They left Southampton with a coal fire down below,
Olympic class of the White Star Line, little did they know.
Irish-built in Belfast, one iceberg was all it took as,
with insufficient lifeboats, the whole wide world it shook.
Departing Queenstown, compartments not all watertight,
unsinkable or so they said, until that tragic night...
(almost a six-day cruise).
She was poorly equipped and, as all good Captains do
(tho' that is not his due), Edward Smith
(and fifteen hundred souls or more)
went down with the ship.
And the band played on as the ship was going down,
were they blind (drunk?), out of their minds,
they were all about to drown.
Some thought 'Bravery,' others, 'Stupidity,'
(altho' cold as ice), I can say, quite categorically,
I would have jumped ship if it were me.
Tho' it's a deep subject, rock-bottom at very best,
the play on Broadway (take a bow) you won't see,
of lost lives and broken hearts
is... 'The Titanic, In Two Parts'.
PETE THE PERCUSSIONIST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There once was a drummer named Pete,
whose rhythm was funky and sweet.
He dreamed of the stage,
a rock star despite his age.
His sticks, though, were clumsier than his feet.
He practiced with pots and with pans,
in hopes of a life with great bands.
With a crash and a boom,
he shook up the room,
Wishing for a gazillion and one fans.
He donned leather pants, shiny and tight,
and shouted, "Tonight, I’ll be outta sight!"
But when he would play,
the crowd ran away,
He understood ‘twas rock star’s plight.
The sunshine band, ember sunset.
Stunning swans' graceful elegance
Serenely swim, one can't forget.
The sunshine band
Overlay peace yet endlessness
Cast, swayed in the balmy breeze, yet
It displayed depth and eloquence;
The sunshine band
Loyalty to each other let
These white feathered benevolence
Dip their heads together, heart set.
The sunshine band
Image 1
Band-Aid
To cover up a scab.
The lies won’t disappear.
Only a temporary cover up.
You can still see the scar.
Always an excuse with a band-aid.
Just a figure of speech.
Dust under the rug to compromise.
To avoid confrontation or a fight.
The guilt is rising.
I can see the under lining.
Just another delay.
Injustice is transparent on the wave.
A scar shows your true colors.
A secret to be revealed.
Hinder the truth.
The reckoning is on the move.
Telepathic lies.
Never honest, no surprise.
Am I here, am I there ...
Am I screaming everywhere,
Can't get in, can't get out
Snared by what it's all about
Beats of blue-green 'round my head
Share the space with rockets of red,
Splashes of yellow paint pour ...
Black and white reassures me more
Louder and louder, nearly deaf
Are there any sane one's left?,
Just what is it, tell me quick
Really, is it all in the music?
What creature is this that cometh near
His luggage filled to the brim with fear
Crushing our lives, crushing our beliefs
O whence for me shall bring only griefs
What of the men whom now weep?
What of the woman buried alive in their sleep?
What of the children who once stood brave?
Their minds controlled their souls enslaved
The baneful trumpets sound one by one
Can you hear them or are you numb?
Will you fear the creature of doom?
Come undone?
Or shall you overcome?
Overcome, overcome
Filled to the gunwale are the guns
The creature of the swamp now runs
He runs all things and everyone
The children now walk the plank
All hope sank, hopes sank
The baneful trumpets sound one by one
Can you hear them or are you numb?
Will you fear the creature of doom?
Come undone?
Shall you overcome?
Overcome, overcome
Will you fear the creature of doom?
Will you come undone?
Shall you overcome?
Overcome, shall overcome
I had the worst terrors last night
My mind was in a gruesome sight
The ‘ol apocryphal scene
Insighted by the new regime
Migration bill stirs fear among
Farmworkers chant that It’s Wrong!
Phone app saves Honduran journalist
Can’t go back she’s on their death list
Can’t walk ‘n get food without stress
ICE is cold, enforcing arrests
Or anywhere, nonetheless
For a green card is meaningless
Now a tourist destination
Gaza's newest sensation
Take over plans for a Riviera
Palestine people’s tierra*
Taken; territory sovereign
New rich owner YOU ONLY gain
Who be the beneficiaries
Billionaire contemporaries
For undoence he’s called a hero
Those sacrificed their life for, zero
Those fought for everyone’s freedom
In vain forgotten in this new kingdom
Unbeknownst me how it plays out
Living in the USA, peace-out
with a yellow trumpet nose and orange stamen
the lovely daffodil lead Michigan’s floral parade
always the first flower to push through to March
natural leader of the garden band
I watched one thousand waves crash on the shore
Echoing, howling, there is so much more
I watched one thousand trees sway East to West
I had fallen beneath them after doing my best
I could still hear the bird calling, from where I said goodbye
The bear on the mountain couldn't find me and wondered why
There's so much to do, so many worries, no time to cry
There's too much to look for when feeling lost, but I try
A Daisy used to be enough to bring a smile
And the frosted snow covered tree tops carried me a mile
Shining in a glory from a hilltop that was mine
To lose where I was grounded, I'm still trying to be fine
For now, I'm just a wanderer, missing home and what I had
Tossing smiles around, but admitting that I'm sad
From moving water, to shining trees, all across the land
I continue marching, like a single player band
Heidi Sands
12/22/24
(C)opyright
I would give everything I own
Give up my hat, toupee, and comb
I would give everything I own
Just to scratch your back again.
Side A
Time’s Effect On Us
(Noway & Back)
Produced by I M Sorry
Side B
But You’re Still In My Dreams
(Night & Tears)
Produced by R U Leaving
Recorded by Ann Other
at Her Apartment
it would be a last request, before the gallows
like baloo sings it
i'm being led there, the narrow path between the
faces of the people
my hands tied behind my back
the rope taut against the skin
and i'm going,
de-zop-ba-ronie
hap-da-dee-ba-lat
da-dat-dat-non
hey, a-baby-dot-doo
zaba-doo-doo-day-doo-bop
doo-boo-doo-day, ze-bonz
za-bop-bop-bobby
we arrive
i turn to the hooded executioner.
'take me home, daddy.'
For Sale: Unworn Wedding Bands - Memories Sold Separately
I’m in the band called “Beg Your Pardon”
Our latest, “The Luddits Headway”
Sells well, and the “Forest of Arden”
Our hit, has got some airplay
There ain’t no plans for touring though:
The phase of changes lingers on
Our singer left to form the “Zoo”
Our drummer yesterday has gone
The reason was the weak attendance
Our captive crowd went away
Eventually, our independence
Drifts in the truest luddits way..
For goodness sake, I’m not complaining
You see me busking every day
Still “Beg Your Pardon” stuff I’m playing
Although it sounds a bit too plain
In my rendition, but who cares
The people pass me on the street
Last night a lady from upstairs
Came down, and we talked a bit
She was a bassist in “Murango”
An ethnic band that played worldwide
I put some jazz, we danced a tango
Got a few clappings in the night.
Strumming along to a troubadour's lament
tears pool and flow while I press
the strings playing out the notes
forcing myself as
I struggle to forge forward
overcome with a sorrow beyond sorrows
and a grief with no relief
Through the rhythm of the music
my heart relaxes
the timing, the tempo
measured with intimate design
the lyrics vibrate softly
streams of colorful patterns
hues of indigos and yellows
suffuse my mind
resonate within and through me
soothing the jarring cacophony
unblocking the dark kaleidoscopic roots
strangling my bright spirit
and writhing aspiring soul
It’s times like these
I know I’ll be calmed
as I cradle my guitar
and let the tears fall and wash away
this incessant tempestuous scourge
with the prayerful affirmations
It's time to put it away
rest its strings
along with the gnawing merciless
uncertainties
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