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Jay Altezza Nov 2013
We live in a world where:
An illusion is called reality
And truth is a conspiracy;
Slavery is freedom
And all work is tough work;
Logic makes no sense
And school numbs the brain;
Our faith lies in those in power
And materialism is the religion;
We want to stand out
But keep trying to fit in;
Blood is not always family
And our tools are our best friends;
Friends are actually enemies
And love is equated to lust;
Peace is fought for
And humility is weakness;
Priorities come last
And talent is disability;
The wolves are the sheepdogs
And the Shepherd is ignored;
Our way of life leads to death
And medication vitiates;
Sanity is madness
And creativity is destroyed;
The past is disregarded
And the future seems bleak.


Centuries ago,
Shakespeare left us the question: To be or Not to be?
I guess it is clear which answer we chose.
Tony Novak Sep 2013
Yes, yet again
this is the night:
one of those nights
when the moon howls
but no vampire prowls
and werewolves are asleep
dreaming of sheepdogs
chasing sheep.

Half-live half-dead
I dance the sleepless dance
embracing my demons
in a drug-addled trance
of a crazy puppet

Sometimes
there's something
seductive
about the sky
that so attracts me
makes me want to fly
through the open window
the demon of freedom
invites me
to die.
Mel Holmes Mar 2014
a possum is smoking a cigarette on
top of a small barn in the field.

inside the barn, a mama births
a batch of baby sheepdogs
their eyes still caked shut--
a world awaits.

as the possum finishes his last drag,
i watch the trees in the yard
get up & walk away.
Jerrad Johnson Apr 2017
The sheep are swimming in the Nile; they must be living in denial!
Denial is our best friend, the constitution we must amend!

Guns are our mortal enemies; their only use is to commit felonies
To stop these tragedies, we must impose harsher penalties!

There is no wolf, we will not die; there’s no need to put your life on the line
Sheepdogs are for the paranoid, those who live in a void

Remove the sheepdog and the enemy goes away, to happiness this is the true way
Ban the wolf with a no trespassing sign, surely we’ll be fine

Respect and common courtesy, the wolf will live in harmony
Close our eyes and he goes away, all we have to do is pray

Our herd used to be bigger; we don’t ask questions as long as our denial can deliver
Until our children are in the fire, then the sheepdog we require

But the sheepdog is out of practice, we fired him for “malpractice.”
Ruined by us, he looks no better than us – but he’s not like us

The sheepdog is weak; his sheep made him an antique
But his mind is strong and he’s eager to **** the evil and wrong

Wolves are predators, feeding on the weak; it’s denial they seek
The sheep will never fight, but pray the sheepdog is able to take up their plight
From my book, "Aimless Wanderer"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544626347
Sam Conrad Dec 2013
Maybe I just like any word
That comes from
Ben Gibbard's mouth
Or maybe it was the simple effects
You had on me
By doing the very simplest things
Such as sharing some songs

May 24th
"Can't Stand It" - Never Shout Never
..."Baby I love you, I never want to let you go..."

June 9th
"Thank You" - Dido
..."And I want to thank you
For giving me the best day of my life
And, oh, just to be with you
Is having the best day of my life"

September 23rd
"Bloom" - The Paper Kites
..."In the morning when I wake
And the sun is coming through,
Oh, you fill my lungs with sweetness,
And you fill my head with you."

I have to admit, the song came over the radio on my way to class one night and I had to pull over the car to cry...

September 30th
"The Heart Of Life" - John Mayer
You told me: "No matter what happens, you will always mean the world to me. I will always think good of you. I will always love you."
...song goes
"Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No, it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good"

I cry just thinking about this song. I sent it to you when you were upset. I tried to help you. I weep every time now, I'm such a wreck, because I doubt I mean a fraction of what I ever meant to you, anymore...

After you sent that to me, I replied to you:
"I didn't see my inbox until tonight. My poor heart is so broken. It just dropped to the floor. I'm so afraid of losing you. Otherwise I'm okay..." ...

Sent you this song  
October 3rd
"Suddenly" - The Sheepdogs
..."My world at night
Is as quiet as can be
A self imposed solitude
Isn’t half as bad as it seems
But lord I sit tonight, and I dream of somebody
Who in the world could it be?"

You sent me back
October 7th
"Such Great Heights" - The Postal Service (Cover by Iron and Wine)
..."I am thinking it's a sign
That the freckles in our eyes
Are mirror images
And when we kiss they're perfectly aligned
And I have to speculate
That God Himself did make
Us into corresponding shapes
Like puzzle pieces from the clay
And true it may seem like a stretch
But it's thoughts like this that catch
My troubled head when you're away"

I cried so hysterically.
I cried so hysterically.
I cried and cried and cried.

I now cry and cry and cry and cry
Because you had taken me
To such great heights
I can't let go.
john lindsay Feb 2016
The line that brought everything
Took it all back
Sheepdogs, a mangle, a childs cry
Every year more stones dislodged
Forest inched over seeded slopes
Road lost itself a second time
Winters erased more
The crow mocked
Name and echo
Shrank into spruce
Once again we are in the Borders. Riccarton Junction used to be on the Carlisle-Edinburgh railway line. The only access to the outside world was by the railway. A community lived and died there. To me, it is another example of a beautiful , haunted  place.
Mohan Boone Sep 2020
The Bear's Paw
standing at the bottom of the hill
guarded by psychedelic sandbags
filling in the cracks opened by the daily pilgrimages of sheepdogs 

King Kong cries
his battery acid caught with it's guard down on the wrong side of town
bearded vultures, pecking his ears in the rain
and his chin setting down a towel on a **** beach while people touch each other,
everywhere

Pol ***
reeeeeeeeeeling.

hundreds of millions of tiny microscopic parasites
dancing in gaggles while a 140 year old dog lies dying,
slowly steering his magic carpet through a stratus
of lightly spiced sausages

The Popo,
all the gear but beached like blue whales on the wrong end of a tsunami 
lions have played backgammon for a thousand years around this watering hole so tell me why
after so many famous moves
would they get bored now?

old man, with tobacco eyes and a homemade pool cue
his dancing demons his own and his chin working from home
you can't win them all but if you hit the ball with conviction 
you might just catch onto the coat tails of an incredible journey

King Kong has been divorced 3 times and has never met his kids
Daddy Kong packed a swimming pool with watermelon's when King Kong was merely a glint in the milkman's eye and told him that he would DANCE
WITH PINK DOLPHINS
because he was the fruit of the pangolins 
and that's what pangolins were born with the right to do

tobacco eyes eyes the black
the parasites swipe right, go on dinner dates, then give birth to 10 baby parasites in under a minute.
the baby parasites grow hair,
learn to ride bikes,
travel the world,
then settle down.
sand-pit. wax roots. cheat.

before you've even squinted to see the next train,
thousands of great great grand-baby parasites are getting dressed up for their first day of school
all in the time it takes
for a pint of Guinness,
to finish ******* ITSELF.

LOVE, in every stain on the carpet
a lifetime of 10/10 potatoes
shirts, tucked in - just like it says on the rota
stories of adventure and death traded in phone boxes with infinite shelves and shipping containers loaded with questions

answers always the same - 
same ****, mate
different day, mate.

The Bear's Paw
standing at the bottom of the hill
old wooden door wide open
love stained carpets buttered to the edge with the marmalade of the free

no King Kong's, 
no pangolins,
no PINK DOLPHINS.

just microscopic parasites
and loyal sheepdogs
who have travelled across a thousand fields 
sat waiting to bewitch you with their tales
Wordfreak Jan 2019
I won't be shamed
For the things I've done
The lives I've taken
I do what I do
For a reason.
My family and I
My brothers and sisters
We fight for your right
To call us killers
And spit in our direction
I once said I was a wolf
But I was wrong
For I've faced the wolf
And his savagery knows
No bounds
So we vowed to protect you
The innocent
The sheep
For the herd has us
To defend
And avenge it
The Sheepdogs
Till Valhalla
Big Virge Jan 2020
Ya Know ...
The System REALLY Is A LOT of Things ... !!!

A ... " House of Cards " ...
That Are ... CLEARLY MARKED ... !!!

Because Systemic FARCE ...
Seems To Be UNIVERSAL In This World of Ours ... !!?!!

I've Now Seen HOW ...
Systemic MALFUNCTION Is Linked To CORRUPTION ... !!!
From Those Who Use ... TRUNCHEON ...
To Meat That's Called ... LUNCHEON ...

NEITHER Seem To Be STRUCTURED ...
To Do More Than ... PUNCTURE ...
And RUPTURE Heart Function ... !!!!!

SYSTEMIC Instruction ...
Is USED Like ... BLOOD SUCTION ... !?!

VAMPIRIC Breeds Whose Systemic NEEDS ...
FFED OFF The People So Do EMBRACE EVIL ... !!!

LEECHES With Speeches ...
Whose Words Seem To Deal In ...
HYPOCRISY ... CONSTANTLY ... !?!

Their Philosophies ... HONESTLY ...
NEED A .... " COLOSTOMY " .... !!!!!!!!!!!

Because **** Retention Seems To Be The Direction ...
Systemic INFECTIONS ... Are CURRENTLY Heading ... !!!!!!!

Talk That Is FARCE That They CLAIM To Be SMART ...
KICKS **** Like An *** Who's NOT Had Some Grass ...
To CALM DOWN Their MOOD So DOESN'T Move Cool ... !!!

The System Is SCHOOLED ...
In Breeding NEW FOOLS ... !!!

Bernie Mac' Said it BEST ... !!!

IGNORANT Heads Are Now WALKING DEAD ... !!!
But YET Somehow EXPECT To Get Some RESPECT ...
From A System HELL BENT On Leaving Them SPENT ...
With NO FORCE To Use When The System Makes Moves ...

To Give Them ... HARD LABOUR ...
WITHOUT A ....... " Light Sabre " ......... !!!?!!!

Entertainment TOO ...
Systemically ... " Prunes " ...
The TRUTH To POLLUTE ...
The Minds of Our YOUTH And Some Elders Too ... !!!

From Music To Film The System is CHILLED ...
When It Comes To ... EXPOSURE ...
of Art That Is POTENT Like Cancer To Smokers ... !!!

They Deal In ... " DISCLOSURE " ...
But Somehow These P.O.T.U.S. DON'T Seem To Serve NOTICE ...

They Just Deal In ... " QUOTAS " ...
Like ... " Roger Moore Lotus " ... !!!

SPIES Who DENY The Masses GOOD Lives ... !!!
Because THEY FLY HIGH While Poor Folks Survive ... !!!!

The System ... DOES LIE ...
I Think You Will ... FIND ... !!!
And Turns A ... "BLIND EYE" ...

To Those Who They Ply ...
With Trades FIT For SLAVES ... !!!
Who NOW ... DON'T Wear Chains ... !!!

So ... LOOK At Your Life ...
Does The System SUPPLY ...
YOU With The Freedoms ...
of Those With ... SILK Ties ... ?!!!?

CORPORATE Types ...
Whose SLAVERY Lies ...
In MONEY Plantations ... !!!

Do You Get What I'm SAYING ... !?!

Now I'm NO Anarchist ... !!!
But The System NOW IS ...
BROKE With NO FIX ... ?!?

NEW AGE Genesis ...

Gay Couples Raise Kids As Transgenders WIN ...
Awards And APPLAUSE For Being ... REAL WOMEN ... ?!?

Errrrrr ... Something NEEDS FIXING ... !!!

So Now It Seems WOMEN ...
Face ... Systemic TRIMMING ... !?!

When Men Can Make CLAIMS ...
To Plaudits And Fame And EVEN ACCEPTANCE ...
Because They CHANGE Names And Dress Like A Dame ... !?!

I HOPE FEMINISTS  ARE Looking At ... THIS ... !!!
Instead of COMPLAINING About CHAUVINISTS ...

The System ENLISTS ... CONFUSION To SPLIT ...
GOOD SENSE From ................... LOGIC ...
If It FILLS The Pockets of GREED Driven LIARS ...
Who Are NOT ... " Good Friars " ... !!!!!

They're MORE LIKE Deniers of TRUTH And RIGHTS ...
UNLESS They're INDULGENT In What Is REPUGNANT ...
To Minds NOW Resigned To ... "FALLING IN LINE" ... !!!!!!!
Because They DON'T Want To Be .................. OSTRACIZED ... !!!

For THINKING And SPEAKING ...
In Ways NOT CONFINED .............................................

Because of The FEAR of ... SYSTEMIC Ears ...
CLAIMING Their Statements To Be ... " ANTIQUATED " ... !!!!!!
These People Are FATED To FIND Themselves BATED ...
Like WORMS On A Line Because They're Inclined ...

... To BLEAT Just Like SHEEP ... !!!!

When SYSTEMIC Sheepdogs Do MORE Than Just Creep ... !!!
It Seems That These Peeps' Are ... Mentally WEAK ... !!!

And ONE DAY Will SEE That FREEDOM of SPEECH ...
Should ALWAYS Run FREE .........................................................

And NOT Be ... "IMPRISONED"
Cos' ... "System RESTRICTIONS" ...
May ONE DAY Well REACH ...
A Time Where Our LEADERS ...

CANNOT Be ... " IMPEACHED " ... !!!

From Racists To Sexists To MONEY Indexes ...
And NOW YES It Seems To ... ****** COMPLEXES ... !?!

It's CLEAR That ...  " The System " ...
Stems From FLAWED beginnings ... !!!!!

So THINK What You WILL ...
But THINK About ... THIS ... !!!

When You CHECK How We Live ...
What Do You Now Think ... ?

... " The System Really Is ?!? " ...
Listen Here :

https://soundcloud.com/user-16569179/the-system-really-is
Big Virge Jan 2020
Yeah THAT'S RIGHT ... !!!!!!    
I'M NOT YOUR ***** ... !!!!!!!!!!  
    
Say What You Like ...    
But DON'T EVER THINK ... !!!    
That You ... " CONTROL " ...    
How MY LIFE Goes ... !!!!!!!!    
    
You're ... CLEARLY LOST ... !!!    
And In ... " A Zone " ...    
With The Rest of The Clones ...    
Unable To STOP ....................................    
    
Your Lips From Saying STUPID Things ... !?!    
    
If I Was Your ***** You'd Get ... DISMISSED ... !!!!!    
You're A Walking Talking ... USELESS **** ... !!!!!!!    
    
Whose Thought Waves STINK .... !!!!!    
of Something NEEDING Time With Shrinks ... !!!!!!!!!!    
    
HOW DARE YOU Try To Say That I ...    
Should Just Come RUNNING When You Call ... ?!?    
    
Let Me Tell You Something ...    
Your Downfall Will Come From ... HIGH ... !!!    
    
Look At Me I'm TALL ... !!!!!!!    
While YOU Are ..... "small" ......    
In Mind And Size ... !!!    
    
BELIEVE ... " THAT'S RIGHT " ... !!!!!!!!!    
    
It Is ... UNWISE ...    
To Mess With Minds ...    
    
NOT Simplified By Foolish Pride ...    
You CLEARLY Are ... One of Those Guys ...    
    
A ******* of The ... " Human Kind " ... !!!    
    
But Some Females Too ...    
Are Quite ... " Confused " ... ?!?    
    
By Views They Hold ...    
That Make Them ... BOLD ...    
    
One Night I Was TOLD ...    
By ... One of Their Fold ...    
    
"You're a diva, and a bully !"    
    
Which She Thought Was .... " FUNNY " .... !!!!!    
    
Until I Chose To TWIST The Joke ... !!!    
    
"Are you snorting coke ?    
be careful what you say, in a public place,    
cos' we both know how the story goes !    
I asked you out, and tried to be nice !    
So, come on now, can you explain why    
you never replied to the text I sent ?    
Once I mentioned black men, being in    
your bed, it was like that text, left you fingerless ?"    
    
Now She May NOT Be ...    
Out And Out ... RACIST  ... ?    
    
But Closets KEEP Some Dark Secrets ... !!!    
Trust Me ... " THAT'S RIGHT ! " ...    
    
People of ... ALL Colour Types ...  !!!  
    
DON'T Like To Look INSIDE THEMSELVES ...  !!!    
Cos' Some Get SHOOK When CRACKING Shells ... !!!!!    
    
What They Use To PROTECT Has Little Defence ...
Against REALITY CHECKS That Question Them ... ???    
What They STAND For ... And What THEY CLAIM ...    
This Piece Fa SURE Will HURT Their Brains ... !!!!!    
    
The Types Who Choose To HURL ABUSE ... !!!!!    
From ............................ FAR AWAY Where They Feel SAFE ...    
    
They're Out There Folks And That's NO JOKE ... !!!!    
The Ones' Who LIKE TO ... "Hide Behind" ...    
FAKE Hugs And Smiles And Being ... " Nice " ... !!!!!    
    
You Know I'm Right They're SO POLITE ...    
Instead of  Just ... Being FORTHRIGHT ... !!!    
    
They Choose To Hide Behind A Pint ...    
Or Like Divas ... Behind A Mic ... !!!!!    
    
The Words I Write UPSET Their Kind ... !!!!!    
Because They're Thinking .....    
    
"Who am I, to speak about, what's in their minds !"    
    
Well If They Doubt That My Insight ...    
Reflects What's TRUE ...    
    
Why Do They Do The Things They DO ... !!?!!    
Like Apologise ... Through Snake Like Eyes ...    
Or Send Texts At UNGODLY Times ...    
And Drop Comments That AREN'T Well Meant ... !!!    
    
These Things Are Bred From ... IGNORANCE ... !!!!!!!!!!!      
    
Some Would Say That They're Just SCARED ... !!!    
Well My Wordplay And ... INTELLECT ...    
Will SCARE Them And Those They Call Friends ... !!!!!    
    
Because I STICK To Simple Things ...    
NOT Playing Tricks To Prove I'm SLICK ...      
    
I'm Slick Because I'm MY OWN BOSS ... !!!    
And Pay The Cost of ... Being STRONG ... !!!!    
    
Instead of A WEAK ... Follower of SHEEP ... !!!    
The Sheep Are BLEATING ... EVERY Week ... !!!    
But RUN From Sheepdogs ... Shepherds KEEP ... !!!    
    
Like .... " Samuel " ....    
    
I Am TRYING TO BE ...    
A Shepherd In THIS Living Hell ... !!!    
    
So ... Do Me A FAVOUR ...    
DON'T Mess With Me Or MY Light Saber ... !!!!    
    
Speak When You Are ... " Spoken To " ... !!!    
    
DON'T Be RUDE And KEEP Your Cool ... !!!    
    
Then I Won't Have To Utilise Views ...    
That Give CLEAR PROOF ... !!!    
That Moves You Pull ...    
May Leave You BRUISED ...    
Like ... SODDEN Tissues ... !!!    
    
Because You CHOOSE ...    
ABUSE FILLED Routes ...    
    
YES I'm THAT DUDE ... !!!    
Who'll ... Leave You SCHOOLED ... !!!!!!!!    
    
I'm NOT A Diva ... Or Your ***** ... !!!!    
I'm A Lyricist Whose Thoughts Are ... " DEEPER " ... !!!!!!!    
    
Than The Types ... Who Choose To Rely ...    
On ... EGO FILLED PRIDE And Being Sly ...    
    
YES I'm THAT Guy Whose Words Design ...    
Fine Lines Inclined To .... OPEN MINDS ....................................    
    
But Just Like DARTH ... !!!    
I Have .... DARKSIDES .... !!!!!    
    
Why Walk THAT PATH When We Can Find ...    
Ways NOT TO Fight And DESTROY LIVES ... !!!!!!    
    
Come On Now Folks ... !?!    
    
YOU KNOW ........    
    
...... " That's RIGHT " ...... !!!!!!
So many things inspired this, however, as said, mostly simple interactions with people .....
Tom Shields Oct 2020
If words are cheap, what is the cost of a story?
A picture is worth one thousand words,
what does that make your portrait now?
What is a life, a legend, glory, an allegory?
What does the weight of a false accusation truly allow?

If talk is cheap, what are words worth?
How much sense... for those ticking keys?
How many times will it cost to explain only once,
that the consequences are relentless, once unlocked
you can't close your mouth again, nothing taken lightly is free
nothing you give is given in vain, your observations laid out and plain
all under the scrutiny of the next generation of police
they promise you ease of living, no offense, just justice and just peace

Then with that big red rubber stamp of a grin
does the true work begin,
no, no, no!
You do not overthrow your fascists wolf-skins for these sheepdogs, I refuse!
Lobotomize me, roboticize me! I refuse!
Censor my eyes, I can't see the use!
Their propaganda, all is planned-to
take apart a microscopic crack in the legs that take a stand-the
generation who will bear the ashes and trashes and barren-earth gashes
and the morally bankrupt hidden blackmail-blackbox-blacksite-cash-in-stashes

I vote true anarchy in a whirlwind of scared and confused, disenfranchised cries
all that was old no longer stands, burn it down and raze their alarms to meet fresh eyes
whose attention is sharper and whose wits do not harp-or linger on attracting flies
when they speak it is common, to the point and in union, without comical bickering, backstabbing or lies
whose council is one of Utopian ideal, in that it exists only in this Anarcho-Paradise
where nothing they say matters, nobody listens, and there is no order, for if you pause you do not survive
and Nothing is all you are while alive and nobody feels nothing when Nothing dies
it's not like pandemic or fire, riots or dissent, global or local could paint a place into a corner like that though
armed to the teeth, doctors stand back, morgues stand by

Civil unrest, I hereby diagnose the Northern United States with Insomnia
I've been there
what is the continental equivalent to hallucinations, mood swings, weight loss and blacking out?

Civil discourse? I've heard some bad jokes, I love em, but that one's the worst
talk on your stages, your pages, your backseats and square icons
you throw spears from crumbling platforms, unable to hit one another and babble on
when in person the magic of active threats turned, too-soon, too tragic
is becoming lethargic, more shock, more bodies, a better tactic
humankind doesn't deserve its own environment, we're toxic
why can't we all just shut up and stay at home sick, oh
****.

The wealthiest opinions buy their silver spoons before their birth
with all their mercury they speed to heights, and never reach their worth
all the talk they do is quite a feat, indeed!
For, you see it comes from a slit in their neck and both sides of their mouth,
while the noise made, like pickpocketing hands' slides into docile minds with greed
empty, nimble, unnoticed and plucking chain and coin and bead
the richest tongues would rob the rest of roots for their baby to have but a seed.
write
please read and enjoy
Man Mar 8
Sheepdogs,
Protectors of the herd.
Do not follow orders
Without thought. Is
The course of action righteous?
Will action derive verdict true to justice?
Or do you follow the words
Of those who could not care
For anything save for order?
The order of no change,
Of unceasing sameness
Where we all suffer.
Where progress is standing still
Standing stiff, overlooking us
On the hill.

— The End —