Opposites Do Attract Quite Well
When I am climbing up, you are stepping down.
When I wear a smile, you wear a frown.
When I am very happy, you are feeling sad.
When I am doing well, you are faring bad.
When I am awfully hot, you are terribly cold.
When I am rather shy, you are extremely bold.
When I am sweet and nice, you are tough and mean.
When I am upset, you are serene.
When I am at peace, you are at war.
When I stand against, you stand for.
When I use a comb, you use a brush.
When I am being slow, you are in a rush.
When I need silence, you need to talk.
When I want to jog, you want to walk.
When I decide to draw, you decide to write.
When I desire darkness, you desire light.
When I say, "let's sing," you say, "let's pray."
When I say, "let's go," you say, "let's stay."
When I yearn to go by ship, you prefer to go by plane.
When I wish to take the bus, you would rather take the train.
When I choose the color purple, you select the color blue.
When I get tonsillitis, you contract the flu.
When I want to dance, you elect to sit.
When I'm ready to begin, you're prepared to quit.
When I want a sandwich, you desire a full meal.
When I hunger for grits, you are craving oatmeal.
When I studied Greece, you delved into Rome.
When I read of St. Francis, you were reading St. Jerome.
When I vote Democrats, you vote Republicans.
When I joined the Methodists, you joined the Lutherans.
Nevertheless, I love you, and I know that you love me.
Opposites do attract quite well, would you not agree?
For when I need someone to listen, you are always there.
When you are hurting deeply, I show you that I care.
When I need your strong support, you are always by my side.
When you need my loving tenderness, I never fail to provide.
When I achieve a goal, you bask in my success.
When you expect me to say "no," I surprise you and say "yes."
When I slip into depression, you lift my spirits high.
When you think you may need help, I am always on standby.
When you wake up in the morning, I am there with a warm kiss.
When I lay down at night, you rouse me to loving bliss.
When I need to feel protected, you are my guard and shield.
When you're in bed recovering, I don't leave until you're healed.
When I am home alone, you call to check on me.
When we've done each other wrong, we accept your apology.
I love you so my darling and I know that you can see.
That opposites do attract quite well, especially you and me.
Rev. Saundra L. Washington, is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries, http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow, Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances, Homilies that Teach.
MORE RESOURCES:
Rajasthani poet's tribute to Tagore Times of India "Anjali Gitan Ri" is the first poetic translation of the Gitanjali in Rajasthani language. It is being published by HM Bangur of Shree Cement Ltd. Gitanjali, or 'Song Offerings', have been translated into many Indian and foreign languages. |
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 National Endowment for the Arts | Mississippi's Kristen Dupard Wins 2012 Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation ... National Endowment for the Arts Washington, DC -- Out of a field of 365000 students, Kristen Dupard, a high school senior from Ridgeland, Mississippi, has won the 2012 Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman and Poetry ... Vt. student 2nd in national poetry contest Ridgeland senior wins national poetry contest Vermont's Poetry Out Loud Champion |
 The Express Tribune | 'Poetry needed today more than ever' The Express Tribune By Qaiser Zulfiqar Reading poetry seems like a thing of the past, where it has been replaced by placards. PHOTO: FILE The importance of poetry and literature has increased in present era; it was never needed as badly in the past as is required today, ... |
 Minneapolis Star Tribune | Poet John Caddy wins McKnight Artist Award Minneapolis Star Tribune It is nature, poet John Caddy says, that saved him when he was young and escaping a rough life on Minnesota's Iron Range. And it is nature that saves him now, 17 years after a stroke paralyzed his left side and left him with a non-working arm, ... Minnesota poet John Caddy named McKnight Distinguished Artist Forest Lake poet wins prized state arts award Poet John Caddy named McKnight Distinguished Artist |
Plinko poetry, a burrito printer, and more at NYU ITP's tech-art showcase The Verge Though if I had to choose a highlight, I'd point to Deqing Sun and Inessah Selditz's "Plinko Poetry," an interesting take on the classic game of chance which uses news tickers and a color-tracking camera to construct a string of absurd non-sequiturs. I Let A Weird Man Rub Me For 10 Minutes, In The Name Of Journalism |
Highland/Fulton: Three Reservoir High School students win awards in Poetry ... Baltimore Sun By Chuck Gait, chuck.gait@gmail.com 301-854-0867 Reservoir High School students Chaz Atkinson, Caroline des Jardins-Park and Carl Gaytano were all winners in the Howard County Public School System's Poetry Alive writing contest. Chaz is in AP French, ... |
Poetry Is Different Huffington Post (blog) Dreaming in Darkness (Winter Goose Publishing, 2011) is a stunning collection of poetry and prose that chronicles the pain and anguish of loss that life often hands down. Jessica throws open her deepest emotions and lays them bare for all to witness. |
 Los Angeles Times | Poetry replaces placards as Russia's Occupy protesters camp out Irish Times Occupy Abai takes its name from the monument to a hitherto little-known Kazakh poet, Abai Kunanbaev, where protesters have gathered, as well as a dose of inspiration from the anti-capitalist movements that have “occupied” public places from Dame Street ... In Moscow, a Poetic Occupy Protest Russia's Occupy movement is not up to the task Moscow stirred by unprecedented anti-Putin sit-in |
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Do not be afraid to shine.This world needs what you have to give.
Become A Poet In Ten Minutes
Have you ever sat there staring at the paper, ready to write, but unsure where to begin? Want a solution that will overcome even the worst writer's block? Anyone can start writing poetry today using a few simple techniques.One, two, .
Testimony to the Night [In English and Spanish]
In the quiet of the arctic night-In its deep northern skies,Dim are the lights, in its coldEvening frost?!Even the stars of the arcticSeem silently stone frozen!Here, here is where you findPeace and the beast within-!Remote, no ears or wordsTo clutter the mindTo entrench the throat;Here, here is where you die?(for a moment).Here, the sky has eternal eyesEyes with cosmic tidesTides that never rest: they warWith the Universe-Likened to a dark deep abyss;Endless and never resting?Here my eyes seek and searchIn countless hours, ebbing andSweeping the heavens aboveNumbing, changeless-Are the cosmos, the heavens?Here resides a strange peace?Here, resides a strange peaceWith an army of stars to defeatShinning, silently in the darkThe ebbing, eldritch dark;Time has no relevance here,Here, resides a strange, peace?Cold and oddly numb are my feet,As I look up, upon the many bridgesOne star bridging the next-as if,If Kings and Queens wereGuarding them-the Hosts-O-Yes! A strange, strange peace?Ah! Praise, praise be to thee, to theeFlaming, blazing firmaments-ye,Ye, remind me not, of the wars I left,Of the foes, divine immortals?The enemies that never restAh! Praise, praise be to thee, to theeI hear music, harmony from afar (there)There are storms hidden in a storehouse,For tomorrow-war beyond, beyondOrion's dust?perpetual dust;There, there the sun is dim to bleak.
Thank You To Our Soldiers And A Tribute To Old Glory And A Prayer For Peace
Thank youDedicated to soldiers and their loved onesFor those who have laid in fox holes,carried guns,marched for hours.For those who have had cold sleepless nights,endless days of discomfort.
Recollections
I AM SO GRATEFUL for simpler times.Stores were closed on Sundays,TV shows seemed to make more sense,Family members spent ample time with each other,And people were valued more than things.
Ballade of an Inca King
Ah! Leave the gold, wealth and landSays the Inca King?;In Spain, they leave the bustling streets,For sail to Peruvian shores;The murmur of the gold is sweet,It glows and glistens like the sunA mountain of gold, or the graveAwaits the human, Inca-god?!Spaniards sing their songs of victoryWhere breaks the green Peruvian sea;Who now, worships the Inca King (?) Guarded behind prisons doors-?They chatter about his golden ringsThey watch the winds cross the shores?They count the days that idle by,For gold they worship and will die.Envoy.
The Cat
Truth is stranger than fiction according to many people who have seen what happens around me and to them, on many occasions. Sometimes I have had others affect me in the same way.
The Merchant of Copan [In English and Spanish]
English VersionThe Merchant of Copan[480 AD]Advance: The ballgame at the Honduras courtyard in Copan, the year was 480 AD, Copan's 3rd ruler, Mat Head, whom succeeded Quetzal Macaw, whom was the founder of the city is now the new ruler. Mat Head, was a female, the spouse of Quetzal Macaw, and here is where the story begins.
Two Poems: Black Poncho, and Spirits of de Copan [in English and Spanish]
English Version12) Black Poncho(of Saint Cosme Hill, by Lima, Peru)Lost in the grottos of Peru-By the hills of HuancayoBlack Poncho was given A treasure of gold?;By none other than, Demonic goblins!?in the form of scorching fruit;Hence, Black Poncho fooled The goblins of oldBy using his poncho to pullThe sizzling golden fruitThrough the Andes to Lima, Peru!?Henceforward, he was swindledBy a jeweler of dire repute.Thus, his life changed (as so often they do);And now he lives with:Thirty-five dogs, on San Cosme Hill.
Its What She Didnt Say
When I hear your voice inside my head it makes me think of you every single day as I fight back tears of sadness and wonder if you're okayMy life is empty without you I wish time would take away the pain but the ache in my heart persists and my simple hopes seem in vainI realize how much I hurt you and now I know it's too late to tell you how sorry I am and expect you not to hateI don't deserve a second chance to show you how much I care when you needed me the most I know I failed to be thereNow your trust in me is gone forever and I will never have the chance to say I really hope your dreams come true and happiness finds you every dayI would give almost anything in life if I could go back to that day and erase everything I said and did to make your heartache go awayWhat hurts the most is this is what you didn't say and the absence of these words haunt me each and every day..
Asha of Darfur [A poem with a commentary by the author]
Asha of DarfurCry, cry-oh little Darfur womanFor your sister Janjaweed-[in Sudan's merciless region-who was raped to death);Where rape and death run ramped;And Asha prays the Arabs don't' hearHere sobbing little black tears??in fear she will be chained to a bedIn Darfur, by the insidious justiceOf the Arabs, who run ramped?Ah, yes! In Darfur you've guessed,It is not a crime to raped and arrested;By the very one who raped, and terrorizedYou; it is the conquest?Satan's ribs!..
Burning Autumn Leaves [a poem in Spanish and English]
Burning Autumn Leaves[1950s in St. Paul, Minnesota]My long steel pointed rake punctured And twisted through tons of autumn leaves(back in the '50s);And there's a hill yet, I didn't rake, I seeBehind it, two embankmentsLeaves I didn't rake a day ago;The essence of fall sleeps on the ground.
A World That Doesnt Care
War bombs may explode demolishing man and land.Hurricanes may devastate and leave us entirely bare.
Little Girl from Huancayo [a poem/in English and Spanish]
Little girl from HuancayoDo you really, really know?Just how fast those feet will grow,On the streets of Huancayo.Little girl with jumping jacksOn the street, looking back;Back to see whose watching her,A little boy with a bird.
Poetry in Turbulence
To many non-specialists of literature, poetry is deeply unsatisfying. There are several reasons for this, but two in particular come to mind.
My Grannio
I never thought I would have to say GOODBYE to my best friend? But that's what I had to do today I had to let go of her forever -There was no other way For me to face reality Or pretend to be okay I had no concept -Of how hard it would be To actually let go Of this huge part of me? Not tomorrow or ever -Will my life be the same Without my Grannio here Life seems to be a game - Of chance and questions?Questions that never end And have no answers That can begin to mend The gaping hole inside of meNor come close to healing My heart and soul that Seem to be feeling Lost, numb and empty-Completely hollow? Like I have nobody left To really follow - Through life with respectShe was so much more Than my Grandmother I knew that before She left this earthAnd I told her so More than once or twice Because she had to know Just how very special -And truly blessed I felt to have her as my friend She was the best Without a doubt -My Grannio gave me More than anybody Will ever really see? It was an unspoken -Kind of love That came with no conditions And went far above The normal caringAnd average support For a grandchild - Or family of any sort She gave more of herselfTo me than anyone In my life ever will Nobody could have done What she did for meWith so much devotion, Absolute honesty And true emotion? Her loyalty was -Sincerely undying I realize so much Now that I'm crying - And wishing thatI had just one more day To spend holding her hand And trying to take away Her fears and her pain -That took over her Body and her mind Like never before? In our lives -I would have sincerely Given 20 years of my life To have her merely Be here tomorrow -I cannot explain The way I feel today Or how much I pain Is inside of me -That will never go away No matter how much time passes I know this ache will stay With me forever?Just as her special touch Will always be with me And mean so very much - To me and my son?Jakob Thomas Her "BabyDoll" And I promise To never forget -What she would have done If she was still here For him - her only one Great-grandchild?Resource Box - Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.
The Man Who Could Not Say Sorry For His Sins
Sorry would be a start.Though you cant take back your mistakes, and you cant unravel time,you'd think there would be remorse, for such a self serving crime,to send others out to die, to pay the blood price you have decreed,when its purely posturing and posing, all about vanity and greed,to secure a perceived niche in history, glowing down the years,is the extent of your ambition, is the puny limit of your fears,when those you have sent to die, believing implicitly in you,leave relatives behind who see, that nothing you said was true,there is no thought now for those, whose number you dont count,they are yesterdays forgotten, though daily they still mount,no thought of resignation, no apology to those left behind,just onward with the ego, fast forward from those times,as if nothing ever happened, as if your lies are quite ok,as if now is what to focus on, and then was another day,lost back in the mists of time, obscured by clouds half seen,not an affront to the living, not impeachable and obscene,you may want to move on now, and ignore your past infamy,but you should be tried for treason, and jailed for blasphemy.
Whats A Prisoner to Do?
What's a prisoner to do when justice fails and the innocent is escorted off to jail?What's a prisoner to do once stigmatized,caged and abandoned and ostracized?What's a prisoner to do there's no one to trust;the system fails and the outcome unjust?What's a prisoner to do when family decidethe punishment is warranted and justified?What's a prisoner to do while confined in a cell;the perpetrator's free and faring quite well?What's a prisoner to do once his reputation is deadand his life has been ruined because of what someone said?What's a prisoner to do when he's not believed,though he's telling the truth, he's thought to deceive?What's a prisoner to do as he sits all alone,no one seems to care; former friends all gone?What's a prisoner to do sitting lost and idleand most of one's thoughts become suicidal?What's a prisoner to do when freedom's taken awayand the will to live diminishes each day?What's a prisoner to do when hedged in by strife;with no escape possible; no chance for a new life?What's a prisoner to do when he can no longer seethe beauty of the sky or the waves of the sea?What's a prisoner to do when the sun he can't feel,nor the breeze of spring because his fate is sealed?What's a prisoner to do when doomed to despairbut still praying to escape the electric chair?Tell me, what's a prisoner to do?Rev. Saundra L.
THe Monster Mash, A Graveyard SMASH (short story I wrote when I was 11)
The Monster Mash The Graveyard SmashHave you heard of the Monster Mash? I suppose you know the story of how it came to be, right? Well, I'm here to tell the TRUE story to you.It sarted out late one night, when all monsters where out of human sight.
Eight Poems
Out of the eight poems provided here [all previously unpublished], four are Poetic Prose, a few Visionary [what I call Vsionary anyhow], a few Free Verse, and a few with more form and structure, more closely to the Auden style of: stanza, metrical rhythm, and rhyme. In saying that, I do believe all the poems are conveying a rich network of meaning, some of them painfully close bond between pleasure and destruction.
