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"pall" poems
In the hour of death, after this life’s whim, When the heart beats low, and the eyes grow dim, And pain has exhausted every limb— The lover of the Lord shall trust in Him. When the will has forgotten the lifelong aim, And the mind can only disgrace its fame, And a man is uncertain of his own name— The power of the Lord shall fill this frame. When the last sigh is heaved, and the last tear shed, And the coffin is waiting beside the bed, And the widow and child forsake the dead— The angel of the Lord shall lift this head. For even the purest delight may pall, And power must fail, and the pride must fall, And the love of the dearest friends grow small— But the glory of the Lord is all in all.
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17.2k
Dominus Illuminatio Mea
I gaze into my crystal ball, discern amidst the haze A world so far removed from that of now, it would amaze, Where catapulting incidents collide like billiard ***** And sense defies belief as renaissance makes the calls. Blueprints fresh from Internet supply the suitcase blast Where the terrorist’s, simultaneously, ignite in cities cast From Moscow to New York, Beijing to Berlin Gay Paree to London town then way out east again, Budapest, Jerusalem Calcutta burning all And Tokyo is levelled in a ghastly nuclear pall. Kneejerk reaction triggers contrails in the blue Crisscrossing all the continents obliterating through An overkill so vicious that in seconds it is past And the living cling in horror, bearing witness… aghast. Restraints are erased as the opportunists dash Flotillas from the Spratleys sprint to occupy and cash In on the minerals, oil and potential food supplies Of uncontaminated nations found beneath Pacific skies. Hindi, Jew and Muslim settle scores bereft with years Of resentment accrued in a flood of blood and tears. A sudden realisation of immensity of loss Curtails the destruction in retrenchment across The habitable outposts, the dearth of supply And the daunting prospects of a nuclear winter sky. Global collapse of all electronic gear No power, no phones, and no cars now…for years. Electromagnetic impulse put paid to all that And the day is as dark as the cold night is black. And here all we sit, in the here and the now On the verge of catastrophes’ teetering tower, With a fools pudgy finger just inches above The nuclear button…and all that we love. ……You fear the insanity, sense the insane Knowing that people like this are holding the reign? Knowing that volatility strikes Like the shot of a gun and the ****** of a knife. I don’t have the answers to hand But someone out there, knows how…and can. The sands of time are running thin URGENTLY needed a LEADER...to WIN! M. Planet Earth 6 March 2019
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Mar 6, 2019
Mar 6, 2019 at 12:46 AM UTC
The Tomorrow that Must Not Happen!
I gaze into my crystal ball, discern amidst the haze A world so far removed from that of now, it would amaze, Where catapulting incidents collide like billiard ***** And sense defies belief as renaissance makes the calls. Blueprints fresh from Internet supply the suitcase blast Where the terrorist’s, simultaneously, ignite in cities cast From Moscow to New York, Beijing to Berlin Gay Paree to London town then way out east again, Budapest, Jerusalem Calcutta burning all And Tokyo is levelled in a ghastly nuclear pall. Kneejerk reaction triggers contrails in the blue Crisscrossing all the continents obliterating through An overkill so vicious that in seconds it is past And the living cling in horror, bearing witness… aghast. Restraints are erased as the opportunists dash Flotillas from the Spratleys sprint to occupy and cash In on the minerals, oil and potential food supplies Of uncontaminated nations found beneath Pacific skies. Hindi, Jew and Muslim settle scores bereft with years Of resentment accrued in a flood of blood and tears. A sudden realisation of immensity of loss Curtails the destruction in retrenchment across The habitable outposts, the dearth of supply And the daunting prospects of a nuclear winter sky. Global collapse of all electronic gear No power, no phones, and no cars now…for years. Electromagnetic impulse put paid to all that And the day is as dark as the cold night is black. And here all we sit, in the here and the now On the verge of catastrophes’ teetering tower, With a fools pudgy finger just inches above The nuclear button…and all that we love. ……You fear the insanity, sense the insane Knowing that people like this are holding the reign? Knowing that volatility strikes Like the shot of a gun and the ****** of a knife. I don’t have the answers to hand But someone out there, knows how…and can. The sands of time are running thin URGENTLY needed a LEADER...to WIN! M. Planet Earth 6 March 2019
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43
What Hope Remained? What hope remained when hope for hope was spent?         When putrid plumes dulled morning into night         Hope lived in heart-struck deeds of bold intent,         As mortals wept and earthborn angels went         With downcast eyes to clamber heavens height. What hope remained when hope for hope was spent?         When panicked sirens wailed a lost lament         And backs were bowed beneath ungodly weight,         Hope lived in heart-struck deeds of bold intent         As boots bore souls up treadmills burnt and bent         To scale a void devoid of dawning light. What hope remained when hope for hope was spent?         For those in sight of angels heaven sent         Atop the world to aid their mortal plight,         Hope lived in heart-struck deeds of bold intent.         When wingless brethren conquered feared ascent         To gift last hope to all who saw their might:                 What hope remained when hope for hope was spent?                 Hope lived in heart-struck deeds of bold intent. In The Fall I chanced upon a stranger in the fall, Cosmetic garb of office black and white Portraying calm demeanor of his plight As shadows panicked on a stricken wall, And oft' I find my mind in numb recall To look upon that helpless human kite Who tumbled from the terrors of a height, Yet graceful as an eagle in a stall Before it plummets earthward --   'Neath the pall Of twisted steel rended by follied flight, That stranger lives forever in the light Suspended in iconic timeless sprawl.         I wonder, in the briefness of his fall,         Did he derive the meaning of it all?
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Sep 4, 2015
Sep 4, 2015 at 7:20 PM UTC
Villanelle and Sonnet
What Hope Remained? What hope remained when hope for hope was spent?         When putrid plumes dulled morning into night         Hope lived in heart-struck deeds of bold intent,         As mortals wept and earthborn angels went         With downcast eyes to clamber heavens height. What hope remained when hope for hope was spent?         When panicked sirens wailed a lost lament         And backs were bowed beneath ungodly weight,         Hope lived in heart-struck deeds of bold intent         As boots bore souls up treadmills burnt and bent         To scale a void devoid of dawning light. What hope remained when hope for hope was spent?         For those in sight of angels heaven sent         Atop the world to aid their mortal plight,         Hope lived in heart-struck deeds of bold intent.         When wingless brethren conquered feared ascent         To gift last hope to all who saw their might:                 What hope remained when hope for hope was spent?                 Hope lived in heart-struck deeds of bold intent. In The Fall I chanced upon a stranger in the fall, Cosmetic garb of office black and white Portraying calm demeanor of his plight As shadows panicked on a stricken wall, And oft' I find my mind in numb recall To look upon that helpless human kite Who tumbled from the terrors of a height, Yet graceful as an eagle in a stall Before it plummets earthward --   'Neath the pall Of twisted steel rended by follied flight, That stranger lives forever in the light Suspended in iconic timeless sprawl.         I wonder, in the briefness of his fall,         Did he derive the meaning of it all?
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35
Rolling a Pall Mall in the courtyard, of Ye Olde Swiss Cottage Tavern, in the last of November's sun:       Lovely sunlight,       You are,       Filling me warmly with joy. Thinking of our desires, from summer and autumn months, up to this bright November morning, we have happily danced, e'en in the shadows. Above me two brick turrets, as I dreamily smoke, nonchalantly state: 'Underground'. High-raised logos winking at our play, struck through with horizontal blue, in a circle of enamel white. 'Old Fool,' the towers hiss, directed at my mortal sensibilities, 'winter has come!' But nothing buries us as our sun still comfortingly kindles a friendly star which when all is dark, glows inside, guiding the shipwreck of my sunken years - the debts and all those unpaid thrills! Dreaming and Loving, as children out, lost in an abundant ***** each holding off for as long as we dare, lovers unmasked, naked before suffocating paternity, and cold winter's bite! where to we hardly know, to avoid its cruel embrace.
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Nov 8, 2018
Nov 8, 2018 at 4:16 AM UTC
Winter Come
Quite unexpectedly, as Vasserot The armless ambidextrian was lighting A match between his great and second toe, And Ralph the lion was engaged in biting The neck of Madame Sossman while the drum Pointed, and Teeny was about to cough In waltz-time swinging Jocko by the thumb— Quite unexpectedly the top blew off: And there, there overhead, there, there hung over Those thousands of white faces, those dazed eyes, There in the starless dark the poise, the hover, There with vast wings across the cancelled skies, There in the sudden blackness the black pall Of nothing, nothing, nothing—nothing at all.
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7.9k
The End Of The World
The tavern roof was smokey with a pall of blueish ash. The juke box was a- booming as it played "The Monster Mash". A giant puffed a burning witch whilst smoke rings he exhaled.... While victims of our neighbor, Vlad...on stakes were all impaled. The Faceless Man was grinning... from ear to missing ear. The hanged man turned his twisted neck to sip a mug of beer. The Headless Horseman shouted for an aspirin or three. He popped them down his gullet where his head was meant to be. The zombies waited tables and the werewolf tended bar. Mothra was the carhop and took orders car to car. Godzilla worked the griddle and served burgers ala carte. Dracula complained about the steak caught in his heart. Ghosts and ghouls were dancing with abandon on the stage While cyborgs did "the robot" 'cause they thought it was the rage. The mummy came unraveled as we took him for a "spin" As Frankenstein played tuba to contribute to the din. Igor brought "the monster" and then Freddie brought his claw. Jason brought his butcher knife and his buddy from "The Saw". The guillotine was working and the raven refereed So nevermore would pardons be allowed to intercede. The pendulum was swinging to the beating of my heart. I hoped that I would wake up soon... then did so...with a START! Halloween is coming.  So, I guess I should prepare. Watch out for bars with men from Mars... 'cause BEASTIES party there!
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Oct 23, 2017
Oct 23, 2017 at 6:45 AM UTC
The Tavern of Terror
Darkness dredges deep into the soul, tempest gouges out my stillness in manic vengeance, lightning in fiery wrath rips up the mind’s horizon. Thunderous sky roars in scaring rage. Panicked, stars went hiding in the pall of gloomy clouds. My soul too blackens out, O Shepherd, where are you this night?
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Sep 29, 2018
Sep 29, 2018 at 1:40 PM UTC
The shepherd
Lays of Mystery, Imagination, and Humor Number 1 I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls, And each damp thing that creeps and crawls Went wobble-wobble on the walls. Faint odours of departed cheese, Blown on the dank, unwholesome breeze, Awoke the never ending sneeze. Strange pictures decked the arras drear, Strange characters of woe and fear, The humbugs of the social sphere. One showed a vain and noisy **** That shouted empty words and big At him that nodded in a wig. And one, a dotard grim and gray, Who wasteth childhood's happy day In work more profitless than play. Whose icy breast no pity warms, Whose little victims sit in swarms, And slowly sob on lower forms. And one, a green thyme-honoured Bank, Where flowers are growing wild and rank, Like weeds that fringe a poisoned tank. All birds of evil omen there Flood with rich Notes the tainted air, The witless wanderer to snare. The fatal Notes neglected fall, No creature heeds the treacherous call, For all those goodly Strawn Baits Pall. The wandering phantom broke and fled, Straightway I saw within my head A vision of a ghostly bed, Where lay two worn decrepit men, The fictions of a lawyer's pen, Who never more might breathe again. The serving-man of Richard Roe Wept, inarticulate with woe: She wept, that waiting on John Doe. "Oh rouse", I urged, "the waning sense With tales of tangled evidence, Of suit, demurrer, and defence." "Vain", she replied, "such mockeries: For morbid fancies, such as these, No suits can suit, no plea can please." And bending o'er that man of straw, She cried in grief and sudden awe, Not inappropriately, "Law!" The well-remembered voice he knew, He smiled, he faintly muttered "Sue!" (Her very name was legal too.) The night was fled, the dawn was nigh: A hurricane went raving by, And swept the Vision from mine eye. Vanished that dim and ghostly bed, (The hangings, tape; the tape was red happy 'Tis o'er, and Doe and Roe are dead! Oh, yet my spirit inly crawls, What time it shudderingly recalls That horrid dream of marble halls!
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The Palace of Humbug
Lays of Mystery, Imagination, and Humor Number 1 I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls, And each damp thing that creeps and crawls Went wobble-wobble on the walls. Faint odours of departed cheese, Blown on the dank, unwholesome breeze, Awoke the never ending sneeze. Strange pictures decked the arras drear, Strange characters of woe and fear, The humbugs of the social sphere. One showed a vain and noisy **** That shouted empty words and big At him that nodded in a wig. And one, a dotard grim and gray, Who wasteth childhood's happy day In work more profitless than play. Whose icy breast no pity warms, Whose little victims sit in swarms, And slowly sob on lower forms. And one, a green thyme-honoured Bank, Where flowers are growing wild and rank, Like weeds that fringe a poisoned tank. All birds of evil omen there Flood with rich Notes the tainted air, The witless wanderer to snare. The fatal Notes neglected fall, No creature heeds the treacherous call, For all those goodly Strawn Baits Pall. The wandering phantom broke and fled, Straightway I saw within my head A vision of a ghostly bed, Where lay two worn decrepit men, The fictions of a lawyer's pen, Who never more might breathe again. The serving-man of Richard Roe Wept, inarticulate with woe: She wept, that waiting on John Doe. "Oh rouse", I urged, "the waning sense With tales of tangled evidence, Of suit, demurrer, and defence." "Vain", she replied, "such mockeries: For morbid fancies, such as these, No suits can suit, no plea can please." And bending o'er that man of straw, She cried in grief and sudden awe, Not inappropriately, "Law!" The well-remembered voice he knew, He smiled, he faintly muttered "Sue!" (Her very name was legal too.) The night was fled, the dawn was nigh: A hurricane went raving by, And swept the Vision from mine eye. Vanished that dim and ghostly bed, (The hangings, tape; the tape was red happy 'Tis o'er, and Doe and Roe are dead! Oh, yet my spirit inly crawls, What time it shudderingly recalls That horrid dream of marble halls!
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60
It was a restless night denuded of sleep So since it was warm and windless I hit the streets Walking under ancient oaks draped in Spanish moss My path inevitably led to where Everything was at a complete loss Crescent Moon Memorial Cemetery For the dead Where all lie below earthly care Was where my feet had somehow led Row upon row of forgotten names In all of their endeavors Have been eased of their earthly pains And now as I trudged by at a quarter to three A low chorus and chords of music Through the mists came floating to me It startled and intrigued What now is this ? So I had to go see for myself And I silently crept to where came the origins of bliss In a circle of bench seats and monument stones The strangest thing I saw , that of the unborn Ghosts and skeletons playing with bones and singing in moans A see through piano , trombone , bass , saxophone and a silver cornet And one wailing guitar completed the set On the translucent petal bass drum Was the name of the ethereal band And to a catchy tune I began to hum Crescent Moon Memorial Buried Blues Band The epitaph on the vaporous drum stated And I soon found myself a loyal fan What seem like a lifetime they continued to play Quaint rthyms and lyrics now made my day . . . and night ! As the sounds drifted across the river out onto the bay But far off I heard the mornings cock's call Then phiff . . . vanished all into the fog Not a trace as if covered by an invisible pall And then a ray caught the gleam in my eye And I knew that when the time comes Here's where I want to be placed after I die
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Dec 11, 2014
Dec 11, 2014 at 8:38 PM UTC
Crescent Moon Memorial Buried Blues Band
It was a restless night denuded of sleep So since it was warm and windless I hit the streets Walking under ancient oaks draped in Spanish moss My path inevitably led to where Everything was at a complete loss Crescent Moon Memorial Cemetery For the dead Where all lie below earthly care Was where my feet had somehow led Row upon row of forgotten names In all of their endeavors Have been eased of their earthly pains And now as I trudged by at a quarter to three A low chorus and chords of music Through the mists came floating to me It startled and intrigued What now is this ? So I had to go see for myself And I silently crept to where came the origins of bliss In a circle of bench seats and monument stones The strangest thing I saw , that of the unborn Ghosts and skeletons playing with bones and singing in moans A see through piano , trombone , bass , saxophone and a silver cornet And one wailing guitar completed the set On the translucent petal bass drum Was the name of the ethereal band And to a catchy tune I began to hum Crescent Moon Memorial Buried Blues Band The epitaph on the vaporous drum stated And I soon found myself a loyal fan What seem like a lifetime they continued to play Quaint rthyms and lyrics now made my day . . . and night ! As the sounds drifted across the river out onto the bay But far off I heard the mornings cock's call Then phiff . . . vanished all into the fog Not a trace as if covered by an invisible pall And then a ray caught the gleam in my eye And I knew that when the time comes Here's where I want to be placed after I die
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40
*If you shut out the windows of the heart Pall of gloom will engulf every corner Forever searching with weakened vision Whom shall you rely on to find a path? You are bereft of any companion As you allow none to enter your seclusion Denying the soul of light, withering away Gradually pushing you into oblivion As all your sense are misdirected in gloom Even your shadow will be forgotten If you wish to live in eternal state of darkness*
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Jul 26, 2014
Jul 26, 2014 at 9:41 AM UTC
Darkness
In spring of youth it was my lot To haunt of the wide world a spot The which I could not love the less— So lovely was the loneliness Of a wild lake, with black rock bound, And the tall pines that towered around. But when the Night had thrown her pall Upon the spot, as upon all, And the mystic wind went by Murmuring in melody— Then—ah, then, I would awake To the terror of the lone lake. Yet that terror was not fright, But a tremulous delight— A feeling not the jewelled mine Could teach or bribe me to define— Nor Love—although the Love were thine. Death was in that poisonous wave, And in its gulf a fitting grave For him who thence could solace bring To his lone imagining— Whose solitary soul could make An Eden of that dim lake.
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4.3k
The Lake
Fingerprints and fibers, Accumulated talk, Whispers in the corners, Bodies demarcated in chalk On the marble courtroom stairs. His misery became a pall. With mourning signs in splattered pairs, Red flowers on the wall. All that he had left behind was grief And powerless rage, A Tansu chest in high relief, A coiled brass clock fatigued with age. Retreating to a white house in Simrishamn, He’d walk his dog along the shore, Find sterile clues amongst the sands, And travel a ferry between two lands. And now: An experiment! Blame Google Translate for this weird (?) Swedish translation: Please tell me if this is a bad translation! Fingeravtryck och fibrer, Ackumulerat samtal, Viskar i hörnen, Kroppar avgränsad i krita På marmor rättssal trappor. Hans elände blev en pall. Med sorgsignaler i splatterade par, Röda blommor på väggen. Allt som han hade lämnat var sorg Och maktlös raseri, En Tansu bröst i hög lättnad, En spolad mässingsklocka utmanad med åldern. Att återvända till ett vitt hus i Simrishamn, Han skulle gå sin hund längs stranden, Hitta sterila ledtrådar bland sandarna,
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Aug 27, 2018
Aug 27, 2018 at 12:24 PM UTC
Wallander
Lo! ’tis a gala night Within the lonesome latter years! An angel throng, bewinged, bedight In veils, and drowned in tears, Sit in a theatre, to see A play of hopes and fears, While the orchestra breathes fitfully The music of the spheres. Mimes, in the form of God on high, Mutter and mumble low, And hither and thither fly— Mere puppets they, who come and go At bidding of vast formless things That shift the scenery to and fro, Flapping from out their Condor wings Invisible Wo! That motley drama—oh, be sure It shall not be forgot! With its Phantom chased for evermore, By a crowd that seize it not, Through a circle that ever returneth in To the self-same spot, And much of Madness, and more of Sin, And Horror the soul of the plot. But see, amid the mimic rout A crawling shape intrude! A blood-red thing that writhes from out The scenic solitude! It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs The mimes become its food, And the angels sob at vermin fangs In human gore imbued. Out—out are the lights—out all! And, over each quivering form, The curtain, a funeral pall, Comes down with the rush of a storm, And the angels, all pallid and wan, Uprising, unveiling, affirm That the play is the tragedy, “Man,” And its hero the Conqueror Worm.
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4.3k
The Conqueror Worm
“Beautifully Oppressive” she called my work “beautifully oppressive”   did she mean like the stifling pall of equatorial heat?   what lines had I writ to elicit such truthful and prodigious adverbs and adjectives?   I can not recall being more flattered   or believing more that it mattered   what one said of my delirious desultory delusions, my petty pecking indulgences… I believe I was recalling a dream   that spoke of elusive, fickle salvation,   the perennial  curse of the chosen ****** and their haunting hunger for implacable peace   when I evoked that response from her   “beautifully oppressive” to feel such a fate?   the promise of heaven for those trudging through hell?   what other beautiful oppressive story could I tell?
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Jun 3, 2013
Jun 3, 2013 at 5:56 PM UTC
"beautifully oppressive" (to victoria)
Today Its bright and sunny Not same The last 3 days . A relative , passing away Never whom I met A pall of gloom, yet . Today Husband would be back from tour A day before Stuck he was in the heavy downpour And flooded Mumbai roads . My heart sank, Reminded of the deluge Year 2005, July 26th And Stuck he was in a similar situation Residents of Mumbai, then we were. A Day before He had a long day ahead Asked the driver to leave Only to return by evening . The driver with no return route And The hotel a few Kms away Not a single Ola Uber Around the corner Added to the bother. A good 40 minutes walk In waist high water Followed by a bus ride Hotel ,he managed to reach . And hopefully , The Mumbaikars to their homes Who waded along Helping each other in the murky waters. Yes 'The SPIRIT Of MUMBAI' Not to be missed Come Rains or Terrorists Mumbaikars with help , do outreach.
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Aug 31, 2017
Aug 31, 2017 at 8:05 AM UTC
The Spirit Of Mumbai
Mayon Volcano of our Nation's Pride Sleek be your Shape on our Motherland's Back Surrounding Spices, your Flaming Rage hide Which Form to take our Economy lack So you decide to Chill; And leave a Bruise That from Bathala's Favour reaped your Skin And Kiss the Nimbus pour her Tears a-new Whose Lost Love's Folly besought from Within Then why Cagsawa, her Arm does extend Ringing her Bell despite the Missing Pall Meant her Heart Forever; Love without End Her Chorus buried as if there at all. She bids her Wave, as Albayenos notice That Spark from your Mouth; Kindle her Precipice.
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Mar 21, 2013
Mar 21, 2013 at 10:39 PM UTC
SONNET FEATURE NUMBER THIRTEEN
82 Whose cheek is this? What rosy face Has lost a blush today? I found her—”pleiad”—in the woods And bore her safe away. Robins, in the tradition Did cover such with leaves, But which the cheek— And which the pall My scrutiny deceives.
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3.7k
Whose cheek is this?
The bowers whereat, in dreams, I see The wantonest singing birds, Are lips—and all thy melody Of lip-begotten words— Thine eyes, in Heaven of heart enshrined Then desolately fall, O God! on my funereal mind Like starlight on a pall— Thy heart—thy heart!—I wake and sigh, And sleep to dream till day Of the truth that gold can never buy— Of the baubles that it may.
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3.7k
TO—— (II)
It hath yet to clear away from the skies of the bereaved hearts: of family and friends, neighbours and colleagues, church members and associates--the sudden pall of smoke of sorrow that arose a week agone, precisely on the Lord's Day last--from the debris of deaths of the Dana plane accident in Lagos, Nigeria. When that evil bruit first on the radio i heard, like lead sank fast to the very base of the sea of woe, my heart; and wailing was i within like a child that's bereft of breast milk. I could not my tongue find again, for words were as sand heavy in my mouth. All earthly pleasures did de- part my thoughts at once, losing all known appetites for ecstasy For the 153 souls that perished in the ill-fated plane crash, when upon a two-story building with its belly fell; killing 6 more people besides the number aboard the aircraft who, like everyone else on that Sunday, were having a nice day in their various homes. of whose tale amongst the unfortunate victims should i tell thee: Is it of the bright, warm and lovely lady that came from the US to celebrate her brother's wedding with her children and died along with her family whole-- husband, two kids, and a set of twins, mother, and two cousins? Or is it of those who had gone to visit their friends but met their death untimely in that damaged building? Or is it of the air hostess that was to get married next July? Or is it of the very reverend Cole and his darling wife? Or is it of the brass hats, professor, corps member and top civil servants? I can not exhaust the tragedy's list! It's too great a tale to be told by me--the sad loss of precious lives like mine! And for 3 days in grief hung the country's flag in a half-flown position, lowering its high head in ashes of sympathy as the nation at large did mourn the dead and condoled with their families.
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Jun 10, 2012
Jun 10, 2012 at 1:16 PM UTC
DANA Plane Crash: Mind Lost Its Rhymes
It hath yet to clear away from the skies of the bereaved hearts: of family and friends, neighbours and colleagues, church members and associates--the sudden pall of smoke of sorrow that arose a week agone, precisely on the Lord's Day last--from the debris of deaths of the Dana plane accident in Lagos, Nigeria. When that evil bruit first on the radio i heard, like lead sank fast to the very base of the sea of woe, my heart; and wailing was i within like a child that's bereft of breast milk. I could not my tongue find again, for words were as sand heavy in my mouth. All earthly pleasures did de- part my thoughts at once, losing all known appetites for ecstasy For the 153 souls that perished in the ill-fated plane crash, when upon a two-story building with its belly fell; killing 6 more people besides the number aboard the aircraft who, like everyone else on that Sunday, were having a nice day in their various homes. of whose tale amongst the unfortunate victims should i tell thee: Is it of the bright, warm and lovely lady that came from the US to celebrate her brother's wedding with her children and died along with her family whole-- husband, two kids, and a set of twins, mother, and two cousins? Or is it of those who had gone to visit their friends but met their death untimely in that damaged building? Or is it of the air hostess that was to get married next July? Or is it of the very reverend Cole and his darling wife? Or is it of the brass hats, professor, corps member and top civil servants? I can not exhaust the tragedy's list! It's too great a tale to be told by me--the sad loss of precious lives like mine! And for 3 days in grief hung the country's flag in a half-flown position, lowering its high head in ashes of sympathy as the nation at large did mourn the dead and condoled with their families.
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52
Flavored hukkas are passed around, Alcohol and paan bring the mehfil alive, The Ustad ji sits down and flexes his fingers, He knows he’ll be working all night. Dha dhin dhin dha, dha dhin dhin dha Na tin tin ta Ta dhin dhin dha, Move the Ustad ji’s fingers on the tabla. While with a veil on her face, And feet dipped in and henna-colored, Lips in cheap red lipstick covered, She unfalteringly, gracefully enters. Her steps are matched by the chhan chhan of the ghungroos tied around her ankles so slender. Eyes set on her, feast on her youth, Just right for the taste of all her customers. Bejeweled hands placed on waist, She stands at the centre of attention, She lifts a foot, readies to dance, And begins the nightly convention. Skillfully, perfectly, sensuously move Feet well-trained since childhood days, Harmonizing with the timbre That the Ustad ji creates. Tin tin na dhin na dhin na On the tabla, experienced fingers beat. Chhan chhan chhan chhan, She dances, repeating the rhythm with her feet. Metal bells strike against one another And chhan chhan chhan-a chhan she goes, Making breaths prance and jump, As she strikes on the ground her heels and toes. Then suddenly she stops and gasps, Over disgruntled, impatient groans she tries to hear the sound that flows in, only to her ears. Several rooms away, a baby cries. Naach! A voice booms, Arey naach! More join in. A glass of wine is shattered by an irritated one. But she stands still, clutching her chest, frozen. One sways up to where she stands, For the veil covering her face, his hands dive. He uncovers her, but is blinded by the sight of her beauty And her tears that fill her kajal-smeared eyes. She’s shaken back to reality as she looks all around. Her sparkling pall is off her face. She sees all those drunk men who’ve paid to watch her dance. She knows she has to make the sound of the cries fade away. So she stomps her feet on the ground till it hurts. Hair flying out of braid, bangles clanging, Anguish replaces her innocent loveliness, The music in the air is now shrill,  jarring. Her steps match with the tabla’s rhythm no more. But she dances, planting her feet so hard they weep. She silences every sound with the noise of her ghungroos, Praying that the night will lull her wailing son to sleep.
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Jun 22, 2012
Jun 22, 2012 at 1:11 PM UTC
The Noise of Music
Flavored hukkas are passed around, Alcohol and paan bring the mehfil alive, The Ustad ji sits down and flexes his fingers, He knows he’ll be working all night. Dha dhin dhin dha, dha dhin dhin dha Na tin tin ta Ta dhin dhin dha, Move the Ustad ji’s fingers on the tabla. While with a veil on her face, And feet dipped in and henna-colored, Lips in cheap red lipstick covered, She unfalteringly, gracefully enters. Her steps are matched by the chhan chhan of the ghungroos tied around her ankles so slender. Eyes set on her, feast on her youth, Just right for the taste of all her customers. Bejeweled hands placed on waist, She stands at the centre of attention, She lifts a foot, readies to dance, And begins the nightly convention. Skillfully, perfectly, sensuously move Feet well-trained since childhood days, Harmonizing with the timbre That the Ustad ji creates. Tin tin na dhin na dhin na On the tabla, experienced fingers beat. Chhan chhan chhan chhan, She dances, repeating the rhythm with her feet. Metal bells strike against one another And chhan chhan chhan-a chhan she goes, Making breaths prance and jump, As she strikes on the ground her heels and toes. Then suddenly she stops and gasps, Over disgruntled, impatient groans she tries to hear the sound that flows in, only to her ears. Several rooms away, a baby cries. Naach! A voice booms, Arey naach! More join in. A glass of wine is shattered by an irritated one. But she stands still, clutching her chest, frozen. One sways up to where she stands, For the veil covering her face, his hands dive. He uncovers her, but is blinded by the sight of her beauty And her tears that fill her kajal-smeared eyes. She’s shaken back to reality as she looks all around. Her sparkling pall is off her face. She sees all those drunk men who’ve paid to watch her dance. She knows she has to make the sound of the cries fade away. So she stomps her feet on the ground till it hurts. Hair flying out of braid, bangles clanging, Anguish replaces her innocent loveliness, The music in the air is now shrill,  jarring. Her steps match with the tabla’s rhythm no more. But she dances, planting her feet so hard they weep. She silences every sound with the noise of her ghungroos, Praying that the night will lull her wailing son to sleep.
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i smoke cigarettees too **** much. this is how you know nothing original will be said in this poem. i use cigarettes as a social crutch. i don't know about you but when i'm in the mood to be honest i'll tell you i smoke cigarettes because i want to be 'cool'. because let's be honest: i can't think of a poet a musician an actor an olympic swimmer a hockey player a president a priest a **** a serial killer or a psychiatrist that's worth mentioning that did not smoke yes, i know you can and go ahead, but let me first make a point instead let me be honest, if i can smoke a cigarette and maybe be alone for 5.75 minutes then maybe a thought will occur to me something outside this ******** world and it will be good enough to write down, just maybe. let me be honest i don't need you with your judgemental eyes and your cursory glances walk away from me at a party i don't miss you i am with her. i garauntee if you asked Whitman Hemmingway Freud Phelps Obama about their actual relationship with smoking tobacco they would have similiar descriptions. but go ahead, tell me about the hazardous effects of cigarettes let's talk about the cancer and the tar and the disgusting phlem that i will constantly have to eject from my throat-hole when i'm fifty. go ahead, tell me about ******* people over and ripping their minds out and the sickness and the disease and how it's all so wrong. it's as amusing to me as it is to you. Mcdonald's will **** you. Pall Mall will **** me.
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Nov 5, 2011
Nov 5, 2011 at 12:34 AM UTC
cigarettes
a high school football game. the field is ablaze with juicy roses and doves. the athletes suddenly drop thier pencils, their coughing hands made of melting wax. all the trombones are falling apart, and the flute players are losing their ******* under the bleachers, throwing away secrets. heartbeats cracking broomsticks, the nuns were always hitchhikers with resounding gag reflexes. i sail forward, snatching the time bomb from the quarterback, snuffing out a pall mall on his right eyelid. the dead angel is summoned to slay the horrible hippopotamus. she is ancient. she has a mouth full of cavities and peace in her veins. the truth is a piercing thing, whose bitter tongue will decay me.
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Jan 7, 2012
Jan 7, 2012 at 2:07 PM UTC
scene on a floating barge
I regret ever feeling at all Maybe I should just stop-- Stop trying Stop feeling Just... stop. I regret ever feeling at all Maybe I should just end it Would anyone care? Would anyone notice? Maybe I should just stop. I regret ever feeling at all Harden my walls, forget my heart Decide that nothing, no one, is worth my pall I wish I didn't have to become numb to be okay, Just to make the pain go away. I regret ever feeling at all I want to be strong But, I should've known all along: I feel too deeply to be healthy, Especially when people are involved. I regret ever feeling at all Maybe I want to die Maybe just a line at my wrist (The X-Acto knife in my drawer would do the trick) But no, perhaps not (I am not a fan of pain) Bleeding out takes far too long I don't think I could take it, anyway. I regret ever feeling at all The voices in my head say I'm worthless No wonder everyone's gone I can't attract anyone, I'm too broken The deadness in my eyes belies a dormant predator Watch out, I'm a hidden monster I may catch you in my claws before a single word has been spoken Beware the darkness of a shattered heart, It will be far too sharp. I regret ever feeling at all Maybe this is for the best Maybe I'll finally learn my lesson And never have to trust again I'm blowing this out of proportion This is so much worse in my head But you said I should spend time with myself, love, No matter how many times I wish myself dead. I regret ever feeling at all I am so far out of my depth I don't know what to do, love I wish you could see this mess from my shoes. This constant nagging ache, I wish it'd go away. I regret ever feeling at all I want to hate you, To lose the pang in my stomach when you wear bruises on your neck Your trophies are the cause of my heartbreak Why can't you just stay away? I regret ever feeling at all I wish my friends could stand being around me But maybe they sense the monster within Who hungers jealously for that which she cannot have Who lusts for the flesh of one who does not love her Who, deep down, wants to hurt everyone who wrongs her. I regret ever feeling at all This darkness is so suffocating Why did I have to, for you of all people, fall? When you cannot feel the same When all I get from you is pain I love you, I hate you, I feel all of the above. I regret ever feeling at all This horrible, deadening cold It seeps through my limbs All I want is a hand to hold, Someone to chase the demons away, Someone who can love me as much as I love you, Someone who wants to save me from myself, As much as I do you. I regret ever feeling at all Maybe if I disappeared, you'd wonder what you did wrong Maybe you'd actually call Would you feel any of my regret? Would you feel the hurt you cause? I don't know that, love, I just know I regret ever feeling at all.
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Nov 8, 2018
Nov 8, 2018 at 10:05 PM UTC
I Regret Ever Feeling At All
I regret ever feeling at all Maybe I should just stop-- Stop trying Stop feeling Just... stop. I regret ever feeling at all Maybe I should just end it Would anyone care? Would anyone notice? Maybe I should just stop. I regret ever feeling at all Harden my walls, forget my heart Decide that nothing, no one, is worth my pall I wish I didn't have to become numb to be okay, Just to make the pain go away. I regret ever feeling at all I want to be strong But, I should've known all along: I feel too deeply to be healthy, Especially when people are involved. I regret ever feeling at all Maybe I want to die Maybe just a line at my wrist (The X-Acto knife in my drawer would do the trick) But no, perhaps not (I am not a fan of pain) Bleeding out takes far too long I don't think I could take it, anyway. I regret ever feeling at all The voices in my head say I'm worthless No wonder everyone's gone I can't attract anyone, I'm too broken The deadness in my eyes belies a dormant predator Watch out, I'm a hidden monster I may catch you in my claws before a single word has been spoken Beware the darkness of a shattered heart, It will be far too sharp. I regret ever feeling at all Maybe this is for the best Maybe I'll finally learn my lesson And never have to trust again I'm blowing this out of proportion This is so much worse in my head But you said I should spend time with myself, love, No matter how many times I wish myself dead. I regret ever feeling at all I am so far out of my depth I don't know what to do, love I wish you could see this mess from my shoes. This constant nagging ache, I wish it'd go away. I regret ever feeling at all I want to hate you, To lose the pang in my stomach when you wear bruises on your neck Your trophies are the cause of my heartbreak Why can't you just stay away? I regret ever feeling at all I wish my friends could stand being around me But maybe they sense the monster within Who hungers jealously for that which she cannot have Who lusts for the flesh of one who does not love her Who, deep down, wants to hurt everyone who wrongs her. I regret ever feeling at all This darkness is so suffocating Why did I have to, for you of all people, fall? When you cannot feel the same When all I get from you is pain I love you, I hate you, I feel all of the above. I regret ever feeling at all This horrible, deadening cold It seeps through my limbs All I want is a hand to hold, Someone to chase the demons away, Someone who can love me as much as I love you, Someone who wants to save me from myself, As much as I do you. I regret ever feeling at all Maybe if I disappeared, you'd wonder what you did wrong Maybe you'd actually call Would you feel any of my regret? Would you feel the hurt you cause? I don't know that, love, I just know I regret ever feeling at all.
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Bustopher Jones is not skin and bones— In fact, he’s remarkably fat. He doesn’t haunt pubs—he has eight or nine clubs, For he’s the St. James’s Street Cat! He’s the Cat we all greet as he walks down the street In his coat of fastidious black: No commonplace mousers have such well-cut trousers Or such an impreccable back. In the whole of St. James’s the smartest of names is The name of this Brummell of Cats; And we’re all of us proud to be nodded or bowed to By Bustopher Jones in white spats! His visits are occasional to the Senior Educational And it is against the rules For any one Cat to belong both to that And the Joint Superior Schools. For a similar reason, when game is in season He is found, not at Fox’s, but Blimpy’s; He is frequently seen at the gay Stage and Screen Which is famous for winkles and shrimps. In the season of venison he gives his ben’son To the Pothunter’s succulent bones; And just before noon’s not a moment too soon To drop in for a drink at the Drones. When he’s seen in a hurry there’s probably curry At the Siamese—or at the Glutton; If he looks full of gloom then he’s lunched at the Tomb On cabbage, rice pudding and mutton. So, much in this way, passes Bustopher’s day- At one club or another he’s found. It can be no surprise that under our eyes He has grown unmistakably round. He’s a twenty-five pounder, or I am a bounder, And he’s putting on weight every day: But he’s so well preserved because he’s observed All his life a routine, so he’ll say. Or, to put it in rhyme: “I shall last out my time” Is the word of this stoutest of Cats. It must and it shall be Spring in Pall Mall While Bustopher Jones wears white spats!
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3.3k
Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town
Bustopher Jones is not skin and bones— In fact, he’s remarkably fat. He doesn’t haunt pubs—he has eight or nine clubs, For he’s the St. James’s Street Cat! He’s the Cat we all greet as he walks down the street In his coat of fastidious black: No commonplace mousers have such well-cut trousers Or such an impreccable back. In the whole of St. James’s the smartest of names is The name of this Brummell of Cats; And we’re all of us proud to be nodded or bowed to By Bustopher Jones in white spats! His visits are occasional to the Senior Educational And it is against the rules For any one Cat to belong both to that And the Joint Superior Schools. For a similar reason, when game is in season He is found, not at Fox’s, but Blimpy’s; He is frequently seen at the gay Stage and Screen Which is famous for winkles and shrimps. In the season of venison he gives his ben’son To the Pothunter’s succulent bones; And just before noon’s not a moment too soon To drop in for a drink at the Drones. When he’s seen in a hurry there’s probably curry At the Siamese—or at the Glutton; If he looks full of gloom then he’s lunched at the Tomb On cabbage, rice pudding and mutton. So, much in this way, passes Bustopher’s day- At one club or another he’s found. It can be no surprise that under our eyes He has grown unmistakably round. He’s a twenty-five pounder, or I am a bounder, And he’s putting on weight every day: But he’s so well preserved because he’s observed All his life a routine, so he’ll say. Or, to put it in rhyme: “I shall last out my time” Is the word of this stoutest of Cats. It must and it shall be Spring in Pall Mall While Bustopher Jones wears white spats!
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