Bits 'n' Bobs

 

Introduction


Welcome to my Bits 'n' Bobs page two.
Here I will be putting the poems and prose of others, maybe yours.

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.”
Edmund Burke



1. Sympathy

A poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar

I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opens,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats his wings
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!


2.  From The Pen Of A Columbine High School Student


The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers;
Wider freeway’s, but narrower viewpoints;
We spend more, but have less;
We buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families;
More conveniences, but less time;
More knowledge, but less judgement;
More experts, but more problems;
More medicine but less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life;
We’ve added years to life, not life to years.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour.
We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space;
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul;
We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We have higher incomes but lower morals;
We’ve become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of tall men, and short character;
Steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are times of world peace, but domestic warfare;
More leisure, but less fun;
More kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce;
Of fancier houses, but broken homes.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom;
A time when technology can bring this letter to you,
And a time when you can choose either to make a difference
. . . . .or just hit DELETE.