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Poetry for the Unforgiven



A poetry collective by

Gary Nicholson





Power Blind

I received your message on the tube yesterday;
Same old deceptive devices.
I can't pretend I have the vision of Charles Dickens;
But, I can see what he saw
The depravity of your speech and attitude,
The Power Blind Madness of your mind,
I see it on the TV and Newspaper.
I see it in the eyes and words of Sean Hannity.
You have not deceived me;
You have deceived you . . .

 

Sins of Our Leaders


I lie dreaming of days passed,
life's backwater.
The Sins of Our Leaders,
pounding my brain.
Clocks are ticking backward,
hourglass sand is falling upward

Tyrant's heart pumps,
ice water backwards.
His cold breath spews,
lies like a disease.
Festering into mortals,
bleeding hearts.
Fallujah’s fate is,
a nightmare.
Senator McCain didn't you know,
there were children in there
Their severed limbs got passed you;

Somehow.
Mothers had rain,
pouring from their eyes.
An estuary of days,
streaming days to years.
We are fruits of the same tree;
With roots through eons.
There is a rotten liquid,
pouring from leaders mouths.
Greed brought those towers down;
And truth sets you free; not war.

 




A Paradox (Infinite Puzzles)


I  was moving out on the cosmic plane.
When my eyes were met by the elders,
of the vorticular conduit.
Soldiers were marching inward to,
battle the incomprehensible.
The gift was something, knowledge,
could not touch it.
Stories were told of forgotten time,
when hordes traversed the cosmos;
in search of tangible reality.
The sovereign sat idly by,
while fools sought invalidity.
The hordes expedited unearthly terrain;
They left a Face Monument;
to mark their passing.
We were left with riddles,
to fathom the mystery.
Leaving me here, to wonder . . .



The Burn


Come take me for a ride
I've been there before,
by that dark riverside
Carry me to that open door
Change my head, change my ways
Got no-one else to turn to
Haven't had sleep for days
Everywhere I turn I see you

Are you ready for the burn
Ready for the requiem turn
Are you ready for the burn
You go to school but never learn

There's something up ahead
cars are moving slow
lights are turning red
tell me which way to go
by that dark riverside
over by the open door
There's another world inside
let's see what's in store

Are you ready for the burn
Ready for the slow moving dirge
Are you ready for the burn
Sliding to where the world's merge
Your world is dead, times are closed
Remember what you said
Remember how I imposed
I've been screaming by the dark riverside
I lay there dreaming
Thinking I can hide

Are you ready for the burn
Ready and all alone
Are you ready for the burn
Recovering from the stone




The Burn (Final Stanza)


You drove me crazy
you damned screwed up harlot
Don't tell me I'm your bay-bee
screaming down in the parking lot
The world outside is dreaming
Dreaming of a better day
outside my window
sunlight streaming
Oh, bring on the day bay-bay

Are you ready for the burn
You crazy old witch
You thought you'd make me squirm
You broken down old winch

 




Beginning (Transformation)


I am falling;
I am moving toward a new beginning.
My spirit grows with the movement;
Aloft yet descending into illumination.
My wings ready,
My eyes searching,
My breath is full.
My awakening incomplete;
Becoming a new being,
Of a higher order.
My life ending and beginning,
All is new.



Dawn of Summer


Dawn of Summer Crashing Down.
Heavy Shadows Falling Forward.
I look into the Clouds and see;
I'm borderline Schizophrenic.
My Head is in Split Direction.
At least the Stars still Shine,
And,
Freakin' Far-out Girls really Rock.
Freedom Speaks in Whispers,
Afraid for Someone to Notice;
A Fragile Misconception .

Dreams that spill over into the Night,
in Repercussion . . .



Fire Eyes


What will you do when you see me?
Run to another hiding place?
When you see my Fire Eyes?
Stop Dead; Still?
You betrayed, now it's time.
Will you see it,
Will you feel it.
The Storm passes slowly.
So Grim; the Reaper.
He rides on the cold wind.
Sharp blade makes, Sharp note,
Only in the mind.
Will it transmit; Telepathy?
Transmit; Desire?
Darkness pervades.
Heart beats; hoof beats
Together.




Zombies (Changes)


I've seen so many changes
in this course
I've traveled.
It's a wonder
I'm still alive.
I can't believe
all the Zombie
faces I encounter
It seems people
will believe anything
but the truth.
I'm 53 and still running
strong.
I awaken to the
sound of rushing water.
Must be the dreams
I store for future
reference.
I walk the streets
and see darkened
faces with
hollow empty
eyes.
Blind to the events
passing before them.
They seek not
the wisdom of
the ages,
but the splatter
of the evening
news echoes
through their
meaningless conversations
of superior dominance
and pride.
Pride, oh pride
The deadliest of all
the deadly sins.
Oh yes, Zombies;
Zombies indeed



Enjoy the Fascism 


We've seen them.
The "Old Glory" ravers.
Singing Democracy . . .
They've (we've) forgotten;
Democracy is for all;
Not just the Oil tycoons.



Liberata


I know she wanted me,
that first day.
I saw her exposed breasts,
and smelled her sweet scent.
It was stimulating, insidiously arousing.
My passion flared;
A sensation, like a soft whisper.
A wisp of smoke came to mingle . . .
Nothing happened, the smoke faded.
Memory keeps its aroma,
in the deep well of compassion.

(Malonde)


Your touch and kiss have been with me since.
The connection was right back then,
but now another woman is there;
to cool your fiery hands.
I can only watch from afar.
I want the other woman to be happy;
to know I was right about you.
We should have taken our wings,
and flown to a far distant world . . .
Next time I will follow my heart.



The Power That Makes Them Go


People don't really care about.
What they don't really know.
Children get slaughtered, they call it "God's will".
Then choke on water washing down pills.
The status quo drive Mercedes and BMWs;
While their armies rape countries for oil.
The power that makes them go;
They go to Church and pray for victory.
Then drive home in their Mercedes S.U.V.
Not really caring about;
What they don't really know.

"Father forgive them, they know not what they do"
Christ-(while being crucified)

 



Speak Out Against the Madness


Fathers who teach their children freedom and justice come from War;
And tell them the future is ours to live and grow to prosperity.
Shred the truth with every word; the forked tongues of death
Creating disparity for the masses serving the wealthy
Inconducive to the growth of the children (the future).
Shadowing the future with false and empty promises.
Murdering all those who oppose the oppression.

"Learn the cost of Freedom; buried in the ground
Mother Earth will swallow you; lay your body down"
Stephen Stills



Vantage Point


Awakening on the dust of a distant world;
Confronted by the ghosts of a ,
long dead civilization.
Standing on the Vantage Point of,
ethereal reality.
I could see vast armies,
in mortal conflict.
A voice from within, or
was it reaching within;
Within the realms of,
vorticular motion.
The spinning wheels of cerebral,
madness.
Lying in the vestige of what is to come.
Beyond the reach of,
normal comprehension.
The awakening from human dormancy.
Awaiting to arise, something vital?
A source of strength, a lesson,
on reality.
My thoughts are, my thoughts.
I cannot expect anyone to understand;
you are the enemy, one who
destroys.
Your beauty is a vulgar bloodbath;
while brain-dead observers give their approval.

I stand.

Drowning in a deluge,
of consciousness . . .



The Way Shadows Fall


Sifting through the broken,
pieces of yesterday;
trying to put the puzzle,
back together.
So, what the hell, is integrity,
anyway?

Lifting up he separate fibers,
of my heart;
trying to weave it,
back together.
Oh, what the hell,
is love anyway?

Sometimes, I wish my heart,
was made of stone,
but then I'd be like you.
So, what the hell is compassion,
anyway?

The world keeps turning,
'round and down;
holding me down;
keeping me from,
the secret of life. 
Oh, what the hell,
is truth; anyway?
Just anyone’s interpretation,
of how everything should be.

Oh, my soul is ablaze,
my heart is afire.
Your cold heart burns me;
to the depth of my being.
That's the way Shadows fall.
So, what the hell is substance,
anyway?

You're going to burn your witches;
when your time is awry, and
if I could tell you anything at all,
I would say:
"Stop!"
Don't tell me how to feel.




The Way Shadows Fall (last stanza)


So, what the hell is intelligence,
anyway?
You're going to believe;
just what you believe,
then justify it all.
So, what the hell is justice;
anyway . . . ?



Love's Lament (Fields of Blind Foolery) 


Laying to waste the,
great intentions.
The bubble that bursts,
in the eye of compassion,
lying bleeding,
in the dark.
To care is to risk,
to risk is to endanger.
The ripped soul bleeds,
with lingering pain,
The banished heart is denied;
thrice . . .
Promises are to be broken,
in the heat of the night.
Once the product is bought;
The purchaser lends,
itself to the shadows.
The universe is expanding,
moving away from us.
We are living in a,
bubble of atmosphere.
An island moving through,
infinite blackness;
Remembering a flat,
world of dragons.
We are not alone!
The ostrich who,
buries its head,
shields no danger.
We are open to the mystery,
but are blind to it.
Let's awaken to the,
unknown . . .
There is mystery here . . .



Ancient Highway


Take me down that ancient highway;
that covers thousands of miles,
only to intersect with another.
Who can reason why, humans;
go back and forth to go nowhere?
Take me to that ancient highway.
I'm told it's not of this world,
but some place far, far away.
Maybe my dreams aren't so dim;
Maybe light not only comes from the sun;
Maybe on that ancient highway;
I'll make my way to the stars, and
escape the nuclear war, and
all the deception, and degradation,
here on Earth?
I see a billion lights, not one the sun.
Maybe on that ancient highway;
where you say I died, only to be,
born again, but this is not the
life I'd chosen?
They say, in a few short years;
there'll be a hot, smoky trail to Mars.
Maybe up there where the air blows,
thin, and cold I'll find peace, and
speak to the voices of wisdom?
On the edge of that ancient highway;
Where my today’s will meet my,
eternity.
My yesterdays will not be forgotten;
For time is a flowing river, and it;
will carry my memories onto that,
ancient highway,



Revolution In Your Eyes

Wake up!
Open up your eyes!
Get out!
Let the fire inside you rise!

Look around!
Tell me what you see!
Is it what you want?
Do you really think that you are free?

Listen!
Tell me what you hear!
What the Newsman is saying;
Is it what you fear?

You can walk away from truth.
Like a fire it burns
You can run away and forget
Until it returns!

There's revolution in your soul.
I see it in your eyes.
Reach out your hand;
Cry out and let us know you're alive



In A Wave Of Passion


There is a time forgotten;
when wisdom reined supreme.
I was leader of a proud people,
when a cloud passed over my time,
and I was gone. They mummified my remains,
and word was sent out,
to our States and Provinces.
The fruits of my works,
spread forth through the millennia.
You hear it in the songs and stories of the young.
The heart races as,
wisdom of the ages flows through.
The mind will awaken,
with new challenge,
and the stars will draw nearer.
The Earth will fade,
into the distance,
like a grain of sand;
drawn by the sea. 
My spirit will be reborn,
and my name will live again.
Those of knowledge will echo it,
through the corridors of time,
till time is no more.



Crowded Highway


At twilight
Dismal spirits
Parade on Death's
Crowded highway
revenant eyes witness
Innocent life
spirited away
In a cold dark alley
Heavy shards
of broken Dreams
Lie in heaps
on the ground



Conformity and Rebellion


What the hell am I doing here?
This place I do not belong.
The walls are dank, and
windows shed little light.
I will not conform to the,
atrocities before me.
Surely Rebellion will pave,
a path through this maze.
My mother tried to comfort,
with soft lies that revealed,
themselves the moment I set,
foot on treacherous ground.
Logic surely tells us that lies,
are spoken only for the benefit,
of the teller.
So, my steps are cautious through,
narrow, dark passageways when,
dark figures emerge from the shadows.
Hmmm; when I enter into the light I,
may say; What the hell am I doing here?"



Hollow Destiny


The Spirit abounds;
Where numbers are to be met.
The secret revealed.
By one who came before;
Clouds pervade the darkness,
And destiny arises;
From the dust of evermore.
The secret is solemn,
It frightens the innermost,
depths of the soul.
The sanctuary,
sanctions the heart,
And reveals the kindness,
hidden there.
Evil shutter in disbelief.
The Spirit rises up;
Becomes part of the whole.
The vision is,
yet incomplete.
The phantom rides his steed;
Beneath a hollow moon.
Shadows arise from the ground.
Cold rushes;
still;
As silence reclaims
the night . . .




The Unknown Zone


Here we are in the unknown zone.
The place that taught me to weep and moan.
The light was cold for a message of old
She brings the paper to the waif-er while the
hallway was filled with madness.
Characterize the homogenized and get vaporized by
politician's wasted words.
The headline news, a diatribe.
Oh the war, had made a score, but no-one
was listening.
There was a hit T.V. movie no-one had seen
'cept through an advertiser, just an appetizer.
The show sucked and a tornado blew
down the tower.
How many more will be lost?
Jessica made the scene with a
Monk and a Dean. She showed her ass with
so much class. She showed 'em all she could
raise the spirits but could not raise the dead
and dispatched the reason only yesterday.
Several stars in limo cars lit a candle
on Mars then saw the face looking on.
The server was fortuned and mad with
tongue spitting fire.
My head was filled with "Dead" logic.
Gratefully opposed to the recent discovery.
Bleeding from my fingertips bent and ripped
a side split from reality.
Unto us is born a child forlorn, a mystical freak,
a future geek of
the airwaves.
Soldiers march their way,
while shadow dogs slip away into dark recesses
and young blood pools up.
Spiders congregate in walls of consolidation. 
Liberals live on slogans made, while conserves
serve themselves on the spoils.
Outside the pale blue sky awaits a reason,
while soldiers from a star wait to salvage reason.
My mind crinkles in the massive grave of desire
and my mouth spits fornications into the mire
and the damsel is acquitted. Leverage was
achieved by mounting her. Lightning strikes to
my delight and still my head is famished.
Humping to our delight, she said orgasms had no meaning.



For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge


For crimes that defy all logic and decency;
Unlawful activity that leads to the destruction of Nations;
Carnal decadence that leaves children mutilated;
Knowledge of these activities but paid to look away;
You share the guilt of transgression;
Oh you of corrupted authority for this,
Undermines the future of those yet unborn . . .




The Rage Raves On


There's a fire in my soul;
Flames rising, out of control.
The rage raves on;
And the Trials go on.
A mother brings a baby to her breast;
Another on the way, you know the rest.
Courage and promise fall from your lips;
But, your eyes reveal a coward's ship.
The killing fields reek with blood;
Mixed with stench in the mud.
Killing and killing by the score.
Kill today, kill tomorrow, only to kill some more.
The Spirit of Human destiny awaits
The Children turn their backs on their fates.
Open your eyes to see the rising Sun.
Then closed them to study the dream only just begun



Old Man Young


I was a young man, barely seventeen
Still fresh in my dreams
No-one over thirty could I trust
Then I heard "After the Gold Rush"

Here was a man who could spit fire and play guitar
And Joni Mitchell made him a star
Hey "Old man” you’re "Forever Young"
Even after all the songs you'd sung

Yeah; I remember the "Four Way Street"
In Ohio when Nixon and "Tin Soldiers" blew the heat
The people cried Peace! And you said: "Teach the Children"
 Yeah; I remember that was you and C.S.N.

That was such a long time ago
But your "Heart of Gold" is still in Ohio
'cause I just heard "Living with War" and the people cry
With their hands raised high

They cry and won't be denied nor relent
'cause you said in a song "Impeach the President"
You talk about this and that of all the war crimes
Time to take a look around to the sign of the times

You know it's never too late
'cause it's the hand of fate
I'm in awe of the songs you've sung
And I'll be damned if you're not "Forever Young"



Witch Hunts


I don't know you, yet,
you expect me to believe you,
Your "War on Terror" McCarthy's war,
on Communism
"The Witch Hunts" are all repeats of,
Historic Elitism.
I don't want you, I don't need you.
Fade back into the darkness where,
you reside . . .
Your master awaits.



Flagrant Desire


Though I am down in sorrow,
a river of hope brings me,
my dreams, and
I'll be alright come tomorrow;
as I lie down in the cold,
and wet streams.
In the distance I had seen,
a witch, alive for more,
than a thousand years,
and she'd shed not one tear
for the forsaken, and
hungry children. 
I felt their flagrant cries;
tearing at my soul,
sailing on the wind. 
But, everyone, I mean,
everyone dies.  A change,
must come for all or Earth,
will cease to be. 
Learn to hear the call,
of the rightful and truly free.
Woes have fallen upon,
the Earth.  Touch her,
feel the beating of her heart.
She is dying, stricken with a dearth.
So, I must lie down in these,
cold, cold waters.
Cover me in the wetness
of a dream.
Power is within me . . .”



Sickness in Our Midst


Gallivanting around the globe like a demented god-king;
Extracting every ounce of power from your position;
Obumbrating the vision of the nation;
Ranting about godliness while killing innocents;
Grabbing barrels of oil for the god Halliburton;
Eluding the public by praising God for your deeds;

Who do you think you are?

Babbling about victories unachieved;
Umbrageous delusions of grandeur;
Shamming the faithful to their deaths;
Halliburton must have paid you well for War-Mongering .

May all the dead of Iraq and Afghanistan haunt you for the rest of your life and forever there after!


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