Long Aflutter Poems

Sonnets LII-LX

The Endeavors of Lips
by Michael R. Burch

How sweet the endeavors of lips: to speak
of the heights of those pleasures which left us weak
in love’s strangely lit beds, where the cold springs creak:
for there is...

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Me real name it is Bill Vonbertouche,	
but for short most folk just call me Bill.
Me Mum and Dad say I’m real smart,	
but the girls reckon I’m just a dill.	

But let’s just get this one thing...

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A long, long time ago on a cold winter's night

A long, long time ago on a cold winter’s night
Two hearts were broken the crest of the eve
This is the story of how it all happened
How...

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No one suspected or may have expected
As it was mind-boggling to even conceive
Of events to transpire that night by the fire
On a cold wintry Christmas Eve.

The Elf on the shelf was left by himself
And shenanigans...

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He was a formidable creature, straight out of Teutonic mythology, and I fell in love the instant my eyes met his.

His wings were unnoticed at first, as I was concentrating on the 
Immediacy and complexity...

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...Two plus two equals four...

I've often wondered,

...four plus four equals eight...

as I look back on my life,

...eight plus eight equals..., and so on,

if the sum of my experiences
is the essence of who I am.
Is that...

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Sappho, fragment 58
loose translation by Michael R. Burch 
 
Pain
drains
me
to
the
last
drop
.



Sappho, fragment 130 (Lobel-Page 130 / Voigt 130)
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Eros, the limb-shatterer,
rattles me,
an irresistible
constrictor.



Sappho, unnumbered fragment
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

What cannot be...

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Hymn to Aphrodite
by Sappho
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Immortal Aphrodite, throned in splendor!
Wile-weaving daughter of Zeus, enchantress and beguiler!
I implore you, dread mistress, discipline me no longer
with such vigor!

But come to me once again in...

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Oodles of robins; harbinger of spring this brutally cold March 5th, 2021

Turdus migratorius -
otherwise known as robin red breast
jabbering Kon'nichiwa i.e. honorable guest
gather materials to craft nest
their beaks poking soft ground
regarding persistent quest
to sustain diet...

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It began...


One day in a far off land where roamed the fearsome Chanticleer.  
There lived a mighty military man of rank, if not of prowess. 
He sought to tame the wily beast to bend...

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When I was around 14, I attended a church youth conference that summer, 
sleeping in a dorm at a college campus and attending fun events with kids of my 
same religion. The group I was...

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Ah, behold, the celestial dance, a cosmic spectacle for all to see,
As the moon gracefully obscures the sun, a moment of unity.

But wait, let's ponder, let's question this grand display,
Is it just a celestial ballet,...

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The alleyways within the maze are paved with rats and mice.

Evangelists with moneyed fists collect the sacrifice

from losers scorned and rubes reborn, and promise paradise,

while in the back they cook some crack, inhale, and roll...

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Besotted winged pollinators
roistering barrage drowned
amidst general insectivorous cacophony
indistinct auditory signals communicated

intermingled with bounteous wafting fragrance
midwifed edenic floral pullulation
sensate admixture viz colored spectrum
amidst unrehearsed extemporaneous

orchestral suite bedded lambs
amorous ewe man like bleating songs
nature all aflutter actively...

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Some say I'm a daydreamer
Someday, I will get better; whatever weather...
Someday, I will be...with you forever
Some say never, but never say never

I've been drifting like a feather in the sky these days
I've been wandering in...

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Snow-capped mountains fell to the floor,
Reflecting blurred images so much more.
The mountain lake absorbed the sight;
Random birds passed by in their flight.
The lake lay there oh so soft and sultry;
Nature’s maidens beckon from a belfry.
A...

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Ten swift turns of the calendar's pages bring me to November,
when autumn breezes sweep clinging leaves from their trees.
They lie in heaps on the ground, carpets of crimson and gold.
Misty rain falls from cloudy skies...

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When you’re stupid, it’s hard to succeed.
When you’re stupid, you’re always in need.
When you’re stupid, every moment is fear.
When you’re stupid, nothing is clear.

I’ve never been stupid, at least that’s what I thought.
I’ve never been...

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I will always remember the moment we met.
(Haunting woodlands in springtime, your slim silhouette)
The glint in your eyes sparked a tempest at dawn
overwhelming the dreams of a slumbering fawn.

I will always remember your singular smile
(Fusing...

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Dawn has arrived, rays of gold split the night
The sweet rhythm of birdsong, a morning delight
Wings all aflutter with colours so bright
A gift to the beholder, such a wholesome sight

Sunlight sparkles like diamonds, glittering upon...

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He lived to strive toward the light
He reached to touch her halo of glory
His solace and compass in coldness of night
Flighted companions in moth to flame story
Headed by perfect though blinded ambition
Placed on pedestal compound...

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A hazelnut breeze awakens us
To another day in the show no one signed up for
From an accidental scream
Or selfish architects of love

Rained out
Silver skies that block the sun
Do others cry when the shine reappears
To break...

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Hello my exotic, glorious maiden,
By now they all know you are taken.
I possessively, poetically, clearly, and eloquently
Told them you are promised to me, a sensual, delicately,       
Known beauty, could...

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My dress is made of fine peach coloured lace
Hair is in ringlets, which frames my pretty face
The lights in the room cast a romantic glow
My first ever ball; I must go with the flow

The orchestra...

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Awesome Gems, As Were Set By Divine Measure

The Sun, a shimmering sky fired lake
Oft penetrating the soul, body and heart
No worries, shining glow it never fakes
Radiant beauty it freely imparts!
Who has never sang praises for...

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