Long Wilfred Poems

State of the Art (II)

These are my "ars poetica" poems about the art and craft of writing poetry. 



What the Poet Sees
by Michael R. Burch

What the poet sees,
he sees as a swimmer 
~~~~underwater~~~~
watching the shoreline...

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A Vain Word
by Michael R. Burch

Oleanders at dawn preen extravagant whorls
as I read in leaves’ Sanskrit brief moments remaining
till sunset implodes, till the moon strands grey pearls
under moss-stubbled oaks, full of whispers, complaining
to the darkening...

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Dear budding poet,

Regarding modern poetry this is a result of poets such as you redesigning forms of poetry written through the ages by different nationalities, famous and just ordinary people like you and me.

When composing...

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Poems about Poets

Elemental
by Michael R. Burch

for and after 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...

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The Silence of War

Behind the Curtains of a church window
Men in Prayer, orchestrated by sweat and Lice
Find relief from snipers gaze

Beside the cross sits the last candle
Flickering precariously, searching for sanctuary from the wind
But the...

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 POTD 23rd June 2019

Maria Williams 
Presents

Dance to Love

A tribute to my Dad, the late - Wilfred Forbes

She danced with wild abandon
she danced without a care
With sun kissed skin, her arms flung wide
Wild flowers everywhere

I...

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When I was a little girl
My grandfather had a tin
With a sailor smoking a cigarette on the lid
It was what he kept his medals in

He called them Pip, Squeak and Wilfred
And I asked him what...

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October 30th, 1863 

Halloween eve, before the clock turned the day- almost midnight. 
The moon just right, full, and nearly hidden behind a thin layer of dark grey cloud. A perfect day for a walk...

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Stadacona
An ode to Quebec City

1

On the green bank of a mighty stream - 
A lofty aerie - a fair city beam
With stately air a queen, she stands - 
A gem - over these most forest...

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10 million men sent to die,
Not expected to return.
Bullied into suicide,
Sacrificed, in turn.

A poppy for a measly 20p,
Slapped on a dirty car bumper.
Is this how we choose to thank,
10 million men dying in honour?

Each man...

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If I’d picked up a snooker cue, when I picked up a pen;
and then gone on to build a break of eight or nine or ten.

If I had only listened more to those who understand;
who...

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Pt. II

Instead she posed a million questions to me about how we really were 
It was only two days later, he said, she awoke as usual, at dawn 
She made enough breakfast for everyone; Mama,...

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This is a small tribute to one of England's
Finest world war 1 poets who died
A week before the great war ended. Nov. 4th 1918

           ...

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A week before the Armistice, you died.
They did not keep your heart like Livingstone’s,
then plant your bones near Shakespeare’s. So you lie
between two privates, sacrificed like Christ
to politics, your poetry unknown
except for that brief flurry’s:...

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He came like Tommy’s Cooper
With a pocket in each hand,
Juggling with his boulders
While out humphing ‘cross the land.

It took about a day a week
No more and not much less.
He took his Barry from a hook
And...

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The War Poets

The First World War wasn`t a world war but
a war of dominance in Europe chiefly by the Franc, British and Germany.
World War 2 included most country it was a nasty war
millions of people...

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To sing an anthem for doomed youth.
Why did I believe the clergy's untruth
and the politicians who I voted for in a polling booth.
and know i will pay the price in karma's toll booth.

Governments don't worry...

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Blake was chosen keeper,
For careful hands had he  
Yeats the classic sweeper
And Keats at number three 
  
Whitman wore the five shirt 
With Masefield to his right  
Thus they had a back...

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Dulce et decorum est,
or total hell on Earths past
oh world of many worlds,
how long will this one last,

Wild with all regrets,
though needs dictate
spells of incantations,
realisation of my fate,

The young soldier
with a date to respect
Six o'clock...

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