and Stripes hanging from their arseholes; How I marvelled at their disgusting shapes (and how surprised was I to find their genitals were of normal measurements and thus rather intrusively large by comparison with the rest of their miniature bodies). O dear Lord and alleged Father of Mankind Forgive their horrid ways verily and forsooth. With a whoop, those demented military retards, [see note below] The famous 118th battalion ****** Marine veterans, A contingent of whom emerged from a portable toilet (which must have been a bit of a tight squeeze), Chopped my girl-friend up with their bayonets, Whereupon I crapped myself in terror and pity, Before retrieving the purse from the eviscerated corpse, Realizing that her PIN number was still useable Until 'les flics' discovered her unfortunate remains After the shore ***** had partaken thereof.
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