Long Jig Poems

Veronica Franco translations

Veronica Franco (1546-1591) was a Venetian courtesan who wrote literary-quality poetry and prose.

Capitolo 19: A Courtesan's Love Lyric (I) 
by Veronica Franco
loose translation by Michael R. Burch

"I resolved to make a virtue of...

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The Old grizzled Bear... was now keenly aware
    as he lay in his Cave all alone.
Where his time as King... was a mere passing thing
    and must choose another...

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Thanksgiving, 1971,
a parachute pilgrim approaches Northwest Flight 305
as Dan Cooper, anonymous businessman,  anarchist airborne, 
black suit, black sunglasses, a black tie
and a black briefcase broaching black motives,
Portland to Seattle, prison or criminal pantheon, 
before...

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A babe born, in darkness braved
Bring love to the world if only for a day
No questions asked, nor answered, nor saved
Let peace abide in every child, we pray
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they stood watching their son, enthralled in...

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Betty was bonafide crazy. She had shot her husband after a night of drunken quarreling, and was in the state mental hospital instead of being in the slammer. She'd shot the louse in the stomach...

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There's a Senior's home called the Shady Lane
    and life's curse is at an end.
Where a hundred souls are kept in line
    till Death its message sends.
They built a...

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STOLEN ILLUMINATION OF THE STAR

This journey has not been a fanciful adventure, 
we're all settlers in  these dynasty of neo-colonialism 
united only by what divides us. Victims, yes 
victims of civilized inducement, 
terms of...

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Jim Daley and Joe McCarthy had something in common. They died at 80 going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Walt O'Brien, their protege, found this out when he called the homes...

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At the final stroking of saint Halloween eve, it seems not so long ago,
That my trusty SUV, transport vehicle unceremoniously broke down,
Right outside the local pet cemetery, what a marvelous place to
Spend the spookiest night...

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Pasha Acremodios grew greedy,
discontented with the domain he dominated,
so he turned covetous eyes toward Farabia,
sending his soldiers to seize this ripened plum

Spoiling for a fight and fighting for spoils,
his army swept across Farabia
like a bloody...

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Oklahoma cowboy, tough coal miner’s son
Born in Henryetta, south of Tulsa some
Raised by daddy’s momma, taught him wrong from right
Daddy taught him ropin’, taught him how to fight
 
Herding made no money, its stock was...

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split schizoid mission 

Lifting the mind 
like a sword 
counting poets 
losing self in 
unsettled love
and mysteries
plucked off the shelf 
all the Berlin walls
come tumbling down
words like dice
shaken and thrown
the electric 
black dogs barking 
call...

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I didn’t even know about the trip we were to make.
That very first adventure that old Gramps and I would take, 
I’ll not forget the way it felt when I first saw the lake.

The sunrise...

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Those kittens bounded through the flap and started to play
Raisin said the flowers look so pretty today
She went to sniff a daisy but an insect flew out
And so she hollered, “Watch out, Rum, there’s waspies...

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A little fairy princess one day sits resting on a most beautiful sunflower,
And magically she begins stretching her wings for anticipatory flight
While capturing a vision assortment of most bright flying colors, 
Of one gentle and...

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Always a Dream
 
A little fairy princess one day sits resting on a most beautiful sunflower,
And magically she begins stretching her wings for anticipatory flight
While capturing a vision assortment of most bright flying colors, 
Of...

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Alien talk I can’t understand
A Pifflewig performed a handstand
He verbalised through his ass
Gross putrid wind he did pass
Like many blokes throughout the land!

I farted, perhaps it was fear
Foul wind was expelled from my rear
The pifflewig...

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I'm reading this book called
"Systems Thinking for Social Change"
by David Stroh.

Although this is not his paradigm of systemic choice,
He talks about WinWin strategizing
for optimal outcomes
Rather than WinLose compromises
for suboptimal conservation
of the miserably under-performing status quo.

Future:
A....

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Aye, aye! Said the Captain, who spoke on his date, 
He spoke on his date to his very first mate, 
His very first mate, the lady Miss Tate, 
The very first lady to say he...

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The Avenue of Gastronomic Delight

Down the broad avenue called Gastronomic Delight
City life gathers when twilight awakens;

In eateries, drive-ins, greasy spoons and taverns – jumpin’ joints jumpin’
Like Snoopy with his dish doing the suppertime dance;

Lured by...

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Once upon a time in the lands from the north, south, east to west    
Navigating on the cold white sands formed of sugar and ice       ...

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"Our Sacred Lady of the Divine Perfect Imperfections" - Part 1

Our Sacred Lady of the Divine Perfect Imperfections
is worthy of our fervent introspection
constantly, equatiously
for SHE is “You”
and “You” is SHE
this is no mischievous 
chicanery, 
this...

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When looking into the mind's mirror
All that's found is fear there

Peering into that dark place
Not recognizing the face

Lurking there's the daemon, the monster
Yet some still see what they once were
Standing way off on a distant...

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Spider’s Rigging
“I had resolved on a voyage around the world, and as the wind
on the morning of April 24, 1895 was fair, at noon I weighed
anchor, set sail, and filled away from Boston, where the...

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LUCKY KID'S DOGS

                                ...

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