Long Swelled 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 young lady's car slowed to a stop ...

As she pulled as far off the highway, (onto the shoulder), as she could
(Allowing for any snow plow that might come along).
She had chosen poorly this time
Believing...

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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  Holy  Bible ~
 (Quatern)


 It tells the beginning of man
 How  God  created all from start
 He made the moon, stars,  earth, day, night
 It  tells of...

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This is how it starts
the decline of who we are, the decline of something more
the start of wars
Installed in us is confidence
confidence, a blessing or a curse
Without confidence we stand degraded, disenchanted, alone
while with too...

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WITHIN THE BRIGHTEST NIGHT (Part 01)

”Life?”

"Are you thinking what I think?" she said, nonchalantly. 
”Is this not the place for it, Young Light?”
"My young light." said I.
"Let's go in, then, Young Light." She had other...

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The constant assault of the silence on his senses is intense 
Hands clenched in fist he wished for noise and bliss
Buddy stopped talking and drinking he begins pacing as he’s thinking 
Tired from walking he...

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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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The tale below was carved one night
upon the stone, by candlelight
...most won’t believe, but some just might
.........most won’t believe, but some just might



            ...

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As darkness absorbed in my reveries, my usual lapse accommodated itself in height of melancholy but not in this conscience. Then I found myself in my room and my window opened. Everything in upheaval, a...

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From my lowly bachelor’s house
Proudly christened ‘Embassy Fair’
I woke up to the chirping of birds
On the trees above and across the vale
And the riverine bushes in-between
I woke up to the crowing of cocks
And the mooing...

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My eyes couldn’t help 
But wander 
And smile at every passing inch 

Aimlessly following the walls 
And your voice 
Throughout the house you lay your head at night 

It was cozy 
Decorated delicately 
In memories...

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Priscilla Penelope Thurston was a young Brazilian beauty with jet black eyes and amber skin that shown like a natural pearl.
You didn’t need to look real hard to know, by any measure, that Prissy was,...

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One day in early summer Murphy the Irishman came to town,
He rode upon a matted mule , his face was burnt and brown,
The corks that hung from his bushman's hat persuaded flies to keep away,
But...

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Communities are built on pioneer toil and generational links,
with building, road and railway, applied to how a council thinks.
There’s sporting ties and country hall, to form the social hub,
and of course a meeting place -...

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Communities are built on pioneer toil and generational links,
with building, road and railway, applied to how a council thinks.
There’s sporting ties and country hall, to form the social hub,
and of course a meeting place -...

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Proverbs 16:18 (KJV) “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

I’ve been ashamed,
Ashamed of my lack of understanding,
My lack of consideration,
My lack of care and concern,
My lack of admiration.

I’ve been ashamed,
Ashamed of...

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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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As I checked my mail one day as I always do,
In the box was waiting a package with no clue
Of who it was from, from whom it was sent,
And for sure it puzzled me as...

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The Hunters sallied forth... their hearts aglow
    with a fearlessness displayed.
A pugnacious merry band of brothers
    who to a boy were not afraid.
To find the foe they hoped to...

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Kerry Ann gleamed with undeterred joy and twinkled in anticipation

It was her birthday and as a true Sagittarius she had colourful vision 

And a sharp bow for shooting the moon to get closer to serious...

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A Halloween Tale
  By Lee Bragan 

Darkness creeps across the land,
The midnight hour is close at hand.
A night of evil awaits us all
On whom will Death choose to call?
There’s no place to hide till...

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The child sat on the sofa,
her body laiden with bruises and covered in lice. 
She was only the age of one,
         maybe two.
     How could this be true?
I stared at my friend and she at...

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Columbus In The New World

Three ships sailed under Spanish colours
(The Santa Maria, Niña and La Pinta)
And dropped anchor off the shores of San Salvador,
For Columbus and his crew to man-the-oars
To set foot on Terra firma...

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