Finland had a civil war less than 100 years ago, just like in Ireland. If you look at the history of newly independent nations, civil war is almost every time present, even in the United States.

quote by Harri Holkeri
Added by Lucian Velea
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The Conquest Of Finland

ACROSS the frozen marshes
The winds of autumn blow,
And the fen-lands of the Wetter
Are white with early snow.
But where the low, gray headlands
Look o'er the Baltic brine,
A bark is sailing in the track
Of England's battle-line.
No wares hath she to barter
For Bothnia's fish and grain;
She saileth not for pleasure,
She saileth not for gain.
But still by isle or mainland
She drops her, anchor down,
Where'er the British cannon
Rained fire on tower and town.
Outspake the ancient Amtman,
At the gate of Helsingfors:
'Why comes this ship a-spying
In the track of England's wars?'

[...] Read more

poem by John Greenleaf Whittier
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Epic Joureny

Epic Journey

This story happened before the invention of snow-scooters,
a couple- the Østerjøen was frozen over- wanted to flee
the poverty of Suomi to the relative prosperous Svearike on
a sledge pulled by their pony. It was a long, cold treck, their
small horse got very tired and could not pull them anymore.
They needed the pony it could be used as carter of gods in
Stockholm. They made the tired animal lie down
on the sledge put a big blanket over it and continued their
journey. The winter night was very cold and they also got
too tired to pull the sledge. They lay down beside the horse
and slept snugly to a dazzling sunlight awoke them.
The pony rested was fed with the last sack of hay left and
harnessed. In good mood all three continued their heroic
crossing to Svearike and new future.

poem by Oskar Hansen
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Mighty Mississippi

In Southern Comfort she flows along
Her swirling current of water
a stream of muddy river songs
rising
ebbing
flowing
throughout history and a graveyard of industry
back then when Huckleberry Finns
went wading in with bamboo poles
and steam queens paddled by
in antebellum style
The wooden wheel marking time each
turn
turn
turn
preserving a place in the memory burn
that good folk never forget
Beginnings and endings progressing toward
a more is more corp of engineers
who through the years

[...] Read more

poem by Sara Fielder
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Suzy

I believe she's very found of me and,
Her name is Suzy from Finland;
But I've all the time alone with her inside my mind.
Her love is like the players on the green field,
And how pale that her pink dress makes her look!
But i need real love and the sexual therapy from her,
Because she is all over me and all over my mind!

poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Russian travel program

Every now and then
there are Russians
travelling to foreign countries
standing in lines
at aeroplanes and vehicles
to on government command
take a return trip without cost:

In 1932 it was right through Siberia
into Mongolia
with excursions through the country side
to look at the wall of China.

In 1939 together with some German friends
they visited Poland
and the old town square in Warsaw,
looked at the armour
of the Teutonic knight Sigsmund II
and the cathedral of St. John.

[...] Read more

poem by Gert Strydom
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The Kalevala - Rune V

WAINAVOINEN'S LAMENTATION.

Far and wide the tidings travelled,
Far away men heard the story
Of the flight and death of Aino,
Sister dear of Youkahainen,
Fairest daughter of creation.
Wainamoinen, brave and truthful,
Straightway fell to bitter weeping,
Wept at morning, wept at evening,
Sleepless, wept the dreary night long,
That his Aino had departed,
That the maiden thus had vanished,
Thus had sunk upon the bottom
Of the blue-sea, deep and boundless.
Filled with grief, the ancient singer,
Wainamoinen of the Northland,
Heavy-hearted, sorely weeping,
Hastened to the restless waters,

[...] Read more

poem by Elias Lönnrot
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Lets Do It

Cole porter
Chinks do it. japs do it
Upper lapland little lapps do it
Lets do it
Lets fall in love
In spain the best upper sets do it
Lithuanians and lits do it
Lets do it
Lets tall in love
The dutch in old amsterdam do it
Not to mention the finns
Folks in siam do it
Think of siamese twins
Some argentines without means do it
People say in boston even beans do it
Lets do it
Lets fall in love
Cold cape cod clams
gainst their wish do it
Even lazy jelly fish do it

[...] Read more

song performed by Billie Holiday
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Agyeman

You can't eat like a bird and dive like an elephant,
You can't sleep like a bull and sing like a cat,
You can't run like a rabbit and work like a donkey,
You can't laugh like a dog and build like an ant,
For action and reation are opposite and equal;
But i am like a fin from Finland! !
Agyeman,
Friction never move anything!
But it is like a den in Denmark;
So be very wise on this path of life that you are leading.

poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Frozen Panties

Panties
delicate as piece

of frozen light

a snowflake
creation come alive

all frills & froth

the merest whisper
of frosted gossamer

provocatively placed
balanced upon the beckoning finger

of a naked lady
(despite it being 20 below zero) .

This brazen bronze

[...] Read more

poem by Dónall Dempsey
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All About You

Time, history and traditions;
A beautiful day on your Island of love,
But the cockroach might have gone that way.

Trivial trends and the muse of love,
And like the Encyclopedia Britannica;
But when you forget my name,
The galaxy of love will figure it to you.

You are framed like the figures from Finland,
And painted part partly pale like the Ads of America;
But try to be very terrific in bed when it really matters most,
For the muse of love is all about you and your lover.

poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Smile Ye Fineland

Smile Fineland,
Smile you land of finesse,
Smile for your shining beauty,
Smile and keep on smiling.

Smile you land of waters
Smile and show your happy tears
Smile, for nothing have you to fear
Smile and your echoes shall reach far.

Smile for the cuteness of your culture,
Smile and let your silent smile Speak volumes,
Smile for the entire world to envy you.

When hailstorms start falling
And trees and waters turn stiff white
Smile, smile until the winter
Pause you smiling.

[2007 Kajaani, Finland]

poem by Lauwo George
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Gold Medal Blues

Please hide the newspapers-and turn off the news.

Please, nobody talk. I’ve got the gold medal blues.

No radio talk show can cure what I got.

Why couldn’t Sid hit the post with that shot?

America’s team gave it their best

We beat those Canadians on the first test.

We out skated the Swiss, steamrollered the Finns-

yet only got Silver for all of our wins.

[...] Read more

poem by John F. McCullagh
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Heart-Felt Cosmic Impacts With Shiva In The Wings And Lyrical Messages

We all are children of the cosmos
And as such alway under the cosmic sway

And as a human of blood and flesh it sometimes feels good to see
This impact showing its face
In the mask of a Face itself, that one may see, almost visible,
Giggling before our own.

As to-day when I was about to send out,
As I often do early in the mornings,
Lyrical spiritual messages,
To a few worthy poetry lovers
Throughout this country where I live,
Both known and unknown to me -

One of them once sent me a souvenir thank-you from Rome, Italy -

And there had, for to-day, accrued a message
With verses from the most glorious Vedas,
To be sent, first in order, ahead of one more package of messages,

[...] Read more

poem by Erhard Hans Josef Lang
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Russia

WHAT sudden voice peals to the Caucasus,
To Finland and the bitter Caspian,
To those Siberian prisons whither man
Shall seek as to a shrine, that mutinous,
Divine word Liberty? Impetuous
She rises, Holy Russia, shakes the ban
From her stooped shoulders of colossal span,
A youth in diamond mail, miraculous.
Is this the foretaste of a harvest worth
All agony of its encrimsoned sod?
Are dreams come true? Does this wild roar of wars,
That wellnigh breaks the shuddering heart of earth,
Sound in the hearing of the far-off stars
A golden voice of Freedom, voice of God?

poem by Katharine Lee Bates
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The Swan

I'll leave the mortal world behind,
Take wing in an flight fantastical,
With singing, my eternal soul
Will rise up swan-like in the air.

Possessing two immortal traits,
In Purgatory I won't not linger,
But rising over jealousy
I'll leave behind me kingdoms' shine.

'Tis so! Though not renowned by birth,
I am the muses favorite,
From other notables a world apart-
I'll be preferred by death itself.

The tomb will not confine me,
I will not turn to dust among the stars,
But like a heavenly set of pipes,
My voice will ring out from the sky.

[...] Read more

poem by Gavril Romanovich Derzhavin
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Taking Away Grandfathers

Fat as rainbows belching into the city
And in the suburban yards one or two city cypress
As new as truant children skipping from school;
And if you look into the mouths where lions yawn,
Whole kaleidoscopes filled with city school
Buses,
And the long, young yards cut up by palmettos:
When it rains tender hooks- the alligators snore,
And you spend a long, young time
Passing smoke between the mouths- and Roman
Candles send up hopeless flares to the
Finnish bellies of the airplanes who go and then leave
Like holidays,
Spreading their arms like superheroes- and then
Taking away grandfathers or whoever once existed
Before your eyes.

poem by anonym
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New Begining Graduation

Having all these years behind us already
going on different trips thru
the years
but still here as soon as the fun ends
here we are again together
back to where we've been for 13 years
were getting closer and closer to the end
or is it the begining
working hard or slacking off
but in the end we're pushing ourselves
to the best finnish we can give
sad that we're seperating from eachother
happy the years are done tho
going out to a new adventure
we're probably not going to see eachother
for a long time
going out int the new world but in the end
we'll be back soon
going ot miss eachother
being in touch in some form

[...] Read more

poem by Erica Olson
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Dead Kids In War

He just happened upon them
In a field lying there in the tall
Grass on their backs, seemingly
Sleeping, but dead; two children
Of Finnish origins, maybe, at least
By where they’re found and area
Of ground. She lay as if trying to
Catch the sun’s attention, with one
Hand by her side, the other resting
On her thigh. The boy lay a little
Way away small fists clenched tight
As if frozen by death in pose to fight.
The soldier walked slowly around
Them beneath the hot sun, wiped his
Brow, reached inside his pocket for
A cigarette, fumbled for a lighter,
Stood over the girl six or seven,
She oblivious of her state of dress
Or how she lay. The soldier inhaled
Deep, the hot smoke hit his throat

[...] Read more

poem by Terry Collett
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Good Cheer

So let these songs their story tell
To all who in the Northland dwell,
Since many friends request it.
(That Finland's folk with them belong
In the wide realm of Northern song,
I grateful must attest it.)

I send these songs-and now I find
Most of them have riot what my mind
Has deepest borne and favored:
Some are too hasty, some too brief,
Some, long in stock, have come to grief,
Some with raw youth are flavored.

I lived far more than e'er I sang;
Thought, ire, and mirth unceasing rang
Around me, where I guested;
To be where loud life's battles call
For me was well-nigh more than all
My pen on page arrested.

[...] Read more

poem by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
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