Lucile I. Burke, Poet and Alchemist

Lucile at age 24

Family members say that Lucile was writing her thoughts down almost as soon as she could hold a pencil. And at least as early as high school, she had already begun turning out her own special type of poetry. Much of that early writing was lost over the years in the many moves her family made.
Then, in 1991, when she was 68, her husband of almost fifty years died, and Lucile began turning out torrents of verse.

Although she'd never been schooled in the formalities of poetry, she followed the old Nike suggestion to "Just Do It," and do it she did. Five, six, sometimes ten pages a day, every day, for the next 18 years.

In Lucile's writing, you may not find the usual form and meter - and some of the rhymes can be... well... mischievous - but you will find a constant flood of insights, unending fun and a very large helping of wisdom... which is not so surprising, considering the long and experience-filled life she lived.

Charles, her son, once wrote an article about Lucile's ability to turn "bad" experiences into the gold of wisdom. It's titled "My Mom the Alchemist."

Her poems cover a range of subjects as wide as life itself. Here's a quick sampling of some of Lucile's most popular poetry. Now experience her 'alchemical' words for yourself.

• I Would Always Be Eighteen

• Mama's Little Man

• As I Faced the East

• In This Life, Who Is the 'Me'?

• The Price You Pay

• Sorrow in Heaven

• Who's the Hypocrite?

• In the Quiet of Forever

• When the Joy Spills Over

You may also enjoy looking through the PDF 'electronic book' shown at the left. This ebook, titled The Enchanted Garden, is a re-release of Lucile's 1992 limited edition book, which has long been out of print.