Long Behest Poems

This is the story of mad Molly Shaw
She might be mad now but she wasn’t before
she came home to find her man dead on the floor
She lay down her bible and let out a roar...

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“The Fallen”



Remote,
he sees himself 
in the reflection of cold close 
yet distant shop windows, 
his final journey along the 
Hard Time Road
walking alone, 
unforgiven, no home
for the rest of his natural life 
a million knives...

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I remember feeling so empty the abuse had escalated after four hurricanes witnessing a murder horrific traumatic brain injury I was now uprooted leaving my beautiful home in Fort Myers Florida at the behest of...

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Swept up into piles; everywhere 
Abouts; in collected heaps all 
Around.               
It is almost as if the drab 
Streets were strewn...

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Mine psyche riddled with dybbuk
Thru emerging adulthood awareness awoke
within noggin of average baby boomer bloke
catastrophization toward risk taking I evoke
positive growth experiences throughout vast
number of orbitz around sun never kickstarted,
nor linkedin with potential livingsocial folk,
thus...

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With the Trolls passed out on the grass...the regrettable task
    now fell to the brave Talkalot.
He moved to the gate and taking a sip from his flask...
    he stared...

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Mine psyche riddled with dybbuk

Thru emerging adulthood awareness awoke
within noggin of average baby boomer bloke
catastrophization toward risk taking I evoke
positive growth experiences throughout vast
number of orbitz around sun never kickstarted,
nor linkedin with potential livingsocial folk,
thus...

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*Image of Hikers Warning by Pixabay.

Out Of The Way

As a self-proclaimed ruler of my person, I am mindful of the internal convictions, external constitutions as Lord overseer of my spotless realm,

Upon my own free will,...

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Mine psyche riddled with dybbuk - haint no joke

Thru emerging adulthood awareness awoke
within noggin of average baby boomer bloke
catastrophization toward risk taking I evoke
positive growth experiences throughout vast
number of orbitz around sun never kickstarted
nor linkedin...

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Present wedded bliss haint no touchstone...

Circa ~ late spring/ early summer 1978
twas at behest of Harriet Harris,
thus due credit mother dearest
(she long since passed away)
who tried, to bribe, coax, exhort...
(protracted effort not all in vain),
cuz...

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“The Tear”



How many oceans of salt 
does it take to form a tear?

Unrelenting waves of sorrow 
pounding a broken heart
hears the howl of sharp beaked foolish flying monkeys
ignorant feeding frenzies swallow whole lost families 
swept...

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Zero.
By which nothing is divided.
No zero
no negative
no opposite
no hope
no Adam, no apple, no marriage, no morning.
No mirror
no knowledge
no God, no soul, no ear lobe, no Iliad, no Odyssey.
No universe
no black hole
no zodiac
no hero
no mission, no...

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During the second century, there were many Christians who were tortured and put to death for being Christian. There was one named Sanctus* who, when tortured, simply answered, "I am a Christian."  By my...

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To a Mouse
by Robert Burns
translation/modernization/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Sleek, tiny, timorous, cowering beast,
Why’s such panic in your breast?
Why dash away, so quick, so rash,
In a frenzied flash
When I would be loath to run after you
With...

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(1.)  Honoring John Keats
, fifth poet in my dedication series

Oft From A Distant Echo, It Is Heard

At the start comes just a solitary word
oft from a distant echo, it is heard.
Imagination steps on into...

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The Body, the Mind and the Soul 

                           ...

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Magick - Enforce thy will,
By the power you hold,
For good or for ill,
 Be wise in your control.

Elements - Earth, Air, Fire, Water,
A pentagram in proper fashion,
Implements to open the door,
To express your mystical passion....

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I
At the marketplace
by sunrise
when the serenity of the dawn is ravished by unknown
voices…

When the Sun passes through the merry-go-round
beyond the horizon
when the turbulent wind is silenced,
and the voice of the cicadas
is no longer heard…

From a...

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Placed Fourth in:
2024 Poem not for Contest Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Silent One



                       ...

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At the request of none,
Nor the behest of any, except for me.
But it's more than a guess that he has
Contributed to the success of my life.

I sat with an aged man when I, but a...

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"The Chalice of Murdered Crows"





How many moonbeams
would it take to overflow 
my chalice bathe me naked
dew kissed diamond glistening
bare skin freedom feet seeking
my missing, slow dancing lover’s athamé


How many sunbeams
would it take to burn 
your...

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Influenced by "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "The Rape of the Lock," my goal is to write this completely in iambic meter with (mostly?) rhyming couplets. (Though the intro's meter varies, the main...

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Alchemy of the Answers

Belief in the beauty of unrequited love blooming 
No relief as they replay the sounds of war looming 
A chief at the mane of the horse he is grooming 
A thief that...

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That look of fierce disdain, nobility! 
That regal plume of chestnut ruddy-brown 
with speckled breast! No hint of weak servility 
besmirched the falcon's fine, imperious frown. 
He loved the way it sat in proud tranquility...

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you've been praying to the Lord God you have an emergency
and you hope that He will respond to your prayers immediately
but hold on, you've got it twisted, you need to comprehend
that God answer prayers, BUT...

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