Long Firewood Poems

Centuries ago

In ancient Hermopolis

A debate roared loud

Between a proud Christian priest

And a strange shepherd

Who was a Manichaean

Wearing ragged clothes

And who was looking for sheep

“Flames will consume you”

The priest roared at the shepherd

Because their debate

Was going...

Read More

Soliloquio del Individuo by Nicanor Parra, Translated by T. Wignesan


(Homage to Nicanor PARRA, 1914-2018, the Chilean ANTI-POET, winner of the "Cervantes Prize" (the highest literary honour for writers in Spanish), four times nominated for the...

Read More

I knew that  I had to go somewhere but I did not know where 
I knew I had to go somewhere that was not  very far from here
So I  put on my...

Read More

"Present!"

It's a lackluster answer (1) to simple life question,
"Hi! How is it going Mom? You feel OK?"
She was lonely for sure, saw no chance of a rescue,
She fought for her kids, though art dreams went...

Read More

"I Would Be....WOOD"


   "Knock On Me!" or more correct "Knock On WOOD!" You've probably said that and rapped your knuckles against me while saying it! I know you've knocked on me many times...

Read More

She was a grand piano: grand in structure, grand in beauty, grand in quality 
of sound. She had captured the heart of every pianist who had come to play in 
the great hall. Once they...

Read More

She was a grand piano: grand in structure, grand in beauty, grand in quality 
of sound. She had captured the heart of every pianist who had come to play in 
the great hall. Once they...

Read More

I.

Espy, distinguish divinely made lively, lovely Trees
He or she, inhales carbon dioxide, then breathes
out for us humans, life given clean oxygen
Stout roots run deep, holding God's earth
Also, with you we were taught our first lesson

II.

Animals...

Read More

I finished my work early  this morning 
and went outdoors to exercise 
I jogged around the circle for a while
and  observed  a few things happening outside
A pickup truck parked on the edge...

Read More

As I walked through the forest,                             ...

Read More

Welcome to a typical 'Luau' spread. The first thing that is best to learn is the Hawaiian word, 'ono', which means, delicious. It's a word bandied about before and after food goes in your mouth....

Read More

Things were not going anything close to my way that day.  So, I decided
to take a walk through a lovely park among the green grass and trees.
No sooner than I sat under an old...

Read More

The remnant of last year’s summer bash lays bear on the ground
Staring at me without a smile or a frown, they just looked at me sitting on the big rock on the other side of...

Read More

These are modern English translations of Chinese poems of The Shijing or Shi Jing ("Book of Songs" or "Book of Odes")

Shijing Ode #4: “JIU MU”
ancient Chinese rhyming poem (c. 1200-600 BC)
loose translation by Michael R....

Read More

I'm willing to bet you've never accepted the idea that pain can be enjoyed. Perhaps you've mildly entertained the notion, but never truly grasped it's fundamentals.  Well my dear reader,  we have much to discuss. ...

Read More

Regretting Cake Takes Two

Rachael looked sheepishly like a hawk in disguise claws clenched meticulous sharpened
yet hidden her sullen face pressing wrinkled no motion frosted lips the icing on the cake
It had meant to be such...

Read More

Un-Bear-A-Ble

Used in the wrong way and feeling like a useless bug on the ground...having faith and wearing a smile during hardships...was I an experiment in this crooked society? Seriously?
Nostalgic, never-ending nights mounts the day of...

Read More

I watched the shadows move and the curtain rise, and the moon suddenly appear from underneath the star lit skies, the clouds drift slowly and fade in the dark, and a bright light suddenly appeared...

Read More

"Look, Grandma! I can see them! You were right! They do steal!" I jumped up and down in all excitement. Grandma grabbed the binoculars from me, pressing it as close as she possibly could to...

Read More

I’m a boy living in a country where
We get emotional over every government move
And every government move is chartered over our emotions
Emotions are chastised whether it or let be
One trying to correct the wrong,
But nay,...

Read More

Reeds and dry mud walls,
Into whose crevices, weaving needles and knives are fixed.
Iron sheets of rust on top,
(The only modern feature!)
With leakages through which we can even visualize the sun,
Through which rain water and even...

Read More

I have a destiny,
That most of you look down on,
As being poor and backward.
That many desire to change and have me assimilated,
But I'm surely destined to be African.

When you meet me, I've got more melanin,
And...

Read More

Centered in the irregular rectangle of the caves entrance the fire popped and danced as the snow fell lazily before the backdrop of pines.Softly the wind moaned above the tree line.Francis sat on their makeshift...

Read More

The Shijing or Shi Jing or Shih-Ching (“Book of Songs” or “Book of Odes”) is the oldest Chinese poetry collection, with the poems included believed to date from around 1200 BC to 600 BC. According...

Read More

IV.
An awkward silence fell on them,
Reg felt bad, and looked at his feet,
“I didn’t mean to pry,”he said.
she laughed and said, “Don’t look so meek.

“There’s not much work for women here,
and I had no family...

Read More