Long Undeterred Poems

Hard driven by the embarrassment,
                              ...

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As hapless vapors of decay, surround us, suffocating the fecund earth. A blanket of suffocating grey, born from the diseased aspirations of humanity. We, the self-appointed masters of a planet in shambles, gaze upon the...

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(A Christmas vacation vignette)

Lisa and I choppered onto Manhattan Island yesterday morning. We’d both felt toasted—so we took naps—and yay! We awoke recharged.

Later that evening, Lisa and I were at the ‘Elsie’ Rooftop Bar, in...

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BEGINNINGS

The WORD was there before the dawn of time
the Trinity communed in sacred tongue
with sounds unheard, unspeakable, sublime
they uttered words of their unending Love.
With power in God's WORD the world was formed
and from His mouth...

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Moods oscillate in cadences of peaks and valleys
Music to fractious emotions on greasy dance floors
Mistimed cues of flares smouldering relationships

Angst of redundancy seethes from within as lava
Anger is camouflaged with the cloak of reticence
Ardour suffocated...

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UNFATHOMABLE CONFLICT

How nice to wake up in the morning
and admire the golden sunlight,
peeping through the white clouds,
listen to the melody of a birdsong. 

For weeks, I was in blankness,
numbed and stupefied, unable
to feel, think, cry...

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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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THREE WITCHES A LOVE SONNET


Three ancient, rotten, horrid, witches 
just awoke from their daytime snore,
These evil, reeking, damaged, sisters,
Cursed the land for thirty-five score.

As they hobbled down stairs 
they stammered and coughed,
Till they reached the...

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CALL ME THE BLACK GOLD OR THE HANDSOME DEVIL
How did you find me, my undeterred and awesomely daring love?
When I flew away into time years ago like a dove.
And you sat upon the cold rocks...

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Had I, been I, would I have been born in the all time of all of things positive Spanish, esp the Flamenco fragrance of all things love, life and flourish casting all pertinent fate to...

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I leave buying food at the market to the spouse...

one helluva comparative
humdinger savvy shopper,
who can rattle off the best buy
for most any given item,
at the drop of a hat
analogous to baseball fanatic
(unlike myself who knows...

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Slowly and stately
they shuffle along the ice
Oblivious and orderly
they move from the sea into the frozen wilderness
Moving with uncanny precision
along the widest king's highway on earth
None to impede their path
as the cycle of permanent darkness...

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I have fought on the dark battle fields of hell,
and have been favored by the fortunes of heaven.
I neither fear nor fret, and put the cares of others above myself.     ...

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These are English translations of Urdu poems by Faiz Ahmad Faiz. 



Speak!
by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Speak, while your lips are still free.
Speak, while your tongue remains yours.
Speak, while you’re still standing...

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Moods oscillate in cadences of peaks and valleys
Music to fractious emotions on greasy dance floors
Mistimed cues of flares smouldering relationships

Angst of redundancy seethes from within as lava
Anger is camouflaged with the cloak of reticence
Ardour suffocated...

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Sipping aromatic coffee on my duty break 
I glanced beyond the hazy vapors
outside toward the isolated runway;
under moonlit sky giant aircraft at standstill.

Despondent like me they seemed outside,
Inside my zestful mind seemed free,
While I wondered...

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Inner polarity sparks an echoic consciousness. 
Ecstasy magnetically undermines selflessness. 
Soundlessness indicates process stabilization. 
Every breath spawns inner veiled polarization.

Proceed forward, but remember those left behind. 
Your imperfections jostle you powerful and kind. 
Life is about seizing odds that fit...

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once upon a time there was a handsome dude

made water into wine and then walked upon it

a sorcerer diviner hero and likeable companion

washed sore feet and sins in anterograde fashion

but just the same a clairvoyant...

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Africa, 

In this tranquil spectre of time, 

imagination tickled,

Tell, 

I will tell of the treasures of a people, 

Africa on my mind, 

The blessed Land of the brown Chocolatey pigment,

the brave unbroken cast,
 
myriads of...

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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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A man unpresidentially known for the showerhead
Msholozi, the man in charge of singlehandedly running a nation into crisis
With him at the helm the public anxiously watches as the state of things degenerate
The rand has slumbered,...

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The pursuit of justice was for her, just a child
To acknowledge her life taken by organized crime,
those who acted out the worst kind of evil
With cops in their pockets, they could do anything
Had a chief...

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In Defense of the Witch of the West

By Elton Camp

In her, nobody sees any good
But maybe they really should.
Cut some slack for the poor old soul
Criticized for what’s not in her control.

A good place to...

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Sisyphus had Syphilis which had traveled  to his brain

                    a man of pleasure once but...

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To die young, undeterred by humanity/ 
to sleep free, undefered by calamity/

To leave earth without hesitant pride/
No biases present to put aside/

A father watches as his infant sleeps/
he prays to god, ” leave him for...

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