The Forge
They call me the Poet, the Fan, and the Flame,
A legend here tempered by labor and strain.
I’m back to the heat of the foundry floor—
Straight up from the pits where the dark devils roar.
I don’t want their pity, I don’t want defeat,
I don’t need their comfort or promise of peace.
I want the loud blast and the casting poured bright,
To challenge the shadows and step in the light.
Through fire and stone, by the oath I have sworn,
I’ll walk from the ash like a phoenix reborn.
The chippers will rattle, the grinder sparks fly,
Cutting the dark like a jagged reply.
I’m grinding the rough till the edges are true,
Forging the soul from the ghost that I knew.
For once was a spirit made timid with strain,
Broken and battered by injury and pain—
To body and health and the strength of my name.
Now ash gives way to the phoenix delight,
To rise up renewed in the day's golden light.
The spirit and soul that was battered and banned,
Returns to my honor by work of my hand—
Uncompromising, I am ready to stand.
Bother less,
If you are denied deserving glory,
And their obsession you can’t guess,
Since their thoughts are dark and gory.
Keep forging forth your brilliance,
Let them keep dancing in their guilts;
They only strengthen your resilience —
Keep making your work gleams with gilts.
Your talent they can’t entrap;
In time, it will escape their greed.
Their arrogance your verse will sap,
Since myopia forms their creed.
The more your gains, the more their pains;
So they find salt to rub into your injuries.
Tie down their conscience with long chains —
Not too bad if you, too, sour their gingeries.
Your heart bleeds, already pale,
Yet they wrap their wickedness in scorn.
Their envy too tall for truth to scale —
So unleash your wrath — and make them mourn.
AT THE FORGE OF LIFE
Somewhere in our being,
Where our heart and mind meet,
There is a Forge of Life.
Just like the black smith,
Using a hammer and anvil,
Shapes useless pieces of metal into swords that have built and conquered empires,
Our shapeless thoughts and emotions are transformed into weapons,
Which can build or destroy others, including ourselves,
At the Forge of Life.
As the black smith holding the tools in your own hands,
Pray that you may have the will and strength to forge,
From your shapeless thoughts and emotions, Weapons of mass construction,
Which will build your life and the lives of others.
In the rugged expanse of life's rough terrain,
No path laid out, no guiding hand to explain.
Mountains loom tall, a maze to unravel,
Obstacles and messes, chaos to travel.
But atop those peaks, your dreams take flight,
A crown of glory gleaming in sight.
Through the rocky path, your heart must wade,
Trials to conquer, courage to parade.
Fearless and bold, a hero in your stride,
Break the mountain, let your spirit glide.
Sweat and might your path will refine,
Carve through stone, let your brilliance shine.
Shun the whispers of doubt that taunt,
Victory's beacon, your spirit to flaunt.
Break the shackles hindering your track,
Forge ahead boldly, never looking back.
Thorns may pierce, tears may silently fall,
No comfort, no solace, no aiding call.
Alone you climb with grace and grit,
Writing your name, history to commit.
A golden chronicle, your triumph bright,
Strength and light, conquering the night.
Persist through loneliness, persevere in strife,
Your journey's tale, a testament of life.
Become heat, for the forge,
so that the armor you bear will shine brightly.
Your soul maketh radiance unmatched,
so as the sunrise does lick over the lakes.
Be mindful, yet indeed gaze,
for the path ahead blazes with flames.
Control your fear from the terrifying heat,
the armor, you can assure, is resilient.
Be proper, also be fully patient,
light hath forged your armor and you are strong.
Life shall pay the fortune your heart lacks,
and I do hope this warms and soothes your soul.
Pour with will your molten soul
On lyric molds that is your art
Every beat of hammers bold
To shape, imbue, impart
Rhymes ring true in that honest forge
Your heart
“I’m gonna…i’m gonna lose it…”
— by the Poet
THE LONELY FORGE
who are the brave, those who begin
again and again— their muscles
engage like a sputtering automobile.
small hills, like a mountain climb.
no one cheers them on in their insanity.
the lonely forge ahead, forgotten hacks.*
11/12/2021
BITE SIZE POEM no26 Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Line Gauthier
*inexperienced, in this case in exercise
I write upon our history, pen smeared in blood
Human legacy, wars enduring shame
Brushed aside indelible ink
Readily forgotten
The pregnancy pain, bonny baby took away
Scar tissue, for the time being hidden
Behind basic instinct, survival is driven
Truth brings denial, all set for replay
Hollowed out, our core is rotten
Feigning amnesia stinks
Unholy absolution, washes away blame
Absence of conscience, shrugging off wet mud
Erosion of remorse, tames great biblical floods
Waters have receded, but stains remain
Edges collapse, into the brink
Crumbling apart, sodden
Grasping at fading roots, crucified in loose clay
Divided we forge ahead, unbidden
My Invented Form I Write Upon Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Constance La France 28/01/2021
Syllable counted P/S. 12/10/8/6/12/10. per stanza
Now I cannot lie. We fought our battle.
The fight was lost, but still our war rages.
I have seen the hot crimson blood that’ll
Mark the clipped youth of our fallens’ ages.
I see this death, yet we must continue.
Our kingdom cries for us, for their safety.
Our divine Queen knows you have it in you.
We fight in the name of God’s bravery.
Our enemy is strong, but I swear on
My country that I will lay down my life.
If we march tonight, we will march till dawn,
and by God, we will fight death’s piercing knife.
Today, we avenge the fearless deceased.
Brothers, today we forge our legacies.
September 14, 2020
The Forge
by Michael R. Burch
To at last be indestructible, a poem
must first glow, almost flammable, upon
a thing inert, as gray, as dull as stone,
then bend this way and that, and slowly cool
at arms-length, something irreducible
drawn out with caution, toughened in a pool
of water so contrary just a hiss
escapes it—water instantly a mist.
It writhes, a thing of senseless shapelessness ...
And then the driven hammer falls and falls.
The horses prick their ears in nearby stalls.
A soldier on his cot leans back and smiles.
A sound of ancient import, with the ring
of honest labor, sings of fashioning.
Originally published by The Chariton Review
Shine a light on that dark thought
Cast the iron of self into the fires
Find a way through hallowed mountains
Thunders roar
my iron self
Hammered
Burning ember as sparks fly
Forged from the earth and it's elements
Cooled steam as I'm submerged in water
Emerge from misted seas
Breath again
A sword is born
A spirit is harnessed
Focused
Balanced
The walk into stillness
Calmness of the energies
I take my self lightly
Floating amidst the rivers and clouded mountains.
Would you dare forge a sword of gold for war
When better yet is gold when it shines elsewhere?
Would ever you hold selfishly a star
When gentle is the kiss of candle fair?
Would brilliant diamond dream of nothing more
Than dismal darkness and so distant caves?
And would falcons, larks, so high they can soar,
Damn their own wings to crimson canyon graves?
Does our fair sun not bless our world with night
And sweetly bathe us in its gold carress
Rather than damn us to eternal night?
So why deprive the world of you unless
You see yourself not as the world sees you
Kissed by dark but not by so brilliant blue?
Always forge ahead
Do not fall behind
Take your schoolwork seriously
Be diligent and kind
It is really up to you
To be a success
Learn as much as you can
Remember, to do your best
What if they are your clowns?
What if you do see unicorns?
Can you dispute what your mind sees, and your own ears hear?
Be your own kind of real.
Trust yourself.
Your feelings and experience are given to you
And you alone for good reason.
Brothers and sisters do not grow up in the same family.
It is okay to change your views,
It is okay to believe in yourself.
It is okay to let life teach you remarkable, amazing unknown things.
It is okay to walk a different path than your parents.
It is okay to believe in yourself.
It is okay to forge a new life, it is okay to follow your heart.
It is okay to go off on an adventure everyone else thinks is crazy.
This is your life, it may be the only one; only you can live it.
So do.
Be willing to forge ahead
Make great usage of opportunity
Have that winning attitude
Be the beacon of light for all to see
Have the drive and motivation
Stay dedicated and do your best
Strength comes from within
Just put yourself through the test
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