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And then again the sun broke
brittle with a yesterdays laughter spread
amidst a sparkle of resounding moments.
Since then a voice tangled
within the labyrinth of time have run haywire
with those lanes of Old Delhi trying to
keep...
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Anna, thy charms my bosom fire,
And waste my soul with care;
But ah! how bootless to admire,
When fated to despair!
Yet in thy presence, lovely Fair,
To hope may be forgiven;
For sure 'twere impious to despair
So much...
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As virtuous men pass mildly away,
And whisper to their souls to go,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
"The breath goes now," and some say, "No,"
So let us melt, and make no noise,
No tear-floods, nor...
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As you slip into the realm of dreams,
Nocturnal butterflies arouse flowers.
Unable to bear the ardour of winged lovers the night faints.
The last hours of the night haunt me like a ghost.
I write your name on rose petals made even more...
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At night I caress
the angels’ and demons’
amazing smile
I will lose my mind
Uncommon friendships
the bodies walk in the fog
in a lost city,
undressed
not knowing the names
of these angels and demons
I fall...
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Attentive eyes, fantastic heed,
Assessing minds, he does not need,
Nor urgent writs to sup or dine,
Nor pledges in the roseate wine.
For loud acclaim he does not care
By the august or rich or fair,
Nor for smart pilgrims from afar,...
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autumn term
a gold sequin
on the library stairs
©Alison Williams
Presence No.28 January 2006
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Borrower
I sing of sorrow,
I sing of weeping.
I have no sorrow.
I only borrow
From some tomorrow
Where it lies sleeping,
Enough of sorrow
To sing of weeping.
- Mary Carolyn Davies
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Brightly dawns our wedding day;
Joyous hour, we give thee greeting!
Whither, whither art thou fleeting?
Fickle moment, prithee stay!
What though mortal joys be hollow?
Pleasures come, if sorrows follow.
Though the tocsin sound, ere...
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Come, sit thee down by these Cool streams
Never yet warmed by Titans beams!
My tender youth thy waist shall clip,
And fix upon thy cherry lip;
And lay thee down on this green bed,
Where thou shalt lose thy maidenhead.
See how the...
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Cruelty has a Human heart
And Jealousy a Human Face,
Terror, the Human Form Divine,
And Secrecy, the Human Dress.
The Human Dress is forgéd Iron,
The Human Form, a fiery Forge,
The Human Face, a Furnace seal'd,
The...
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Dawn breaks,
sunrise surprise,
bearing witness,
to desperate lives.
Wind howls,
helter skelter,
serving fair notice
"better take shelter."
Air turns frigid,
freezing those exposed,
broadcasting a message,...
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Dear Mother, if thou could only be
Close to my heart far o'er the sea;
For every night I kneel and pray
That we shall meet again some day.
And every night before you sleep,
O'er thy flock a watch still keep
An eye of bliss and not of...
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Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing
Ever made by the hand above —
A woman's heart, and a woman's life
And a woman's wonderful love?
Do you know you have asked for this priceless thing
As a child...
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Even in a postcolonial world,
Where happiness is guaranteed,
Where democracy answers all questions,
Where the ego narrative reigns supreme,
Where rationalism has been discredited,
I still feel a nagging doubt about the world.
And...
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Even those who once descended
The cold belly of the rocks, centuries ago,
Chiseling their way to the hard core
Self-effacingly crafting figures of gods and devils
In varying shades of white, green and red,
Signifying ancient parables...
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Fair is our lot — O goodly is our heritage!
(Humble ye, my people, and be fearful in your mirth!)
For the Lord our God Most High
He hath made the deep as dry,
He hath smote for us a pathway to the ends of all the Earth!
Yea,...
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Fate gave the word, the arrow sped,
And pierc'd my darling's heart;
And with him all the joys are fled
Life can to me impart.
By cruel hands the sapling drops,
In dust dishonour'd laid;
So fell the pride of all my...
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Flattering Hope, away and leave me,
She'll not come, thou dost deceive me;
Hark the cock crows, th' envious light
Chides away the silent night;
Yet she comes not, oh ! how I tire
Betwixt cold fear and hot desire.
Here...
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Flow down, cold rivulet, to the sea,
Thy tribute wave deliver:
No more by thee my steps shall be,
For ever and for ever.
Flow, softly flow, by lawn and lea,
A rivulet then a river:
No where by thee my steps shall be,
For ever and for...
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For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Loeda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that, nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines! — they hold a...
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For Morn, my dome of blue,
For Meadows, green and gay,
And Birds who love the twilight of the leaves,
Let Jesus keep me joyful when I pray.
For the big Bees that hum
And hide in bells of flowers;
For the winding roads that...
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For you my friend a silent prayer
As comrades so and shed a tear
I'm here this day to bid farewell,
Yet not alone a promise hold
For a soldiers story be told
The maple leaf for server you have
This poppy placed for a young...
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Gargling rain is the stuff of paper and glue birds,
green candle wax groin cringing,
scratchy Rapunzel decimal coughing.
What would you ask me if I were not afraid to answer?
Would you ask about my twitch-burning
cardboard...
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God made a wonderful mother,
A mother who never grows old;
He made her smile of the sunshine,
And He molded her heart of pure gold;
In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
In her cheeks, fair roses you see;
God made a wonderful...
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