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and express what you feel the meanings behind the poems are!

 The Discussion Poems:

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The Girl in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you queen for a day,
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that girl has to say.

For it isn't your father or mother or wife,
Who judgment upon you must pass;
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

She's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest.
For she's with you clear up to the end,
And you've passed the most dangerous, difficult test
If the girl in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years.
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be the heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the girl in the glass.
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Embroidery

by Esther Sora Eilenberg

A piece of cloth

With stitches

Stitches and stitches

Colorful Stitches

Stitches on a cloth.

Look.

Look under

Under the cloth

Snags

Snags and knots

Jumbled threads

No order

No pattern

Now look

Look at the top

The top of the cloth

Beautiful stitches

Colorful stitches

Patterns of stitches

How nice!

A cloth is spread

Spread over the world

A cloth over the world

We

We from under

see confusion

We see snags

We see knots

A jumble we cannot make out.

And G-d, 

G-d from above sees beauty

He sees patterns.

He sees order

It's wonderful

Why fear?

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FRIEND DEFINED

Once I questioned and wondered why
sometimes friendships are destined to die.
Strangers meet, become good friends
give of themselves, their lives they lend.

Share experiences,  have heart to hearts
miss one another when apart.
So much in common, so much the same
friends forever so they claim.

Then one day a falling out
a trust betrayed that casts a doubt.
Who is the person once called friend;
a defining moment that begins the end.

Try to resolve if you can do
but a stranger is standing in front of you.
If you believed in someone, but you were wrong
the friendship dies, the friend is gone.

Perhaps it's how friend is defined
close or casual, where's the line?
One sided friendships do occur
when in haste the line you blur.

I've had friends throughout my life
who've walked with me through valleys of strife.
But also I've called some a friend;
who let me walk alone and fend.

I think the answer is the choice
of listening to your inner voice.
Know yourself and why you'd choose
to take a risk when you may lose.

Friendship is worth taking a chance
for true friends make the heart and soul dance.
Life is meaningful only when shared
so stranger or friend, no matter, I cared!

©JackiePA@aol.com
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See-through?

What would it be like if we were see-through?
If people were open, exposed, and clear
If we could see what other are really like
And know their thoughts and all their fears

Would life be better that way?
No trying to figure someone out
We would know the thoughts of the quiet
and that even the popular have doubts

We would know what people really mean to say
If they are as sincere as they try to seem
We would understand exactly where they're coming from
And of which values an importance they do deem

We wouldn't have to wonder
"What is she all about?"
We'll know, oh so clearly
Her entire self; inside and out 

How nice it would be to know and understand
What makes each person "tick"
Yet the opposite would then be true as well
We would see sides of others that would make us sick

Maybe it is better this way after all
For we each have this special ability
Which, through the desire to understand a person, 
turns into, for both concerned, a true compatibility 

By: Tamar

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MY HANDMADE QUILT

Woven images of this life I have built

Patches of fabric on my handmade quilt

Pieced together with well-stitched seams

A myriad of hopes and memories and dreams

Friends I have made and secrets shared

Are stitched carefully into a special square

Surrounded by memories of laughter and tears

Moments treasured throughout the year

Muted shades reflect periods of grief

Sometimes prolonged but more often

A reminder of not only the heartfelt sorrows

But also the hope that comes with tomorrow

   My fingers touch the squares of love

Stitched for those whom I am fondest of

As I touch each square I picture the face

Of the loved one remembered in this special place

 
 Scraps of fabric that make up my life

And its times of joy and times of strife

All make me appreciate this life I've built

Stitched so carefully into my handmade quilt

 written by: Myrna D.
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THE OYSTER

there once was an oyster,
who's story I tell
who found that some sand
had got into his shell
it was only a grain
but it gave him great pain
for oysters have feelings
although they're so plain

now, he did berate
the harsh workings of fate
that had brought him
to such a deplorable state
did he curse at the government
cry for election
and claim that the sea should
have given him protection?

No- he said to himself
as he lay on a shell
since I cannot remove it
I shall try to improve it.
now the years have rolled around,
as the years always do
and he came to his ultimate
destiny- stew

and the small grain of sand
that had bothered him so
was a beautiful pearl
all richly aglow
now the tale has a moral
for isn't it grand
what an oyster can do
with a morsel of sand?

what couldn't we do
if we'd only begin
with some of the things
that get under our skin.

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Life is...

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
  Life is beauty, admire it.
  Life is bliss, taste it.
  Life is a dream, realize it.

  Life is a challenge, meet it.
  Life is a duty, complete it.
  Life is a game, play it.
  Life is a promise, fulfill it.

  Life is sorrow, overcome it.
  Life is a song, sing it.
  Life is a struggle, accept it.
  Life is a tragedy, confront it.

  Life is an adventure, dare it.
  Life is luck, make it.
  Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
  Life is life, fight for it.

Mother Teresa 

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THOUGHTS

We all strive to attain
When we get it there's still pain
When we know things aren't enough
We go after invisible stuff

The physical realities
You now see
Were silently growing
Invisibly

Every moment things
Are changing
Thoughts are the cause
Of this rearranging

by: Sandra Imperatore
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A Weaving

Our life is but a weaving
Between us and Hashem.
We may not choose the color
For He has chosen them;
Hashem can view the pattern
Upon the other side
While we can see it only
On this the under side.
Sometimes Hashem weaves sorrow
Which seems so strange to us;
But we will trust his judgment
And work on in faithfulness;
‘Tis Hashem who fills the shuttle,
He knows just what is best
So we shall weave in earnest
And leave Him with the rest.
At last when life is ended,
With Hashem we will abide.
Then we may view the pattern
Upon the upper side;
Then we shall know the reason
Why pain with joy entwined
Was woven in the fabric
Of life that Hashem designed.

*taken from the website of Yosef Chaim ben Michaol Z"L                       Ohrmeir/poem#1/journal

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The Way You Are

by: Lisa Zelmanovic

The way you are vs. the way you want to be,

Two very different things, you see.

The inside you vs. the outside you,

One may be fake, one may be true.

When you insist the inside you must hide,

The world can't see your magic side.

But here my friend is a guarantee,

I'll share with you if you share with me.

And together hand in hand we'll go,

Courageously we will let the world know.

The rainbow in your heart does exist,

It shows through rain, fog, or mist.

The way you are is fine with me,

Your colors shine so brilliantly.

Each one speaks a different language, has a different face,

These colors are the differences that make the world a special place.

Alone they're individual, their glowing is unique,

But blended they are beautiful-they are the unity that we seek.

So next time you are afraid to let your colors shine,

Just remember I am reaching out-to join your colors with mine.

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LIFE'S DRAMA

Life is a drama
you are the star,
before taking the stage
know who you are!

Reflect on the role
how good is the script,
you'll handle the part
whether major or bit?

Life can be hard
no matter the role,
but it's not a rehearsal
so change is the goal.

Accept the challenge
give it your all,
you'll hear applause
at your curtain call.

You handled the role
you found the power,
stand on life's stage
accept all the flowers.

Step into the spotlight
take a deep bow,
this is your moment
you deserve to be proud!

© 2000jackiepa@aol.com

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Confusion, uncertainty, and doubt

Confusion, uncertainty, and doubt,

Is that what life is all about?

Will we ever know and understand?

Why is it that the more we know, the more we realize how much we misunderstand?

All of the sudden we are faced with a multitude of choices

Yet we haven't truly acquired our own independent voices

We thought we would be able to fly through life, full speed ahead 

We  had already decided not to fit the mold; not to be spoon fed

In wonderment, we are left pondering

Not just about the perfect wedding and  huge diamond ring

But rather, how sheltered our kids should be

Where we will draw our lines and where we will set up our boundaries

Confusion, uncertainty, and doubt

These questions taunt us day in, day out

We need to ask ourselves seriously

Which is Hashem's proper path, following it even though it won't be carefree

by: Tamar

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Don't Tell Me
Author Unknown

Don't tell me that you understand, 

don't tell me that you know,

Don't tell me that I will survive, 

how I will surely grow.

Don't tell me this is just a test, 

that I am truly blessed,

That I am chosen for this task, a

part from all the rest.

Don't come at me with answers 

that can only come from me,

Don't tell me how my grief will pass 

that I will soon be free.

Don't stand in pious judgment 

of the bonds I must untie,

Don't tell me how to suffer, 

don't tell me how to cry.

My life is filled with selfishness, 

my pain is all I see,

But I need you, 

I need your love, unconditionally.

Accept me in my ups and downs, 

I need someone to share,

Just hold my hand and let me cry, and say,

"My friend, I really do care."

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Life Isn't Perfect
by Tamar Snyder

I've realized today
That life isn't perfect
Sure, I've always known that fact
But the knowledge was just intellect

I've always loved perfection
Everything had to be just right;
The fact that perfection was impossible
Truly made me feel uptight

Still, I didn't want to don
The rose colored glasses
There must be more depth in that phrase
It can't possibly be left as is!

Then it occurred to me
This fact was indeed a blessing
I'm not meant to strive to be what isn't in me
But rather my own song I should sing

It is only within my own
Abilities, talents, and fortes
That I can achieve perfection;
Perfection being what I can achieve; not just stargaze.

Applying this knowledge to life
Is of true and utmost importance
When we realize how hard it is to perfect ourselves
We learn to give others a fighting chance

Don't get me wrong
To discourage is not my intent
Rather reach for the moon
And if you land among the stars, don't lament

Realize that from among the stars
You stand a better chance
To reach that lofty goal, that moon
It turned into a stepping stone, that circumstance!

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