Long Fettle Poems

Poems about Poems (II)

Kin
by Michael R. Burch

for Richard Moore

1.
Shrill gulls,
how like my thoughts
you, struggling, rise
to distant bliss?
the weightless blue of skies
that are not blue
in any atmosphere,
but closest here...

2.
You seek an air
so clear,
so rarified
the effort leaves...

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Sonnets XXXIII-XLI

The Folly of Wisdom
by Michael R. Burch

She is wise in the way that children are wise,
looking at me with such knowing, grave eyes
I must bend down to her to understand.
But she only smiles, and...

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State of the Art (II)

These are my "ars poetica" poems about the art and craft of writing poetry. 



What the Poet Sees
by Michael R. Burch

What the poet sees,
he sees as a swimmer 
~~~~underwater~~~~
watching the shoreline...

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Poems about Poets I


The Wonder Boys
by Michael R. Burch

for Leslie Mellichamp

The stars were always there, too-bright cliches:
scintillant truths the jaded world outgrew
as baffled poets winged keyed kites—amazed,
in dream of shocks that suddenly came true ...

but...

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There dwells another man in my mirror and it’s not me
The obvious differences, between us, I want the people to see.
The man in my mirror  is bitter and sulks all day and night
Have tried...

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A grain of Sand
 
A grain of shifting sand, lying upon life’s shore.
Captured –carried within turbulent winds, doth soar
into the unknown ether, until, tis no more
that created this heart, a heart became so sore.
There isn’t...

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I stood at the threshold 
Of a promising life,
Ready to step out bold,
Face challenges and strife.

I wanted to soar,
Like an eagle in the sky.
Eager to conquer more, 
To reach really high. 

One fateful day I...

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Our thoughts are whispered in the cool night breeze. 
I often fall into this snare when I opine around your demise. 
The breeze whispers, and the spirit hangs tight for my appease. 
I've completely failed...

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Thou lay'st like a rose on deaths pillow
Silent and still, unsoothed by lifes request
Asleep the dawns and days of all and all
Eternity. My lovely Juliet
Wherefore art thou companions company?
Dost thou mockest life? "O my love,...

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[Inspired - with much gratitude - by Jan’s poem
There’s No Knocking On Heaven’s Loo Door
and Caren and Tom’s comments on it]

              ...

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It’s  voice causes the shiver
its name causes the stagger
tremours boiling
fettle downpouring
Heartbeats panicking
families isolating

Like a turret, it oozes
like a trumpet, it blows
emanating shockwaves
spurring Venom
hissing sparks
scything down humans like grass.

Some say the states gave it light
But...

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A mariner went a'pon the sea
To find his fair lass a pearl
So he in grand fettle 
Gathered his mettle 
And let his ship's sails unfurl

No able for the deed so tough
The mariner would pey the...

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Our outside road may have a billion steps, but the inward journey has just one: this step. By poet.

                ...

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CLOUDY SKY
Cloudy sky
Say no more to us
About rain to come.
For acrid are your lies,
And by your rhetoric speech
No more are we enthralled.
For, this perennial drought,
On pages, in archives lies.
For rain to come,
In vain revelry the...

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The sword, 
buried deep in its' scabbard, 
tempered by fire, 
strength it holds, 
I desire 

Metal fashioned by human hands, 
skill from distant lands. 
Beauty of proportion and line, 
weapon so fine 

For the sword...

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The sword, 
buried deep in its' scabbard, 
tempered by fire, 
strength it holds, 
I desire 

Metal fashioned by human hands, 
skill from distant lands. 
Beauty of proportion and line, 
weapon so fine 

For the sword...

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The sword, 
buried deep in its' scabbard, 
tempered by fire, 
strength it holds, 
I desire 

Metal fashioned by human hands, 
skill from distant lands. 
Beauty of proportion and line, 
weapon so fine 

For the sword...

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Fate someday will determine when our days are concluded,
And those who think otherwise are sadly deluded!
Plans were made to ease my crossing with little compunction,
When I shed these earthly shackles and cease to function!

Since I...

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Aubrey, I bless the day faces and aces of our life courses crossed
To cement the mettle and fettle grown to own relationships with colleagues
As each day, each way, each stay a laughter, a meal, a...

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The shock that I felt was enormous,
as the tab on the cat food I pulled,
a fountain of biscuits shot out of the top-
the box, it was actually full !
I stood, disbelieving, bewildered,
this never had happened...

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What‘s better than a biscuit?

Hard to debunk 

Treasure trunk funk 

Should you let

It get wetter

Would you dare risk it?


The trick a quick dunk

Or could flunk..flick..kerplunk.. 

Mushy chunk sunk..messy junk

Slushy slunk..in the tea you drunk


So at...

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'wind is pounding in my heart'

It tears across the steppes and plain, it guides my mind and eases pain
Whithin the yurt, upon the road, it whets my mind; eases the loads
I've rode it's Breast ten...

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The trees sway to the dance of the wind
Lightening strikes and crawls the skin
From the graves, the spirits do wallow
fuming against nature and what is to follow.

The owl hoots it's melody
screeching off a bat it...

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Sex for you is all I have.
Just a simple title.
The chance to give you all I am
just to keep you vital.

A pleasure we could do without
for just a little mettle.
But really who're we running from
We'll...

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More things can happen or could have happened,
From a cold metal,
Sharpened in fine fettle,
Making skin nettled,
Damaging the mettles,
To keep minds unsettled,
Provoking to ask, if this is or if this was real or mental?

Blade on arms,
Skin...

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