Oh, there once was a lady, and so I've been told,
Whose lover grew weary, whose lover grew cold.
"My child," he remarked, "though our episode ends,
In the manner of men, I suggest we be friends."
And the truest of friends ever after they were-
Oh, they lied in their teeth when they told me of her!
No not to-night, dear child; I cannot go;
I'm busy, tired; they knew I should not come;
you do not need me there. Dear, be content,
and take your pleasure; you shall tell me of it.
There, go to don your miracles of gauze,
and come and show yourself a great pink cloud.
So, she has gone with half a discontent;
but it will die before her curls are shaped,
and she'll go forth intent on being pleased,
......
I am afraid, oh I am so afraid!
The cold black fear is clutching me to-night
As long ago when they would take the light
And leave the little child who would have prayed,
Frozen and sleepless at the thought of death.
My heart that beats too fast will rest too soon;
I shall not know if it be night or noon, --
Yet shall I struggle in the dark for breath?
Will no one fight the Terror for my sake,
The heavy darkness that no dawn will break?
......
Let them bury your big eyes
In the secret earth securely,
Your thin fingers, and your fair,
Soft, indefinite-colored hair,—
All of these in some way, surely,
From the secret earth shall rise;
Not for these I sit and stare,
Broken and bereft completely;
Your young flesh that sat so neatly
On your little bones will sweetly
......
Now it's over, and now it's done;
Why does everything look the same?
Just as bright, the unheeding sun, --
Can't it see that the parting came?
People hurry and work and swear,
Laugh and grumble and die and wed,
Ponder what they will eat and wear, --
Don't they know that our love is dead?
Just as busy, the crowded street;
......
I dreamt about beeping lines
Slowly and steadily rising
Their sudden downfall scares me
As I just heard a story
A tale of two heartbeats
One Raising inside her womb
Basking in her warmth
Nourishing themself for a long period
......
These are poems about Palestinian children and their mothers...
Epitaph for a Palestinian Child
by Michael R. Burch
I lived as best I could, and then I died.
Be careful where you step: the grave is wide.
......
The mindset of hope and of a child are much alike,
as if true serenity and innocence are connected.
The comfort of a child in their mother's arms is what we long for inside ourselves,
a sense of safety and peace within our own body.
Treat every moment like you are still a child,
Cherish the most insignificant things in life.
Put that shiny rock in your pocket, it may be gold!
With thought, the smallest thing can bring peace and understanding to a life.
Every tiny aspect of nature is a beauty.
......
These are poems for children and poems about children and their mothers, fathers, grandmother, grandfathers and extended families.
The Desk
by Michael R. Burch
for Jeremy
There is a child I used to know
who sat, perhaps, at this same desk
where you sit now, and made a mess
......
Woow - yoo - yuu - woow
Wild fox roars high now
Pie - hu - pee, pie - hu -pee
Peahen sings among tree
One who eats all day
Is wild bear's deny
Koo - hu - koo, koo - huu
'Tis time to morn dew
Le - loo - la, le - loo
Wild cow is now pet too
......