Cyber Friend

Snake
David Herbert Lawrence

A snake came to my water-trough
On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat,
To drink there.

In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob-tree
I came down the steps with my pitcher
And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough
before me.

He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the gloom
And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down, over the
edge of the stone trough
And rested his throat upon the stone bottom,
And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness,
He sipped with his straight mouth,
Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body,
Silently.

Someone was before me at my water-trough,
And I, like a second comer, waiting.

He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do,
And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do,
And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused a
moment,
And stopped and drank a little more,
Being earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning bowels of the earth
On the day of Sicilian July, with Etna smoking.

The voice of my education said to me
He must be killed,
For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold are
venomous.

And voices in me said, If you were a man
You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off.

But I must confess how I liked him,
How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at my
water-trough
And depart peaceful, pacified and thankless,
Into the burning bowels of this earth?

Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him ?
Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him ?
Was it humility, to feel so honoured ?
I felt so honoured.

And yet those voices:
If you were not afraid, you would kill him !

And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid,
But even so, honoured still more
That he should seek my hospitality
From out the dark door of the secret earth.

He drank enough
And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken,
And flickered his tongue like a forked night on the air, so black;
Seeming to lick his lips,
And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air,
And slowly turned his head,
And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice adream,
Proceeded to draw his slow length curving round
And climb again the broken bank of my wall-face.

And as he put his head into that dreadful hole,
And as he slowly drew up, snake-easing his shoulders, and entered
farther,
A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing into that
horrid black hole,
Deliberately going into the blackness, and slowly drawing himself
after,
Overcame me now his back was turned.

I looked round, I put down my pitcher,
I picked up a clumsy log
And threw it at the water-through with a clatter.

I think it did not hit him,
But suddenly that part of him that was left behind convulsed in
undignified haste,
Writhed like lightning, and was gone
Into the black hole, the earth-lipped fissure in the wall front,
At which, in the intense still noon, I stared with fascination.

And I immediately regretted it.
I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act !
I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education.

And I thought of the albatross,
And I wished he would come back, my snake.

For he seemed to me again like a king,
Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
Now due to be crowned again.

And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life.
And I have something to expiate;
A pettiness.

Old English Prayer

Take time to work -
It is the price of success.
Take time to think -
It is the source of power.
Take time to play -
It is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to read -
It is the fountain of wisdom.
Take time to be friendly -
It is the road to happiness.
Take time to dream -
It is hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to love and to be loved -
It is the privilege of God.
Take time to look around -
It is too short a day to be selfish.
Take time to laugh -
It is the music of the soul.

Before the Storms Begin

When a storm assaults a tree
it’s the weakest boughs that fail
It’s the rotten branch that crashes
in the fury of a gale.
When the storms of life come raging
bringing ruin in their train
It’s the point where faith is weakest
that collapses with the strain..
Daily look to your defences
and where time has worn them thin
mark the place that needs repairing
and before the storms begin
do the work of restoration.
Do it now. A good job make
for when searching winds come blowing
it’s the weakest boughs that break.

NEEDING EACH OTHER

The child looks at the full-grown man
and says, “please tell me if you can
the way if Truth I am to find.
I need the Wisdom of your mind
and all the guidance you can give
if happily I am to live”.
The man looks in the child’s bright eye
and says, “Please tell me how can I
regain the simple faith I knew
when I was young and small like you,
recapturing the radiance
of the years of innocence?”
Both have much to teach and learn -
from one another. Each can turn
to the other, finding Truth.
Youth needs Age and Age needs Youth.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

There’s more to life than getting on,
making money, having fun
There’s more to life that what you see
On this side of eternity.
There’s more to life than meets the eye
so do not let the years slip by
and never pause to look below
the surface of the passing show.
A man-made world is very small.
You never really live at all
until you’ve found a love to share
the glory round the home, so rare.

Never Before

Never before have you seen this date upon the calendar
Never before have you ever passed this way..
Never before have you trodden here
New is this moment of the year.
Never before have you ever lived to-day.
Never before. It’s a gift that is fresh as morning dew
How will you use what it brings of boon or bane?
O what a day this day might be:
a glorious opportunity
to cut your losses and begin again.

NATIONAL SONG
O Flower of Scotland
when will we see
yer likes again
That fought and died for
their wee bit hill and glen
That stood against them
Proud Edward’s army
and sent them homeward
Tae think again

Those hills are bare now
and autumn leaves
Those lands we’ve lost now
That we so dearly held
That fought against them
Proud Edward’s army
And sent them homeward
Tae think again

Those days are gone now
And in the past now
They must remain
But we can still rise now
And be a nation again
That stood against them
Proud Edward’s army
And sent them homeward
Tae think again

O, Flower of Scotland
when will we see
yer likes again
That fought and died for
their wee bit hill and glen
That stood against them
Proud Edward’s army
and sent them homeward
Tae think again

Not “a crabbit old woman”

Came from a nursing home in Ireland

Author: Unknown

A young girl of sixteen with wings on her feet
Dreaming that soon now a lover she’ll meet.
A bride soon at twenty, my heart gives a leap
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep.

At twenty-five now I have young of my own
Who need me to build a secure happy home;
A woman of thirty, my young now grow fast
Bound to each other with ties that should last

At forty, my young sons have grown and have gone,
But my man is beside me to see I don’t mourn
At fifty once more babies play round my knee
Again we know children, my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead,
I look at the future, I shudder with dread
For my young are all rearing young of their own
And I think of the years and the love that I’ve known.

I’m an old woman now and nature is cruel
‘Tis her jest to make old age look a fool.
The body crumbles, grace vigour depart;
There is now a stone where once was a heart.

But inside this old carcass, a young girl still dwells
And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain
And I’m loving and living life over again.

I think of the tears all too few - gone too fast
And accept the stark fact that Nothing can last.
So open your eyes, nurses, open and see
Not a crabbit old woman look closer ..........

See Me!
******************************************

*******************

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE

If
A child lives with criticism
She learns to condemn
If
A child lives with hostility
He learns to fight
If
A child lives with ridicule
She learns to be shy
If
A child lives with shame
He learns to feel guilt
If
A child lives with tolerance
She learns to be patient
If
A child lives with encouragement
He learns confidence
If
A child lives with praise
She learns to appreciate
If
A child lives with fairness
He learns justice
If
A child lives with security
She learns to have faith
If
A child lives with approval
He lives to like himself
If
A child lives with acceptance and friendship
He or she learns to find love in the world

ONLINE FRIEND

I awoke today with a lump in my throat,
It's been some time since last you wrote.
I wondered how you feel today.
I wondered if your health's OK.

I wondered what is keeping you,
From writing me a line or two.
I miss your little notes of cheer,
The treasures that you like to share.

I decided to take this time,
To write these words I hope to rhyme.
And give you my extended hand,
If you're in need, out in Cyber land.

Please let me know if you could,
That you are sound and feeling good.
The computer friendship we've embraced
My online friend, could ne'er be replaced.

You Never Know
You never know when someone
might catch a dream from you.
Or something you say may
open up the windows
of a mind that seeks light;
The way you live may not matter at all,
But you never know, it might.

And just in case it could be
that another's life, through you,
might possibly change for the better
with a better and brighter view,
it seems it might be worth a try
at pointing the way to the right;
Of course, it may not matter at all,
but then again, it might.

~source unknown
Poetry and Stories

Did Anyone Ever Tell You,Just How Special You Are
The Light that You Emit Might even Light a Star

Did Anyone Ever Tell You How Important You
Make Others Feel Somebody out here is Smiling
About Love that is so Real

Did Anyone Ever Tell You Many Times, When They ere Sad
Your E-mail made Them Smile a bit In Fact It made Them Glad

For the Time You Spend SendingThings
And Sharing whatever You Find
There are No Words to Thank You
But Somebody, Thinks You're Fine

Did Anyone Ever Tell You Just How Much They Love You
Well, My Dearest " Online " Friend Today I am Telling You

I HOPE I GET THIS BACK I believe that
without a friend you are missing out on a lot!!!

Don't be confused by friends and
acquaintances, there is a difference!
Because I care about you, It's national care week . . .

Thanks Mhairi, for this great poem...received March 11, 2001

A SPECIAL FRIEND

Life has many ups and downs
The way's not always clear
But a friend will always be there
With a sypathetic ear
Life is full of wondrous things
Moments of joy and fun
And a friend will share
the memories
of each and every one
Life is full of feelings
Full of laughter and of pain
And a friend will always be there
In the sunshine and the rain
Life is like a tapestry
And that's why we believe
That every moment represents
The special bond we weave...
Yes, life is full of good and bad
But a friend's a friend you see
So I thank you from the heart
For being a special friend to me.

For Carolyn