Poetry, Quotes, and Thoughts

Contents:

• Richard Cory
• Rainbow Bridge
• In a Fair World
• The Use of the Dog
• A Prayer for Animals

Lyrics to some songs I like:

• Where is the love? - Black Eyed Peas
• We Shall Be Free - Garth Brooks
• The Kids Aren't All Right - Offspring
• I'm Sensitive - Jewel
• Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
• Behind the Wall - Tracy Chapman
• Drive - Incubus

  

  Richard Cory
  Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
  We people on the pavement looked at him:
  He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
  Clean favored, and imperially slim.

  And he was always quietly arrayed,
  And he was always human when he talked;
  But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
  "Good Morning," and he glittered when he walked.

  And he was rich--yes, richer than a king--
  And admirably schooled in every grace:
  In fine, we thought that he was everything
  To make us wish that we were in his place.

  So on we worked, and waited for the light,
  And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
  And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
  Went home and put a bullet through his head.
  

  - Edwin Arlington Robinson

  

  Rainbow Bridge
  Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies it goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plently of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
  All the animals who have been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong agian, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing - they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent, his eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly he runs from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
  You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face, your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
  - Author Unknown

  

  In a Fair World

  The family's dog was bought for a guard,
  Chained to post in a chilly backyard,
  Housed in a shed that was airless and dark,
  And every few weeks had a run in the park,
  When boredom set in with no fun and no work,
  One day it broke loose and went quietly berserk.
  Pa couldn't fathom just why it went wild,
  As it flattened his wife and then bit his child.
  The police were called in to sort out the mess,
  And the whole sorry tale was revealed by the press,
  The Rescue Society was really annoyed,
  So the dog was rehomed- and the owners destroyed
  --Author Unknown.

  

  The Use of the Dog

  The use of the dog
  Oh what can it be?
  I'll just think a bit
  It may come to me

  Oh yes, I remember
  There are one or two
  I'll just list them now
  Won't be long till I'm through

  They're used to guide blind folk
  And never complain
  They do their work gladly
  Through sunshine or rain

  They're used by the kids
  That have nothing to do
  But tie cans to thier tails
  Then laugh at them too

  They're used to gaurd junkyards
  And buildings and lots
  They're used in the service
  And quite often shot

  They're used in the North
  To pull sleds through the ice
  And often change hands
  At the roll of the dice

  They're used to relieve
  The frustrations we've had
  When we're mad at someone
  Or our day has gone bad

  We can kick them or hit them
  Or just yell a bit
  They always forgive
  When we're over our fit.

  They're used to make money
  At puppy mills too
  They must keep having babies
  They get killed when thet're through

  They're used for experiments
  And never know why
  They simply submit
  And hope to soon die

  They find and save children
  They rescue, they give
  They sacrifice self
  So we may still live

  They're size doesn't matter
  Their hearts are the same
  They give all they've got
  They didn't cheat at the game

  When all's said and done
  I just don't understand
  The love of a dog
  For the creature called man.
  - Irene MacCracken

  

  A Prayer for Animals
  Hear our humble prayer, O God,
  for our friends the animals,
  especially for animals who are suffering;
  for any that are hunted or lost
  or deserted or frightened or hungry;
  for all that must be put to sleep.
  We entreat for them all
  Thy mercy and pity,
  and for those who deal with them
  weask a heart of compassion
  and gentle hands and kindly words.
  Make us true friends to animals
  and so to share
  the blessings of the merciful.
  Albert Schweitzer

  

  Quotes and other Thoughts

  The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of 'real food for real people,' you'd better live real close to a real good hospital. Neal D. Barnard, M.D., President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

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  Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself. James A. Froude (1818-1894)

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  The philosophy behind vivisection, the sacrifice of creatures we regard as 'inferior' beings, differs little from that behind the concentration camp or the slave trader. Aga Khan (Prince Sadruddin) (1933- ))

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  I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open. Dean Ornish, M.D.

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  Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace. Albert Schweitzer, The Philosophy of Civilisation

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  Any religion or philosophy which is not based on a respect for life is not a true religion or philosophy. Albert Schweitzer, Letter to a Japanese Animal Welfare Society, 1961

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  Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel

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  More plant species in the U.S. have been eliminated or threatened by livestock grazing than by any other cause, according to the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO). George Wuerthner

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  Auschwitz begins whenever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they are only animals. Theodor Adorno (1903-1969), German Marxist philosopher, sociologist, and musicologist

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  I think the evidence is pretty clear. If you look at various characteristics of carnivores versus herbivores, it doesn't take a genius to see where humans line up. William C. Roberts, Editor in Chief, American Journal of Cardiology [Statement in support of his view that humans are not physiologically designed to eat meat]

  ---

  Isn't man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife - birds, kangaroos, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice, foxes and dingoes - by the million in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billion and eats them. This in turn kills man by the millions, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal - health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year, sends out cards praying for Peace on Earth. David Coats, Old MacDonald's Factory Farm

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  I know in my soul that to eat a creature who is raised to be eaten, and who never has a chance to be a real being, is unhealthy...You're just eating misery. Alice Walker

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  Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Martin Luther King

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  If man could be crossed with a cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat. - Mark Twain

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  If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. - Albert Einstein

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  A home without books is a body without a soul. - Tullius Cicero

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  There is nothing more frightening than active ignorance. -Goethe

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  Of all the creatures on this planet none is more dangerous than a human being. -- Robert A Heinlein

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  Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance. - Confucious

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  Education costs money, but so does ignorance. - Sir Claus Moser

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  Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. - E. Letterman?

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  Only when the last tree has been felled, the last river poisoned and the last fish caught, man will know, that he cannot eat money. - ?

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  It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Albert Einstein

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  I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. - Henry David Thoreau

  Carpe Diem.

  

  Some Good Lyrics!

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  Where is the love? - Black Eyed Peas

  What's wrong with the world, mama
  People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
  I think the whole world addicted to the drama
  Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
  Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
  But we still got terrorists here livin'
  In the USA, the big CIA
  The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
  But if you only have love for your own race
  Then you only leave space to discriminate
  And to discriminate only generates hate
  And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
  Badness is what you demonstrate
  And that's exactly how anger works and operates
  You gotta have love just to set it straight
  Take control of your mind and meditate
  Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

  People killin', people dyin'
  Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
  Can you practice what you preach
  And would you turn the other cheek

  Father, Father, Father help us
  Send us some guidance from above
  'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
  Where is the love (Love)

  Where is the love (The love)
  Where is the love (The love)
  Where is the love
  The love, the love

  It just ain't the same, always unchanged
  New days are strange, is the world insane
  If love and peace is so strong
  Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
  Nations droppin' bombs
  Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
  With the ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
  So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
  So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
  In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in
  Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
  Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
  A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
  The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
  If you never know truth then you never know love
  Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
  Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
  Where's the love, y'all

  People killin', people dyin'
  Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
  Can you practice what you preach
  And would you turn the other cheek

  Father, Father, Father help us
  Send us some guidance from above
  'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
  Where is the love (Love)

  Where is the love (The love)
  Where is the love (The love)
  Where is the love
  The love, the love

  I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
  As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
  Most of us only care about money makin'
  Selfishness got us followin' in the wrong direction
  Wrong information always shown by the media
  Negative images is the main criteria
  Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
  Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
  Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
  Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
  Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
  Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
  That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
  That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
  There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
  Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found

  People killin', people dyin'
  Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
  Can you practice what you preach
  And would you turn the other cheek

  Father, Father, Father help us
  Send us some guidance from above
  'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
  Where is the love (Love)

  Where is the love (The love)
  Where is the love (The love)
  Where is the love (The love)

  Where is the love (The love)
  Where is the love (The love)
  Where is the love (The love)
  

  ---

  We Shall Be Free - Garth Brooks

  This ain't comin' from no prophet
  Just an ordinary man
  When I close my eyes I see
  The way this world shall be
  When we all walk hand in hand

  When the last child cries for a crust of bread
  When the last man dies for just words that he said
  When there's shelter over the poorest head
  We shall be free

  When the last thing we notice is the color of skin
  And the first thing we look for is the beauty within
  When the skies and the oceans are clean again
  Then we shall be free

  We shall be free
  We shall be free
  Stand straight, walk proud
  'Cause we shall be free

  When we're free to love anyone we choose
  When this worlds big enough for all different views
  When we all can worship from our own kind of pew
  Then we shall be free

  We shall be free
  We shall be free
  Have a little faith
  Hold out
  'Cause we shall be free

  And when money talks for the very last time
  And nobody walks a step behind
  When there's only one race and thats mankind
  Then we shall be free

  We shall be free
  We shall be free
  Stand straight,
  walk proud,
  have a little faith,
  hold out
  We shall be free

  ---

  The Kids Aren't All Right - Offspring

  When we were young the future was so bright
  The old neighborhood was so alive
  And every kid on the whole damn street
  Was gonna make it big and not be beat

  Now the neighborhood's cracked and torn
  The kids are grown up but their lives are worn
  How can one little street
  Swallow so many lives

  Chances thrown
  Nothing's free
  Longing for what used to be
  Still it's hard
  Hard to see
  Fragile lives, shattered dreams

  Jamie had a chance, well she really did
  Instead she dropped out and had a couple of kids
  Mark still lives at home cause he's got no job
  He just plays guitar and smokes a lot of pot

  Jay committed suicide
  Brandon OD'd and died
  What the hell is going on
  The cruelest dream, reality

  ---

  I'm Sensitive - Jewel

  i was thinking that i might fly today / just to disprove all the things that you say / it doesn't take a talent to be mean / your words can crush things that are unseen

  so please be careful with me, i'm sensitive / and i'd like to stay that way

  you always tell me that it's impossible / to be respected and be a girl / why's it gotta be so complicated? / why you gotta tell me if i'm hated?

  i was thinking that it might do some good / if we robbed the cynics and took all their food / that way what they believe will have taken place / and we can give it to people who have some faith

  i have this theory that if we're told we're bad / then that's the only idea we'll ever have / but maybe if we are surrounded in beauty / someday we will become what we see / 'cause anyone can start a conflict / it's harder yet to disregard it / i'd rather see the world from another angle / we are everyday angels / be careful with me 'cause i'd like to stay that way

  ---

  Fast Car - Tracy Chapman

  You got a fast car
  I want a ticket to anywhere
  Maybe we make a deal
  Maybe together we can get somewhere
  Anyplace is better
  Starting from zero got nothing to lose
  Maybe we'll make something
  But me myself I got nothing to prove

  You got a fast car
  And I got a plan to get us out of here
  I been working at the convenience store
  Managed to save just a little bit of money
  We won't have to drive too far
  Just 'cross the border and into the city
  You and I can both get jobs
  And finally see what it means to be living

  You see my old man's got a problem
  He live with the bottle that's the way it is
  He says his body's too old for working
  I say his body's too young to look like his
  My mama went off and left him
  She wanted more from life than he could give
  I said somebody's got to take care of him
  So I quit school and that's what I did

  You got a fast car
  But is it fast enough so we can fly away
  We gotta make a decision
  We leave tonight or live and die this way

  I remember we were driving driving in your car
  The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
  City lights lay out before us
  And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
  And I had a feeling that I belonged
  And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

  You got a fast car
  And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
  You still ain't got a job
  And I work in a market as a checkout girl
  I know things will get better
  You'll find work and I'll get promoted
  We'll move out of the shelter
  Buy a big house and live in the suburbs

  You got a fast car
  And I got a job that pays all our bills
  You stay out drinking late at the bar
  See more of your friends than you do of your kids
  I'd always hoped for better
  Thought maybe together you and me would find it
  I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
  So take your fast car and keep on driving

  You got a fast car
  But is it fast enough so you can fly away
  You gotta make a decision
  You leave tonight or live and die this way
  

  ---

  Behind the Wall - Tracy Chapman

  Last night I heard the screaming
  Loud voices behind the wall
  Another sleepless night for me
  It won't do no good to call
  The police
  Always come late
  If they come at all

  And when they arrive
  They say they can't interfere
  With domestic affairs
  Between a man and his wife
  And as they walk out the door
  The tears well up in her eyes

  Last night I heard the screaming
  Then a silence that chilled my soul
  I prayed that I was dreaming
  When I saw the ambulance in the road

  And the policeman said
  "I'm here to keep the peace
  Will the crowd disperse
  I think we all clould use some sleep"

  ---

  Drive - Incubus

  Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear.
  And I can't help but ask myself
  how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
  It's driven me before,
  and it seems to have a vague,
  haunting mass appeal.
  But lately I am beginning to find
  that I should be the one behind the wheel.
  Whatever tomorrow brings,
  I'll be there with open arms and open eyes.
  Whatever tomorrow brings,
  I'll be there I'll be there
  So if I decide to waiver my chance to be
  one of the hive will I choose water over wine
  and hold my own and drive?
  It's driven me before and it seems to be the way
  that everyone else gets around.
  But lately I'm beginning to find
  that when I drive myself my light is found.
  Whatever tomorrow brings,
  I'll be there with open arms and open eyes.
  Yeah. Whatever tomorrow brings
  Would you choose water over wine....
  hold the wheel and drive?
  Whatever tomorrow brings,
  I'll be there with open arms and open eyes.
  Whatever tomorrow brings,
  I'll be there I'll be there
  

  

  Any other quotes or poems you like? E-mail me at: cjmeakes@lanset.com
  Please come back soon and visit me.
  You are the person to visit this page since April 7, 1998.
  Last Updated Feb 5, 2005
  

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