Long Recur Poems

Near Sainthood
by Mirza Ghalib
translation by Kanu V. Prajapati and Michael R. Burch

On the subject of mystic philosophy, Ghalib,
your words might have seemed deeply profound
and we might have pronounced you a saint...
if only we hadn't found
you...

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I stumbled over Paul Tillich's translation
of the MessiahMentor's Other Great Commission.

The Great Commission we learned in Sunday School
was to go out and convert the barbarians
and savages to Christianity.

Yet this Other Great Commission feels like a...

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About Bill Posters and Bill Greenwell

Words not to use in poems

In 1993, I (Bill Greenwell) went on a three-day workshop with the poet Peter Sansom, who co-edits The North, and runs the Smith/Doorstop imprint. He’s...

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Checked by www.howmanysyllables.com>syllable_counter

"Time is the wisest counsellor of all.” Pericles
**************************************************************

                         ...

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Her life turned upside down, endless chorus of tears,
jilted she hoped he would stop in the name of love.
What was once endless love was now songs full of fears.
Her baby love left her lost like...

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In a sense everything is a seed of it's successor
The universe is change, life is judgement
Those aren't my words, they're a famous author
The rest of these are and what I think he meant
Before you demur...

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Matsuo Basho Haiku: English Translations of haiku about seasons, spring, rain, moon, flowers, blossoms, wind, river, etc.

Blame the rainy season
for my absence,
old friend Moon.
—Matsuo Basho, translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

For yet a little while,
the pale...

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Spit free roads with no traffic
Pit free streets of designs prolific
Rich cultural heritage and intellect
Folks-full of compassion and perfect
Discipline innate and mission oriented
Pupils are prodigal and celebrated
Duty seems to safeguard their land
All the nations are...

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I was a famous conductor, and performing beautiful  music was my joy,
As diamond sunshine, to pervade darkness, finds any means to employ.

Music had long been a part of me, in that I sang long...

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I'll find a  remedy for my broken heart.
A round of applause, you've melt my heart to stone.
I couldn't make you feel my love, from the start.
I'll find someone like you, I'll search for a...

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Here in the heavy depths of insolent woes,
We gesture and talk and waste our time,
Staking claim to each minute of our earthly life,
Running the hours through a clock by the day,
Never sated, not content to...

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While there seems no life to live with her 
He flew far beyond the reach of eyes 
For all he disagreed keeps to recur 
Like she will never with him complies 

On her part, she...

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Natural

          Nature heeds God’s command, fulfilling His demand. It complies with full might against delaying blight.  Such is shown by rain fall, dropping down along...

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If, as they say, the cells
of the body are replaced every seven
years, then I'm a new being
since my sons were newborn.
I have died and been reborn
neither better nor worse yet remembering
feeding them while dancing to...

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The changed wind today,
Blows a spontaneous rhythm;
Endlessly on broken chords.
As every He/She pendulums blindingly,
To blend and bend themselves craving for,
Inquest of a roller-coaster joyride inside;
And ultimately is found to return,
Tuning itself in-wards;
On blind voyages from...

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The Fragrance from your flute
Wafting in the air
The powder of morning in your hair
And the Robins in their throat

In your smile clouds float
Red and pink layer
Golden alphabets stare

The river flows on
Sprinkled sun melts in water
Inflammation...

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I knew of a beautiful angel; Kayla Lynn was her name
A precious gift from heaven; irreplaceable she became
Silky blonde hair in ringlets; eyes as blue as an oceans view
Kayla embraced life as always; while others...

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** In This Last Waltz **

I am swirling around thoughts,
Swirling even ‘tween ‘em , too — stepping forward —
Getting ready for this nght’s joys to end , and 
See The Last Waltz come up on...

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Although I love, I don’t agree
Sometimes the heart – it just can’t see
Beyond the sin, the iniquity
Fleshly desires, taunting me.

Although I love, I don’t agree with her
She’s pointing the way, a connoisseur
Of sin in this...

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They say what 'happens, happens for a reason',
perhaps to learn and unlearn
whatever it is we feel we need to;
prove;
accomplish;
experiment;
fathom...

I cannot change what happened
no matter how hard I try.
but I can change what happens next
If only...

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An adolescent living his life day by day
Who had once gotten into a fray
Tries to find his soul mate
As his life piles up with unwanted hate

He is searching and waiting
While life is using him as...

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Spirit of the Navajo
How hard life has become
Reciting prayers of long ago
Alcohol an escape for some

How hard life has become
Water is a scarcity
Alcohol an escape for some
Look at them with pity

Water is a scarcity
Wells will...

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INFLICTION IN ACTION

        Infliction silent or sonorous,
        disguised or detectable
         run parallel with...

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Mom, how he could do like this to me,
the girl murmured while sobbing;
My dear, don’t cry, the Mom said;
know, you’re unhappy facing betrayal.
Never expected such acts from dear ones;
Shaken, feel such acts are unforgivable.

In this...

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Neither fame, nor fortune sought,
sans this anonymous wordsmith,
whose quirky pastiche (no matter
evokes collywobbles, when risky
business undertaken to spill forth
most confidential personal woes),

broadcasting a heart of darkness,
Joseph Conrad might find quaint-
lee amusing, & considerably less
far reaching...

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