Long Manual(a) Poems

Fadwa Tuqan has been called the Grand Dame of Palestinian letters and The Poet of Palestine. These are my translations of Fadwa Tuqan poems originally written in Arabic.



Enough for Me
by Fadwa Tuqan 
loose translation/interpretation by...

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English translations of Arabic poems by Fadwa Tuqan aka "The Poet of Palestine"

Enough for Me
by Fadwa Tuqan 
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Enough for me to lie in the earth,
to be buried in her,
to sink...

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Cooperative Feministas
are not quite so much Competitive Manifestos.

In David Holmgren's introduction to Permacultural Therapeutic Design,
he contrasts "Industrial Culture" with "Sustainable Culture"
kind of like comparing masculine LeftBrain culture
with feminist RightBrain enculturation, nurturance, resonance
over the longer-term scenaria,
rather...

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God's Return Ticket

Did you ever wonder about the Almighty’s criteria or selection process for reincarnation of souls back on Earth? Just think some famous politician, movie star, sports figure,criminal, dictator, and so on could use...

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(Remembering Innocence)


Note to Readers of Previous Versions:
There are so many new vignettes scattered throughout the poem that I hope you will reread the whole thing! There are new tales, improvements to previous verses, and improved...

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This is, as indicated, the 1st HALF of this fairly lengthy poem. The 2nd half had to be posted separately due to Poetry Soup's file-size limitations. No other way I could manage to make it...

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Today made a complete first week
In November 2017. Damian was 
Preforming well in his studies. He
Even chose to involve himself in
Extra credit projects. This school
Day started normally. He arrived 
Early, first class pre calculus. 
He...

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A shameful act in this world we live today
surely an educated mind can clearly see the truth behind a mask
Ignorance is the hardness of heart manifests in such violence 
The horrors and inhumanity of it...

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Galley slave to obsessive compulsive disordered behavior announces...

Fore score minus xv orbitz ago
from being centenarian
strong contractions forced me
to pass thru cervix,
buck naked bare lady,
I ranked as only grandson sharing
same surname as Aaron,
(mine paternal grandfather)
me the...

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I am reading my Resilience Systems Manual,
avidly,
like an underfed developer
hoping to strike gold
while laying healthy habitat foundations.

Today I see Community Resilience mention
Tipping Points,
dipolar appositional,
when exceeded 
on a WayTooMuch Yang OverInvested
Western dualistic
nature ain't spirit
so divine couldn't...

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Feb. 6, 2021
	Hello I was born normal on May 17, 1979 from Paranaque, Philippines. My name is Jacqueline Ramirez Mendoza and was taken from Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis. Given by my cousin, Jocelyn Picazo Santos. My...

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Image of Grandparents Country Home from my family collection

The Two Drivers In My Life

In my younger years ...
I got to know the souls of my parent's worlds,
were as distant as our known solar system.
Mom was...

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Wobbly I stood and wobbly I remain -

The sole  of my Soul untested and untried

Not trusting the firmament on which its stability stands.

So I must reach.




For a kind hand, a rock to assuage my...

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This is meant to be a manual, a set of sober instruction
that you can use, once you get past this lengthy introduction,
as a “how to” for learning to feel what it feels like when you...

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Moisture on a mirror
(A story of PTSD)
03/12/16
As I look back on my life. 
I know there is a much sadness and a conflict that I did not understand.
Many hours searching for answers that affected my...

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So major: 
Not minor
When things were cool 
Between us my dude an I 
we had an understanding.
I mean he knew, I was down for most 
everything that was righteous.
We had our own bond.
He knew certain...

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Espousing irreverent greed

Crafted one year ago today
yours truly – hopefully self plagiarism okay
worse case scenario, 
I would meet ill fate re: kenway
named after Assassin Creed 
Black Flag's protagonist. 

"Yo, I totally Kenwayed that guy." 
by...

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Espousing irreverent greed

Passive stance, but aye agreed
and did promise to pledge troth
faster than greased lightning airspeed
once the missus temporarily
ceased menarche regarding monthly bleed
became in family way with child
thee eldest, whom one day may breed,
when permanently...

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Growing up I was never the favorite
Never the good kid
Never given a chance
 
My outbursts were shut down
I was told to
Sit down
Shut up
Keep it together
 
My parents struggled to keep me in school
They never had...

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Timothy had always been a man of laughing joy and conversation	


               -Friendship dialogue communication -


But now there was silence but for...

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It was a short walk I intended to take
To while away time that I did not have
For I had lots on my mind and hands 
So off I went anyway and I was glad of...

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The human heart…the young human heart. I look at our lives, the confusion we live in. Falling in and out of love, having friends..with benefits…dreaming of perfect relationships…unrealistic ones. Sometimes I wonder what kind of...

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Romans 1:16

Now you might have heard of the phrase “On my one sixteen”
But you might be thinking to yourself, “What does this even mean?”
It means that you are unashamed of Jesus, our Savior
And that you...

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What would I be without you...
Friends
What would I be without you...
Friends
What would I be without you...friends
I thought it would be funny to keep you hanging in suspense
at my expense
to pay the bill I have built...

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Back again ...

Her daily hour of hope ...
She came every evening to The Hem ...
Just a big hole in the earth, really, a barren canyon of dust,
Perched on the south edge of the Congo, near...

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