Long Sideways Poems

Radiance
by Michael R. Burch

for Dylan Thomas

The poet delves earth’s detritus—hard toil—
for raw-edged nouns, barbed verbs, vowels’ lush bouquet;
each syllable his pen excretes—dense soil,
dark images impacted, rooted clay.

The poet sees the sea but feels its meaning—
the...

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The tears flowed and I still smiled,
My body and spirit and mind,
Were still in that state of residual bliss,
Soaking in your sweet smile,
And savoring the moonlit skin before me,
But my soul was being torn asunder,
And...

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These are poems about Dylan Thomas, as well as poems "for" and "after" Dylan Thomas. Dylan Thomas was one of my favorite poets from my early teens and has remained so over the years. I...

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Myth, after Dylan Thomas
by Michael R. Burch

Here the recalcitrant wind
sighs with grievance and remorse
over fields of wayward gorse
and thistle-throttled lanes.

And she is the myth of the scythed wheat
hewn and sighing, complete,
waiting, lain in a low...

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The cold air seemed to help clear his head but the lullaby was persistent and 
he could not get it out of his mind.  He walked for just a few moments
before passing the the...

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The night sky was dark but for the beam of light that glared through the trees before them as they walked into the woods.  Joulupukki and Lumi were careful not to get to close...

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Slang..
Chick-fil-a = the best place ever
jade = 
brooke = gorgeous 
mishin = the boss, as in “You aren’t the boss of me.”

Orpheus
We’re on vaycay. School is OVER, COVID is over. We’re in New York City...

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Old misunderstandings of how Earth
and Her species
evolve,
regeneratively and degeneratively change,
sometimes in revolutionary expansive/implosive quick and great transitions,
but more traditionally in slow-grow emergent spacetime development,
are often summarized in secular capitalism's
Might Makes Fertile Right.

While this does capture...

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A prawn masquerading as a peanut can be quite disturbing. So many times a peel is a garment used to shroud. A tentacle hidden. Here and there. Then to reappear with an often violent burst...

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Walking down the alley behind the buildings on Royal street the Mandevilla and Jasmine vines line the sidewalk calming my stressed nerves.  The sweet fragrance of the flowers intoxicating my senses.  My luggage...

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Date:  October   2051

Back at the main house Polly became reacquainted with everybody. Mama Lucinda entered from the path door. Recall their
Cool relationship Polly played her hand carefully. 
"Hello Misses Hakim. So happy...

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There is a new mythology emerging, 
Howling from the hind end of the pack, 
Scorching the composted leavings 
Of established orthodoxy as a pillar of flame 
Showing the way for true rock & rollers. 
It’s...

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It was going to be the best Christmas of the most spectacular, magnificent Christmases in the world.
Certainly, the best one we had ever seen, for Grandma Winslet was coming from England which is big.
She used...

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It was going to be the best Christmas of the most spectacular, magnificent Christmases in the world.Certainly, the best one we had ever seen, for Grandma Winslet was coming from England which is big.
She used...

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THE IMPERSONATOR SAT BEHIND HER DESK OF TWICKERY FALSIFYING FILES AND MURDER CASES RECRUITING VIOLENT OFFENDERS TO END MY LIFE OVER MY AMERICAN POETRY MY FEAR ANXIETY LED ME TO CONTACT THE FBI AS I...

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Warped up lies
Illuminated goodbyes
The reason I hear his cries
Hopefulness and its highs
Amid the optimism, hidden inside
Utopia and its understanding lifts me higher than high itself and ultimately wins the window of my heart's mind
Tribulation and...

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Her back never faces the door

“I’ll only need you on certain days”

she says
(absently)

“I’ll have to write them down
my memory doesn’t work so well
especially when I am caught up”

she’s thinking
(a lovely stare)

“Who is that in the...

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Once upon a time a gymnast teacher told a girl, 
and all her classmates, 
to gather round 
to spot the student currently bouncing 
on the trampoline. 

They circled 
to volunteer a ring of imperfectly rhythmed
but...

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Coffee or tea?

Fragmented frogs frolicking fruitlessly freeing flavoursome fairy freckles,
But what of the speckled hound in the bin?
Well he growled,
He snarled,
The sole paw pilot pivoting,
How interesting was it to note though that the frogs although...

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The past scampers out of view. 
Like the paw prints of a cat running to the bush.
The wheel of time follows no straight line.
As we sometimes trace back over the lines.
In the recesses of our...

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I.

The Fish Crow is an outcast amongst the seagulls
Standing on the hot Miami sand
At the end
Of our rose-colored beach towel

Nodding and blabbing half-heartedly
Nuh-uh nuh-uh
To the lack of crumbs

From us
The stingy blue collar visitors
From freezing old...

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IN THEE EVENT OF MY UNTIMELY DEATH I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW IT IS DUE TO MY WEARING WIRES PREGNANT FOR THE FBI BUYING WEAPONS AND DRUGS FROM CORRUPT COPS SELLING DRUGS THIS LEAD...

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 The Elysian Baby Feels Lament… 

        for Katy Perry……with  manifold marigold “feels”

              ...

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That’s where it all began the FBI warning me my life was in danger my children lives were in danger because Ciro Gargano had committed these horrific arsons 9 elderly persons lost surrounding my abusive...

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Men, do not give up your dreams for these girls, keep sleeping. 


My cousin had read this phrase to me in August, when my wife left me for a harvard graduate that moved in our...

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