Long Rashly Poems

Fahr an' Ice
by Michael R. Burch

From what I know of death, I'll side with those
who'd like to have a say in how it goes:
just make mine cool, cool rocks (twice drowned in likker),
and real fahr...

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Poems about Things that Break II
 
These are poems about things that break and/or shatter.
 
 
 
Water and Gold
by Michael R. Burch
 
You came to me as rain breaks on the desert
when every flower...

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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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MODERN SONNETS II

I prefer the original definition of the sonnet as a “little song” of indeterminate form and length. These modern sonnets vary from more-or-less traditional to free verse.



In Praise of Meter
by Michael R. Burch

The...

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His words stung me, as the cries from the maelstrom seem to retort
Their scattered, foreign words and wails retching their say
I listened, almost mesmerized,
Pulverized

“Come,” Said he,
With threatening authority

Upwards, higher than the balcony from which we...

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Cry Wolf

Searchingly,
I peered into your sky painted eyes
without fully understanding what I might find,
but finding that which I might never fully understand.
And now,
My heart is adrift,
like flotsam ,hopelessly adrift.
And the wind that blows is cold,
and...

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Have you chosen what you will become,
my son,
or will you become something yet unchosen?

Become?

How will you keep yourself gainfully occupied,
dare I speak of vocation?

Oh yes,
I will be absent.

Absent from…?

From you.
Absent from you.

My wisest son,
thank you...

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Written April 11, 2025, for Contest Sponsored by Edward Ibeh

Quote: 1/ “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” ? Rumi

           2/ "Many...

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LAO TZU ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS IV

The Roots of Turbulence
by Lao Tzu, translation by Michael R. Burch

Heaviness lies at the root of lightness;
stillness begets turbulence.
Thus the nobleman heads his caravan
keeping a constant eye on his possession-laden wagons.
At...

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"The meek and the humble will be elevated to places where the haughty can never ascend even with a ladder. Stay humble in victory and calm in defeat"- by poet

 far away in ancient Jerusalem,
stood...

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Victorinus preached to free pearls trapped in soil
So plants may grow and unearth all bright pearls
To bring pearls back to their home through light’s secrets
Secrets for the downtrodden and dirty
Not to the high and hearts...

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Elegant in burnt orange afterglow, 
sparkling starlight opens the show.
Neighbors and strangers appear all aroun’, 
porch lights and car lights enlighten the town.

They arrive afoot and atop handlebars.
Tots wave from strollers like famed movie stars.
Mothers...

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~ KNOW THYSELF
Honest examination brings truth

~ KEEP IT REAL
It saves you from the need to convince others through a multitude of words

~ DO NOT MANIPULATE
It is an act of psychological violence

~ BE CONSISTENT
It is the...

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My vast steppe blessed with treasures untold,  
A peaceful land where labor unfolds.  
Seeing this nation's abundance and peace,  
Enemies gathered, their threats unleashed.  

If a person’s heart is blinded by...

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Am I fitful,
fluctuating, fluid? 
thin compass waver
as I jubilantly weave
lilac tree vignettes 
that weep or chortle,
rainbow figment curtain
rashly wished upon
in grain smudge zephyr
garnet sand raw vehicle 
garden common opal 
transit sidestep
to a multiverse 
of sappy...

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One stormy night I heard a low meow sound.                          ...

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I am a baby boomer, father fought in World War Two
As a teen graduated high school
Left home joined the service called branch Navy
Left joined in a conflict called Vietnam War
This day, today still don't know...

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Once I shared a long hidden secret with the one,
I thought was my friend, through and through.
But little did I think it would hit back on me
Like a boomerang, breaking my heart.
She betrayed my trust...

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Space Sonnets

Sonnet 5
    Time Machine
I ever wonder of this machine
If it be invented with sheen
If done who will own Gosh
Keeping it plush and posh
Will it take to systems afar
Is its door locked...

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I had a dream
I was lost in the desert
I saw your face within the sand dunes
I ran to you, carrying my sorrow
Hope was filling my bones
Tears were watering the drought of my emotions
I was standing...

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UNCEREMONIOUS CEREMONY

Will weaponized with wounded words,
Purpose unbound against all odds.
She shades shame showing sheer strength 
in the face of a situation of "Life & Death".
Eyes heated and heart blotted rashly,
He's hunted, his hands harmonised hastily
So...

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Look Back in Anger to June 2024

You, current denizen of Number Ten
With gleaming Colgate smile and Gucci shoes,
Take serious pause for thought, reflect on when
The voters all reject you and you lose.

Your pledges, that you...

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Isn't life funny?
  You spend hours and hours writing and revising
  re-revising and rewriting
  and then starting almost from scratch again
  making sure each line sounds right
  each and every...

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                                  ...

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As river does, towards vast, waste, life flows, 
Where he loses his gains, fame, and his name; 
Birth or growth is a battle, but life grows,
Stumbling he goes, to own that nameless aim.

Fountain falls with...

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