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Latest work from mid-Missouri poet Elijah Burrell conveys needed messages

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Latest work from mid-Missouri poet Elijah Burrell conveys needed messages


A holy wink opens “Skies of Blur,” the third and latest collection from mid-Missouri poet Elijah Burrell.

The wink travels from Jesus to the future St. Peter, but also from the poet to his reader across these initial lines: “In Simon Peter’s native tongue, / I wonder if boat and doubt sound slant.”

Here, Burrell raises questions of what a poem — what our language — can be, and how we locate ourselves in relationship. Should we take words, passed from one soul to another, so serious? Not really. Do we ever take our words seriously enough? Again, no echoes in our ears.

Over the course of these poems and pages, Burrell reveals an in-plain-sight mystery: We are always translating. Our experiences, someone’s pigeon-carried letters, the low brass hum of everyday life — each needs to be massaged and manifest in ways we might understand, if not act upon.

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In “Skies of Blur,” the poet takes his turn putting his hand to the plow of translation, making our world make at least a few percentage points more sense. Burrell, a longtime professor at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, will continue this act of translation live when he reads from “Skies of Blur” at Skylark Bookshop Tuesday.

How the poet learns to listen — and models listening for us

Burrell reinforces this mission in the book’s second poem “Doing My Best to Listen.” Here, beneath the carbon-copy shelter of a gas station, he tunes his antennae to “a dozen voices calling—coyotes frenzied beneath a moon / they couldn’t see for the clouds.”

These are not simply wild, wordless voices, Burrell comes to understand, but sound and wonder, a fulfillment of the atmosphere around him, just one way of relaying “a message in transit to me my whole life.”

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These messages, of what should and shouldn’t be, of simple glories and the stretch into oneness, face unsound barriers. The strangeness of the American dream labors to stop, or at least strain, them. Under his “American Umbrella,” Burrell slips into the guise of a cross-eyed dreamer who sees better than most.

“I spin plates every moment of my life. / I see nothing but yard sale pianos with songs inside them. / I have what they call a can-do attitude,” the poet writes in opening lines that, again, both wink and lament through the white spaces.

By poem’s end, in light of our national reliance on the almighty gun, the narrator’s plates crash, their umbrella ruptures.

Stories we can’t personally approach slow our understanding — until we tell them to each other, as Burrell’s narrator does in “Death and the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll.” Following the voluminous fill, then fade of an Elvis radio song, he shares the King’s life with his daughter, noticing how absences near and far call out in antiphon:

After Elvis has filled our car with a song,

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my youngest daughter asks if he’s still

alive. “No, baby,” I say. “He died the year

Grandma had me.” In the rearview mirror

her faint flinch at the mention of mom.

Subtraction. I sense the math fill her mind.

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Another domestic scene unspools through “In a World Gone Mad,” exhibiting the noise of our lives, and the need to listen between the lines.

“October in Missouri, / and I wake up to mass murder out west, / my daughter humming ‘Yer So Bad’ / while spoon-plinking the well of her / white bowl of Cheerios,” Burrell writes.

Poems of memories and messages

As we commit ourselves to translate, and to listen, messages break the noise — and conspicuous silences — in sundry, surprising ways.

Memories collide, then convey their kindnesses, through “the little symphonies from childhood synesthesia” (“Do Not Drive Into Smoke”); distant friends broadcast fragments of speech across “opposite ends / of quiet woods” (“Hailing Old Ghosts from My Silo on the Moon”); and, when everything fails, we keep sitting down to silent pianos, straining our ears for hushed voices, making music until the music comes back (“Unable to Sing”).

Words and their meanings come together, links in an imperfect, exquisite chain; they articulate our blessed smallness in a world of social-media dopamine and ancient weather (“Life in the Gush of Boats”); set us in motion to reconcile all our tenses (“Midlife”); bring our definitions of prayer and belonging into sad relief, so we might see ourselves as we are (“I Was Old When I Left Home”).

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And, in one of the book’s late, great poems, we learn the power of exhausting the language for glorious synonyms. “Never Say Love In a Poem” captures the poet at work, trying to evade conventional sincerity and stumbling into something better.

“Listen: The small of her back / is drift, her mouth supermax,” Burrell writes.

And, in two of his finest poems, Burrell pays staggering tribute to his fellow translators, offering hope that we will keep at this work, keep breaking through.

Perhaps my favorite poem of the young year, “This is That Song by Alex Chilton (‘Thirteen’)” honors too-good-for-this-world troubadour Elliott Smith, tracing the passage of sound and “Arizona silence” from a 1997 live show to where the rock bard felt safest.

He closes his eyes. He’s back in Portland,

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alone in bed, headphones on, and the birch-

white limbs inside him tremble and bend

from the weight of something cold and falling.

Five lines, “Postlude/Grace” ends the collection and begins something else entirely as the poet hands a guitar and his “indistinct” music to his daughter, whose “miraculous fingers / move down the neck like a surgeon closing a wound / that’s lain open too long.”

These words picture what we are always doing for one another. Here, Burrell writes out his translations, then passes them down to us that we might keep going, keep healing wounds borne alone and shared with others.

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Burrell will read at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; learn more about the evening at https://www.skylarkbookshop.com/new-events.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He’s on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.



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Mississippi State basketball vs Missouri score, live updates, TV channel

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Mississippi State basketball vs Missouri score, live updates, TV channel


STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball is hosting Missouri at Humphrey Coliseum on Feb. 28 (noon, SEC Network).

It’s the second meeting of the season between the Bulldogs (13-15, 5-10 SEC) and Tigers (19-9, 9-6). Missouri won the first game, 84-79, at home on Jan. 31.

The Tigers have won five of their last seven games, including ranked wins against Vanderbilt on Feb. 18 and Tennessee on Feb. 24. MSU has lost two straight games, most recently 100-75 at Alabama.

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The Clarion Ledger is bringing you live updates from the game. Follow along.

Watch Mississippi State vs Missouri

Mississippi State vs Missouri score updates

The largest loss in MSU history was by 57 against Arkansas in 1993.

Missouri is up 54-23 at halftime.

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  • Josh Hubbard
  • Jayden Epps
  • Shawn Jones Jr.
  • Achor Achor
  • Quincy Ballard

The Tigers are projected as a No. 10 seed by ESPN.

MSU is not projected to make the NCAA Tournament.

Josh Hubbard stats

Here are Josh Hubbard’s stats this season:

  • Points per game: 21.6
  • Assists per game: 3.6
  • Rebounds per game: 2.5
  • Field-goal percentage: 41.8
  • 3-point percentage: 34.5

What time does Mississippi State vs Missouri start?

  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 28
  • Time: Noon
  • Where: Humphrey Coliseum

What TV channel is Mississippi State vs Missouri on today?

Mississippi State vs Missouri prediction

  • Sam Sklar, The Clarion Ledger: Missouri 81, Mississippi State 68

Mississippi State vs Missouri injury report

Mississippi State

None

Missouri

  • Annor Boateng: Out
  • Jevon Porter: Out

Mississippi State basketball schedule 2025-26

Remaining games on Mississippi State’s schedule:

  • March 3: at Florida (7 p.m., SEC Network)
  • March 7: vs. Georgia (2:30 p.m., SEC Network)
  • March 11-15: SEC Tournament

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.



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Missouri Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for Feb. 27, 2026

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The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 27, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

11-18-39-43-67, Mega Ball: 23

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Midday: 3-5-8

Midday Wild: 6

Evening: 4-3-8

Evening Wild: 3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Midday: 8-0-1-0

Midday Wild: 4

Evening: 2-6-8-2

Evening Wild: 3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Cash Pop numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Early Bird: 02

Morning: 14

Matinee: 09

Prime Time: 09

Night Owl: 12

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Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

06-14-25-26-38

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

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To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

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For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
  • Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
  • Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
  • Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
  • Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
  • Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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See how much new unemployment claims in Missouri fell last week

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See how much new unemployment claims in Missouri fell last week


Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Missouri dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 2,182 in the week ending February 21, down from 2,462 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims rose to 212,000 last week, up 4,000 claims from 208,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

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Rhode Island saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 132.0%. Michigan, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 49.9%.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.



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