Long Buttoned up Poems

I was wiping the dust off an old snow globe in the upstairs attic, when a mop of honey-blonde hair suddenly appeared through the wooden flooring.
     "I thought I'd find you...

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An Excelente Balade of Charitie (“An Excellent Ballad of Charity”)
by Thomas Chatterton, age 17
modernization/translation by Michael R. Burch

As wroten bie the goode Prieste
Thomas Rowley 1464

In Virgynë the swelt'ring sun grew keen,
Then hot upon the meadows...

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Recess 1


Third grade
Ms. Greene
Handed me tightly wrapped Chinese candy 
And Starburst occasionally

A little girl
Fresh out of Haiti
Bullied
Teased, punched and kicked
Scared and scarred
Yet well mannered 

Blue she wore “going on a date?
Ms. Greene giggles and smiled

In...

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This revolutionary fella followed by 
Adams family patriarch,giving rise 
twin heir (plain lee gifted "Renaissance 
Man") Jeff force'n without hemming 

and hawing, subsequently conceding 
nexus (nor horse drawn Lexus) of Colonial 
power to Madison, thence...

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There's a jolly little cafe where a chestnut tree once grew, 
They serve hot bubbling tea and buttered toast,   
Where the waiter wears a waistcoat which is buttoned up askew  
And the...

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Inside worn and weathered walls,
Nobles and commoners
Gather and share 
In the field of rosiness.
Together, they are
Composed, well organized.
Each one partaking in blind optimism.
Knowing truly, that
The odds prevail.

Uneasy
My eyes penetrate
The bleached and waxen folds
Of my buttoned-up,...

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The water fluttered under the glass boiling in envy of itself
Marching to the sleek inner coating along the candid sphere like a band of drums ready for war
bubbling in heavy camaraderie the steam spoke a...

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George Washington Set Potus Precedent...no lie

trumped hill re: by a bill yon votes
and bridged tradition (Abe Lee) linkedin 
to present president; biden his time
trying to build back better
suspended crumbling infrastructure
hallmark of United States
transportation superhighways
tied railed...

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old man friend of mine

old man friend of mine
skin of leather
heart of stone
sits alone
a dying old thing 
in an age old chair wearing his old man clothes
two decades of sweaters buttoned up to his chin
heavy...

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She was a college educated buttoned up girl
She worked as a teller in the bank
She didn't look like she had any fun
Most people didn't even know she drank. 

But she had legs that went on...

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This morning I waved goodbye to Summer. I watched as it pulled away, taking with it the swim parties, barbecues, shorts and flip flops. It promised to return next year, but l couldn't stop a...

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Tickets are not easy to get at the Royal Circle. 
A lady does not wish to get a seat by currying favor; 
the flavor will eventually turn rancid and ruin her day. 
The scent of...

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Gone fishing.

We decided to go fishing, 
Granddad Dad and I . 
We booked a Bed and Breakfast 
up in the Isle of Skye. 

We set off Friday morning 
with lots of fishing gear, 
and Granddad...

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In 2013 Amélie Ségarra danced on a Grand Piano with knives 
taped to the tips of her feet.
The room is empty apart from a single man in a music box
He wears a black an white...

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Snow Angels, Snowpeople, and Evergreen Trees

When winter comes, children know how to have fun.
Laughing and catching snowflakes with their tongues
Or lying flat on their backs with arms flapping up and down
While swinging their legs in...

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Forever in my heart

I looked inside my heart
and found her in the corner,
then asked her how long she had been in there

She said it’s seemed a while,
but she was disappointed,
to understand that I was not...

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I walk outside after an 8 hour shift
Having no idea, it is a seventy-four degree day.
I am wearing my wooly hat, that covers most of my face,
And my coat is buttoned up to my nose.

How...

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I bumped into him
My eighty and something year decrepit teacher
He was wearing a coat 
Moth-eaten,shabby and antiquated
Overlooking an ostensively,presumed shirt
In his haste has unwisely buttoned up
A pair of pants obsolete 
He would oftentimes disregard to...

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For as long as I can remember 
I played the peacemaker role
Depend on me as the glue guy
As I try to keep things in control

Don't worry I won't rock the boat
Will keep things safe and...

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Suppression ..
cracking open the flesh.

Never suppress the
Feeling of the soul
This inner oppression
Is not just foam
It is a fine thread
You need a needle
To sow close packets of regrets
And mistakes you have buttoned up
Looking through what 
You...

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A young woman sits alone
silently weeping on the bus
like a flower
prettily wilted
against the windowpane

So he sidles over
in that funny way he has
so British and proper
buttoned up tight
sits next to her, leaning over
and confidingly says

“I’m sittin’...

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Buttoned up to the neck
Forget about me, forget about everything
You say I'm so "up tight" I can't come "unglued"
Well pardon me for being twenty-three
But living has become something of a necessity
Especially for me

The two of...

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Blue Jays and Black birds and half a dozen squirrels.
Sprinkled with Sparrow's, it's become quite a world.
Occasional Cardinal to add a little spice.
They seem to all be getting along fairly nice.

The neighbor, he feeds them...

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The way I want to be loved,
like that suede Miss Sixty pair.
Love me more than satin pumps,
the ones that match your hair.

You worship your shoe temple,
and brush away at the Fendi.
If only your love was...

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Purposefully put together
Piled up piece by piece
Donning my suit of armor
Thought it provided peace

Polished exterior portrayed
That I had it all figured out 
Buttoned up from head to toe
Yeah that’s what I’m about

Pay a price to...

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