Long Plato Poems

Epitaph for a Palestinian Child
by Michael R. Burch

I lived as best I could, and then I died.
Be careful where you step: the grave is wide.



Autumn Conundrum
by Michael R. Burch

It's not that every leaf must finally...

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My most popular poems on the Internet (II)

A number of my poems and translations have gone viral, according to Google, and some have been copied onto hundreds to thousands of web pages. That’s a lot...

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Athenian Epitaphs

Mariner, do not ask whose tomb this may be,
but go with good fortune: I wish you a kinder sea.
—Michael R. Burch, after Plato

Does my soul abide in heaven, or hell?
Only the sea gulls
in their...

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Athenian Epitaphs II

These are ancient Greek epitaphs for lost family and friends, including dogs and other animals ...

Now his voice is prisoned in the silent pathways of the night: 
his owner's faithful Maltese... 
but will...

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God Bless Each Day's Magnetic Field On Earth!

God Bless Each Day's Magnetic Field On Earth!

God bless each day's magnetic field on Earth (1) that shields the human race
from cosmic rays bombarding Earth and us (from...

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Part I

Rock n Roll came through the slave trade
The Hippies and Moonies said “We’ve got it made”
“Rock n Roll sounds came from the jungle” [Lennon said]
The blues helped through the struggle
The rhythm and the movements...

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Galactic Strings or Void of Space?

A poem’s akin to a necklace, one fashioned
of water-worn pebbles (from rarest of realms),
stone cold truths tumble-polished, love’s chord weaves together.
Do fossilized beads left behind in Life’s wake
spark faint hint...

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Brains and guts orbit the soul—
that polar star searing in the marrow of being.

I was born somewhere between Einstein’s neurons
Ginsburg beat poetry, the birth of rock and roll, revolution marches,
and the calloused hands of a...

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Which is more important to you
natural beauty
or spiritual truth?

I guess I didn't notice any difference.

Maybe there isn't.
Which is more important to you
an aesthetically rich and bountiful house
or a safe home?

You realize that's not necessarily the...

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Catharthis...
neglect of the art and it's form is such a beautiful start
let go of the pain
let go of all emotion
the hatred is spread thin
Touched and such beautiful notions
I know you are striving
to be with you're...

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“ChatGPT-4, can you give me your literary opinion on the following sonnet? By the way, it is preambled by an explanatory prolegomenon which discusses the sonnet’s theme and my inspiration for composing it:”

Mental “Masturbation”

(The title...

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“Our being is descending into us from we know not whence. 
The most exact calculator has no prescience that somewhat incalculable 
may not balk the very next moment. I am constrained every moment 
to acknowledge...

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"You in the military?"

I was confused at first and didn't know why the man would ask me such a question. But then I remembered my recent haircut.

"No... is it because I shaved my head, that...

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I am walking Athens with Socrates
And see the world through his eyes
Barefooted with white robe
Tied in a knot with linen rope
I follow him like a shadow
Starring at the faces of Athenians 
Who lived ago a...

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Ever wonder where big ideas come from?

Memories of FDR
from newsreel clips -
a lion-headed striking man
with rakish grin,
jaw jutting proudly, 
signature cigarette holder
clenched in his teeth
tilted ever upward...
soaring to the heavens
as he cruises by
waving to admirers
in...

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Oh, Democracy,* 
You, the most desirable bride among  
Political systems,
Your suitors many have been throughout 
History  
In every part of the world, you were the one
They were after
But
You declined their proposals, despite the...

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Simulations and Symphonies

Discussing life inside a simulation
Amalgamating strife with signs of humiliation
Confronting life with positive configurations
An enchanting wife that doesn’t need invitations

Caring for what others naturally overlook
A watchful parent, a well written book 
Beauty that...

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Oh, Democracy,* 
You, the most desirable bride among  
Political systems,
Your suitors many have been throughout 
History  
In every part of the world, you were the one
They were after
But
You declined their proposals, despite the...

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A Search, A Quest For A Lost Paradise - 
a collaboration with Susan Ashley


I will take flight, into another zone
how far off to wander 'tis now not known
no regret, as dear point is to be...

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What are words other than coffin nails be?
Who does it belong to when it rails me?
An empty vessel at best that bails thee.

Lend me your ear and draw your heart near;
my words might seer, but...

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Post post Modernism

Who wants modernity in any case whether
                          ...

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I will take flight, into another zone
how far off to wander 'tis now not known
no regret, as dear point is to be free
beyond sadness, into a joyful sea
to a purple land, a paradise realm
I hopeful...

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In the orchestra of being 
   life’s patterns emerge. 
Ancient voices resound / 
   as harmony sounds its surge. 
Music breathes life into the silent stars, Plato said, 
As heavenly tunes...

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“In the Missing”



In the missing
you never left
I walk with you 
you still talk with me

We share our secrets
silently we escape 
worldly charades
we are touched, 

some say 

we are ghosts 
of our former selves
they see what...

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HELLO AND GOODBYE COCO	

I wanted a brown Labrador, blonde and black ,
I love them all
But I had made up my mind, anxiously I sat waiting for a call,
From the breeder, the phone rang ,
They had...

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