Long Manhandle Poems

Chinese Poets: English Translations

These are modern English translations of poems by some of the greatest Chinese poets of all time, including Du Fu, Huang O, Li Bai, Li Ching-jau, Li Qingzhao, Po Chu-I, Tzu Yeh,...

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Suddenly, two Indian boys throw themselves into the water like meteors
swiming towards camp chatty as prarie dogs,
they hail from a Teton encampment of 74 lodges a few miles up river
most of the men are feeling...

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Though the destination when we left Illinois was supposed to be Waco Texas we ended up in Bowlingreen, Kentucky.We were in a trailer park
behind the lost river truck stop where my mom
cooked. I enrolled at...

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A bird that dips and wavers
Over lone waters round,
Then with a cry that quavers
Is gone—a spectral sound.
— Cale Young Rice

Sopping wet, the organ floats,
flounders in one of several boats,

severed from the blue-green sea,
nevermore to scurry...

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ALLOWED    HIM    NO   LATITUDE


Andy, professional cartographer, adored his maps,
Valued them more than anything perhaps
As any cartographer would
As  all cartographers should  -
Lovingly drawing his Italy, ...

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My mind is a mystery,
It knows all that I know
scaring me out of my wits.

Methinks,
I cannot hide my thoughts—
That’s insane!
Why would anyone know
my innermost thoughts?
Least of all, my mind!
That’s between my 
soul and my conscience,
Why...

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I fell forty-two feet into the time travel well, sadly.
And ended up barely alive, at the bottom, gladly.
Followed a crevice to a hunky macho caveman’s lair.
He had all kinds of ugly, cranky, snarly filthy hair.

Shockingly,...

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THE    METEOR - SOFA   PEOPLE

Sofa pyromaniacs are skilled to put it mildly. 
Fueled fiercely by gasoline (as is fitting)	 
Or by kerosene burning wildly,
They enjoy a fire to warm their...

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Poet: Ken Jordan
Poem: Daddy
Edited by: Sparkle Jordan
written: July/1985


Daddy,
their was 
no 
escape

from
your wrath,
and
hard hands -

You
screamed
dirty names
at me,

that
cut through
my body
like a
sword -

You beat
me 
down -

a man 
possessed -

a man
gone mad - 

Your
whippings
scare
me still -

I can
hear your
putrid words
ring out

from your
evil
raging
soul -

Your
anger
and 
gruffness,

caused
my
tender heart 
to
crumble

before
your mighty  
stature,

I was
afraid 
of
your
strength -

Daddy,
what...

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Eternal granite, crystalline scree, agates, boulders, rise
to hills, towering tors,* mutinous mountains, endlessly growing
rising, lifted,  then toppled by the fiery rebirth of draconic lava**

Like the cracked shell of an avian egg***/ **** both molten...

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The Manxome little Minx
Stood beneath illustrious Boa-bob tree
She scratched her left butt cheek
With grazed grass stained knees

Stared pon the ghostly forms gibbering with fear
That Nancy (her name) might manhandle their ears
And drag them petrified, within...

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The worst part of being put in the pokey
Is being labelled for the rest of your life
It’s a lot harder to be carefree and joke-y,
And it is truly difficult to procure your next wife.

They take...

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Excitement echoed
In my heart
First experience
Of being a part

Now looking back to
Those times, thoughts
Flood like the cold rain
And ties me in knots

Enthusiastically 
Grabbing the end
Of the crosscut saw
Helping hand to lend

He let me slowly pull
From my...

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I am a bonafide certified mommy-fied leader of a dog pack.
They currently sit at my feet waiting to see what we will do next.
Beau our newbie is the only renegade who keeps running from the...

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what the!
did you say
we the people
are living
in a bad new age

we can no longer
live in a melodramatic
irredeemable way!

oblivious to
what, we do
and how it will
hurt the children
of today

you say
we the community
need to act
in a uncivilized way
clean...

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