Home is Where One Starts From

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Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - 

the ones at home.     - Mother Teresa

Love is Power

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“No religion is absolutely perfect. Yet not only do we fight for religion, but also are we often willing to sacrifice our lives for it. And what we hopelessly fail to do is to live it. A true religion is that which has no caste, no creed, no colour. It is but an all-uniting and all-pervading embrace.” 
― Sri Chimney                 https://www.srichinmoy.org

Do you remember "The Little Rascals" dog, Petey?

Remember Petey the dog from The Little Rascals? The little boy on the right was my father.
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Fishtown kids weren't hungry                                

We played, then dined on soup.             

We sailed the Soupy Island Boat for free.                    

Dad worked the fishery; earning a small salary            

Dads drank in the brewery  Moms convened on marble stoops.

Fishtown kids weren't hungry.                              

Summer days, sailing the Delaware, carefree

Can't call a Fishtown kid a dupe           

We sailed the Soupy Island Boat for free.   

We landed at Red Bank, New Jersey; climbed trees,              

Rode the carousel, swam; fifty kids in our group.                 

Fishtown kids weren't hungry.                               

We thought the soup savory  One might disagree   

America was feeding us on her trusty sloop.                      

We sailed the Soupy Island Boat for free.         

In 1945, rent overdue: Not to worry!    

We had each other  we shared our bread and soup.                 

Fishtown kids weren't hungry                    

We sailed the Soupy Island Boat for free.

            by Joan Reese        

Flying A Service Stations Part of Earlier Years.

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Death of a Gas Station

They now lie vacant and still.

In the past, drivers came for a fill.

With clean restrooms and soda machines,

these stops were once places with lively scenes.

“Let me check your oil and clean your windshield.”

That is what attendants said at Esso and Richfield.

There was also Sinclair, Atlantic, and Flying-A.

These names are all part of an earlier day.

They were there to help motorists on their way.

Whether they drove a Hudson, Studebaker, or Thunderbird,

service was always the key word.

The pumps are rusty and the windows are boarded.

The old signs are now damaged and distorted.

Walls of the buildings are overgrown with ivy.

Business was brisk at the height of their activity.

However, all that was there is only a memory.

by Robert Pettit 

Men Offer Her a Dead President

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SCISSOR DANCE

Jukebox rocks, two dozen hardworking dusty men,

Bent elbows lean, Gold liquid flows

Glass rises, lit cigarettes talk.

She poses on a white piano bar,

scantily clad; slow moving, bending,

grinding, shaking, gyrating.

She blows kisses

to admiring eyes

with lustful wishes. 

Cleo's little girl dream

of being rescued

fades with each midnight hour.

She spins around, steelscissors held high.

Scissors reflect mirrored walls;

penetrates smoky beer air.

The scissor flashes down

cutting a hole above her heart.

Cleo offers the red satin circle,

Keepsake for the trucker who watches.

He believes, "She dances for me."

He offers up a dead President.

She cuts a hole here

cuts a hole there.

Soon she can start her own government.

It's hard to know where

first hole began or

last hole ends.

By Joan Reese

America is Freedom of Mind and Spirit in Man.

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Within the soul of America is freedom of mind and spirit in man. Here alone are the open windows through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit. Here alone is human dignity not a dream but an accomplishment. Perhaps it is not perfect, but it is more full in realization here than any other place in the world.          Herbert Hoover

Americans let us Embrace Abraham Lincoln’s Path of Wisdom.

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We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. 

A house divided against itself cannot stand.

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. 

Never stir up litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this. 

Read more: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/abraham_lincoln.html

“Cheers to a New Year and Another Chance for us to Get it Right.”

“The New Year is a painting not yet painted; a path not yet stepped on; a wing not yet taken off! Things haven’t happened as yet! Before the clock strikes twelve, remember that you are blessed with the ability to reshape your life!” 

― Mehmet Murat ildan

Wishing Peace, Prosperity and Good Health to Everyone!

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Cleanliness rules just don't apply!

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I is as dirty as dirty can beCause I is just a pig you seeI wallow around in my lovely styYour cleanliness rules just don’t applyI love the mud, that gooey stuffAnd as to the odor, I can’t get enoughThe stuff they feed me, you call it slopWell, I think it’s great, really tip- topI have no worries, no not a oneBut the dog just said ,”Go on, have fun-For if I’m not mistaken,                   You soon will be bacon..” by Barbara Gorelic

Museum Prints by "New York City Artist" "Joan Reese"

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Beautiful prints by "New York City Artist" "Joan Reese" available on canvas, framed prints, housewares,tote bags, shower curtains, towels, i phone covers, mugs and more...http://joan-reese.pixels.com

Sunrise is Nature's Painting for the Eyes.

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Sunrise offered a very beautiful spectacle; the water was quite unruffled, but the motion communicated by the tides was so great that, although there was not a breath of air stirring, the sea heaved slowly with a grand and majestic motion.              George Grey

Remember When Phone Calls Cost A Dime?

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The telephone is a wonderful invention, 

Calling all kinds of things to your attention. 

Living in the country and having a party line 

Meant others could listen to you at the same time. 

When the phone rang, we had to carefully listen 

To which ring was ours or a call we’d be missing. 

Our ring was 3 short, but there were 3 others 

Who may listen in if it were not for their mothers. 

We’d all give a jolt at the very first sound 

When off to the telephone we surely were bound. 

Standing there waiting for those 3 short rings 

For a call just for us as the telephone sings. 

by Jean E. Gorney

                    http://www.poetry.com/poems/592511-THE-OLD-TELEPHONE-Poem-151

How To Observe Thanksgiving

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Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Thank your God instead of yourself.

Trump Presidency - Episode One

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When America closes its doors, so does everybody else.

We are the primary engine of growth in the world

and we are the only beacon of free trade left, and open markets.

 Jon Huntsman, Jr. (R)

Autumn Leaves Speak Bliss to Me

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Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away; 

Lengthen night and shorten day; 

Every leaf speaks bliss to me 

Fluttering from the autumn tree. 

I shall smile when wreaths of snow 

Blossom where the rose should grow; 

I shall sing when night’s decay 

Ushers in a drearier day.

BY EMILY BRONTË

The Vampire Bares his Yellow Fangs

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“Be silent in that solitude,

Which is not loneliness—for then

The spirits of the dead, who stood

In life before thee, are again

In death around thee, and their will

Shall overshadow thee; be still.”

—From “Spirits of the Dead” by Edgar Allan Poe

King of Sneakers

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On my own I generally have very messy hair, 

wear jeans and sneakers.      Jewel

NYC Some live in Mansions; Some in holes

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Say this city has ten million souls,

Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes:

Yet there's no place for us, my dear,

yet there's no place for us.

by WH Auden

Advice from a pumpkin:

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Advice from a pumpkin:

give thanks

life's bounty

have thick skin

get plenty of sunshine

be well rounded 

keep growing

be outstanding in your field

think big!

Freedom Tower Shines like a Beacon in the Sky

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Freedom Tower

As Phoenix rose from the ashes,

this monumental building will rise,

paying tribute to heroes who died

on that fateful September morning.

by Maureen Halasovski

https://allpoetry.com/Maureen

Magic King of Glassland

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Monarch butterflies fly into the eye of a darken cave

In search of light and the Magic King of Glass Land.

The cave is a labyrinth of Reflecting glass walls. 

Look to the East, see your image Young and Beautiful,

Look to the West see your image covered in Gold,

Look tothe South see your image sitting on a King’s Throne,

Look to the North see your image Aged and Wise.

Argo, is the Magic King of Glass Land. 

Wish Seekers hope he will grant them their most desired image.

Most seek eternal Youth and Riches.

Genuflecting, before the mighty King Argo, 

The Wish Seekers request the reflection of their desire. 

King Argo commands a task to be performed. Most fail!

Failure dictates losing everything they hold dear to them.

King Argo demands the Wish Seeker catch a Monarch Butterfly in their
 mouth and swallow it with Honey Wine. 

The successful receive an Iron Hammer by King Argo. 

The Defeated stumble to their homeland.

They bemoan lost of assets they held dear. 

The Defeated look forward to a delicious meal, a soft bed and warm family greeting.

Family and friends look upon the Defeated as a stranger. 

The Defeated spend eternity looking for everything that is truly dear.

A teacher named John Sebastian selected the North Reflection of Wisdom. 

Holding his mouth open wide, brimming with honey wine, 

a Monarch Butterfly flew into his mouth and slid down his throat.

King Argo respectfully handed John Sebastian the iron hammer. 
He did not explain that once the Northern Reflection is smashed, 

John Sebastian’s spirit can travel the world at will sharing wisdom throughout eternity.

John Sebastian smashes the Northern Image into a thousand pieces

Creating a beautiful rainbow in the sky.

For many years, John Sebastian’s favorite place was his home town. 

After witnessing the passing of family and friends, he left to travel far and wide. 

A distant look is always present in his eyes. 

There are not enough hours in the day to solve the world’s problems, but he tries.

Rumors spread across the land that John Sebastian was more than 300 years old.

John Sebastian is unaware of the wish he made so many years ago.

by  Joan Reese

New York Magic Tricks Unexplained

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              Speed of Light

                              Sweeping changes to the sky

                            are swiftest not in dark of night

                          nor mid-day when the sun is high;

                   not in twilight though its vistas mesmerize.

                             My chameleon sky can morph

                               from airy blue to misty grey.

                         Fluid reds, golds, tangerines, pinks --

                             like silk scarves -- touch and swirl.

                                    Whole panoramas shift:

                                   magic tricks unexplained.

                          Bold mid-day/lush twilight/stoic night

                                               no match

                                  for fleet eye-opening skies

                                                of dawn. 

                                        by Fred Simpson 

                   https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Sunrise-Poems-Sun/dp/0990367002/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474075245&sr=8-1&keywords=Fred+Simpson+poems      

Coyote Moon Shone like a Silver Saucer.

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Coyote Moon by Joan Reese

A full moon shone like a silver saucer.

The moonlight cut through the bedroom venetian blinds, appearing as steps to heaven.

Suddenly, my head was filled with howling sounds.

Was it the wind, the ocean? I fell into a deep sleep.

I was transported to a forest filled with Banyan trees, their roots seeming like gnarly fingers reaching out from the bowels of the earth. My mouth opened wide to ask, “Is anyone there?”

I heard a roaring howl; was that me? I looked down, I no longer had a human body. I was transformed into a female coyote with golden fur. I instinctively knew I was in a secret meeting place.

I howled again and again. I heard the crunching of dried leaves; the sound was getting closer, but, I was not afraid.

From the darkened forest, I saw glowing eyes staring at me.

These eyes were familiar and I moved closer, unafraid. It was he, a large alpha male Coyote. I felt I had birthed many pups by this male.

The courting dance began. Rubbing our heads together, our jaws locked, tongue to tongue. For being a beast, he was very gentle.

The moon was now at its highest, it was easier to see our surroundings. More sounds of crunching leaves and breaking branches. Four more male coyotes joined the party, with teeth bared.

I proudly watched as a furious battle began; I hoped my mate would win. It was hard to tell the difference between the fighting animals. A stream of blood lead to my feet. Startled, I stood in the red pool. The moon was sinking in the sky, the howling, growling and fighting, continued.

I felt sunlight surrounding me. A sharp piercing sound invaded my sleep. My eyes half open, I searched for the sound and brought it close to my ear. I heard a familiar male voice, “Don't worry, we are going to win the case! 

You need to be at the courthouse at 9 o'clock sharp.

Manhattan - City of great Heart

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Oh music in stone, poetry in sculpture, song in architectual marble, prayer in granite, an ecstasy in steel and iron and gold, singing city of the great heart, singing city,

You are Manhattan!

Poems by Edwin Curran