Long Look over your shoulder Poems

Poems about Fathers and Grandfathers I

I translated the first six Native American poems for my father when he chose to enter hospice and end his life by not taking dialysis …


Cherokee Travelers' Blessing I
loose translation/interpretation...

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Native American Translations

Cherokee Travelers' Blessing I
loose translation by Michael R. Burch

I will extract the thorns from your feet.
For yet a little while, we will walk life's sunlit paths together.
I will love you like my own...

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Salat Days
by Michael R. Burch 

(dedicated to my grandfather, Paul Ray Burch Sr.)

I remember how my grandfather used to pick poke salat ...
though first, usually, he’d stretch back in the front porch swing,
dangling his long...

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The scenery was magnificent, and the morning was slightly hot,
Our land cruiser was windowless, and sitting in a lovely spot.

The giraffes were splendid, and much bigger than I'd expected,
One could hardly gaze at the vast...

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Bee in the distance


As Humble flew along,
He could see some bees flying away in the distance.
He was so excited to see new bees,
That he flapped his wings as fast as he could,
To fight his way...

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The first time I saw my father I was a year and 8 months old. He had returned home for a short respite  before shipping out to England to prepare for the invasion. It...

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Today marks a decade 
For Hurricane Katrina 
Alot of people Lost everything
Let me explain to you what I mean a
No one could ever forget that day
It was hard 
To sit and watch what was being...

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Dream Song of the Thunders
Chippewa saying
translation by Michael R. Burch

Sometimes I bemoan my “plight”
when all the while
the wind bears me across the immense sky.


What is life?
The flash of a firefly.
The breath of the winter buffalo.
The...

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Crazy Horse's Naming Vision
by Michael R. Burch

Earthbound,
and yet I now fly
through these clouds that are aimlessly drifting...
so high
that no sound
echoing by
below where the mountains are lifting
the sky
can be heard.

Like a bird,
but not meek,
like a hawk...

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You supported others who you thought were saviors. No one was there for me, no emotional support, no encouragement. Only whispers of whay I need to do and how to do it. As if you...

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Red shirt with a matching hat pulled down low over his eyes.
Just leaning, holding up the wall while having a smoke.
Watching him watch me.
Still looking out for my girl, but maybe it's time I look...

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Looking at him I wondered why he wanted to leave, to go on
I knew the hardships of the desert and its forge
I knew the horrors of the jungle beyond the great wall of silent vines
I...

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The square root of all people.


There is a cool breeze blowing over me.
Windows open, music playing, I am sitting with pretty.
Summer is the fading sun, so soon to disappear.
Winter calls as rain drops fall on...

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https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/a_funny_thing_happened_on_the_way_to_my_hanging_1038053

https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/a_funny_thing_happened_on_the_way_to_my_hanging_-part_deux_1078413


( For Caren Krutsinger)




The long arm of the law reaches far and wide
If you've done wrong you've no place to hide
Didn't bother my brother, he was quick on the draw 
But I'm his law abiding...

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I was done
Packed my bags
Ran from the grasp
Of Liars and Cons

Considered myself lucky
To know the truth
And walk away
Mostly intact

No damage
No harm
No foul

It’s funny the lies we tell
To mitigate pain

Only now as I unravel
Myself from the...

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When all hope is lost

when the birds have stoped

signing their sweet melody,

and the flowers lost their sweet scent,

when the grass started withering,

u were there for me.



u defied the odds and stood tall when i was...

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If only I could ride upon the back of a dragonfly~
O', what journey I would behold...

I receive the wind's forced breath against my face-and revel in my locks rolling in the vibrant 
sunlight.
We hover just...

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I want to walk without looking over my shoulder.
I want to eat without looking over my shoulder.
I want to drive without looking over my shoulder.
For, when I look over my shoulder.
My first reflection is the...

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Your time has come
The banshees are rapidly approaching
Can you hear their screams in your mind?
Does the constant rattling and endless wailing
Wake you up at night in a cold sweat?
Does your bedroom feel a tinge of...

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What have you done to us my child?
I tore my body to bring you here
He wetted his shirt with sweat to ink your books
23 years of learning gave you a well-paying job
Your job gifted you...

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Under the Christmas tree sits a nativity scene in the old town square. I sit on a rustic wood bench and reminisce on the stories I’ve been told about Jesus being born on Christmas Day....

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Walking quickly,
Feeling uneasy.
I think to myself,
I must be going crazy.
I look over my shoulder,
But not soon enough.
Two hands grab me from behind,
'Don't scream' the voice is tough.
I try to pull away,
To get out of his...

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I cherish my freedom
Hard earned though it was
Through the abolitionist railway
And those who supported the cause

An African slave,
though free upon birth
I was sold as a slave
And was now bound to the earth

Run for the caves...

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It makes me sick to my stomach with the lies we're fed
I've made mistakes and one day I'll lie in my own bed
It's time to speak my mind and not agree with the stuff they...

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Have you ever watched a loved one die
Only to look at the sky and wonder why
We're put on this world to live and thrive
And then die when we can no longer survive

It's a bittersweet moment...

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