Long Peony Poems

Poems about the Coronavirus I


yet another iffy coronavirus haiku #1
by michael r. burch

plagued by the Plague
i plague the goldfish
with my verse



yet another iffy coronavirus haiku #2
by michael r. burch

sunflowers
hang their heads
embarrassed by their coronas

I wrote...

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The sunshine and singing birds, awoke me that fine day;
And warmth caressed my face, as the wrens began to play.

I stretched luxuriantly in my bed, while smiling broadly,
At the gaiety of beautiful summer, in all...

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“liaison dangereuse”



Tear a thin line 
along my skin
softly velvet
finger tips 
no nurses gloves

down my neck
along my throat
with something
sharp like words
on a tongue

like I’m
one of the 
gentility heard
soft as a block of butter
hard from the fridge
I'll...

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In glamor-light of sunset
a new crowd of cumulus clouds arrive
and revive a sepia sky-scene—
unworldly woolgatherers gather
spinning fantasy fluff into quixotic yarns
of debutantes dancing with honeymoon hunger;
their dewy eyes blurred by the sawdust of stardust

pseudo-princess-pleasure-seekers
—drama daring...

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Who wrote the book of love
Why do fools fall in love
You Can't Hurry Love
You can if you're making it
Does Blondie's Sunday 
I Don't Know What Love Is
Ask someone who knows
Love Me Like A Hurrcane
And bow...

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When the enchanted 
jailors of life, 
siezed my soul 
and those
sepals unfurling
manipulative
manuscripts 
ceased to 
script a twinkle 
above screams, 
I became a 
slave to my 
own silence, 
chained by 
granite wings of 
masked butterflies, 
who...

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I was a pleasant, conscientious librarian, whose world consisted of books,
As a world of fragrant beauty, can be found in the glossy, honeyed nooks.

Although it was pleasant work and appealing, I was not so very...

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ZEN DEATH HAIKU XII

These are my modern English translations of Japanese Zen Death Haiku. 

Both victor and vanquished are dewdrops:
flashes of light
briefly illuminating the void.
—Ouchi Yoaka, loose translation/interpretation of his jisei (death poem) by Michael...

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ZEN DEATH HAIKU III

Spring
stirs the clouds
in the sky's teabowl
—Kikusha-ni, loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Tonight I saw
how the peony crumples
in the fire's embers
—Katoh Shuhson, loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Both victor and vanquished are dewdrops:
flashes...

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I was quite the cunning magician, famed for my illusions and sleight of hand,
Like cool tricks that jade green nature plays, that often we don't understand.

Days were filled with wonder and enchantment, like purple, star...

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"The Familiar"



Softly ever so Softly 
on hardened paws
Nemesis 
follows the 
Red Apple 
scent of 
Her sword
 
a peony pink pocket flushed
velvet violent violet viola 
playing
warm honey dripping 
from the pocket 
it buzzes 
as if with...

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The cactus hoovers like a bully daring to be touched.                         ...

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I was an experienced family therapist, helping families maintain functionality,
As wandering, starlit seasons maintain all nature, being rooted in practicality.

I loved preserving healthy relationships, that foundation of healthy societies;
And kept up a fruitful dialogue between...

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Across the countryside and into the grassland pastures;
inhabits the battle fields that segregate a Peony Rose.
Such as the gentle beauty of the rose that threatens those,
who are drawn to the undisturbed meadows of the divine,
and...

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When nylon nights
trade crystal colours 
in the stalls of nimble 
butterfly wings, 
I blossom as an 
irenic origami 
fervently fabricated 
with snowflakes of 
greedy gloom, 
stealing royal violets 
from the smokey estuaries 
flowing beneath the...

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I set up my easel in the shade of my beach umbrella. Wanting to paint by the morning light, I dabbed my colors onto the palette...sea foam green, azure blue, titanium white, and ochre.
 
...

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The sun sank into rusty chains
Ancient Mesopotamian constellations begin to spin
Shadows in the bushes
Sidewalks walking from the back
Cetoniinae trapped in glass
Your gaze runs through the sky
yes, like Schelling's rose
Tesla cars crossing the border
The dust of...

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      Crumbly candles are so stormy,
                     so ferocious, and so...

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I set up an easel in the shade of my beach umbrella. Wanting to paint by the morning light, I dabbed colors onto the palette...sea foam green, azure, titanium white, and ochre.

   ...

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"Mother, 
             You are my heartbeat 
                ...

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beautiful delicate moments from my childhood ...
    is when I was helping mother ... in her flower garden
      father always said we were happiness digging
  ...

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  "Above all I must have flowers, always and always."

                        ...

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"Bonjour, in the cocktail woods"
I see the waffled leaves of teal trees painting pink moon, 
With diamond dahlia arcs, flowering an orchid boon
Sprinkling love of french perfumed spells and cocoa mystique,
Flickering in neon scented star...

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My rose bushes are lusher than ever this year.
For soaking rain and warm days abound,
Though with too little sun I fear.
Still, they give me many blooms that astound.

Their gentle glow lightens any despair, 
On return...

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The End of Time


The passing time in a stillness of passage
Blown soft with wanting
Furlongs in the corridors of sighs

Are dreams of mine
Left unsleeping
Repeating the hail of trumpeted cries

Another time
Touched by the paraded flowers
Of promises
To pick...

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