Two Poems
Paul Burgess

In Praise of Stairs

An elevator’s swift at changing floors
but might obscure the shift between each story
or trap one high behind unyielding doors
or open up on floorless purgatory.

And escalators’ restless, churning jaws
insist one reach the bottom or the top.
Their toothy heads of cold revolving saws
provide no chance to sit and think or stop.

With stairs, one’s journey feels a little slow,
but feet can savor every step progressed.
The legs can change directions that they’ll go,
and stairs can serve as seats when bodies rest.

Though humble stairs don’t offer modern speed,
they satisfy an ancient, inner need.

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Previously published in Snakeskin (2025)

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Paul’s notes: “This piece originally had a longer title that gestured at thematic concerns with products, technological advances, social systems, and cultural practices that deceptively seem to emerge fully formed and that now appear at increasingly dizzying speeds and in overwhelming numbers. I simplified the title, however, because the poem was never meant to be a narrow reflection on a single theme.

“Literal elevators are, of course, convenient for some but essential for others, and I’m grateful for technology that improves accessibility for and serves the needs of diverse groups of people.“

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Crashing an Emu

My brother grabbed a bird to fly
and took a leap from way up high.
His choice of emu for his flight
was quite a fatal oversight.

An emu’s body only soars
about as well as mine or yours,
so don’t expect an emu pet
to be a giant birdie jet.

(And dogs, despite their lack of wings,
can do a lot of charming things,
so get a dog to fetch a ball
and not a bird who’ll let you fall.)

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Previously published in The Dirigible Balloon (2025)

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Paul’s notes: “I’ve always loved Belloc, Graham, and Gorey’s twisted children’s poems and especially their faux cautionary tales, and I have written more poems in that vein than I should
ever admit. I’d actually love to write more poems for children, but of hundreds of poems that have started off as children’s pieces, this is one of precious few mild enough to be legitimately appropriate for children. Well, children would probably love the cartoonish tragedies, but their parents would probably not appreciate the poetry equivalent of Darwin Awards for imaginary kids.“

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Paul Burgess is the sole proprietor of a business in Lexington, Kentucky that offers ESL classes in addition to English, Japanese, and Spanish-language translation and interpretation services. He has recently contributed work to Blue Unicorn, The Road Not Taken, Light, The Orchards, Snakeskin, Pulsebeat, The Ekphrastic Review, and several other publications. Paul’s blog is here and readers are welcome to contact him via this link.

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Two Poems Paul Burgess

Two Poems
Paul Burgess