Moonlight Swallowed

poets do their best work,
with shovels by light of moon.
burying the unspeakable,
owls mumble o'er the grave.
and moonlight taunts,
with a flip of her hair,
sending fireflies to worship
in the naked trees.

the lies old men tell,
over bourbon and wars.
old bellies straining,
and eyes long dead.
while their women grieve,
over irons and burnt pots.
and the children plot,
with matches and wills.
a Wal-Mart cross necklace,
blood pressure, and sugar.
while boys with hard passion,

[...] Read more

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

The Things I've Lost

in the things i've lost i found god....
not in the things themselves,
but in the empty spaces left behind!
in moments given and forgotten,
in laughter that never took a name.
in the sound of breathing that is peaceful sleep,
in the tiny light of a single flame.
in random snowflakes that need not redemption,
in callouses that become the hand.
in stories shared with small children,
in the sky seen through a prison window.
in the dog curled against my feet,
in a meal shared with strangers.
in the beautiful eyes of the dying child,
in the touch of the old woman's hand.
in the sound of wings saying farewell to autumn,
in the crunch of frost covered grass.
in the anger of my enemy,
when we both sat down to talk.
in the stories old boots could tell,

[...] Read more

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

House Made Of Stone

the cell door slams shut!
staring through the barred window,
he can make out a lone crow
flying just over the treetops....

can feel the sunlight turning
the wheel, as seasons change.
can hear the big trucks
out on the interstate...

lying back on his bunk,
he closes his eyes....
can feel his spirit leaving
his beaten body behind....

turning back time, and years,
and most of all, choices....
back before the cars, the whores,
the dope, the money, and the guns....

[...] Read more

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Another Day, Another Adventure

another day, another adventure! started off writing
in one direction, and then turned like a wave with
a mind of its own... i never know, and rarely plan...
the more i look for beauty, the more simple raw
ugliness i see!
and so again am reinforced by the sacred in the mundane,
the thousand tiny universes of the common and simple...
the strength that rises from weakness... the courage born
of fear... and the hunger for truth that defies and stands
in the field of the lie!
it's too easy to see the mistakes of broken people, the misery
that binds them, the hard way they live... and to think 'i'd never
be that way'.... but you already have, for they are a part of you...
often a part you dont wish to see, to acknowledge...
i've lived among broken people, have been broken myself... and
i know how hard it is to break free... some dont have the strength...
many need a hand, often more than once...
i cast judgement on no one... for when i look at people, no matter
how far they've fallen, or what they've done.... all i see is me!

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Always Walking, Never Alone!

always walking, never alone...
be it the wind,
whose voice has comforted me
for longer than i can remember.
be it darkness,
my lover, passion unfolding.
be it the lights in unknown houses,
signaling life to the traveller.
be it the whisper of stone,
and wood aging and holding.
be it the cry of emptiness,
vacant buildings, desolate streets.
be it the smells of food cooking,
of woodsmoke, of flesh on flesh.
be it the taste of rain,
the cold touch of falling snow.
be it the stillness of graves,
row upon row, life upon life.

my god walks with me,

[...] Read more

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Heroes

there's been a lot of talk
about heroes this week
let me tell you about heroes

the single mom making minimum wage
trying to go to school, and keep
her babies clothed and fed

the school teacher who, upon
losing funding, takes his or
her own money and buys supplies

the young businessman who stops
what he's doing, and goes and
serves in the soup line

the common joes who sit
in protest of the oil pipeline
ready to be arrested if needed

[...] Read more

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Bottomless Buckets

we cannot be delivered from,
what we continually deliver our selves to!
one cannot be healed of the disease,
he does not acknowledge having...
we cannot escape the grasp
of our mortal feeding egos...
until we break the glass,
and see the sky beyond,
and taste it for ourselves.
the primitive man discovering fire,
the first living beings that moved
from sea to land...
the mountains the day after,
the waters divided,
the snail, the spider, the moss covered stone...
are all a part of who we are...
the murderers, thieves, explorers,
native peoples, wolves, wild horses....
stars being born, worlds dying,
the darkness of forever night,

[...] Read more

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Human Chronicles

saddened again...
to hear reports of violence
from around the world.
people, everyday people,
killed in an instant,
by rogue gunfire.

and people fighting for freedom,
standing up at all costs,
for their basic human rights.
fighting for food and shelter
in the 21st century!

the furious rabble of anger,
religions hating other religions.
fighting for the 'only god',
the 'only truth'...
and they dont even know
for whom they fight!

[...] Read more

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

If I Prayed For You... (I Just Did)

if i prayed for you,
with the eyes of a child,
beaten, bruised, and hungry...
would you see, would you know?

if i prayed for you,
with an old man's hands,
hard, calloused, and gentle...
would you feel, would you know?

if i prayed for you,
with a mother's tears,
her daughter raped by your soldiers...
would you change, would you know?

if i prayed for you,
with a homeless man's heart,
a human story untold...
would you care, would you know?

[...] Read more

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

What Do You Believe?

we cannot say that we believe
in something, and then by our
actions, or even worse, inaction,
contradict it!
we are what we do, what we give,
and where we are standing at the
end of the day...
we all make mistakes, we all fail
on occasion, (i may be the worst!) ...
but the mistakes and failures dont
define us... how we react to them,
whether we take ownership of them,
and what we do to rectify them does!

the concept that anyone can reach
their dreams at the expense of anyone
else is false...
in order to restore integrity and dignity
to our lives, we have to have purpose...
and we have to have a deep level of

[...] Read more

poem by Eric Cockrell
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!