Long Vase Poems

Zen Death Haiku

Brittle cicada shell,
little did I know
you were my life!
—Shuho, translation by Michael R. Burch

Returning
as it came,
this naked worm.
—Shidoken, translation by Michael R. Burch

As dew glistens
on a lotus leaf,
so too I soon must vanish.
—Shinsui,...

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Sonnet LXXXI-LXXXIX

Day, and Night
by Michael R. Burch

The moon exposes pockmarked scars of craters;
her visage, veiled by willows, palely looms.
And we who rise each day to grind a living,
dream each scented night of such perfumes
as drew...

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Translation of Eric Mottram’s Courbet: Elegy 8 by T. Wignesan

Blanches oeuvres ouvertes
résident dans les jours
la surface du banc de travail est noire
les géraniums-lierres
les fougères et les adragans
accumulent leurs oeuvres et jours:
La toile noire de Courbet
un...

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Lumi smiled and reached out to grab his shoulder.  They passed over the ridge where, as Joulupukki had said, a small hamlet clung to the side of the mountain about equal distance to the...

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A a 	big A little a
                   What words start with the letter A
    ...

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{verse 1} 
Stream of blood drips unto the sink…it’s in a puddle of muddled, bittersweet blood – whisper hope in my ears
My heart pumps…in fear of losing you…uoy…u…
Teeth ache, gums bleed on…I blink…never good enough...

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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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Once upon a time, there lived a young woman. She was tall with soft blue eyes and wispy blonde hair. She was married to a nice young man. He was less tall and had almond...

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I am rated R for recovery
Island of empty, icky isolation
Flames of uncertain frustration 
Fix me, I'm a vase of vibrant love
Find me wings to fly, my beloved dove 
I don't mind being blind and left...

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AN ILL-FATED ADDRESS

Being on holiday in Athens was truly the best 21st present 
my parents could have given me, stayed with my granddad,
felt great, I traveled on my own, no more an adolescent.
Sad that I...

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Half a dozen plus years ago the following became a near reality

Countdown to homelessness – 
mars this earthlinked sole Harris - son
panhandler would would register 
pyrrhic victory won.

10…9…8…3..2..1… 
Found me linkedin at the end of...

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O’ my dearest love,  
I gather the world’s rarest petals for you—  
Ghost Orchid fragrance lingers  
in the marsh’s quiet air  

look, love, it fades  
then rises in  
the...

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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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If you spill your secrets to the breeze,
Don't blame the wind for laying them to light.
Once said, words are disclosed, even to trees.
And claim peace in the leaves that rustle and fight.
Whispered tales of a...

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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Spring: Beginning, the practice run, 
      Hello, hallowed ..., Aubade;
Cringe reflections and spare the fun,
     hues, tints, oh yes, and shade,   
  ...

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This poem is written in tribute to 
                           ...

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"A White Sheet of Paper."  Part1

Once upon a time I was a white sheet of paper
Pilled between hundreds on a shelf my neighbor 
For years was an old stapler.

I was full of life yet...

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{"I anguish myself with the presence of a loved one to keep me alive inside of my head. 
Call me crazy, insane, a moron in all depths of despair, but my reluctance for somebody to...

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Ink roached infestation didst derive within mice elf

Minor emendations to following
just posted verse
oversight to correct dissatisfaction,
yours truly I do curse
ah... methinks if hands of time 
can be made to go in reverse
a more exemplary version
to...

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 twelve of us he choose to paint
    sons of Jacob in an earthen 
jar so sturdy
plonked us with vehemence
directed by neuronal cells 
skull protecting scrambled 
delicacy
     ...

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Keep Me Good Company…

TODAY MY MATE SAVES MY DAY... 
From spiraling into unconstructive decay, 
Plugging my volcano of negative gossip & hearsay, 
Planting productive advice to direct my way,
Removes pokey cacti from under my feet,...

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    Sponsor : Tom Woody 
Contest : Black Hole Love
Submitted:   16/7/25

_____________

“Love embodies in millions of forms and frequencies, not all known. Its intrinsic nature is detachment, with eventual dissolution into...

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So take your rose colored glasses off
And see this battle for the withered tulip it really is
There is no leaving this town,
It's got the best heights to fall from 
And the best milestones to lose...

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Ink roached infestation didst derive within mice elf

Thus writer of these words
forever mus lee experiencing 
craving to eat cheese,
a milk product 
eternally preserved within 
annals, chronicles, epistles, 
et cetera of human civilization 
and it's discontents...

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He plays throughout the house at night 
a braille touch for his lack of sight
and dreams of all the crippled things 
with broken legs and shattered wings.

The bandage on his wounded eyes 
will be there...

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