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#jehovah
They say / Love can heal / & that time mends all wounds. / Even so, the pain still lingers: / The sting of mortality, / The chains & shackles of a martyred past, / Unrequited love. / These all besmirch / The light of a heart / That once shone, fulminated resplendently; / Moreover, the residue of my departed juvenescence / Leaves me in a melancholic haze. / What I am is disillusioned & / What I’m not is where I would like to be. / The Cimmerian shadows of the past & my regret / Still cloud my mind / & leave me singing a discordant melisma / That reverberates, resonates, echoes through in & throughout. / Even so, my hope & faith / Have not been extinguished. / A remnant, a relic, a vestige of what I once was / Is where I stand / I pray that Jah, The Cosmo-Plexus of Empyreal Love / Can redeem & repurchase me / From the abyss of my angst & sorrow. / Jesus Christ is my Lord, King, & savior, / Now & forevermore, excelsior. / (—Se’ lah) 12-08-2025
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Dec 9, 2025
Dec 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM UTC
| Musing Upon The Past |
Antipathy of God’s magnum opera: \ An anomaly, \ It is preternatural, \ & it is entropy. \ As Children of The Most High God, Jah, \ The Cosmo-Plexus of Empyreal Love, \ We must rise above, we must transcend \ Hate, Malice, & attrition. \ The Spirit is beckoning you, \ Embrace amour & revere the one who is love: \ 8 “Who ever does not love has not come to know God, because \ God is love.” —1st John 4: 8 (NWTSE) \ (—Se’ lah) 10-04-2025
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Oct 4, 2025
Oct 4, 2025 at 12:30 PM UTC
|Magnum Opera |
“I dream; therefore, I am,” said the sage. \ Will my dreams come to fruition? \ I beseech Jah, The Transcendent One \ That I might attain the fulfillment of the promise. \ When Jah & Jesus sought \ To consecrate me \ I resisted them, \ I did not fathom myself worthy. \ I was enfettered by my Sea of Iniquities \ & unable to disentangle, liberate myself \ From the onerous & lethal wages \ Of Sin & Death. \ But now I have been emancipated, —experienced manumission \ By the Hand of The Deific Divine: \ My dreamcatcher, \ My salvific benison. \ To The Transcendent Dreamcatchers: \ Thank you for life, love, liberty, & your embrace. \ —You are Freedom, you are The Emblematization of Emancipation, you are The Insignia of Liberty; \ Therefore, you grant me the wings to soar. \ Please continue to be my aegis \ Your name being a bulwark against The Nightmarish Wraith of Tremulousness. \ Apropos of your Holy Spirit \ I wield a Bastion Heart. \ (—Se’ lah) 09-26-2025
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Sep 27, 2025
Sep 27, 2025 at 10:11 AM UTC
| Dreamcatcher |
A burgeoning dream / That proliferates / Even as my physical body / Wanes / A lingering will / That compels me forth every day of my life. / Dreams are the quintessence of life: / Ineffably rare & tender. / Dreams give me hope / They instill within me the fortitude / The impetus / To bring them to fruition. / But sometimes / I fathom the fulfillment of the promise / Shall ne’ er come to pass, / As though I am not enough / As though I will remain / In limbo. / I beseech The Cosmo-Plexus of Empyreal Love / That my dreams are fulfilled. / A wish is inviolable power / Cast in the light of reverie; / Therefore, I await the day / When my prayers are fulfilled. / (—Se’ lah) 09-05-2025
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Sep 8, 2025
Sep 8, 2025 at 9:50 AM UTC
Lingering Will
Sun, Moon, & Stars / In The Cabinet of Creation / Formed to exalt The Cosmo-Plexus. / Jehovah, did you / Form all to be loved? / I believe you did create / All people to know / & to love. / —Love is all, / Love is beauty, & beauty is love. / Hearken to the ethereal resonations / Loveless vore. / Jehovah is all to some, / He is my Heaven, He is my Earth, / He is my Moon, He is my Sun, He is my Sacral Polaris. / Perhaps a paramour / Might be fitting to some. / However, even when loveless, / I am not enfeebled. / —I am power. / (—Se’ lah) 07-26-2025
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Aug 23, 2025
Aug 23, 2025 at 4:01 PM UTC
Luminary YahJah
Abba, forgive me and forget      The sins for which I live disgraced      And face the wicked world shame-faced, And I shall live to prosper yet.
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Jul 29, 2025
Jul 29, 2025 at 5:13 PM UTC
Abba
There is a burden in my heart, there is a wallowing in my spirit, there is a heaviness in my heart. I want to do more in you lord, I need to do more in you Lord, I find it hard to let go of my desires and walk to you. But with the little strength I have, I'll call upon your name and I shall be saved, I'll lean into you for help and you'll be my guide . I come to you lord. My heart needs you. My strength grows weak without you. I know your strength is made great in my weakness, so I come to you father. Please help me.
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Nov 6, 2024
Nov 6, 2024 at 7:08 AM UTC
My heart's cry.
His love washes over me / Pristinely / Drenching me, deluging me / In surging airborne streams / A parcel of wind greets me / & raises me to Him. / In the Light of Dreams, of sweet reverie, / There I find Him. / Beside me he fulminates / Making me adamantine, / Diamonded / Glistening resplendently. / A place of concealment, a sanctuary, / He drenches me in His Light, baptismal, / Cascades me, / In its torrential downpour. / In stillness there is revelation, / In stillness there is clarity, / Though our hearts tremulous, may quake & tremble, / He awakens us anew each morn. /
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Dec 10, 2023
Dec 10, 2023 at 3:10 PM UTC
Amour Baptismal (Originally penned on Sunday, December 10th, 2023)
Why should I surrender to fear? / Oh, is this frailty I sense in me? / As I'm budding I envision the aethers / Embracing me, rapturously, / I spiral upwards / Efflorescing, bursting into bloom. / Why do we tremble at change, / Yet embrace continuity? / When do we stop pining & / Herald equanimity, harmoniously? / Yin & Yang; of lore I once sang, / Now triumphalistically I declare His name. / Freedom reigns / Truth prevails, / Justice weighs / Spirit sustains / A diaphanous azure flame: / —I shall ne' er be the same. / (—Se' lah)
0
Apr 1, 2023
Apr 1, 2023 at 10:01 AM UTC
Fatalistic Freedom (Originally penned on Saturday, February 4th, 2023)
Nonbeliever by Michael R. Burch writing as Kim Cherub She smiled a thin-lipped smile (What do men know of love?) then rolled her eyes toward heaven (Or that Chauvinist above?). Keywords/Tags: Agnostic, Atheist, Chauvinist, Heresy, Heretical, God, Religion, Atheism, Nonbeliever Is there any Light left? by Michael R. Burch Is there any light left? Must we die bereft of love and a reason for being? Blind and unseeing, rejecting and fleeing our humanity, goat-hooved and cleft? Is there any light left? Must we die bereft of love and a reason for living? Blind, unforgiving, unworthy of heaven or this planet red, reeking and reft? While “hoofed” is the more common spelling, I preferred “hooved” for this poem. Perhaps because of the contrast created by “love” and “hooved.” Evil Cabal by Michael R. Burch those who do Evil do not know why what they do is wrong as they spit in ur eye. nor did Jehovah, the original Devil, when he murdered eve, our lovely rebel. Red State Religion Rejection Slip by Michael R. Burch I’d like to believe in your LORD but I really can’t risk it when his world is as badly composed as a half-baked biscuit. Enough! by Michael R. Burch It’s not that I don’t want to die; I shall be glad to go. Enough of diabetes pie, and eating sickly crow! Enough of win and place and show. Enough of endless woe! Enough of suffering and vice! I’ve said it once; I’ll say it twice: I shall be glad to go. But why the hell should I be nice when no one asked for my advice? So grumpily I’ll go ... although (most probably) below. Altared Spots by Michael R. Burch The mother leopard buries her cub, then cries three nights for his bones to rise clad in new flesh, to celebrate the sunrise. Good mother leopard, pensive thought and fiercest love’s wild insurrection yield no certainty of a resurrection. Man’s tried them both, has added tears, chants, dances, drugs, séances, tombs’ white alabaster prayer-rooms, wombs where dead men’s frozen genes convene ... there is no answer—death is death. So bury your son, and save your breath. Or emulate earth’s “highest species”— write a few strange poems and odd treatises. "Altared" in the title is not a misspelling, but a play on the words "alter" and "altar" (as in a religious altar). Pagans Protest the Intolerance of Christianity by Michael R. Burch “We have a common sky.” — Quintus Aurelius Symmachus (c. 345-402) We had a common sky before the Christians came. We thought there might be gods but did not know their names. The common stars above us? They winked, and would not tell. Yet now our fellow mortals claim our questions merit hell! The cause of our damnation? They claim they’ve seen the LIGHT ... but still the stars wink down at us, as wiser beings might. Well, Almost by Michael R. Burch All Christians say “Never again!” to the inhumanity of men (except when the object of phlegm is a Palestinian). Advice for Evangelicals by Michael R. Burch “... so let your light shine before men ...” Consider the example of the woodland anemone: she preaches no sermons but — immaculate — shines, and rivals the angels in bright innocence and purity — the sweetest of divines. And no one has heard her engage in hypocrisy since the beginning of time — an oracle so mute, so profound in her silence and exemplary poise she makes lessons moot. So consider the example of the saintly anemone and if you’d convince us Christ really exists, then let him be just as sweet, just as guileless and equally as gracious to bless. Mayflies by Michael R. Burch These standing stones have stood the test of time but who are you—and what are you—and why? As brief as mist, as transient, as pale ... Inconsequential mayfly! Perhaps the thought of love inspired hope? Do midges love? Do stars bend down to see? Do gods commend the kindnesses of ants to aphids? Does one eel impress the sea? Are mayflies missed by mountains? Do the stars regret the glowworm’s stellar mimicry the day it dies? Does not the world grind on as if it’s no great matter, not to be? Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose. And yet somehow you’re everything to me. Originally published by Clementine Unbound Maker, Fakir, Curer by Michael R. Burch A poem should be a wild, unearthly cry against the thought of lying in the dark, doomed—never having seen bright sparks leap high, without a word for flame, none for the mark an ember might emblaze on lesioned skin. A poet is no crafty artisan— the maker of some crock. He dreams of flame he never touched, but—fakir’s courtesan— must dance obedience, once called by name. Thin wand, divine!, this world is too the same— all watery ooze and flesh. Let fire cure and quickly harden here what can endure. Originally published by The Lyric The ancient English scops were considered to be makers: for instance, in William Dunbar’s “Lament for the Makiris.” But in some modern literary circles poets are considered to be fakers, with lies being as good as the truth where art is concerned. Hence, this poem puns on “fakirs” and dancing snakes. But according to Shakespeare the object is to leave something lasting, that will stand test of time. Hence, the idea of poems being cured in order to endure. The “thin wand” is the poet’s pen, divining the elixir— the magical fountain of youth—that makes poems live forever. O, My Redeeming Angel by Michael R. Burch O my Redeeming Angel, after we have fought till death (and soon the night is done) ... then let us rest awhile, await the sun, and let us put aside all enmity. I might have been the “victor”—who can tell?— so many wounds abound. All out of joint, my groin, my thigh ... and nothing to anoint but sunsplit, shattered stone, as pillars hell. Light, easy flight to heaven, Your return! How hard, how dark, this path I, limping, walk. I only ask Your blessing; no more talk! Withhold Your name, and yet my ears still burn and so my heart. You asked me, to my shame: for Jacob—trickster, shyster, sham—’s my name. To Know You as Mary by Michael R. Burch To know you as Mary, when you spoke her name and her world was never the same ... beside the still tomb where the spring roses bloom. O, then I would laugh and be glad that I came, never minding the chill, the disconsolate rain ... beside the still tomb where the spring roses bloom. I might not think this earth the sharp focus of pain if I heard you exclaim— beside the still tomb where the spring roses bloom my most unexpected, unwarranted name! But you never spoke. Explain? Belfry by Michael R. Burch There are things we surrender to the attic gloom: they haunt us at night with shrill, querulous voices. There are choices we made yet did not pursue, behind windows we shuttered then failed to remember. There are canisters sealed that we cannot reopen, and others long broken that nothing can heal. There are things we conceal that our anger dismembered, gray leathery faces the rafters reveal. ur-gent by Michael R. Burch if u would be a good father to us all, revoke the Curse, extract the Gall; but if the abuse continues, look within into ur Mindless Soulless Emptiness Grim, & admit ur sin, heartless jehovah, slayer of widows and orphans ... quick, begin! Bible libel (ii) by Michael R. Burch ur savior’s a cad —he’s as bad as his dad— according to your horrible Bible. demanding belief or he’ll bring u to grief? he’s worse than his horn-sprouting rival! was the man ever good before being made “god”? if so, half your Bible is libel! yet another post-partum christmas blues poem by michael r. burch ur GAUD created hell; it’s called the earth; HE mused u briefly, clods of little worth: "let’s conjure some little monkeys to be BIG RELIGION’s flunkeys!" GAUD belched, went back to sleep, such was ur birth. wee the many by michael r. burch wee never really lived: was that our fault? now thanks to ur GAUD wee lie in an underground vault. wee lie here, the little ones ur GAUD despised! HE condemned us to death before wee opened our eyes! as it was in the days of noah, it still remains: GAUD kills us with floods he conjures from murderous rains. stock-home sin-drone by Michael R. Burch ur GAUD created this hellish earth; thus u FANTAsize heaven (an escape from rebirth). ur GUAD is a monster, **** ur RELIGION lied and called u his frankensteinian bride! now, like so many others cruelly abused, u look for salve-a-shun to the AUTHOR of ur pain’s selfish creation. cons preach the “TRUE GOSPEL” and proudly shout it, but if ur GAUD were good he would have to doubt it. un-i-verse-all love by Michael R. Burch there is a Gaud, it’s true! and furthermore, tHeSh(e)It loves u! unfortunately the He Sh(e) It ,even more adorably, loves cancer, aids and leprosy. One of the Flown by Michael R. Burch Forgive me for not having known you were one of the flown— flown from the distant haunts of someone else’s enlightenment, alighting here to a darkness all your own . . . I imagine you perched, pretty warbler, in your starched dress, before you grew bellicose . . . singing quaint love’s highest falsetto notes, brightening the pew of some dilapidated church . . . But that was before autumn’s messianic dark hymns . . . Deepening on the landscape—winter’s inevitable shadows. Love came too late; hope flocked to bare meadows, preparing to leave. Then even the thought of life became grim, thinking of Him . . . To flee, finally,—that was no whim, no adventure, but purpose. I see you now a-wing: pale-eyed, intent, serious: always, always at the horizon’s broadening rim . . . How long have you flown now, pretty voyager? I keep watch from afar: pale lover and ****** what the “Chosen Few” really pray for by Michael R. Burch We are ready to be robed in light, angel-bright despite Our intolerance; ready to enter Heaven and never return (dark, this sojourn); ready to worse-ship any gaud able to deliver Us from this flawed existence; We pray with the persistence of actual saints to be delivered from all earthly constraints: just kiss each uplifted Face with lips of gentlest grace, cooing the sweetest harmonies while brutally crushing Our enemies! ah-Men! wild wild west-east-north-south-up-down by Michael R. Burch each day it resumes—the great struggle for survival. the fiercer and more perilous the wrath, the wilder and wickeder the weaponry, the better the daily odds (just don’t bet on the long term, or revival). so ur luvable Gaud decreed, Theo-retically, if indeed He exists as ur Bible insists— the Wildest and the Wickedest of all with the brightest of creatures in thrall (unless u somehow got that bleary Theo-ry wrong too). The Strangest Rain by Michael R. Burch "I ... am small, like the Wren, and my Hair is bold, like the Chestnut Bur?and my eyes, like the Sherry in the Glass, that the Guest leaves ..."?Emily Dickinson "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry."--Emily Dickinson The strangest rain, a few bright sluggish drops, unsure if they should fall, run through with sun, came tumbling down and touched me, one by one, too few to animate the shriveled crops of nearby farmers (though their daughters might feel each cool splash, a-shiver with delight). I thought again of Emily Dickinson, who felt the tingle down her spine, inspired to lifting hairs, to nerves’ electric song of passion for a thing so deep-desired the heart and gut agree, and so must tremble as all the neurons of the brain assemble to whisper: This is love, but what is love? Wrens darting rainbows, laughter high above. Note to a Chick on a Religious Kick by Michael R. Burch Daisy, when you smile, my life gets sunny; you make me want to spend all my ****** money; but honey, you can be a bit ... um ... hazy, perhaps mentally lazy?, okay, downright crazy, praying to the Easter Bunny! A coming day by Michael R. Burch for my mother, due to her hellish religion There will be a day, a day when the lightning strikes from a rainbowed mist when it will be too late, too late for me to say that I found your faith unblessed. There will be a day, a day when the storm clouds gather, ominous, when it will be too late, too late to put away this darkness that came between us. lust! by michael r. burch i was only a child in a world dark and wild seeking affection in eyes mild and in all my bright dreams sweet love shimmered, beguiled ... but the black-robed Priest who called me the least of all god’s creation then spoke for the Beast: He called my great passion a thing base, defiled! He condemned me to hell, the foul Ne’er-Do-Well, for the sake of the copper His Pig-Snout could smell in the purse of my mother, “the ***** jezebel.” my sweet passions condemned by degenerate men? and she so devout she exclaimed, “yay, aye-men!” ... together we learned why Religion is hell. Published by Lucid Rhythms, The HyperTexts and Black Waters of Melancholy Hellbound by Michael R. Burch Mother, it’s dark and you never did love me because you put Yahweh and Yeshu above me. Did they ever love you or cling to you? No. Now Mother, it’s cold and I fear for my soul. Mother, they say you will leave me and go to some distant “heaven” I never shall know. If that’s your choice, you made it. Not me. You brought me to life; will you nail me to the tree? Christ! Mother, they say God condemned me to hell. If the Devil’s your God then farewell, farewell! Or if there is Love in some other dimension, let’s reconcile there and forget such cruel detention. Prayer for a Merciful, Compassionate, etc., God to ****** His Creations Quickly & Painlessly, Rather than Slowly & Painfully by Michael R. Burch Lord, **** me fast and please do it QUICKLY! Please don’t leave me gassed, archaic and sickly! Why render me mean, rude, wrinkly and prickly? Lord, why procrastinate? Lord, we all know you’re an expert killer! Please, don’t leave me aging like Phyllis Diller! Why torture me like some sap in a thriller? God, grant me a gentler fate! Lord, we all know you’re an expert at ****** like Abram—the wild-eyed demonic goat-herder who’d slit his son’s throat without thought at your order. Lord, why procrastinate? Lord, we all know you’re a terrible sinner! What did Japheth devour for his 300th dinner after a year on the ark, growing thinner and thinner? God, grant me a gentler fate! Dear Lord, did the lion and tiger compete for the last of the lambkin’s sweet, tender meat? How did Noah preserve his fast-rotting wheat? God, grant me a gentler fate! Lord, why not be a merciful Prelate? Do you really want me to detest, loathe and hate the Father, the Son and their Ghostly Mate? Lord, why procrastinate? Modern Dreams by Michael R. Burch after David B. Gosselin I dreamed that God was good, but then I woke and all his goodness vanished—poof!— like smoke. I dreamed his Word was good, but then I heard commandments evil, awful, weird, absurd. I dreamed of Heaven where cruel Angels flew above my head and screamed, the Chosen Few, “We’re not like you!” I dreamed of Hell below, where prostitutes adored by Jesus, played on lovely lutes “True Love Commutes.” I dreamed of Earth then woke to hear a Gong’s repellent echoes in Religion’s song of right gone wrong. Star Crossed by Michael R. Burch Remember— night is not like day; the stars are closer than they seem ... now, bending near, they seem to say the morning sun was merely a dream ember. Keywords/Tags: god, Jesus, Christ, Christian, prayer, Bible, angel, atheist, faith, blasphemy, heresy, heresies, heretic, heretic, heretical, pagan, pagans, god, gods Published as the collection "Nonbeliever" Kim Cherub is a pen name of Michael R. Burch. Keywords/Tags: God, male chauvinist, religion, Christian, Christianity, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, feminist, feminism, skeptic, nonbeliever, atheist, agnostic
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Mar 18, 2023
Mar 18, 2023 at 8:53 AM UTC
Nonbeliever
Nonbeliever by Michael R. Burch writing as Kim Cherub She smiled a thin-lipped smile (What do men know of love?) then rolled her eyes toward heaven (Or that Chauvinist above?). Keywords/Tags: Agnostic, Atheist, Chauvinist, Heresy, Heretical, God, Religion, Atheism, Nonbeliever Is there any Light left? by Michael R. Burch Is there any light left? Must we die bereft of love and a reason for being? Blind and unseeing, rejecting and fleeing our humanity, goat-hooved and cleft? Is there any light left? Must we die bereft of love and a reason for living? Blind, unforgiving, unworthy of heaven or this planet red, reeking and reft? While “hoofed” is the more common spelling, I preferred “hooved” for this poem. Perhaps because of the contrast created by “love” and “hooved.” Evil Cabal by Michael R. Burch those who do Evil do not know why what they do is wrong as they spit in ur eye. nor did Jehovah, the original Devil, when he murdered eve, our lovely rebel. Red State Religion Rejection Slip by Michael R. Burch I’d like to believe in your LORD but I really can’t risk it when his world is as badly composed as a half-baked biscuit. Enough! by Michael R. Burch It’s not that I don’t want to die; I shall be glad to go. Enough of diabetes pie, and eating sickly crow! Enough of win and place and show. Enough of endless woe! Enough of suffering and vice! I’ve said it once; I’ll say it twice: I shall be glad to go. But why the hell should I be nice when no one asked for my advice? So grumpily I’ll go ... although (most probably) below. Altared Spots by Michael R. Burch The mother leopard buries her cub, then cries three nights for his bones to rise clad in new flesh, to celebrate the sunrise. Good mother leopard, pensive thought and fiercest love’s wild insurrection yield no certainty of a resurrection. Man’s tried them both, has added tears, chants, dances, drugs, séances, tombs’ white alabaster prayer-rooms, wombs where dead men’s frozen genes convene ... there is no answer—death is death. So bury your son, and save your breath. Or emulate earth’s “highest species”— write a few strange poems and odd treatises. "Altared" in the title is not a misspelling, but a play on the words "alter" and "altar" (as in a religious altar). Pagans Protest the Intolerance of Christianity by Michael R. Burch “We have a common sky.” — Quintus Aurelius Symmachus (c. 345-402) We had a common sky before the Christians came. We thought there might be gods but did not know their names. The common stars above us? They winked, and would not tell. Yet now our fellow mortals claim our questions merit hell! The cause of our damnation? They claim they’ve seen the LIGHT ... but still the stars wink down at us, as wiser beings might. Well, Almost by Michael R. Burch All Christians say “Never again!” to the inhumanity of men (except when the object of phlegm is a Palestinian). Advice for Evangelicals by Michael R. Burch “... so let your light shine before men ...” Consider the example of the woodland anemone: she preaches no sermons but — immaculate — shines, and rivals the angels in bright innocence and purity — the sweetest of divines. And no one has heard her engage in hypocrisy since the beginning of time — an oracle so mute, so profound in her silence and exemplary poise she makes lessons moot. So consider the example of the saintly anemone and if you’d convince us Christ really exists, then let him be just as sweet, just as guileless and equally as gracious to bless. Mayflies by Michael R. Burch These standing stones have stood the test of time but who are you—and what are you—and why? As brief as mist, as transient, as pale ... Inconsequential mayfly! Perhaps the thought of love inspired hope? Do midges love? Do stars bend down to see? Do gods commend the kindnesses of ants to aphids? Does one eel impress the sea? Are mayflies missed by mountains? Do the stars regret the glowworm’s stellar mimicry the day it dies? Does not the world grind on as if it’s no great matter, not to be? Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose. And yet somehow you’re everything to me. Originally published by Clementine Unbound Maker, Fakir, Curer by Michael R. Burch A poem should be a wild, unearthly cry against the thought of lying in the dark, doomed—never having seen bright sparks leap high, without a word for flame, none for the mark an ember might emblaze on lesioned skin. A poet is no crafty artisan— the maker of some crock. He dreams of flame he never touched, but—fakir’s courtesan— must dance obedience, once called by name. Thin wand, divine!, this world is too the same— all watery ooze and flesh. Let fire cure and quickly harden here what can endure. Originally published by The Lyric The ancient English scops were considered to be makers: for instance, in William Dunbar’s “Lament for the Makiris.” But in some modern literary circles poets are considered to be fakers, with lies being as good as the truth where art is concerned. Hence, this poem puns on “fakirs” and dancing snakes. But according to Shakespeare the object is to leave something lasting, that will stand test of time. Hence, the idea of poems being cured in order to endure. The “thin wand” is the poet’s pen, divining the elixir— the magical fountain of youth—that makes poems live forever. O, My Redeeming Angel by Michael R. Burch O my Redeeming Angel, after we have fought till death (and soon the night is done) ... then let us rest awhile, await the sun, and let us put aside all enmity. I might have been the “victor”—who can tell?— so many wounds abound. All out of joint, my groin, my thigh ... and nothing to anoint but sunsplit, shattered stone, as pillars hell. Light, easy flight to heaven, Your return! How hard, how dark, this path I, limping, walk. I only ask Your blessing; no more talk! Withhold Your name, and yet my ears still burn and so my heart. You asked me, to my shame: for Jacob—trickster, shyster, sham—’s my name. To Know You as Mary by Michael R. Burch To know you as Mary, when you spoke her name and her world was never the same ... beside the still tomb where the spring roses bloom. O, then I would laugh and be glad that I came, never minding the chill, the disconsolate rain ... beside the still tomb where the spring roses bloom. I might not think this earth the sharp focus of pain if I heard you exclaim— beside the still tomb where the spring roses bloom my most unexpected, unwarranted name! But you never spoke. Explain? Belfry by Michael R. Burch There are things we surrender to the attic gloom: they haunt us at night with shrill, querulous voices. There are choices we made yet did not pursue, behind windows we shuttered then failed to remember. There are canisters sealed that we cannot reopen, and others long broken that nothing can heal. There are things we conceal that our anger dismembered, gray leathery faces the rafters reveal. ur-gent by Michael R. Burch if u would be a good father to us all, revoke the Curse, extract the Gall; but if the abuse continues, look within into ur Mindless Soulless Emptiness Grim, & admit ur sin, heartless jehovah, slayer of widows and orphans ... quick, begin! Bible libel (ii) by Michael R. Burch ur savior’s a cad —he’s as bad as his dad— according to your horrible Bible. demanding belief or he’ll bring u to grief? he’s worse than his horn-sprouting rival! was the man ever good before being made “god”? if so, half your Bible is libel! yet another post-partum christmas blues poem by michael r. burch ur GAUD created hell; it’s called the earth; HE mused u briefly, clods of little worth: "let’s conjure some little monkeys to be BIG RELIGION’s flunkeys!" GAUD belched, went back to sleep, such was ur birth. wee the many by michael r. burch wee never really lived: was that our fault? now thanks to ur GAUD wee lie in an underground vault. wee lie here, the little ones ur GAUD despised! HE condemned us to death before wee opened our eyes! as it was in the days of noah, it still remains: GAUD kills us with floods he conjures from murderous rains. stock-home sin-drone by Michael R. Burch ur GAUD created this hellish earth; thus u FANTAsize heaven (an escape from rebirth). ur GUAD is a monster, **** ur RELIGION lied and called u his frankensteinian bride! now, like so many others cruelly abused, u look for salve-a-shun to the AUTHOR of ur pain’s selfish creation. cons preach the “TRUE GOSPEL” and proudly shout it, but if ur GAUD were good he would have to doubt it. un-i-verse-all love by Michael R. Burch there is a Gaud, it’s true! and furthermore, tHeSh(e)It loves u! unfortunately the He Sh(e) It ,even more adorably, loves cancer, aids and leprosy. One of the Flown by Michael R. Burch Forgive me for not having known you were one of the flown— flown from the distant haunts of someone else’s enlightenment, alighting here to a darkness all your own . . . I imagine you perched, pretty warbler, in your starched dress, before you grew bellicose . . . singing quaint love’s highest falsetto notes, brightening the pew of some dilapidated church . . . But that was before autumn’s messianic dark hymns . . . Deepening on the landscape—winter’s inevitable shadows. Love came too late; hope flocked to bare meadows, preparing to leave. Then even the thought of life became grim, thinking of Him . . . To flee, finally,—that was no whim, no adventure, but purpose. I see you now a-wing: pale-eyed, intent, serious: always, always at the horizon’s broadening rim . . . How long have you flown now, pretty voyager? I keep watch from afar: pale lover and ****** what the “Chosen Few” really pray for by Michael R. Burch We are ready to be robed in light, angel-bright despite Our intolerance; ready to enter Heaven and never return (dark, this sojourn); ready to worse-ship any gaud able to deliver Us from this flawed existence; We pray with the persistence of actual saints to be delivered from all earthly constraints: just kiss each uplifted Face with lips of gentlest grace, cooing the sweetest harmonies while brutally crushing Our enemies! ah-Men! wild wild west-east-north-south-up-down by Michael R. Burch each day it resumes—the great struggle for survival. the fiercer and more perilous the wrath, the wilder and wickeder the weaponry, the better the daily odds (just don’t bet on the long term, or revival). so ur luvable Gaud decreed, Theo-retically, if indeed He exists as ur Bible insists— the Wildest and the Wickedest of all with the brightest of creatures in thrall (unless u somehow got that bleary Theo-ry wrong too). The Strangest Rain by Michael R. Burch "I ... am small, like the Wren, and my Hair is bold, like the Chestnut Bur?and my eyes, like the Sherry in the Glass, that the Guest leaves ..."?Emily Dickinson "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry."--Emily Dickinson The strangest rain, a few bright sluggish drops, unsure if they should fall, run through with sun, came tumbling down and touched me, one by one, too few to animate the shriveled crops of nearby farmers (though their daughters might feel each cool splash, a-shiver with delight). I thought again of Emily Dickinson, who felt the tingle down her spine, inspired to lifting hairs, to nerves’ electric song of passion for a thing so deep-desired the heart and gut agree, and so must tremble as all the neurons of the brain assemble to whisper: This is love, but what is love? Wrens darting rainbows, laughter high above. Note to a Chick on a Religious Kick by Michael R. Burch Daisy, when you smile, my life gets sunny; you make me want to spend all my ****** money; but honey, you can be a bit ... um ... hazy, perhaps mentally lazy?, okay, downright crazy, praying to the Easter Bunny! A coming day by Michael R. Burch for my mother, due to her hellish religion There will be a day, a day when the lightning strikes from a rainbowed mist when it will be too late, too late for me to say that I found your faith unblessed. There will be a day, a day when the storm clouds gather, ominous, when it will be too late, too late to put away this darkness that came between us. lust! by michael r. burch i was only a child in a world dark and wild seeking affection in eyes mild and in all my bright dreams sweet love shimmered, beguiled ... but the black-robed Priest who called me the least of all god’s creation then spoke for the Beast: He called my great passion a thing base, defiled! He condemned me to hell, the foul Ne’er-Do-Well, for the sake of the copper His Pig-Snout could smell in the purse of my mother, “the ***** jezebel.” my sweet passions condemned by degenerate men? and she so devout she exclaimed, “yay, aye-men!” ... together we learned why Religion is hell. Published by Lucid Rhythms, The HyperTexts and Black Waters of Melancholy Hellbound by Michael R. Burch Mother, it’s dark and you never did love me because you put Yahweh and Yeshu above me. Did they ever love you or cling to you? No. Now Mother, it’s cold and I fear for my soul. Mother, they say you will leave me and go to some distant “heaven” I never shall know. If that’s your choice, you made it. Not me. You brought me to life; will you nail me to the tree? Christ! Mother, they say God condemned me to hell. If the Devil’s your God then farewell, farewell! Or if there is Love in some other dimension, let’s reconcile there and forget such cruel detention. Prayer for a Merciful, Compassionate, etc., God to ****** His Creations Quickly & Painlessly, Rather than Slowly & Painfully by Michael R. Burch Lord, **** me fast and please do it QUICKLY! Please don’t leave me gassed, archaic and sickly! Why render me mean, rude, wrinkly and prickly? Lord, why procrastinate? Lord, we all know you’re an expert killer! Please, don’t leave me aging like Phyllis Diller! Why torture me like some sap in a thriller? God, grant me a gentler fate! Lord, we all know you’re an expert at ****** like Abram—the wild-eyed demonic goat-herder who’d slit his son’s throat without thought at your order. Lord, why procrastinate? Lord, we all know you’re a terrible sinner! What did Japheth devour for his 300th dinner after a year on the ark, growing thinner and thinner? God, grant me a gentler fate! Dear Lord, did the lion and tiger compete for the last of the lambkin’s sweet, tender meat? How did Noah preserve his fast-rotting wheat? God, grant me a gentler fate! Lord, why not be a merciful Prelate? Do you really want me to detest, loathe and hate the Father, the Son and their Ghostly Mate? Lord, why procrastinate? Modern Dreams by Michael R. Burch after David B. Gosselin I dreamed that God was good, but then I woke and all his goodness vanished—poof!— like smoke. I dreamed his Word was good, but then I heard commandments evil, awful, weird, absurd. I dreamed of Heaven where cruel Angels flew above my head and screamed, the Chosen Few, “We’re not like you!” I dreamed of Hell below, where prostitutes adored by Jesus, played on lovely lutes “True Love Commutes.” I dreamed of Earth then woke to hear a Gong’s repellent echoes in Religion’s song of right gone wrong. Star Crossed by Michael R. Burch Remember— night is not like day; the stars are closer than they seem ... now, bending near, they seem to say the morning sun was merely a dream ember. Keywords/Tags: god, Jesus, Christ, Christian, prayer, Bible, angel, atheist, faith, blasphemy, heresy, heresies, heretic, heretic, heretical, pagan, pagans, god, gods Published as the collection "Nonbeliever" Kim Cherub is a pen name of Michael R. Burch. Keywords/Tags: God, male chauvinist, religion, Christian, Christianity, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, feminist, feminism, skeptic, nonbeliever, atheist, agnostic
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Staid solitude and silence lend me ease from mind’s congestion, tongue’s propensive burl toward chatter’s looping, irritating whirl— exchanging dervish dust for bonny breeze. My soul may sing and soar from quiet’s nest or sit in stillest calm without weight’s care within the waiting, because God is there who knows me, hears me, grants me sweeping rest. The Everlasting God, the LORD o’er all who understands me, loves me with no end— most faithful, fervent Confidante and Friend— pervades the sweet quiescence with His call, “Here in My peace, come find your heart’s desire. Serene in Me, soul catches My love’s fire.”
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May 23, 2022
May 23, 2022 at 10:34 AM UTC
In Quietude (Sonnet)
Stumbling back and forth falling to the side crooked is the path of unstable pride Written words of old remain only light To deviate sets yourself on high following those who only divide. There is not a man alive who doesn't stumble once or twice Forgiveness is the bonding rope A golden way to survive
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Aug 22, 2021
Aug 22, 2021 at 11:14 AM UTC
Deviate
I don't understand but I'm not worried It's out of my hands, out of my hands Been in motion for so long it's not going to stop I guess you shouldn't throw away what's written Whether you want it or not You can't change it no matter how much you wish You can't stop what's been put in place It's God's plan Nobody can change it for the Earth or for space It's bigger than you That's why life's a rat race I'm in it too Enduring no matter what it takes One mistake won't take your life... even if you make it twice. Get back up and make it right! We already know what the consequence is like I'm not in competition with anybody, I want you to win. The only plea I have, Is want the same for me This war isn't mine I have no choice, but I have faith So I speak with my voice
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Aug 3, 2021
Aug 3, 2021 at 8:09 PM UTC
Speak
*Have you kissed bruises On a broken heart Have you ever loved? Have you forgiven All the hurt Have you ever loved? Have you been used Left and even abused By the ones you loved? I know a secret It's best not to dwell on it Because of all the good That's all God sees Even under rejection Under the hurt of the lies And all the despise He forgave us So tell me true, Have you? Every really loved?*
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Aug 2, 2021
Aug 2, 2021 at 3:01 AM UTC
Have you ever loved?
I've seen the news seen what's on TV Listened to music looked at you, looked at me I learned all about our history The only light I see is in the books, songs &  letters written to you and me They've survived through centuries telling us what's to be No, anxiety can't get to me I rest peacefully my mind is at ease for the illumination is brighter than it used to be The writing's on the wall the picture is clear It's never been easier to see He cannot cheat, he will not lie There's no more time to cry he will wipe every tear from our eyes
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May 6, 2021
May 6, 2021 at 3:48 AM UTC
The only light I see
Every man is an omnibus in which our heirs ride Every now and then One of them bursts a cherry And reveals Jehovah's magnificence
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Jan 22, 2021
Jan 22, 2021 at 6:16 AM UTC
Baby Boy
Nonbeliever by Kim Cherub She smiled a thin-lipped smile (What do men know of love?) then rolled her eyes toward heaven (Or that Chauvinist above?). Kim Cherub is a pen name of Michael R. Burch. Keywords/Tags: God, male chauvinist, religion, Christian, Christianity, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, feminist, feminism, skeptic, nonbeliever, atheist, agnostic
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Apr 1, 2020
Apr 1, 2020 at 3:38 AM UTC
Nonbeliever
Isn’t it silly, ***** Nilly? You made the stallion, you made the filly, and now they sleep in the dark earth, stilly. Isn’t it silly, ***** Nilly? Isn’t it silly, ***** Nilly? You forced them to run all their days uphilly. They ran till they dropped— life’s a pickle, dilly. Isn’t it silly, ***** Nilly? Isn’t it silly, ***** Nilly? They say I should worship you! Oh, really! They say I should pray so you’ll not act illy. Isn’t it silly, ***** Nilly? Published by The New Formalist, Poet’s Corner, The Road Not Taken, Charlie Hedbo Poetry We now know there never was a perfect Garden of Eden, because trillions of animals suffered and died before human beings existed. Thus Adam and Eve cannot be responsible for suffering and death. That leaves the Creator, if such a being exists. If not, perhaps it was just the bad luck of the draw. Keywords/Tags: Creator, Creationism, God, Demiurge, Yahweh, Jehovah, worship, religion, pray, prayer, evil, suffering, death, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christianity, garden, Eden, Adam, Eve, animals, creatures, stallion, filly, pretty pickle, silly, nonsense
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Mar 2, 2020
Mar 2, 2020 at 12:44 AM UTC
***** Nilly
... It's very hard Trying to make a change in this life Please fill wisdom in my heart So that the end of this system, I'll survive
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Apr 7, 2019
Apr 7, 2019 at 2:45 PM UTC
Wisdom
I use to run off of emotions, and things always worked out. Yes, my life is piratical, yet at times I do things that are out of my lane. I am not in love with change, I move with prayer. There are many times that my mind says go and Jehovah says no. So I work off of what I am told. It builds my faith, endurance and trust in him. I have many short term goals. All of the long term goals have been met. Raise my children, teach them to love Jehovah and love and protect my brothers and sisters. My short term goals are to make it in this system as I await the next. While it seems simple, you would really need to know me to understand, how not so simple I really am. As my life changes, how strange things seem. So much time on my hands to sit back and just dream. Analyzing the lives that many choose. That is because I am still young enough to make a whole new life of my own. I have not seen anything that appeals to me. As we age, so does our common sense. I am grateful to Jehovah that throughout my youth, I had my children to fill my time. I love my babies and I am so thankful that Jehovah changed my life!
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Jan 4, 2019
Jan 4, 2019 at 12:13 AM UTC
So Much Has Changed
If tomorrow never comes don’t mourn for me because I have finally found good sleep. No, I won’t be able to hear you as you post your fake love on social media. Because I will have finally found the true meaning of peace. I won’t hear or see your tears because I will be asleep. You won’t find me in heaven or your term of hell. For these things don’t exist for me. I will not be among the ones that reign in heaven although I do hope that they enjoy their new life. Nor will I be burning in hell, Hell is a common grave and no God of mine would treat people that way. He is a God of love and mercy so know that, if tomorrow never comes I have the hope of the resurrection. Make sure that My children know that they are my heart and that I hope to see them when I awake. For those that I have spoke the word from the bible with, I hope that they continue to learn. If tomorrow never comes for those that lost contact stay lost. Please don’t come around I won’t be able to see or hear you. But there is no love lost. If tomorrow never comes remember that those that you love must know it. Serve Jehovah to the full he is so amazing and deserves your love and so much more. Those that were there with and for me you mean the world to me. Don’t run up bills on student loans or trying to buy homes. Travel and give love where it’s needed and deserved. If tomorrow never comes I will see you in the new world. Same girl but we will be in a perfect world!
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Oct 3, 2018
Oct 3, 2018 at 12:01 AM UTC
If Tomorrow Never Comes
If I'm wrong, I die. I cease to exist. But I know what it's like not to exist. Or at least I can imagine. I didn't exist before I did. For billions of years. And Mark Twain was right. It didn't bother me in the slightest. But I'll give it a chance. I will read Awake! And I'll visit the Hall. And I'll use your name for God. Jehovah. But what if you're wrong? You feel joy, love, peace. Meaning, purpose, certainty. Those things elude me. But what else? Fear? Guilt? Isolation? A hatred that you call pity? Those things are beyond my reach. An education cut short? A marriage too long? "Don't talk to her. It's for her own good." What if it's not? There will always be people trying to hurt you. It's easier when they have God on their side. "Two eyes saw this, but two others did not. I'll take my reward now. Did I mention I'm good with kids?" What if you're wrong? Sure, your Tower is tall. It dwarfs my cathedral. And it does. I stand in awe. Your Tower is tall. It Watches all things. And it does. But is it tall enough to see Clearwater? You know, Celebrity Centers and personality tests. Cruise and Travolta. Your names are different: Michael Jackson and Prince. But the songbook is the same. Leadership is accountable to no one. Dissent is a **** that must be eliminated. The world is out to get you. And critical thinking is a trap. Families are vital (until they aren't). Our authority will not be questioned. We make no mistakes. But we do become more perfect over time. "But it's not 'disconnection,' it's disfellowship. And they're not 'suppressives,' they're apostates. And we live in no bubble. But we'd rather not debate you." "Besides, they're new. They're small and they're few. They have strange beliefs. That's what matters, right?" But it's not. It's not what matters. And it's not in my nature to hurt people. I can **** when it's justified. But I don't know that this is justified. And consider the life of a poor, worldly soul. Fear is no friend. Guilt is a memory. (Guilt for things that warrant no guilt.) We see the world as it is. Science is no threat. Solitude is a choice, not a lesson. Education is full. Abuse is reported. Families talk. We are slaves to no Slave. Of course these things are foreign to you. Your book precludes them. And your book is infallible. But so are all the others. So thank you for visiting, but I'm hedging my bets. I wish you the best, but I'd rather take death.
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May 18, 2018
May 18, 2018 at 4:44 PM UTC
Jehovah
If I'm wrong, I die. I cease to exist. But I know what it's like not to exist. Or at least I can imagine. I didn't exist before I did. For billions of years. And Mark Twain was right. It didn't bother me in the slightest. But I'll give it a chance. I will read Awake! And I'll visit the Hall. And I'll use your name for God. Jehovah. But what if you're wrong? You feel joy, love, peace. Meaning, purpose, certainty. Those things elude me. But what else? Fear? Guilt? Isolation? A hatred that you call pity? Those things are beyond my reach. An education cut short? A marriage too long? "Don't talk to her. It's for her own good." What if it's not? There will always be people trying to hurt you. It's easier when they have God on their side. "Two eyes saw this, but two others did not. I'll take my reward now. Did I mention I'm good with kids?" What if you're wrong? Sure, your Tower is tall. It dwarfs my cathedral. And it does. I stand in awe. Your Tower is tall. It Watches all things. And it does. But is it tall enough to see Clearwater? You know, Celebrity Centers and personality tests. Cruise and Travolta. Your names are different: Michael Jackson and Prince. But the songbook is the same. Leadership is accountable to no one. Dissent is a **** that must be eliminated. The world is out to get you. And critical thinking is a trap. Families are vital (until they aren't). Our authority will not be questioned. We make no mistakes. But we do become more perfect over time. "But it's not 'disconnection,' it's disfellowship. And they're not 'suppressives,' they're apostates. And we live in no bubble. But we'd rather not debate you." "Besides, they're new. They're small and they're few. They have strange beliefs. That's what matters, right?" But it's not. It's not what matters. And it's not in my nature to hurt people. I can **** when it's justified. But I don't know that this is justified. And consider the life of a poor, worldly soul. Fear is no friend. Guilt is a memory. (Guilt for things that warrant no guilt.) We see the world as it is. Science is no threat. Solitude is a choice, not a lesson. Education is full. Abuse is reported. Families talk. We are slaves to no Slave. Of course these things are foreign to you. Your book precludes them. And your book is infallible. But so are all the others. So thank you for visiting, but I'm hedging my bets. I wish you the best, but I'd rather take death.
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The only love I've ever known I have never seen The only ear that's ever listened I've yet to hear him speak But I know he speaks Through pages I read In moments Experiences I relive in memories The only love I've never known I talk to more than anyone I talk about him too The only love I'll ever want I have yet to meet But somehow I know I will One day That day is worth living for To me it means everything
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Oct 27, 2017
Oct 27, 2017 at 12:49 AM UTC
My love
Able to see everything To act anywhere (Proverbs 15:3; Hebrews 4:13) A spirit person. (John 4:24) Invisible to you and me. (John 1:18) Visions recorded consistently (Isaiah 6:1, 2; Revelation 4:2, 3, 8) The spirit realm, distinct from physical creation A “dwelling place in the heavens.” (1 Kings 8:30) The Bible mentions an occasion when spirit creatures “entered to take their station” God resides at a specific location. —Job 1:6. If God is not omnipresent, can he really care for me? Yes. God cares deeply —Psalm 34:18. —Psalm 32:8. Stars and other creative works “declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1) Telling us of his power, wisdom, and love
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May 23, 2017
May 23, 2017 at 10:19 PM UTC
Omnipresent?
Have you ever felt like Some hearts believe they can see Right through you To your core and reasons They think they know you though they have no idea They can't fit the shoes You've been wearing If only a glimpse were caught Available; though it's not What remains Is hearsay and guessing And this is the story That's believed of me How they think I know what happened Or what's happening If I did anything of my own initiative Why did I too Feel like a lunatic? They say I chose my outcome To fall apart I am cold as ice That I don't have a heart So I freeze in solitary confinement I pray for my enemies Crying tears of silence Wishing death would come to me Though it doesn't I love and move along Only enduring That's my story Don't get it twisted Now don't you worry It won't make a difference I believe in the one Who's never giving in He fulfills his promises & when I pray He listens Throughout our lives We live many stories Some we're amazing In all of their glory Sometimes in despair We trip and fall But we get back up And the story goes on
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Feb 15, 2017
Feb 15, 2017 at 6:13 PM UTC
Story