my child died today.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

I live here: ________________

I fought against: _____________

And my God is: ___________________

And Punishment will be wrought by: _____________

Signed: ______________________________

Kill me, please. This isn't right.

[RevCheesehead]

1. Wow.

:cry:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

3. This has got to be the strangest bit of poetry I have ever written. n/t

[mom cat]

2. Oh Tom, this is heart rending.

:hug::cry::hug:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

8. It's only honest.

Thanks.

[NoSheep]

4. "...when will they eeeever learn."

:cry:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. When will they ever learn?

Too sad to type more in this post. Wondeful comment.

[Rex]

6. That is some inhuman poetry.

Nice work Tom. :thumbsup:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

11. Thanks, Rex....

Now if we can only keep it kicked for the morning crowd...

[Bluebear]

7. BRILLIANT.

Heart wrenching and BRILLIANT.

[Lisa0825]

9. I agree,

So much is rarely said with so few words.

:cry:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

15. It's all relative...

People just have to get to a point where media and outside influeces can't discolor the truth.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

10. ...

Kick and Rec.

[norml]

12. I'm not saying this to discount the seriousness of what you speak, but...

...you need to cultivate some detachment about these sorts of disturbing situations, or you're going to make yourself sick, and so be less able to deal with them.

I'm saying this as one who's suffered from extreme upsetness, and has found (since age 15) certain yogic practices and philosophies, or taking a walk, or swimming some laps, to be helpful.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

13. Some people are to gentle to live among wolves...

There are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves

"There are men too gentle to live among wolves
Who prey upon them with IBM eyes
And sell their hearts and guts for martinis at noon.
There are men to gentle for a savage world
Who dream instead of snow and children and Halloween
And wonder if the leaves will change their color soon.

There are men to gentle to live among wolves
Who anoint them for burial with greedy claws
And murder them for a merchant's profit and gain.
There are men to gentle for a corporate world
Who dream instead of Easter eggs and fragrant grass
And pause to hear the distant whistle of a train.

There are men to gentle too live amount wolves
Who devour them with appetite and search
For other men to prey upon and such their childhood dry.
There are men to gentle for an accountant's world
Who dream instead of Easter eggs and fragrant grass
And search for beauty in the mystery of the sky.There are men too gentle to live among wolves

There are men to gentle too live among wolves
Who toss them like a lost and wounded dove
Such gentle men are lonely in a merchant's world
Unless they have a gentle one to love."

James Kavanaugh

[hopeisaplace]

24. Wow, that is beautiful, here's one

I wrote, based on a true story:


HIS MOMMY DIED TODAY

His heart is crying, he's so very young,
He doesn't know what a dagger looks like
yet he feels one deep inside his stomach
He cries, his mommy died today,
please answer your cell phone mommy
His breaths are taken between heaving sobs
He's never seen a raging fire,
yet he feels one consuming his spirit
Please answer your cell phone mommy
He's her baby, he needs to hear her everyday
He keeps calling her cell phone number
for that promise made in her voice,
the voice he needs to hear,
Believing the truth as spoken,
that she's just stepped out for a minute,
and she'll call right back
If he could trade all eleven of his birthday wishes for one
he would ask that just this call be answered,
so he could hear,"Hi son, love ya so much sweetie,
I'll be home shortly",but his mommy died today,
So he goes to bed tonight, grasping her cell phone,
as it rests,as she did, on his pillow,
he gazes at the voice trapped inside
knowing it to be the last hug his mommy will give him
Her precious little boy curls up and cries out for her,
only her

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

29. Wow.

Ouch.

Thanks so much for posting that. Powerful imagery

[hopeisaplace]

50. Thanks for reading it and the kind words :) n/t.

[LynzM]

31. Oh wow....

That brings tears to me eyes, and an ache in my heart...

[hopeisaplace]

51. thanks for reading, and taking the time to let me know how you felt,

...my friend told me of a horrible situation, where this boy,
lost his mom, and he kept calling her cell phone to hear her voice,
..he was lost, so distraught..So knowing I write poetry/lyrics etc, she
said I should write a poem about this...and so I did. She and I both
cried when I read it to her. Strangely enough, through coincidence, years
later, I found out that this young boy has had a really hard time over the
years.

When a child loses a parent, unless their support system is rock solid, they
can lose themselves for sure. It's beyond sad.

My heart breaks in half and in a million pieces, like many of you on this board,
when children suffer.

[bobbolink]

32. There are also women too gentle to live among wolves!!

Thanks for that reminder.

It is so true, yet we get so much critcism for not being able to "let it roll off your back".

:hug:

[FUGW]

58. I disagree,

even though I don't believe in organized religion the story of Jesus gently walking among wolves touches me. To me there is nothing more powerful to the human spirit than the gentle soul enduring the onslaught of wolves and staying true to ones self. Injustice is universal, if Israel had let the rockets fall and showed the world that even though she could kill those responsible the world would have looked up to her. Instead Israel looks like a bully and incapable of stopping her attackers without losing her soul. That said I believe that Israel has the obligation to protect her citizens and only a saint would put up with the shit they are dealing with.

[uppityperson]

14. k&r for the children

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

16. In the end, that's what's it all about. n/t

[Mika]

17. And for atheists?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

18. We're on our own. n/t

[Mika]

19. Every wo/man for themself?

The "ownership" society (as in: yer on yer own)?

:(

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

23. never mind

[AnOhioan]

20. K&R

[Name removed]

21. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

43. I.m curious, Name removed...

what was said?

[Rex]

52. They said it was 'juvenile and dramaqueen' in all caps.

You know...ALL CAPS, NOW WATCH THIS DRIVE NOTICE ME! :eyes:

[pitohui]

54. some people may have actually lost a child, you know

i dunno, claiming you lost a child just to have a shocking subject line is in very bad taste -- much worse taste than using all caps if you ask me

posts that are fiction or poems should be clearly marked as such in the subject line

too many people have recently posted deaths of actual family members in GD and the Lounge for this kind of subject line to be anything but really, really tacky if it isn't quite true

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

55. I can see where you are coming from in this...

When it was first posted, there were many threads about the deaths in Israel and Lebanon and the families that were torn awaay from each other and the subject line was a little more obvious as to the actual intention of the post.

If I have caused you any duress, I am sorry.

[Rex]

62. Well yeah tacky is true, but comeon this is a public forum.

It took some guts to make this thread. I wouldn't have typed that unless I really did lose my child. I think it was the all caps and low post count. I can understand the anger, well no I can't and wouldn't ever want to.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

56. You can't please everyone.

[FUGW]

59. Who were you trying to please by making us think you lost a child?

[pitohui]

63. i have a suggestion

what on earth would be wrong with the subject line being: "poem: i lost a child today"

same thing, same title for the poem -- yet w.out the taint of dishonesty

we have, just this week, people posting about their dad died, their sister died, a friend just died suddenly last night, another woman's daughter was disappeared for 5 days -- we have all of these posts and then we see a subject line like yours and we can only assume the worst

a simple "poem" or "fiction" would make all the difference

just as people put "toons" in the header so you'll know...it's toons!

it just seems a little more courteous than trying to scare people half to death -- esp. after a week like this one

it's just a suggestion but i bet it would be MOST appreciated by many of us

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

64. That's not a bad suggestion.

[titoresque]

22. K&R!

[Raksha]

25. Another K&R!

[NMMNG]

26. At this time,

This could be written by almost anybody, anywhere. And that is truly tragic. :cry:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

44. Nail on the head.

[itzamirakul]

27. I almost cannot stand it.....nt

[theHandpuppet]

28. Powerful stuff, Tom

K&R!

[mike_c]

30. wow-- K&R-- brilliant and moving....

eom

[malaise]

33. Poignant n/t

[Kurovski]

34. K&R.(nt)

[nam78_two]

35. k & r/nt

[yellerpup]

36. Very moving, TYJ.

Snaps for tribute.

[galileo3000]

37. Tom, I grant you...

Peace, in that I will no quarrel upon you or your friends and family.
Hope. I will strive to be a better person, so you don't have to work as hard.

While I know this is not much, when I run tonight, one of those miles will be for you.

- galileo

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

40. Thanks & Welcome to DU!

Nicely said.

[Swamp Rat]

38. .

[BluePatriot]

39. K&R (nt)

[guinivere]

41. Oh my.

Very moving.

[chimpymustgo]

42. Bull's eye.

k and r

[w8liftinglady]

45. Tom-you are a brilliant poet.if you aren't published,you should be

...and if you are,where can i get a copy of your book?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

46. Thanks!

I tried for a while to get a collection published years ago to no avail and I absolutely refuse to do the vanity press route.

I've had stuff in a few literary magazines and Writer's Digest but if you are so inclined, you can visit my Journal for a collection of my DU work.

I have been thinking about changing the front pages of leftandrightfight into an online collection. If I can cut down my DU time, maybe I will.

:toast:

[NMDemDist2]

47. OMG you scared me!

:hug:

[Synnical]

48. Powerful

Thank you.

[MadMaddie]

49. Tom....what can I say that others haven't already said....

brilliant...

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

57. Thanks, I appreciate that< MadMaddie.

[pitohui]

53. this is really in bad taste

if your child actually died, i am terribly sorry but i gather this is a gimmick post of some kind

[FUGW]

60. I'm with you but he did post something about not pleasing everyone

so that makes it alright. This is some thing the Karl Rove would do, don't you think.

[astral]

61. It is NOT in bad taste!

This is very moving and will hit different people different ways. I clicked on the thread because of the title and thought, wow, this is more important than the other topics, we need to post and be there.

And it turns out it is a reminder this is happening for real. Whether it's you, or not you, the point was made and look how.

Thank you.