A Dream Within A Dream

Edgar Allan Poe - A Dream Within A Dream, 1827 

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow--
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

Edgar Allan Poe - Anabel Lee 

 

Special thanks to Art of Grief for the reminder... 

Hell is a lonely place - Charles Bukowski

A poem by Charles Bukowski

He was 65, his wife was 66, had
Alzheimer's disease.

he had cancer of the
mouth.
there were
operations, radiation
treatments
which decayed the bones in his jaw
which then had to be
wired.

daily he put his wife in
rubber diapers
like a baby.

unable to drive in his
condition
he had to take a taxi to
the medical
center,
had difficulty speaking,
had to
write the directions down.

on his last visit
they informed him
there would be another
operation: a bit more
left
cheek and a bit more
tongue.

when he returned
he changed his wife's
diapers
put on the tv
dinners, watched the
evening news
then went to the bedroom, got the
gun, put it to her
temple, fired.

she fell to the
left, he sat upon the
couch
put the gun into his
mouth, pulled the
trigger.

the shots didn't arouse
the neighbors.

later
the burning tv dinners
did.

somebody arrived, pushed
the door open, saw
it.

soon
the police arrived and
went through their
routine, found
some items:

a closed savings
account and
a checkbook with a
balance of
$1.14

suicide, they
deduced.

in three weeks
there were two
new tenants:
a computer engineer
named
Ross
and his wife
Anatana
who studied
ballet.

they looked like another
upwardly mobile
pair.
You can't die with dignity, you can only live with it.-

Επίκαιρο ποίημα 100 ετών

Αν και δεν το συνηθίζω, το συγκεκριμένο το βρήκα πολύ ενδιαφέρον για να μην το δημοσιεύσω...

Γεώργιος Σουρής (1853-1919)

Ποιος είδε κράτος λιγοστό
σ' όλη τη γη μοναδικό,
εκατό να εξοδεύει
και πενήντα να μαζεύει;

Να τρέφει όλους τους αργούς,
νά 'χει επτά Πρωθυπουργούς,
ταμείο δίχως χρήματα
και δόξης τόσα μνήματα;

Νά 'χει κλητήρες για φρουρά
και να σε κλέβουν φανερά,
κι ενώ αυτοί σε κλέβουνε
τον κλέφτη να γυρεύουνε;

Όλα σ' αυτή τη γη μασκαρευτήκαν
ονείρατα, ελπίδες και σκοποί,
οι μούρες μας μουτσούνες εγινήκαν
δεν ξέρομε τί λέγεται ντροπή.

Σπαθί αντίληψη, μυαλό ξεφτέρι,
κάτι μισόμαθε κι όλα τα ξέρει.
Κι από προσπάππου κι από παππού
συγχρόνως μπούφος και αλεπού.

Θέλει ακόμα -κι αυτό είναι ωραίο-
να παριστάνει τον ευρωπαίο.
Στα δυό φορώντας τα πόδια που 'χει
στο 'να λουστρίνι, στ' άλλο τσαρούχι.

Σουλούπι, μπόϊ, μικρομεσαίο,
ύφος του γόη, ψευτομοιραίο.
Λίγο κατσούφης, λίγο γκρινιάρης,
λίγο μαγκούφης, λίγο μουρντάρης.

Και ψωμοτύρι και για καφέ
το «δε βαρυέσαι» κι «ωχ αδερφέ».
Ωσάν πολίτης, σκυφτός ραγιάς
σαν πιάσει πόστο: δερβέναγάς.

Δυστυχία σου, Ελλάς,
με τα τέκνα που γεννάς!
Ώ Ελλάς, ηρώων χώρα,
τί γαϊδάρους βγάζεις τώρα;

Simple Words - No Metaphors

I miss you

And I keep you away

I care for you

And I let the distance grow

I love you

And I want nothing back

Because I love me more…

I love me more…

I forgive you

And I leave bad memories behind

I understand you

And I forget about the pain

I love you

And I want nothing back

Because I love me more…

I love me more…

image source 

David Bowie - Cat People

David Bowie - "Cat People (Putting Out The Fire)"

See these eyes so green
I can stare for a thousand years
Colder than the moon
It's been so long
And I've been putting out fire
With gasoline

Feel my blood enraged
It's just the fear of losing you
Don't you know my name
Well, you been so long

See these eyes so red
Red like jungle burning bright
Those who feel me near
Pull the blinds and change their minds
It's been so long

Still this pulsing night
A plague I call a heartbeat
Just be still with me
Ya wouldn't believe what I've been thru
You've been so long
Well it's been so long
And I've been putting out fire
with gasoline
putting out fire
with gasoline

See these tears so blue
An ageless heart
that can never mend
These tears can never dry
A judgement made
can never bend
See these eyes so green
I can stare for a thousand years
Just be still with me
You wouldn't believe what I've been thru

You've been so long
Well, it's been so long
And I've been putting out fire
with gasoline
putting out fire with gasoline

Don't touch

I used to have shape
I used to have motion

I used to give fire
I used to give passion

It’s all dead now
I killed them

Nothing could survive
In this prison made of ice

I see no beauty now
I hear no music

You can look
But you can’t touch

I speak no spells now
I sing no songs

You can look
But you can’t touch

There is only ugliness here
Trapped in frozen veins

Only this can survive
In my prison of ice

But you can’t touch
You can never touch

I keep this secret alone
Hidden from your touch

‘Cause I can never let you know
What your eyes can not see

All this ugliness, this venom
Even ice could not kill

I keep it here in my cage
Just to “save” you from it

You can look
But you can’t touch

I feel no magic now
I am just frozen

You can look
But never touch

I’m a whore, so are you…

Whores

Sell your body, sell your dreams

Sell your voice, sell your fears

Sell your mind and sell your smile

Whore whore whore

You are a whore

Do not apologize

Whore whore whore

Sell your tears for souvenirs

Sell your heart and disappear

Sell your soul and your religion

Whore whore whore

You are a whore

A whore to survive

Whore whore whore

What you need

Just name your price

What you get

Don’t have a pride

Whore whore whore

You are a whore

A whore to survive

Whore whore whore

Whore, you name the price

Whore, you do their fad

Whore, you don’t stand a chance