Long Flighty Poems

I was skeptically listening 
to a retiring social researcher,
and problem-solving imaginer,
from the American Enterprise Institute;

An Institute
I usually find more destitute
of bicameral consciousness than not,
and thereby with less healthy resonant imagination
than more pathological dissonance.

But, I found...

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With my Uyghur poetry translations I am trying to build awareness of the plight of Uyghur poets who are being sent to Chinese "reeducation" concentration camps.

Elegy
by Perhat Tursun
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Asylum seekers, will...

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Perhat Tursun

Perhat Tursun (1969-) is one of the foremost living Uyghur language poets, if he is still alive. Born and raised in Atush, a city in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tursun began writing poetry...

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One day not long past our economy faltered
And wouldn’t improve if our course were unaltered.

'Cause we buy stuff at Wal-Mart (where things are dirt cheap)
'Cause they buy from China (treats workers like sheep

(So farmers left...

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"Kaleidoscope" 

They say another
wrote the story, not I.
that I, mere I,
having little experience, shy 
and far removed from 
such an alien world,
would not possess the knowledge
of such terrible and ruthless, lusty 
characters of strong will;...

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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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“The Apocrypha of Familiars” 

Wings hover 
light luminescent
revelling sprites dark pearls
Corvidae shades
of a family 

highly functioning
dysfunctional plural
morphing unobserved
perceived non-unique 
spiralling into shape

more black and grey
than white spills 
from their eyes
light from their shining 
hidden away

intelligence...

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See, I've been wallowing in it for far too long
knee deep sunk in it even at times 
eyes too marred by melancholy to see the way out 
even as I gave in to the allure...

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David Jones, the best rat catcher Shropshire has ever had
must take some criticism for young Molly turning bad.
Even though his daughter found rich co-incidentals,
no credit could be taken by rat catching Dad's credentials.

At nineteen she's...

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"The Kingfisher" 

Easters
fast escape us
like every 
Christmas 
comes and goes
like a Graduation
where the parent
is excluded
and the lost 
prodigious progeny
eventually 
makes their quest
for an elusive
Holy Grail
buried under shale
or burnt ashes 
floating on air, where,
the breeze pushes...

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I try hard, to make you understand
So we can remain friends- hand in hand
But as time moves on it all fades away
And I'm left, the inadequate fool

Often I find I cannot repress these tears at...

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My feet felt like frostbite had got them, 
Even though I had my suede boots on, 
I had just jovially returned from,  
That successful Christmas shopping trip, 
With no other reason to feel got at...

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Melted candles atop a resigned dresser
Wilted roses lying atop a white cloud
The flickering of fires and shadows mesh well with your
Batting eyelashes your heavy words and your breathing in rhythm with
the cadences of muted car...

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Life is a book. A book that is unlike any other. 
You see... The pages are not written. They are lived.
We all have different stories.
Never knowing what is on the next page, we live the...

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I was a classic 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air, in mint condition, admiral and white.
My owner had other beautiful, classic cars, like stars sparkling into twilight.

My owner loved his old cars, saying 'they don't make them like...

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Why does flight feel more lightly entertaining,
yet less engaging,
than fighting?

Laissez-faire thoughts lighter
than ponderous confronting ruminations,
Why?

I would not expect a babbling infant
to understand why
WinWin cooperation deeply entertains
for learning health-enhancing cultures,
ego/eco-therapeutic religious experience,
bicamerally democratic government,
multicultural compassion-nurturing
Golden Rule...

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I. The Request


She spoke, "bring me the sunset in a cup
that overflows with it's red warmth eternal.
Rail against supposed fate. Love speak up,
you are not the last one standing. Colonel
of starry skies are you instead?...

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Dragon has left the winter behind; but’s still wound up & flighty as a bat.
He’s in competition with a friend, to be more creative than Dear old Jack.
He wants to make Dragon concrete art, for...

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 A funny thing happened on the way to the Art Museum, 
I saw a seagull fly above a man wearing a soldier’s beret.
He landed on the arena of the respected Roman Colosseum,
pooped all over...

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Mr. Spider is an ugly looking creature. He has a hairy face and arms. However, the hairs on the top of his head are somewhat thinner than those on his face, and scattered all over...

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AS OPIUM OPINED

On the mantle of my memory over fantasy’s fireplace is the remembrance of that one most precious evening when snow consecrated and baptized our roof along with its promise of a childish sleigh...

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i am my mother's daughter 
a little bit flighty
kind of a tomboy
feminine and ladylike
when you want to be
counting on my hand
the times i saw you in a dress
or put blush on your cheeks
and reddened your...

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I attended a large gathering and took some time
to observe the great assortment of shoes stacked on the racks
I saw new shoes, pricey shoes, and shoes not worth a dime
and shoes that seemed to have...

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A hot breeze blew the other day, as the Chipmunk Kid rode into Troll Lake Town.
He rode on the oldest, slowest steed, that I had ever seen, a Snail called Abilene.
He came a packing, with...

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Post-January, February's clear
to shape into another winter month.
More times than not, with snow days we adhere.
Through days of February, we confront
a winter wonderland, a gift to see,
with hills and valleys swirled in white displays.
Ice skating,...

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