Talon Poems

There’s a miniature volcano
on his back
with mortifying eruption.
‘Beauty is 
in mind’, his mom intones.
But nobody
recognizes. His classmates
‘honor’ him
with some funny sobriquets. 

It resembles a cactus. He can’t
eschew its
thorns. He withdraws. Solitude
is a shelter. 

It’s like a gas-producing 
cassava; his
mind bloats...Read More

stranded Soldier, tossed ashore forced to fight a gallic war .Bound by Honor, a task at hand.  a sword and shield upon his back. a twisted Fate he is to find. Bound by oath and his Foolish Pride a...Read More

Duellem (The Duel)
by Charles Baudelaire
loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Two combatants charged! Their fearsome swords
brightened the air with fiery sparks and blood.
Their clashing blades clinked odd serenades,
reminding us: youth's inspired by overloud love.
But now their blades lie broken, like our...Read More

Every flower has its own color
With annual observation,
this we springtime discover

Give a womb kernel cede
of acknowledgment
To the spectrum birthright
of each other

We are all one,
tho’ from a different umbilical mother

Notice the bloom of time,
come rain   ...   come...Read More

Many moons ago,
a languishing lamentation flow
carved a grievous path
in the red soil

Defying moral gravity,
downtrodden fallow weeps 
flowed upward   to the heavens
With river Nile ease

Native American Exodus
wasn’t done willingly
Oh, how the Five Nations
were saber led forcibly!

Time traveling eyes
need not...Read More

Tremble
by Michael R. Burch
 
Her predatory eye,
the single feral iris,
scans.
 
Her raptor beak,
all jagged sharp-edged thrust,
juts.
 
Her hard talon,
clenched in pinched expectation,
waits.
 
Her clipped wings,
preened against reality,
tremble.
 
Originally published by The Lyric
...Read More

Chief egalitarian garbage taster i.e. “white trash”

As Halloween costume, 
one year during early grade school, 
my father got brilliant idea 
for sole son dressed
uniquely rubbish qua 
putrid offal getup. 

Missus Shaner (talon clawed, 
shriveled relic archaeopteryx dinosaur, 
who taught fifth...Read More

In congress there's a sleeper cell 
they'll not cherish our moment of silence
for the three thousand souls that fell~
They despise the colors of our flag
the blood that was sacrificed for their right
to talk smack and wear those fancy rags~
They've no...Read More

Byword People (Came By Way)



Pitch black was the day after
the nightmare before
When the blue wails
washed upon the sunset shore
Dark journey’s end for the castoff children,
who were unspoken for

Idol eyes resting carelessly,
got sin windswept upon a western breeze
Towards a bitter labor...Read More

The Dance of Salome
Herod bellowed out the night's festive orders..
"Bring the torches, bring the tables..
more wine, that we may rejoice,  
for tonight we revel in kindred friendship."
Herod strolled onto the terrace, nearly stumbled in 
a soldier's spilt blood.

Herod leering...Read More

mud creatures with knifed talon fingers
squirm and rip 
Tearing from my heart
a formless creature with no end or beginning
heads become tails that wrap and entwine
tortured stems of petrified trees
that twist and devour
spread and stagnate
held in stasis
by a lying smile
and morphing...Read More

You say you've seen it all
but your not even close 
there's always more
twists and turns, ironic endings
to the comedy and horror show-
Given time, life will stomp the mind
you've only seen a vignette of its grit and grind
Fortunes can change slow...Read More

Ford score and...Chevy
five years ago,
my Model A strapping
handsome big bro,
(who sped like one

speeding Triumph font lee, crow),
wing, & swooping Thunderbird, with
bold face observers whistling Geronimo
(Holy Jeep), this meant war
whooping Comanche 
decked out as armadillo

kicking up red feathery colored dust devils
rivaling...Read More

I dove into a cauldron
Headfirst into a brew
I needed a phoenix talon
To wash my heart anew.

The witch & I are friends
He gave me his talisman
We wrote out names in blood
On a tree our names engraved.

Running through hemlock groves
Swimming through moonlit...Read More

Unseen talon sharp claws...
dig deep into mine
psyche soft underbelly
piercing bedrock of
     core (puss) being
     akin to butter knife
slicing thru peanut
butter and jelly

unable to preserve
an iota of calm,
which eruption of cataclysmic
agitation analogous to...Read More

Into my heart a pink raindrop fell
though it was not heavenly hued
in fact it came from the talon of hell

It sweetly glistened with perfumed charm
then came straight for my throbbing alone
enchanted, I'd turned off my faithful alarm

We swam for a...Read More

Both legs wore suspenders with fishnets in black, 
Both legs where covered in love,
While her left leg wore a gartering tough, 
Belt made of chrome hearts and studs,

With no dimples, no pits, no elastic stretch marks, 
Not a blemish to...Read More

The sun is out ~ the skies are free 
Of darkened clouds ~ that sadden me 
A brisk, coolness ~ of refreshing air 
traveling through ~ my wind blown hair 
Gifted, to me ~ from a snow white dove 
A...Read More

Sixteen hundred full moons ago, RumbleVoice, a giant with a mission, and his mighty spy hawk, Samuel P. were up in the Butter Cup Mountains hunting for a young wild bobcat to bring home to socialize, when Samuel P. started...Read More

Acromion's Tension  
      was used to subdue the
    National Championship from
 "the meaniest" Galgon Birchever
  or Galgon "the Meanest" Birchever
         as they...Read More

Lusting Abyss, his Darkness.
.
Darkness is he, soulless totally
It's abyss he commands, desiring what he sees

In front of him stands a virgin, pure as the driven snow
For white he knows it is, upon she his darkness will show

Long haired and silken...Read More

Here are the French Connection facts,
Monsieurs and Madames
No need for reverse English translation,
Ladies and Gentlemen

Step carefully ... 
You’re now at the yellow tape border of 
a Jurassic Park murder scene investigation
Here’s robo Rico “Bio-Class II” Suave,
your mechanized splatter sherpa:
A top-of-the-assembly...Read More

She was feral

She was real

And amazingly wild

Long talon like nails

And razor sharp teeth

Eyes like a cat

Born with curiosity

Born so feral, wild and free

Screams like a wildcat

Hear her screech

Best if you stay

Out of her reach

So feral

So individual

Cannot be taught

Tamed or schooled

Feral...Read More

Safe places are hard when you hide from sharp eyes. 
Anxiety says: when you’re a mouse, you scurry fast.
The mouse wonders… what if the eagle nearby is skillfully disguised? 

Little mouse trembles when dark might be the shadow of wings....Read More

Within the common (all purpose room)
     at highland manor apartments aye
daily encounter, one bewitchingly dreaded
     fiendishly horrible, jeeringly loopy,

     nap noopy, pugnaciously ravenous, talon
    ...Read More