Long Retract Poems

To a Daughter More Precious than Gems
by Otomo no Sakanoue no Iratsume
loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Heaven's cold dew has fallen—
and thus another season arrives.
Oh, my child living so far away,
do you pine for me...

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Alone I arrive, walking from Frederick
over the gaps, across gentle hills
out onto a knoll
overlooking this burnished landscape.
Before me I see countless writhing rows
of indiscernible shapes gathered
in terrible rituals mid fire and smoke
darkening the sun.
From distant...

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I know I promised
 no more ‘Make you Cry Poems’
I said I'd never write another 
‘Wipe your eye poem’

 And for three years 
I tried not to retract, 
but after so many tears 
I have...

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The Edges of Rhyme 

I wrote the playbook, watching what they took 
While the earth shook I could not look 
In the direction of the Big Book 
Like a fish caught on a nasty hook...

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Tardigrades aka Water Bears, Moss Piglets

Before T-Rex appeared and the Dodo bird disappeared,
Leading to modern-day scientific knowledge increasement,
Creatures of infinitesimal size called ‘Tardigrades’ endure,
Were and are living and thriving, just about anywhere on earth.

From mountain...

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The Square Root of Beiruit 
 
Ten men bending while theyre pretending to be near the ending
A capitalist nightmare glares like rotten fruit
The squate root of Beiruit
No it isn’t fair, so they’ll start to loot
 
The soldiers are...

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Any face of before was there suppressed;
Two and no one the sinner’s wicked face
Was looking; and such way slow pace progressed.

As the green lizard when so strong lambastes
The heat wave of day, then changing the...

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Weird "fake" news

This pencil necked geek
did hair thru the long grapevine
actually following false tidbit
originated within imagination i.e. mine,
while stationed at Macbook Pro
laptop - time already inching close

to hour of rise and shine
yikes still no bloody...

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February 13th, 2023 - old man winter gave a one...two punch

Overladen snow covered crackle and crunch
though, this skeptic owned a doubtful hunch
that such 24/7 round the clock whether coverage
would make laughingstock of forecasting
how Jack Frost...

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Talent
by Michael R. Burch

for Kevin Nicholas Roberts

I liked the first passage
of her poem: where it led
(though not nearly enough
to retract what I said.)
Now the book propped up here
flutters, scarcely half read.
It will keep.
Before sleep,
let me...

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DETECTIVE
The murder of the noted activist
took the whole community by surprise,
Jessie Malinche was known by the whole town,
some had praised her, others said she spoke lies,
for years she had fought, had ‘stood for women,’
this was...

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I have deleted the 2 poems I posted earlier today, and instead I offer what will be my final write.  I have read the comments on T.J's blog, written in defense of all poets...

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(I.)
Within Golden Walls, Love's Gardens Await

Ripe are swelled grapes upon glowing vine
my darling on love's bounty we shall dine
in our paradise rests more than a dream
there flows truest joy from Heaven's first stream.

Within golden walls,...

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My heart is broken,
Never would I have thought that my love would be traded for a measly token.
	
All of this was done to ME when I should’ve been the one who was provoked,
I was the...

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Why do you have to be so much like me? 
 Why do you have to hold a grudge after i've just finished holding one on you? 
    See were not seeing...

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Do you sometimes wonder
how to introduce what is out there to your soul and mind?
how to understand that which exists, in that period of time?
and in that present moment is real, and do you feel...

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A casualty of a personality similarity, apparently,
though it's not apparent to me, 
maybe in a parallel reality with unparalleled insanity.

My motto is true individuality breeds pure originality,
I hate monos I do but inconsistency prevents rhyme...

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‘can’t change your family but you are free to choose your friends’

Michael’s brother is demented and only remembers the distant past

his parents are long dead they died in a car crash at illegitimate speed

every now...

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.
       Suffering & Compassion
      This comes to the Caring 
      Caring is central emotion
     ...

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Now for the final act,
I go over to the broad
      lying on the floor
                ...

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He's got a big ego,
he keeps offending people,
he scoops the same scoop,
and round and round we loop,
until the bubble pops
and the world sees him flop,
reject the rude,
deflate your ego,
swearing kills the mood,
you able?

I'm getting too...

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I am homeward bound
Lusty thoughts, for the love I miss
It’s a surprise, I am coming ‘round
I’m expected two days beyond this
Being away, day after day, left a hole
Being away, hollowed my soul
I rush towards your...

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easy access and proliferation of firearms,
     now begs a serious hard question
     presenting daunting task,
quite aware that passionate
     stalwart supporters of the NRA,

...

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ASSUMPTION, PRESUMPTION , GUMPTION

I don’t enjoy been on a plane,
I find it scary and a tad mundane,
But last time I flew,
I sat next to a lady I slightly knew,
I was bored and wanted to play...

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An early morn mist that fadeth away
revealeth the goddess that stole this heart.
In radiance, her hair shone as blazing gold
soft-born winds welcomed her that fine day.

Her approach held me silent and steadfast
earth and sky both...

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