Where you live do the stars shine bright.
Is music played throughout the night?
Does the river run to the sea
Are there lands where animals run free?
Where you live are there golden beaches
Great halls where the poet teaches?
Are there fields of crops
Can you see snow on mountain tops?
Laws of nature are always the same.
Universal rules that never change.
I wish those were the ways of man.
But we’ve broken them since time began.
Do lonely men beat their lover
Do some justify killing another?
Believe what they see they own
Lie and cheat with hearts of stone?
Are prisons full of innocents
Banks that hide how your money’s spent?
Barren lands and tortured skies
Silence forced to hide the lies?
MidiMike 
I loved this!
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Thank you so much! I was inspired by the comments from followers to look at things I take for granted but others might not have access to. I appreciate your comment!
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My pleasure!
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Hi Mike. What a good poem. A very rocky title. I particularly like the first line. Hey, I like the whole thing. Sound like they’d be good lyrics. All the best. Kris.
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Good morning! Kris! Thank you for the comment and feedback. There is a bit of internal humor in the first line and I am glad it stood out. I think it sets up the poem pretty well. I hear a melody when I read the poem so I would like to turn in into lyrics for a song. Much appreciated!
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This is a great piece of writing! I really like the last to lines, especially the tortured skies. It’s a powerful image!
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Many many thanks.
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Politics ,corruption ,lust ,spoiled this land
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Indeed. There is nothing wrong with working hard and securing the ‘good life’. But when all that turns into a burning greed that justifies taking from others just so you can have more, it turns everything else sour. Thank you for the comment.
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Most welcome
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I love this poem! There’s so many great lines and images. As always, thanks for sharing. I love reading your writing!
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Wow! You made my day. You make it so rewarding to share posts. Thanks for your time and inspiration to continue!
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My pleasure! I love your writing and your music!
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WoW! Beautiful! Thank you!
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Ha! Any time. Much appreciated. Thank you so much for the enthusiastic comments!
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You have a beautiful soul Mike. I’m honored to be able to read it!
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You have a beautiful Soul Mike! I’m honored to read it!
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I try! I am glad you appreciate what my poems and lyrics attempt to convey. Everyday I work on being a better human being that loves nature and the universe we live in.
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I truly do.
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Ooops 😀
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Wow!
I really enjoyed this!
Check out my blog when you get the chance 😃
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Thank you so much. I really appreciate your comments. It is nice to hear you enjoyed it. Guaranteed, and thanks for the visit!
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This poem attempts to understand abuse but there is satire in every line….Hundred criminals can escape but one innocent should not be punished , but sometimes that innocent one may be in the prison. Every rule has an exception that proves the rule ! This poem proves the rule and not the exception……Yes , there are two kinds of fascists , fascists and antifascists…..perhaps this is a reaction to fanatic anti fascism… !
Thought provoking.
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Thank you. You have a great perspective. The rulers of each land enforce or impose their views. Some follow the rule, some create the exception. I hope I understood your thoughts correctly and appreciate your views.
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Beautiful writing. Simple but stirring. Thank you for stopping by my blog Mike and bringing me to yours.
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I appreciate the comments and the feedback. You are more than welcome and please visit any time!
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obviously these lyrics upset me
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As a writer you know how to pull the reader into the story. In this post I tried to bring the reader into a comfortable feeling in the beginning. Then once the answers seemed easy I presented the flip-side. Unfortunately I think too many live in environments where that is probably more familiar to them.
I am putting these lyrics to music now and the melody is even more haunting.
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another poem of questions. I like it.
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Thanks! I don’t have many answers but I have plenty of questions LOL!
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Great questions!
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Thank you! I imagine the answers are different all over the world.
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[…] perspective or point of view. I was delighted with the response to my recent poem entitled “Hearts of Stone“. (…..Actually, I initially titled it “Where You Live”. As mentioned before […]
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It should be a rock song with a long guitar solo at the end. Why? Because the last few lines are so powerful. If you were to make this poem to be lyrics, I personally wouldn’t choose to use it all. Don’t shoot me. It’s a wonderful poem.Be prepared to adapt it for use as a song.I would leave out verses 3 and 4. Go with 1,3 and 5.
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I like the rock song idea. My initial version in my head was not geared that way, but I do agree. ……..If I cut out the middle verses the guitar solo would have to be a long one HAHa!
Still, let me work on that idea. You have great musical knowledge and history. As a songwriter I use an acoustic guitar often when writing songs. Some get turned into rock songs and some stay acoustic. I often struggle with the best format or multiple genres for any given song.
Thank you for the great feedback and comments!
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I like this poem. It is very thought provoking and deep.
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Thank you! I am glad you liked it. I have a tendency to write about subject that get a bit deep lol!
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Enjoyed the post Mike. As a an amateur song writer, wondering whether you tend to create lyrics before melody or chord progression?
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Wow! It appears my reply did not go through. Glad I checked! I have been writing for decades and found I use a number of methods. I would say for the majority of my songs I write the lyrics first. On occasion I might have a melody in my head (most often I have a RHYTHM in my head rather than a melody) I like the feel of percussive phrases. So I try to combine lyrics with a beat or timing.
I also write a lot of musical themes. I like to match them up with lyrics I have already written. Some of the lyrics or music arrangements need to be changed a bit to help fit into a song, but that is half the fun.
I also take snippets from incomplete lyrics or musical doodles and combine with other partial lyrics and instrumental pieces and combine them to make a complete song.
To me, the melody is probably the easiest. Once I have a set of lyrics and decide which instrumental I will use the melody usually falls into place after a few attempts.
It is fairly rare for me to write a song with the melody first, but it has happened with good results.
My apologies for the delay and I really appreciate your visit and comments.
Keep writing!
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Thanks for the reply! Will try and put a few of these to bro practice! 👍
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[…] kept hearing a melody line while reading the poem “Hearts Of Stone” I posted earlier. It is a haunting melody in many ways. The music behind it is sparse and […]
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