Long Sable Poems

Juvenilia: Early Poems by Michael R. Burch

In the Whispering Night
by Michael R. Burch

In the whispering night, when the stars bend low
till the hills ignite to a shining flame,
when a shower of meteors streaks the sky
while...

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Dream-worker 
delves deeply into my dream;

vibrations fondle anticipation
foreplay wakes wide-eyed 
swells of liquid libido quake the rendezvous edge -
a primordial being in his prime
a masculine ego quest for affaire d’amour;
her night-loving body 
c h a...

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Translation of Les Moulins de mon Cœur-THE WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND by T. Wignesan

(For the orignal text in French by Eddy MARNAY : see here below. The English version by Marilyn and Alan BERGMAN differs...

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In sandy Egypt lived three men
In ancient days when pharaohs reigned
The kingdom of the pyramids,
Osiris and that Isis’ den,
Whom everyone worships and heeds,
Or at least doing so they feigned,
And those gods too blessed them and...

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For a few coins Melord, I'll tell a story of two that met in this place, 
and here you can take your rest, and leave sumpter to graze in the tall grass.

I payed the old...

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I was driving to Utah, because I had gotten a promotion;
And chose the scenic route, so as to put things in motion.

I had been traveling from Los Angeles, to Salt Lake City;
And the scenery along...

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An Excelente Balade of Charitie (“An Excellent Ballad of Charity”)
by Thomas Chatterton, age 17
modernization/translation by Michael R. Burch

As wroten bie the goode Prieste
Thomas Rowley 1464

In Virgynë the swelt'ring sun grew keen,
Then hot upon the meadows...

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We all have our hopes, and I certainly did have mine,
I was longing for the love, of someone I thought divine.

Whenever he walked by, it seemed for me time stood still,
And I grew as speechless,...

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Though virtual reality wasn't new, I hadn't ever once tried it,
Yet the concept fascinated me, like beauty's mysterious secret.

It seemed that the new experience, would be one I would enjoy,
So in eagerness I scheduled a...

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Autumn Leaves/Les feuilles mortes de Jacques PREVERT (1900-77) 
Translated by T. Wignesan 

(Note: As far as I can make out, this poem is at the heart of all versions of « The Autumn Leaves "...

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I had an old auntie called Mable
Who could drink men under the table
She’d tell folks of her gout
Sup up six pints of stout  -
then stagger to the loo when able!

11~23~16

WRITTEN BY JAN ALLISON


My paternal...

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I was a prolific and enthusiastic artist, like a sparkling jewel rife with colors,
Taking joy from nature themes and others, as in childhood joys of summers.

I painted active people and wilder places, houses, sunsets and...

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I believed in fitness and healthy living, including obtaining sufficient sleep,
To revel for years in buttery sunshine, which makes emerald willows weep.

I consumed only healthier foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables,
As the glassy, black...

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CHANDRA
		  
Down to my last dollar, staring at the floor,
As lonely near two million as on Sable Island’s shore.
Another grey Toronto day, the saddest I had known,
No place now to lay my head, so...

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I lived a quiet but active life, packed with brilliant sparkle and warm shine,
Like devoted lovers strolling under the captive moon, sometime after nine.

I was the manager of a jewelry store, with a number of...

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She wades in until the water reaches her waist,
looks out and continues into the endless sea.
Her imagined long gown floats behind her.

Her little girl shoulder blades 
become hidden beneath the water.
Each time she raises her...

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I was a meticulous city planner, like future plans we make for jasmine days,
And I loved beautifying the big city, like blooming parks where nature plays.

I was ever striving to improve the metropolis, proposing plans...

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They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters:
These see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep.

From the 107th psalm




It's been the hub of the...

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(To the Spartan Queen) 

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra via
Mi inoltrai in una selva oscura
  
‘They drive horses down this hill’ 
She said, 
‘They take them to drink down there, that pool, there’ 
She...

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I was a bonafide, happy beautician, like a gorgeous, daisy sun as it is rising;
And charming, happy faces were my pursuit, like silvery moonlight uprising.

My days were a flurry of manicures and facials, like nature's...

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I was once an idealistic young soldier, who was very new to the occupation,
Trying to preserve freedom, and way of life, like the golden sun, at creation.

Yet, the times were very troubled, because an unhappy...

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I was a passionate, aspiring musician, striving quite hard to be a success;
As nature lovers try hard to succeed, at living where pretty flowers press.

Rosy days teemed with activity and planning, bold plans of runaway...

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(Inspired by the film: 'The Fall of the Roman Empire')

She was with him

   in the great gore of battle....

Where skulls legion were cracked

   and limbs hewn from sword,

   ax...

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I was a happy, fluent linguist, fruitfully helping revive endangered languages,
As colorful rainbows walk across the sky, in buttery hours, turned languorous.

I enjoyed doing practical fieldwork, and establishing useful literary programs,
As the honeysuckle sun loves...

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I was an experienced astrologer, for wandering stars held much fascination,
Luring in opal darkness of mystery, like beautiful butterfly transformations.

My days were spent charting pretty planets, alongside of faint, pearly stars,
Interpreting their effects on humans,...

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