The Relentless

The Relentless

One day we’ll know how long

the dead have to be dead

before they feel hunger.

One day it’ll be summer forever.

In the meantime, the weather,

looking for its cue, keeps an eye on me;

and I keep whatever money’s in my pocket

crumpled in a ball. A relentless

responsibility dogs me, and the funny thing

is, these are the lyrics to a happy song.

Go ahead, tap your foot,

snap your fingers.

We’re roasting a pig in the yard.

I’m No Longer Troubled By the Extravagance, BOA Editions, 2015

Gettysburg Review, Vol. 25, No 2 Spring 2012

Apologies

I haven't posted anything in a while. I promise I'll try, really try, to be better.

September Reading

I'm reading with the very talented Martin Ott at Skylight Books in Sept. Click here for info. Hope you'll drop in.

rickbursky.com

I re-worked my website and moved it to squarespace.com. It's not completely finished but it is up. Take a look if you get a chance.

rickbursky.com

I'm sure you're dying to see this.

Just what the world needs, advice from me.

https://www.youtube.com/user/WritersProgram

Reading in June!

I’m No Longer Troubled By The Extravagance on BOA website

More blatant self-promotion. My new book, I’m No Longer Troubled By The Extravagance, is available for pre-order on BOA’s website.

Take a look:  https://www.boaeditions.org/bookstore/im-no-longer-troubled-by-the-extravagance.html

Wish I Wrote It

Every now and then I come across a line I wish I wrote, this line by GC Waldrep is one of them. Found it in a BOA Editions tweet. I have a couple of her books, gonna go back to read them.

"Grief is a little church we don't remember / joining..."

ps
Actually, I often come across lines of poetry I wish I wrote. I read a lot of wonderful poetry.

World Poetry Day

Today is World Poetry Day

Today we celebrate World Poetry Day. “To me, poetry is somebody standing up, so to speak, and saying, with as little concealment as possible, what it is for him or her to be on earth at this moment” ― Galway Kinnell

My UCLA Extension Intermediate Poetry Workshop Starts Jan. 21st

 My UCLA Extension Intermediate Poetry Workshop Starts Jan. 21st. There are still a few open spots. Hope to see you there.

Intermediate Poetry Workshop

For those with some previous training in poetry, this workshop focuses on creating work which emphasizes lyrical and innovative language, personal insight, and individual voice. In addition, you refine your knowledge of a number of the craft's formal elements, including structure, imagery, metaphor, and pace, in order to stretch the boundaries of your creative experience. The goal is to produce a small body of work which is ambitious and resonant.