Circe
by Michael R. Burch

She spoke
and her words
were like a ringing echo dying
or like smoke
rising and drifting
while the earth below is spinning.
She awoke
with a cry
from a dream that had no ending,
without hope
or strength to rise,
into hopelessness descending.
And an ache
in her heart
toward that dream, retreating,
left a wake
of small waves
in circles never completing.

Originally published by Romantics Quarterly

Keywords/Tags: Circe, enigma, enigmatic, enchantress, siren, enchanted, witch, goddess, magic, Ulysses, pigs, sty



Moon Lake
by Michael R. Burch

Starlit recorder of summer nights,
what magic spell bewitches you?
They say that all lovers love first in the dark...
Is it true?
Is it true?
Is it true?

Starry-eyed seer of all that appears
and all that has appeared—
What sights have you seen?
What dreams have you dreamed?
What rhetoric have you heard?

Is love an oration,
or is it a word?
Have you heard?
Have you heard?
Have you heard?

I believe I wrote this poem in my late teens, during my “Romantic Period.”



Tomb Lake
by Michael R. Burch

Go down to the valley
  where mockingbirds cry,
  alone, ever lonely . . .
  yes, go down to die.
And dream in your dying
  you never shall wake.
  Go down to the valley;
  go down to Tomb Lake.
Tomb Lake is a cauldron
  of souls such as yours —
  mad souls without meaning,
  frail souls without force.
Tomb Lake is a graveyard
  reserved for the dead.
  They lie in her shallows
  and sleep in her bed.

I believe this poem and "Moon Lake" were companion poems, written around my senior year in high school, in 1976. In addition to having similar titles, they had similar "staircase" indention styles. According to my notes, I modified "Moon Lake" two years later in 1978, at which time the poem was substantially finished. I then modified "Tomb Lake" in 1981, but must have forgotten about it, because I don't show that I ever submitted the poem for publication or did anything with it for more than 40 years. Keywords/Tags: Moon, Lake, Lakes, Water, Reflection, Reflections, Image, Imagery, Mirror, Magic, Magician, Seer, Prophet, Shaman, Spell, Spells, Enchantment, Sorcery, Bewitchment, Bewilderment, Incantation, Rhapsody, Love Talk, Love Potion

~
I'm a creature of the Fey
seeking souls that come my way.
A native of the deep blue sea
singing songs of sweet melodies.

Come to me, oh weary traveler.
I’m exactly what you seek.
No compass, map or spy glass needed.
You need only take the leap.

Siren’s gold, a coveted treasure,
worth the risk for a life of leisure.
And if you chance to know my face,
my hold shall be your last embrace

Come to me oh weary traveler
I’ll obliged to offer thee...
wanton eyes, silky tresses, and
pouting lips, your eyes will see.

I’m unlike a mortal lass
from dreams of longing, I have passed.
I came upon your lonely cries
revealed my beauty to your eyes.

Siren’s gold, a prized treasure,
swells your heart with prideful measure.
So shun the world that you have known
and spend your nights within my own.

You’ll be known by other men
for your great works of voice and pen.
Yet, inspiration has a cost.
for with me, know your soul is lost.

I shall be your secret lover.
I will sway you from all others.
I'll take your passion and your skill.
I'll take your life quicker still.

Cloaked in mist, the Siren’s Gold,
you lonely sailor, you’ve lost your hold,
through the kisses that I give
I draw from you, that I will live.

And though you think this weakness grand,
the touch of death, your lover's hand.
Your will to live, has come too late
Come to me and love your fate.
~