Author: Stain (---.112.128.239.stc.mn.charter.com)
Date: 01-17-04 23:51

I am looking for a poem on pure pressure not really any in particular but your help would be much apreciated thanks!!

How about these LYRICS?:

"Subdivisions"

Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone

[Chorus:]
(Subdivisions)
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions)
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight
Somewhere out of a memory of lighted streets on quiet nights...


Rush

"I "Love Summer more than I hate Winter"

Several good poems that are derived from this:

Bible: New Testament, Matthew 7:26-27. Jesus.
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell-and great was its fall!

More lyrics:

Mr. Businessman
by: Ray Stevens
Year: 1968

Itemize the things you covet
As you squander through your life
Bigger cars, bigger houses
Term insurance for your wife
Tuesday evenings with your harlot
And on Wednesdays its your charlatan
analyst, he's high upon your list

You've got air conditioned sinuses
And dark disturbing doubts about religion
And you keep those cards and letters going out
While your secretary's tempting you
Your morals are exempting you from guilt and shame
Heaven knows you're not to blame

You better, take care of business, Mr. Businessman
What's your plan?
Get down to business Mr. Businessman, if you can


Did you see your children growing up today
And did you hear the music of their laughter
As they set about to play
Did you catch the fragrance of those roses in your garden
Did the morning sunlight warm your soul,
Brighten up your day
Do you qualify to be alive
or is the limit of your senses so as only to survive
Hey yeah.....

Spending counterfeit incentive
Wasting precious time and health
Placing value on the worthless
Disregarding priceless wealth
You can wheel and deal the best of them
And steal it from the rest of them
You know the score, their ethics are a bore

Eighty-six anesthetic crutches prop you to the top
Where the smiles are all synthetic
And the ulcers never stop
When they take that final inventory,
Yours will be the same sad story everywhere
No one will really care, no one more lonely than
This rich important man, lets have your autograph
Endorse your epitaph

Les

If you include song lyrics:


UNIFORMS by Pete Townshend
[www.metrolyrics.com]


JAMES by Billy Joel
[www.letssingit.com]

Some of this thread seems more about conformity than about peer pressure, but there is a close relationship. In that spirit, one of my faves,

LITTLE BOXES
written by Malvina Reynolds

Chorus:

Little boxes on the hillside
LIttle boxes made of ticky-tacky
LIttle boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same
There's a pink on and a blue one
And a green one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same

Verse 1:
And the people in the boxes
All went to the university
Where they all got put in boxes,
Little boxes all the same.
And they're doctors and they're lawyers
And business executives
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same

Chorus

Verse 2:

And they all play on the golf course
And they drink their martini dry
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university
And they all get put in boxes
And they all come out the same
Chorus