Long Muscled Poems

Sonnets XXV-XXXII

Archaischer Torso Apollos (“Archaic Torso of Apollo”)
by Rainer Maria Rilke
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

We cannot know the beheaded god
nor his eyes' forfeited visions. But still
the figure's trunk glows with the strange vitality
of a...

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Sonnets X-XVI


Archaischer Torso Apollos (“Archaic Torso of Apollo”)
by Rainer Maria Rilke
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

We cannot know the beheaded god
nor his eyes' forfeited visions. But still
the figure's trunk glows with the strange vitality
of a...

Read More

Archaic Torso of Apollo
by Rainer Maria Rilke
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

We cannot know the beheaded god
nor his eyes' forfeited visions. But still
the figure's trunk glows with the strange vitality
of a lamp lit from within,...

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New Year Poetry

Auld Lange Syne
by Robert Burns
translation by Michael R. Burch 

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And days for which we pine?

For times we shared, my darling,
Days passed,...

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Archaischer Torso Apollos ("Archaic Torso of Apollo")
by Rainer Maria Rilke
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch 

We cannot know the beheaded god
nor his eyes' forfeited visions. But still
the figure's trunk glows with the strange vitality
of a...

Read More

Angles of Mercy
By
Kevin L Fairbrother

There is not to many of us that can say that the owe their existence on this earth to a Native in a Foreign country, in my case I can say...

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FINAL EPISODE OF PURE FANTASY
Hello Bad Boys!

The starry, twilight zone high above, this night
With it’s shooting stars, and the moon, so bright,
Looked heavenly, even Venus, was in sight,
It was clear, could see far and beyond
Across...

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Chroí awoke early the next morning, disoriented and a bit frightened.  This was not her bed .  It was so big.  She was tired and felt drained.  Closing her eyes, thoughts...

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“Never forget 
everything Hitler did 
in Germany was legal.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

drop by drop lady liberty bleeds
red on white and blue
common sense vexatious 
verboten spins askew 

“We can and we must 
write in the...

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Sitting atop a large flat stone in an open field
Brushing aside his long silver locks
Bringing to his lips a long clay pipe
Steadying for a light, his gnarled knuckles make this a fight
His sandals dusty, brow...

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[Note: You will see in the work below connections to other poems I have posted here.  Those poems are tangents to this poem that more completely tell the tale of rise, pride, hubris, fall,...

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This is the final CANTO of Hell. I am going to publish the full translation as epub on AMAZON. It was a very hard work to find rhymes in english.

“Vexilla regis prodeunt inferni now
Toward us;...

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Elizabeth Ann "Liz" Sherman is a fictional character in the Hellboy Comic book
series. She is human.  Born in Kansas City, USA,  She was quite a normal child
until her pyrokinetic abilities manifested at about...

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STEALING FROM A GODDESS

   At Dawn
   I wait
   Beside the sea
   Under the tree
   Behind the dunes
   For his arms.

   ...

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November second two thousand twenty two...
abuzz with Autumnal thrum

Approximately six weeks since August sum
er re: lazy dog days witnessed lolling about 
sipping cocktails, whose primary ingredient rum
pulled and sated esophageal tract nsync 
with thirstily quaffing...

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Unsolved criminal mystery...modest prevarication

Found yours truly
a grateful dead head
convenient scapegoat dejure
Norristown police officers
fingerprinted me for 
casual postal employment
linked to vicious brutal crime
someone else who shared 
identical name and fingerprints as mine
the latter of corpse far...

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October twenty third two thousand twenty one...02:44:06 PM
Eastern Standard Time abuzz auld Durin 
(ya know whit I'm Tolkien about 
Elder days long regarding) Autumnal thrum –

The perfect balm to avoid feeling glum
supine upon greensward 
I...

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strife riven island corner, rough hewn by rival visitation
  vexed, looking in, looking out, on the edge of places to go
  thrang in thrall of other realms, banners furling, batons flung
  across...

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this is my song,
  my love song of you,
    my land, my heart

             love for green ferns
  ...

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You pulled me in close and said youve never met someone like me 
You asked me what I wanted out of this and I said you 
You pulled me in tighter 
You smiled wider 
And...

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Mein kampf synonymous as a blooper

Writer of these words,
a former Lower Providence inhabitant,
who dwelled within darkest depths
of Dante Alighieri's inferno
for most of his outlandish, impish,
and devilish growing up years
witnessed microscopic scrimmage,
where spermatozoan with most forcefulness
muscled...

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I barely notice the horse as he walks,
his gait is so incredibly smooth,
we’ve been riding all morning on this ridge,
and have settled down into a nice groove.

My friend Joshua rides just behind me,
drinking in this...

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III.
It was near midnight when they came again,
four warriors armed all with flaming brands,
Myron bolted up from a fitful sleep,
and poured out bullets as the horses ran.

He managed to shoot one off of his horse,
but...

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...The devil didn’t hide, he strutted right out,
a smile painted on his red face.
“Why my dear sheriff, how in the world
Did you ever find my new place?”
Abner stared on, seething with hate.

“An old friend told...

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Yesterday I had a beer 
In a place that was near 
Soft light and music filled 
The sight of you left me thrilled 

Your name I did not know 
But oh I loved your body...

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