Cinders of no edifice can show proof
How hoary did it look under the dome,
Nor dust can vouch if it came from tall roof
Of a hallowed church, or from poor man’s home,
Or if the dust was blown by a tiny
Burst of rare breeze, or by world wind so great,
No warden would vouch for its pedigree,
Nor would a priest predict its sublime fate,
So does the ash of a funeral pyre—
If it peeled off a prince in regal suit,
Or off a pauper that died a death dire,
For, hushed up dusty graves lie stony mute,
And death cometh equal as gasping breath,
Levelling all— if not in life, in death.
_________________________________
Sonnet | 01.11.2011, revised August 2024 |
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse hushed up the clock.
But Cuckoo caught him by his tail,
Now mouse is serving time in jail.
Until once more the clock will chime,
And with both hands, the march of time
Then mouse might leave his prison cell,
However, only time will tell.
When parole, could be his saviour,
Quick release, for good behaviour.
Frightened and confused, freedom advocates
stopped listening to their hearts.
And Christians began chastising those
who have chosen
not to forsake their souls
for political gain, greed, and hate.
Division is a ploy
used by agitators
skilled at drawing emotions
from old wounds.
We all agree
that only God can change the past;
and yet, each one of us
holds the power
to change the future.
Americans are wandering through
an emotional minefield;
ready to explode in their faces,
and provide provocation for a civil war.
Let's reflect on the meaning
of freedom for all;
and the pursuit of happiness!
Together, we may find the answers
that bigotry buried
within hushed-up questions:
we're now just starting to explore.
The ugliness of racism
is finally being exposed for what it is:
and yet, some still refuse to see
that freedom for all is within our grasp!
Veterans have the right
to stand up and say what's wrong,
so many years of hurt
tears have fallen for too long.
They have lost many friends
not only long ago, but for years since then,
it seems, truly as though
the government doesn't care about them.
The veterans deserve to be heard
not hushed up and thrown away,
I know the government will never listen
neither in the future, nor today.
Copyright Cynthia Jones
Nov.15/2007
“Some cause happiness wherever they go
Others whenever they go”
One of Oscar Wilde's famous quotes
Would have been a great man to know
“Always forgive your enemies
Nothing annoys them so much”
Another gem from this famous fellow
As a humorist he sure had the touch
“America was discovered before Columbus
But it had always been hushed up”
Yet another gem from this fertile mind
Don't think that's coffee in his cup
“I think God in creating Man
Somewhat overestimated his ability”
This one totally cracks me up
His mind worked with ease and agility
“A little sincerity is a dangerous thing
And a great deal of it is absolutely fatal”
It's something I learned a long time ago
In fact, I think I learned it prenatal
“Anyone who lives within their means
Suffers from a lack of imagination”
You should throw all caution to the wind
And give in to those naughty temptations
“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable
That we have to alter it every six months”
Oscar is one of my favourite humorists
His mind was definitely out to lunch!
© Jack Ellison 2013