Long Urn Poems

Cleansings
by Michael R. Burch

Walk here among the walking specters. Learn
inhuman patience. Flesh can only cleave
to bone this tightly if their hearts believe
that God is good, and never mind the Urn.

A lentil and a bean might...

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[Now ShallowMan is quite content
receiving FactoidMan’s consent
to quibble and express dissent
as long as keeping covenant
with fingers crossed and belfry bent
when viewing Facts in sealed cement:]

SM
“The Facts you give me circumvent
those ‘truths’ your chuckles supplement;
although they...

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World War II Poems and Holocaust Poems (I)

These are poems about World War II and the Holocaust, which is also called the Shoah in Hebrew. 



Epitaph for a Child of the Holocaust
by Michael R. Burch

I...

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*Image of Many Meanings by KWC.

Likeness ssenekiL: Part 1

(HOMONYMS: Homophones & Homographs)

He'll heal his heel.
They sow so they sew.
His aide aid with an ade.
You saw a ewe eat a yew.
I ate on the ait eight...

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In the darkness of the night, 
a ruby gleams 
to contrast a slumbered eye awakened 
to feeling, 
reflection, light, 
Lady "Genie", eyes aglow
like a beast, in mid-stride,
lost in her midnight dreams is clothed in a...

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A poet of a thousand words
The pen garnished by the flame
Like a sea no desire knows
And love becomes the same
As poet to my love for thee
I confess between the lace
Of time and every sorrow made
I...

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This was last Saturday night. We were at a rooftop party in downtown New Haven thrown by ‘DocHouse.’ Doc-House is kind of a frat-house, owned by Dr. Melon, where he and seven doctoral students live....

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Upon approaching advent of an early spring 2024
(alternately titled  GENESIS RESPLENDENT)

No matter the calendrical/official onset of vernal equinox takes places Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024 and transpires until Thursday, Jun 20, 2024, an intimation sensed...

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1  Where are we

The path appears as we walk upon it,
crystallising right before our soul’s eye,
enabled for those with resolve and grit,
who to attain God, are ready to die.

If the God-search task seems like...

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Life is not cricket: though a game of cricket reflects life 
It portrays real-life conditions; from cradle to urn 
Starting with toss of a coin; ends in pulling bails off
Just as cricket life is simply...

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I have such sentimental devotion
My eyes are an outlandish ocean 
Wish I had positivity's pure potion
Pleasure and pain got me feeling my sad notion
Of what I've become - the chosen 

I don't know what to...

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The sun rises high over the tropical trees
White patchy clouds survey the blue sky,
Time drifts slowly into the clouded breeze
With the colors red, green and gold passing by.

Jamaica play a key role bringing out the...

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So from first circle started the descent
Down to the second, which contains less
And more pain, stinging to a great extent.

There the horrible Minòs growls giving stress:
The faults examines right to entry close:
Judges and sends according...

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The darkness, now descending, floods the city as it dies
while shadows lurk in legions 'neath the looming Evil Eye.
Its frozen stare envelops all, it penetrates and pries,
denouncing loathed dissenters to the keepers in the sky....

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Rosalia - The Evil Black Witch of the Harz, Part Eight

On the next morn’ at dawn the sentence of hanging until dead was carried out on Rosalia. Her body hanged from the gallows’ rope for...

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   "I have seen and heard the vibrancy of dreams, 
and the way 
of the crossings-through the ills 
and through the barriered things."

A fleeting spark that perceives, 
I, have seen...

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Daylight Savings Time – March 13th,   2022

A long time graduate courtesy 
Hard Knocks alum,
once again yours truly 
posts reasonable rhyme 
about shortest day of the year.

Two o'clock Ante Meridiem 
nostri Jesu Christi 
hour...

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Argh... the bane of daylight savings time – November 3rd 2024

Hour hands clock back
sixty minutes of Autumn
round about same of month
every year, what a bummer,
an inconvenient truth
diverged from this chum
purposelessly manipulating
hold over yesteryear doth drum
sensation...

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Written: February 14, 2025 for Contest by Edward Ibeh

“Quote: Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!
Edgar Allan Poe”

             ...

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Sappho Translations VI by Michael R. Burch


Sappho, fragment 52
translation by Michael R. Burch

Yesterday,
you came to my house
to sing for me.

Today,
I come to you
to return the favor.

Talk to me. Do.
Sweet talk,
I love the flavor!

Please send away...

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The Haunted House
  
So vacuous this winding road
A rainy eve for man, not fit
As shivers course my dampened skin
My vehicle, this place does quit

When through the pines these eyes do spy
A silhouette of monstrous...

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Continued from Part 1

Hungary hounds harangue the highlands,
howl at skies and desert islands…
Below, unfettered carbon crows conceal the parting path she chose

Lighthouse lamps and lanterns lolling…
Mute abandoned fleets are calling…
The shallow shadowed portholes vaunt dim...

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These are modern English translations of epigrams and poems by the ancient Greek poet Erinna...

On a Betrothed Girl
by Erinna
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

I sing of Baucis the bride.
Observing her tear-stained crypt
tell Death who dwells...

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The glory of America, now heats up 
   with agitation poised to strike on the brink 
sans legislation incites humiliation, 
    which goads desecration fete accompli chink 
  ...

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Father time legendarily and Omni potently 
 existentially linkedin, binding cradle to grave 
since advent of homo sapiens, the whiffed bald credo 
 an employee most adhere ta have 
and keep source of income, subtly...

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