Long Villa Poems

“Son”...”say goodnight to grandpa”

Spurred by mother dearest 
as well as other politesse
drummed into her second born
fobbing blandishments as incentive
tumbled off fingers of prodigal son
tripped wordsmith to splutter forth
forthwith the following lines.

Back in the day 
quaint...

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Damian Stood in the morning sun.
The sun felt good on his face.
Delilah was still sleeping. He
Kissed her face and caressed 
Her belly until she awoke.
Hey my Mrs. Me. Come on babe.
We will be leaving today...

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An early wintry storm hit late last night on this date, September 11th, 2035. There was strangeness in the air like a stale aftermath of partying.  Frigid. Strange that people still celebrate Freedom Day...

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(strike while the iron's hot, else...
up prize cold hard steel Goldfinger
rewind: the following case in point).

Believe me you (stranger out there
along the information super highway),
perhaps feeling comfortably numb,
which I (personally experiencing futility)

vainly searching for Nirvana)...

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Sonny hid behind the melons 
In a busy Asian marketplace,
Near the plantains and the mangos 
Where the shadows could obscure his face.  
He inhaled the air around him 
And enjoyed the fragrant scent of...

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EGBERT THE ADORABLE OCTOPUS & OTHER NONSENSE VERSE

Egbert the Octopus
is so damn cute
& smarter than u
(the point is moot) 
'cause he doesn't pollute
when he commutes, 
only, perhaps, 
when he (ahem)  "poots"! 
—michael r. burch



Monarch
by...

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There once was a west ham 
Went to Hollywood with a plan 
Thackray was her name 
She loved the American cheese game 
Everything seemed fine 
Sorority House filled with cheap wine 
Doing the nickel and...

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English translations of Latin poems written by the ancient Roman poetess Sulpicia.



I. At Last, Love!
by Sulpicia
translation by Michael R. Burch

It's come at last! Love!
The kind of love that, had it remained veiled,
would have shamed me...

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Ares
by Hesiod
translation by Michael R. Burch

Ares, exceeding all men in manliness, bronze-harnessed charioteer, golden-helmed gladiator, strong-armed spear-hurler, dauntless shield-bearer, courageous of heart, father of warlike Victory, able ally of Themis and Divine Law, dauntless defender...

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These are English translations by of Latin poems written by the ancient Roman female poet Sulpicia.



V. Reproach for Indifference
by Sulpicia
translation by Michael R. Burch

Have you no kind thoughts for your girl, Cerinthus,
now that fever wilts...

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The tender, torpid sun floats bored and heavy over vines
And casts his gentle, crimson rays upon the Apennines. 
Above the calm and golden hill, Agrippa’s villa stands:
A marble mansion reigning firm atop the ripened lands....

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There I was, in His presence,
like a pebble in a pond, surrounded & submerged in Satan's spirit,
I was safe though,
safe as sin in a liar's heart,
no threat of abduction, no bargaining for soul,
intimidation felt more...

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The dry breeze moves gently
Infecting the Hamlet with its cool temper
Even the birds shake and generate calmly
A young lady sat at the front of a mansion
Her oily body shines with the aid of the moon....

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Waiting for bubbles 
Here on the pitch 
Hope there will be no trouble 
From Liverpool being in a winning niche 
Known for being paper back writers 
And always having the attitude of being fighters 
The...

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My first poetry reading on April 15, 2011 at Café Jolesch in Zittau

This evening I read the first five of my poems before an audience in the beautiful Art
Nouveau atmosphere of Café Jolesch under the...

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King Power Rhapsody - 
printed by the Leicester Mercury after the victory against Chelsea before Christmas

Is this the real life? Or just a fox fantasy?
Man U now Chelsea, it's a Leicester reality.
Open your eyes, Look...

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After taking a shot of claret wine 
Thackray on a mission to find 
And she was not going to be declined 
With a blade in hand getting a goal 
Thackray did not look old 
Spirits...

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It’s great to be a member of the global elite,
   The bean poles in my garden are standing proud and neat.
Organic veg is thriving thanks to ample bags of peat.
   I...

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Rome was always a playground for me,
Where lovely girls thronged around the streets:
The Fontana dei Trevi where people threw coins
Hoping they would revisit enchanting Rome,
Or on the Spanish stairs amid the delicate flowers
Exuding fragrant perfumes...

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Boys turned into men 
Acting chivalry needing to defend 
Thackray who never was 
Due to the wasp woman wanting buzz 
Gunners waited for Watford to arrive 
“Foul!” they did claim in a cry 
On target...

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Grey cotton wool clouds enfold the mountain tops,
Creeping forward like an army on the move.
Now and then, dropping their wet cargo
On vegetation, withered from long months of sun.
Gusts of wind carry fragments of birdsong,
Rejoicing in...

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Take a look my Love
do you see how the diamonds of our dreams
are burning so brightly and violently
silhouetting the lips of our wishes against the walls of ancient Latin gold
in the sacred villa of Love's...

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Multitudes enter the venue
all know there's something Entre Nous
You Take a Friend to find your place
it's time to just Cut to the Chase

All Losing It, the lights go down 
Signals a start to the Countdown
Vital...

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I am ...

I am the black shine of a dead stare
      I am the reticent pallor of the moon's caste
         and the...

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Vacances en France

Seven hundred miles we travelled,
Across both land and sea.
Because our friends had told us,
France was lovely as could be.

Two caravans we towed there,
To a villa called ‘la Ronce’,
They’d been there, so many times,
But...

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