Long Freighters Poems

The Tender Weight of Her Sighs
by Michael R. Burch

The tender weight of her sighs
lies heavily upon my heart;
apart from her, full of doubt,
without her presence to revolve around,
found wanting direction or course,
cursed with the thought...

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The Great Lakes acronym spells homes

I chose titled topic by a fanciful whim,
nevertheless still consider my knowledge 
of aforementioned material slim.

Housing multivarious biomes
register ecological syndromes
whereby constituents of NOAA 
Great Lakes Environmental 
Research Laboratory writ tomes.

Pellucid...

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Turkish Poetry Translations I



Ben Sana Mecburum: "You are indispensable"
by Attila Ilhan
translation by Nurgul Yayman and Michael R. Burch

You are indispensable; how can you not know
that you're like nails riveting my brain? 
I see your eyes...

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Pellucid pearls in northeastern North America since planetary birth
Comprise Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario dearth
Largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth 
Straddle Canadian–United States border tethering partial global girth
Constituting 21% of world's surface...

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Ben Sana Mecburum
by Attila Ilhan
translation by Nurgul Yayman and Michael R. Burch

You are indispensable; how can you not know
that you’re like nails riveting my brain?
I see your eyes as ever-expanding dimensions.
You are indispensable; how can...

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This poem was inspired by the interviews by Earl K. Pollon and S. S. Matheson conducted with native Sekanni peoples who were negatively effected by the flooding of their communal homelands by the building of...

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Ben Sana Mecburum: “You are indispensable”
by Attila Ilhan
translation by Nurgul Yayman and Michael R. Burch

You are indispensable; how can you not know
that you’re like nails riveting my brain?
I see your eyes as ever-expanding dimensions.
You are...

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The Flag of the British Merchant Navy 

The Battle of the Atlantic

We’ve heard of the famous Mighty Hood that was sunk by a Bismarck shell
We know how many men were lost and the Skippers name...

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I've been up a bit and down
a bit and hung around 
in river towns, when glory days 
and gamblin' boats were beauty to behold; 
long and sleek with shapely curves 
and ripe just like a...

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We love our silly Grazillas,
Who eat chocolate ice cream because they don't like vanilla.
They prefer lumpy pillas,
As they nap under the willas.
They eat salt by the pillas,
And watch only chinchillas.
They prefer to work as millas,
They...

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I stand atop a mountain tall,
look down upon the land,
the forests clinging to the slopes,
green valleys long and grand.
Rivers carve torrents right through them,
can still hear them up here,
cabins scattered amongst the woods,
one such belongs...

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Coast to Coast

The sun ascends over the Great Lakes
Settles back into the indigo depths
Flight of a copper swan shore to shore
With her sweeping wing tips skimming

Commanding
The azure locks of eternity to open
Gather her iron-ore souls...

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On the shore he sits….
With his wits…he feels the grits…
Through his feet…and in his teeths…?
Having the determination…with some affection…
Cherishing the urge…with the intention to splurge…
And the sea waits …preparing for his dates…
What will his future...

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Lakes Michigan and Huron are basically a single lake, 
Sometimes called Lake Michigan-Huron, combined doth make
Total area of 45,300 square miles (117,000 km2) 
Have the same surface elevation of 577 feet (176 m), 
Connected by...

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ENTERING THE HOOK


Along the channel edge
Buoy lights swayed and tossed.
At our hull the surly sea threw a last slap
Like an animal  wild and lost.
Stinging spray stopped driving
Into our faces as we crossed

The Hook bar...

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i shake my head no when the target employee asks
if i want to sign up for a rewards card
i shake my head a lot

i have a nervous twitch that jerks my head around
to listen for...

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Circling above the shore, watching the gulls
Squawking loudly above the ocean’s roar,
Hungry for every morsel, never any lulls
Watching the gulls circling above the shore.

Freighters on the horizon slowly moving
On the ocean’s surface laden with provision,
The...

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Seen from the Terrace

The misty weather over Cascais persists
there is no wind and silky rain, falls.
Three old freighters must be 34-40 years old,
anchored in the smooth water in the bay.
There is a third wave lurking...

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Water
                                  ...

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