Every tear
Is a summoning
Of oceans,
Every laugh,
A thunderous
God.

#poetry

Reliquary

© Simon J Ashcroft, 2026

#SJAshcroftsPoems #poems #poetry #PoetryCommunity #MyWordsMyWork

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Reliquary Drawn to the lost: the ancient times; the voices, stilled, yet calling through long night, to sing, in wordless songs, of all we were. The broken shore was full of laughter, when a younger world knew hope despite its pain; did we not sing of timeless years unceasing? Did we not seek our path through ageless sky? Yet, voices turned to dust. We choked to death on centuries that gaped to swallow all our lurid ash; and I am lost, no less than those I seek, and whom I burn upon the pyre of all cremated time. © Simon J Ashcroft, 2026

Give yourself
Grace.
Like the moon,
You will not
Be in darkness
Forever.

#Poetry

#poem #blog #post #poet #writing #poetry #creative #catsofMastodon

https://blessedbymagpies.blogspot.com/2026/10/he-dreamt-of-snow.html

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cat on a box. looking to the right

#shahai by Bonnie J. Scherer. Bonnie (IG: @bonniesscherer) is a returning contributor who lives in #Alaska. When it’s too cold or snowy outside, she’s content to write #haiku and related forms of Japanese style #poetry in front of a warm fire. #rejection

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In this #shahai by Bonnie J. Scherer, a night sky is torn by lightning strikes in “close-up” view. The accompanying senryu reads, canned heat your submission came close Bonnie J Scherer (IG: @bonniesscherer) is a returning contributor who lives in #Alaska. When it’s too cold or snowy outside, she’s content to write #haiku and related forms of Japanese style #poetry in front of a warm fire. #rejection

5-line #haiku by new contributor, Lisa C. Reynolds, of Ontario, Canada reads,

commuters
watching
commuters
watching
commuters

#commuters #poetry #Autumn #peoplewatching

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Against a white background, this 5-line #haiku by new contributor, Lisa C. Reynolds, of Ontario, Canada reads, commuters watching commuters watching commuters #commuters #poetry #Autumn #peoplewatching

You are a
Reckoning.
Atoms older
Than the earth,
Bones the columns
Of a temple built
By the stars
For the stars.

#poetry

#tanka by long-time contributor, Debarati Sen (IG: @debarati_poetry), of #India.
#poetry #moon #haiku

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Against a night-black background, this #tanka by long-time contributor, Debarati Sen (IG: @debarati_poetry), of #India, reads, moon cottage a poplar sways in autumn wind tonight the urge for one more poem #poetry #moon #haiku

#couplets #poetry

How the light
Can feel like
Violence when
You’ve been
So long in
The dark.

#Poetry

#monoku by long time contributor, Jerome Berglund (IG: @jeromeberglundhaiku )

Contextual notes by the author may be found in the Alt text of this post or on our Facebook page. #haiku #poetry #floatingworld

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Against a plain white background, this #monoku by long time contributor, Jerome Berglund @jeromeberglundhaiku, reads float valve world Contextual notes by the author: Ihara Saikaku’s Death Poem (1693): Ukiyo no tsuki / misugoshi ni keri / sue ninen “An extra two years spent gazing at the moon in this floating world.” A float valve is a purely mechanical device used to automatically regulate liquid levels within a tank, reservoir, or cistern. Operating on basic buoyancy forces, it opens the water inlet as fluid levels drop and automatically seals shut when the liquid hits a predetermined maximum height, requiring absolutely zero electricity. Ukiyo: This term originally had Buddhist roots meaning a sorrowful, fleeting world of suffering. During the Edo period, people also used it to describe a lifestyle of living in the present moment and enjoying transient pleasures. #haiku #poetry #floatingworld

Had fun last night reading my poetry at Café Musette on Parc Ave. #Montreal #poetry #performance

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Beret-wearing long-haired, grey-bearded poet reciting poetry in front of microphone

Autumn Woods

Liquid light filters
through dying leaves, guiding me
along woodland paths;
wind stirs the trees, and spirits
seem to whisper, "Come back home."

© Simon J Ashcroft, 2026

#tanka #poem #poetry #PoetryCommunity

Once a stranger,
Grief is the most
Faithful lover
I’ve ever had.

#poetry

Lord! Save me for I am lost!
The darkness consumes and the mind has frost.
Lord! You promised us light.
For you, O Father, we all fight.
Father! Do not let yours go stray!
Shed on us even one bit light ray.
–Farooq, Master Patata

Another #poem coming out. Link on me weblog:
https://far.chickenkiller.com/poem/lord-save-me-for-i-am-lost/

#god #spirituality #lord #poetry #englishpoem #english_poem

To love is
To be constantly
Destroyed,
And made new.

#Poetry

You Wince Like a Girl

More of Sylvia Plath’s writing is available than ever before. Can you take it?

by Kristin Grogan

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/you-wince-like-a-girl/

#books #literature #poetry

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Sylvia Plath, sitting sideways to the camera. A black-and-white close-up portrait of Sylvia Plath with short, dark, bowl-cut hair and a straight fringe, gazing off to the left with parted lips and a pensive expression. She wears a soft, textured wool collar against a blurred background.

#senryu by Jennifer Gurney. Jennifer lives in Colorado where she teaches, paints, writes and hikes. Her poetry is widely published. Two of her poems have won international contests & one was turned into a choral piece. Jennifer has 10 books of poetry. #haiku #colorado #poetry #metoo

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Against a night-black background, this somber #senryu by Jennifer Gurney reads, reliving that day every headline every survivor Jennifer lives in Colorado where she teaches, paints, writes and hikes. Her poetry is widely published. Two of her poems have won international contests & one was turned into a choral piece. Jennifer has 10 books of poetry. #haiku #colorado #poetry #metoo

Oh, to be
The strings
That hold up
Your precious
Heart.

#poetry

15th October

I walked out
Into the world
Under a lilac sky
And a thousand gulls are calling
To the autumn woods
The last of the blackberries
Are in their deepest purple juice
Too sweet
No sharper edge
to foil their honeyed ripeness
I’m gently treading
Golden apples
Glow beneath my feet
Deep into muddy must
Their almost-cider softly seeps
And I hope that autumn’s spice
and earthy scent
Would send to me
A gentle sleep
#poetry

Keep the
Flowers
Sheathed.
Now is the
Time of
Swords.

#poetry

Break my
Teeth if
Ever Again
They keep
The haunted
Words from
Leaving my
Mouth.

#poetry

#haiku by Ash Evan Lippert.
Ash Evan Lippert is an emerging queer writer from South Carolina. Their work has appeared here before, as well as in many other fine publications. Their debut chapbook, “god of the body”, is available through Yavanika Press. Find them on Bluesky (@wanderstruck.blog) and IG: (@wanderstruck_haiku). #poetry #autumn #southcarolina

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Against a background suggesting a dawn; is it at sea, a bluing sky over a blue ocean? Or is in over a night-darkened field? This #haiku by Ash Evan Lippert reads, in orange typeface, blue dawn with lingering dreams . . . propagating aster Ash Evan Lippert is an emerging queer writer from South Carolina. Their work has appeared here before, as well as in many other fine publications. Their debut chapbook, “god of the body”, is available through Yavanika Press. Find them on Bluesky (@wanderstruck.blog) and IG: (@wanderstruck_haiku). #poetry #autumn #southcarolina

#haiku by returning contributor, thomas david (IG: @thomas.david575 ). Thomas is from West Sussex in the United Kingdom. His haiku and senryū have appeared here before and in many other fine publications. #poetry #birdsong #England

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Against a white background, this #haiku by returning contributor, thomas david (IG: @thomas.david575 ) reads, playing it on repeat birdsong Thomas is from West Sussex in the United Kingdom. His haiku and senryū have appeared here before and in many other fine publications. #poetry #birdsong #England

Tell the Sun
You will not
Dim the light
In your eyes,
Even for a
God.

#Poetry

#haiku by FreshOut newcomer Kila Lim ( IG: @KilaTalkStory ). Kila Lim is a poet from Manila, Philippines. She feels lucky to have found the world of haiku in 2024. Her poetry has appeared in various publications ever since. #poetry #yellow #sun #philipines

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Against a black background, in porch light-yellow Baskerville font, this #haiku by FreshOut newcomer Kila Lim ( IG: @KilaTalkStory ), reads, porch lights a moth swallows a thousand suns Kila Lim is a poet from Manila, Philippines. She feels lucky to have found the world of haiku in 2024. Her poetry has appeared in various publications ever since. #poetry #yellow #sun #philipines

#haiku #splitsequence by Mark Gilbert. Mark is based in the UK and enjoys writing short prose & #poetry (including hybrid forms). His work regularly appears in on-line & print journals & anthologies. He recently collaborated with Eavonka Ettinger on “Variations on the Planets,” an astronomical poetry chapbook (Nun Prophet Press). #library

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Against a white background, this #haiku #splitsequence by Mark Gilbert reads, Library time for sustenance slurps of soup above the silence umami in the mirror through glass the movement of cherry blossom they queue for heroes books about symmetry tears in both knees Mark Gilbert is based in the UK and enjoys writing short prose & #poetry (including hybrid forms). His work regularly appears in on-line & print journals & anthologies. He recently collaborated with Eavonka Ettinger on “Variations on the Planets,” an astronomical poetry chapbook (Nun Prophet Press). #library

You are a
Child of the
Stars,
Untold eons
Live through
You.

#poetry

#shahai by Stephanie Zepherelli (IG: @bellaboopalombo). A California native and former dance professor, Stephanie Zepherelli has been living on Oahu, Hawai’i the last 40 years. She shares her home with a tribe of Madagascar geckos. #poetry #art #oahu

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In this #shahai by Stephanie Zepherelli @bellaboopalombo, vividly colored plumeria blossoms crowd the view, upstaging each other before the camera lens. The accompanying haiku reads, floating by plumeria petals ask me to settle down A California native and former dance professor, Stephanie Zepherelli has been living on Oahu, Hawai’i the last 40 years. She shares her home with a tribe of Madagascar geckos. #poetry #art #oahu

#haiku by new contributor, M. R. Pelletier,

FreshOut loves this ku’s energy that recognizes at this time of year, there’s not much left on the beaches except the call of a gull.

M. R. Pelletier lives in Kansas, but his haiku #poetry travels the world. #seagull #beach #kansas

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Against a white background, this #haiku by new contributor, M. R. Pelletier, reads, beach umbrella the call of a gull Frankly loves this ku’s energy that recognizes at this time of year, there’s not much left on the beaches except the except the call of a gull. M. R. Pelletier lives in Kansas, but his haiku #poetry travels the world. #seagull #beach #kansas

Kiss my
Eyes and
Tell me
All I’ve seen
Until now
Has been
False.

#poetry

The moon
Is a mirror
That allows us
To see
The true face
Of the Sun.

#poetry

All stars
Have their
Genesis
In gravity.
The heavier
Your heart,
The brighter
You burn.

#Poetry

LARB Radio Hour welcomes #FadyJoudah, author of #ExhibitG: #Poems, #Essays, and #Photographs of #Gaza.

'How to document a genocide in English, the language of the oppressor? How to resist what Joudah calls the “museumification” of the Palestinian people? And how can we challenge ourselves to confront immense suffering for what it is?'

https://lareviewofbooks.org/av/fady-joudah-exhibit-g-podcast-interview/

#Palestine #GazaGenocide #oPt #poetry #books @bookstodon

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Fady Joudah's 'Exhibit G' Fady Joudah discusses his new book, his work as a writer and a doctor, how he wants the book to be read, and the persistence of Palestinian poetry LARB Radio Hour - Oct 9 background image: photo of Fady Joudah

4 Must-Read Works by Edgar Allan Poe (& Why You Should Read Them)

Edgar Allan Poe shaped horror, mystery, and detective fiction. These dark tales and haunting poems reveal his genius.

https://www.thecollector.com/edgar-allan-poe-must-read-works/

Poe at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/481

#books #literature #poetry

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This black-and-white drawing of Edgar Allan Poe by Aubrey Beardsley shows Poe with a high forehead, dark shadowed eyes, a thick mustache, and wavy dark hair parted to one side. He wears mid-19th-century clothes: a high-collared jacket and a neatly tied cravat or neckerchief. In the lower-left corner, there is a small graphic with vertical lines and drops of liquid, which looks like a stylized quill or ink design.

Your eyes
Are portals
To another world.
One to which
I actually
Belong.

#poetry

The Register: Poetry is the new AI security threat as PoeLLM malware infects 3K+ servers

"...A suspected Italian attacker armed with a malware-controlling poem has infected more than 3,000 servers since April, breaking into enterprise AI infrastructure to mine cryptocurrency and add compromised systems to its growing botnet...."

https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/10/07/poetry-is-the-new-ai-security-threat-as-poellm-malware-infects-3k-servers/5301672

#cybersecurity #poetry #poems

#monoku by returning contributor,Joseph P. Wechselberger (IG: @jwech15 ). Joseph has been writing #haiku since 2018. His work has been Touchstone-nominated / long-listed many times, widely published & anthologized across the web. #afteryou #poetry

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Upon a black background, this #monoku by returning contributor,Joseph P. Wechselberger (IG: @jwech15 ), reads, after you my life in parentheses Joseph has been writing #haiku since 2018. His work has been Touchstone-nominated / long-listed many times, widely published & anthologized across the web. #afteryou #poetry

The earth
Is an altar,
And our
Very bones,
The offering.

#Poetry

#haiku #set by Randy Brooks ( @brooksbookshaiku ). Dr. Randy Brooks is Professor of English Emeritus at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he teaches courses on haiku, tanka, and Japanese poetics. He and his wife, Shirley Brooks, are publishers of Brooks Books and co-editors of Mayfly haiku magazine. His most recent publication is HAIKU DECK: A collection of playing cards. #poetry #mother #illinois

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Against a white background, a #haiku #set by Randy Brooks ( @brooksbookshaiku ), entitled “Spirit Guide” reads, Spirit Guide yellowed obituary black and white quills in the envelope curious porcupine at home on the porch after her funeral hound dog noses into the crawlspace a whimper of bristles slender quill try dipping it in ink Mother’s grave nobody bothers the porcupine Dr. Randy Brooks is Professor of English Emeritus at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he teaches courses on haiku, tanka, and Japanese poetics. He and his wife, Shirley Brooks, are publishers of Brooks Books and co-editors of Mayfly haiku magazine. His most recent publication is HAIKU DECK: A collection of playing cards. #poetry #mother #illinois

#digital #Haiga by returning contributor, Lorraine A. Padden. Lorraine is a Touchstone award-winning poet & former professional dancer whose work in the performing & visual arts has earned her several national awards, including an appointment to the National Endowment for the Arts. Her haiku & short form #poetry regularly appear in journals & anthologies, world wide. Her book “Upwelling” is available on Amazon. Find more at lorrainepadden.com

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In this #digital #Haiga by returning contributor, Lorraine A. Padden, a bright red enso is depicted against a pale grey field. In the center of the #enso, reads the monoku, a ribcage staining the snow Lorraine is a Touchstone award-winning poet & former professional dancer whose extensive work in the performing and visual arts has earned her several national awards, including an appointment to the National Endowment for the Arts. Her haiku & short form #poetry regularly appear in journals & anthologies, world wide. In 2024-2025, Lorraine was named a Fellow at confluence, a new journal celebrating experimentation & diverse voices in English language #haiku & related genres. Find more at lorrainepadden.com

Every star
A prayer,
And you are
The answer.

#poetry

You are yet
Another
Constellation
Burning bright
Against
The horizon.

#poetry

@futurebird
Pica, Pica,
Purrfect Provider
and brave protector
Saves us from Shelob
And Ungoliant

#poetry

The distance
Between life and
Death is vast,
But love draws a
Map.

#poetry

#haiku by Timothy Daly
( X/Twitter: philalz ). Dr. Timothy Daly was born in the British Isles & reborn in Paris. He now lives in Italy. He juggles life as an Alzheimer’s disease researcher, a teacher of language & philosophy, and a writer of short-form #poetry & prose. #sky #clouds #blue

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Against a white background with sky-blue rectangle in the upper-right corner, this #haiku by Timothy Daly ( X/Twitter: philalz ), reads cloudy sky the patches of blue in our future Dr. Timothy Daly was born in the British Isles & reborn in Paris. He now lives in Italy. He juggles life as an Alzheimer’s disease researcher, a teacher of language & philosophy, and a writer of short-form #poetry & prose. #sky #clouds #blue

Raze my
Heart,
There will
Be roses
Where there
Was ruin.

#poetry

#haiku / #senryu by Anne Fox (IG: @annefox333 ) of Broomes Island, Maryland, USA.
#poetry #geese #maryland

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Against a plain black background, a #haiku / #senryu by Anne Fox (IG: @annefox333 ) of Broomes Island, Maryland, USA, reads: departing geese an old hippie flips me the peace sign #poetry #geese #maryland

We are all
Points of
Light falling
Sightless
Through the
Dark

#poetry

To tend
Toward
Disorder
Is an act
Of worship
To an
Indifferent
Universe.
Entropy
Only increases,
Amen.

#Poetry

Mushrooms this morning
Mushrooms this evening meeting
On the Astral Plane

#dailyhaikuprompt Mushrooms Evening
#haiku #poetry #senryu

I am the sum
Of a thousand
Oblivions,
No stranger
To beginning
Again.

#poetry

General introduction...

I'm a longtime Diaspora and not quite so long Friendica user. I write poetry, have a taste for the bizarre and silly. Greek learner, but from Wales.

This was meant the a backup to allow me to keep up with Mastodon contacts when my Friendica instance had indigestion, but Friendica is now the backup instead.

Following: #poetry #poems #haiku #senryu #PoetryCommunity #greek

I will post using #SJAshcroftsPoems #MyWordsMyWork #SJAshcroftsPhotos

@futurebird
the numbers stagger
when the step function
becomes stochastic
the numbers wobble
when the hysteresis
breaks down
and when the tipping point
is transgressed
the numbers fall down

#poetry

Darkness
Holds memory
The light
Forgets.

#Poetry

#monoku by new contributor, Adele Gallogly (IG:@AdeleGallogly).

Adele is a new writer of #haiku and its related forms. Her work has appeared in several other fine publications. #poetry

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Against a white background, this #monoku by new contributor, Adele Gallogly (IG:@AdeleGallogly), reads, sunset passing on the river otter rumors Adele is a new writer of #haiku and its related forms. Her work has appeared in several other fine publications. #poetry

#monoku by returning contributor, thomas david (IG: @thomas.david575 ).

Thomas is from West Sussex in the United Kingdom. His #haiku and senryū have appeared here before and in many other fine publications. #poetry #daisychain #England

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Against a white background, this #monoku by returning contributor, thomas david (IG: @thomas.david575 ) reads, daisy chain stringing me along Thomas is from West Sussex in the United Kingdom. His #haiku and senryū have appeared here before and in many other fine publications. #poetry #daisychain #England

#shahai / #tanka - #art by long time contributor, Reid Hepworth (IG: @reidhepworth ).

Reid lives in a small cottage in Georgian Bay, Ontario where she spends her time listening to trees, talking to all manners of wildlife and writing short form #poetry. #haiku #photo #canada

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In this #shahai / #tanka - #art by long time contributor, Reid Hepworth (IG: @reidhepworth ), a color photo shows a moth, perched in daylight, on an angular-shaped stone, striated and giving the impression of a cut log. A rounder glob of granite sits atop the “log-stone,” next to the moth. Ferns occupy the background at the left edge of the photo.. The accompanying tanka verse reads: how the wind lays bare her hidden depths standing in front of the full-length mirror she disrobes with one eye closed Reid lives in a small cottage in Georgian Bay, Ontario where she spends her time listening to trees, talking to all manners of wildlife and writing short form #poetry. #haiku #photo #canada

from "Advice to a Lady in Autumn" by Philip Dormer Stanhope, 1763

The poem has crisp autumn imagery, like this:

"At twelve you may walk, for at this time o' the year,
the sun, like your wit, is as mild, as 'tis clear:
But mark in the meadows the ruin of Time;
take the hint, and let life be improv'd in its prime."

But the whole poem is really a passive-aggressive rant that she (the Lady) shouldn't have rejected the author's romantic interest, as hinted in the last line above. Another example:

"At nine [a.m.] stretch your arms, and oh! think when alone, there's no pleasure in bed 😏
— 'MARY, bring me my gown.'
Slip on that ere you rise;
let your caution be such;
Keep all cold from your breast ...
there's already too much."

Okay, Phil, I admit that compared to some dudes, you express your disappointment in a healthy way. But there's no need to dwell on it. It's her loss! Move on, bro!

https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/works/o5152-w0400.shtml

#poetry #poem #men #quote #quotes #emotionalintelligence

Death
Cannot
Dull love,
It only
Sharpens
it.

#poetry

#haiku / #senryu by long-time contributor, Debarati Sen (IG: @debarati_poetry), of India.
#poetry #maternity #moon

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Against a night-black background, this #haiku / #senryu by long-time contributor, Debarati Sen (IG: @debarati_poetry), of India, reads, maternity ward — the moon and I awake all night #poetry #maternity #moon

Every breath
Becomes
A bravery,
Every thought
A wildfire.

#Poetry

Hey. I am on 13,96 in #PixelArea.

Here:

https://pxlarea.com/x13y96

I beg the guy should add two tags, #poetry and #philosophy :D

#smollweb #smallweb #indieweb #blog #blogging #writing

The eldest
God is
Starlight.
Every wish
A prayer.

#poetry

#haiku by FreshOut newcomer Siniša Avramov.
Born in 1974, Siniša lives in Bečej, Serbia.
#poetry #woods #autumn #serbia

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This #haiku by FreshOut newcomer Siniša Avramov, reads in the woods the lichen reflects the light – and again Born in 1974, Siniša lives in Bečej, Serbia. #poetry #woods #autumn #serbia

#poetry #haiku

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Haiku: ERROR 404 YOUR HAIKU CAN NOT BE FOUND TRY AGAIN LATER

When I’ve
Finally
Forgotten,
I will be
Free.

#Poetry

Darkness
Hollowed you
So that when
Dawn came
You could
Be filled with
Light.

#poetry

When the fuel runs out
Result will strand the harvest
Abroad in the fields

#dailyhaikuprompt Harvest Strand
#haiku #senryu #poetry
#poetrycommunity

Strand the victuals
May seem like a kerfuffle
To harvest #hunger

#dailyhaikuprompt Harvest Strand
#haiku #vss365 #haikufeels
#poetry #poetrycommunity

Yet we still move
Out and away
From the
Singularity,
All our lives
Inside an
Explosion.
Love and
Death on
Fire.

#poetry

Issue #3 of Swampgas is live! I have a short story, poem, and some art in this issue! Check it out for free at the link below!

#Poetry #ShortStory #Art #Zine

https://quietmeow.itch.io/swampgas-3-zine

excerpt from "To a Sad Daughter" by Michael Ondaatje
#fatherhood #poetry

One afternoon I stepped
into your room. You were sitting
at the desk where I now write this.
Forsythia outside the window
and sun spilled over you
like a thick yellow miracle
as if another planet
was coaxing you out of the house
— all those possible worlds! -
and you, meanwhile, busy with mathematics.

I cannot look at forsythia now
without loss, or joy for you.
You step delicately
into the wild world
and your real prize will be
the frantic search.
Want everything. If you break
break going out not in.
How you live your life I don't care
but I'll sell my arms for you,
hold your secrets for ever.

#poem #parenting #quote #quotes #canada

Your tragedy
Is armor,
Not a grave.

#poetry #smallpoems

We are
Dizzying
Eternities
In a handful
Of dust.

#Poetry

#monoku by Laurence Stacy. Laurence teaches English & literature courses at Kennesaw State University, Georgia, USA. He is the recent coauthor of “Before the Earth: Haiku and Haikai.” In addition to studying poetics, he is a longtime martial artist, interested in connections between the disciplines he enjoys. #poetry #haiku #autumn #Georgia

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Against a background and in a handwritten-style script, both of vaguely autumnal colors, this #monoku by Laurence Stacy, reads, Autumn I too decide to let go Laurence teaches English & literature courses at Kennesaw State University, Georgia, USA. He is the recent coauthor of “Before the Earth: Haiku and Haikai.” In addition to studying poetics, he is a longtime martial artist, interested in connections between the disciplines he enjoys. #poetry #haiku #autumn #Georgia

if you don't attend
your #passion no one else will
even feel its breeze

#dailyhaikuprompt Breeze
#haiku #haikufeels #vss365
#poetry #poetrycommunity

Monitor balance
Just another equinox
#Embark into dark

#dailyhaikuprompt Equinox
#haiku #vss365 #haikufeels
#poetry #poetrycommunity

To be
Sharpened,
One must
Surrender
To the
Stone.

#Poetry

In spite of
All that has
Befallen me,
I will begin
Again.

#Poetry

Dirty bloody hands
Stuffed in till up to elbow
Wealthy wind fall storm

#dailyhaikuprompt Wind Storm Till
#haiku #poetry #poetrycommunity

The stars
Are a sieve
Through which
All life pours.

#poetry

#haiku by Ron Scully. Ron (IG: @ronaldjscully ) is a very retied bookseller. After half a lifetime on the road, an authentic Willy Loman only funnier, he has repaired to the Pacific Northwest to read and write. He practices haikai daily and has published widely in the short form journals, the latest of which is The Cost of Living by Yavanika Publishing 2026. Currently he is working on a play. Otherwise the grandkids keep the neurons firing. #poetry #washington #fish #marriage

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This #haiku by Ron Scully reads, two angel fish not an inch apart for better or worse Ron (IG: @ronaldjscully ) is a very retied bookseller. After half a lifetime on the road, an authentic Willy Loman only funnier, he has repaired to the Pacific Northwest to read and write. He practices haikai daily and has published widely in the short form journals, the latest of which is The Cost of Living by Yavanika Publishing 2026. Currently he is working on a play. Otherwise the grandkids keep the neurons firing. #poetry #washington #fish #marriage

#collaborative #rengay by long time FreshOut contributors Hifsa Ashraf (IG: @hifsays ) of #Pakistan and Arvinder Kaur (IG: @arvinderk8 ) of #India #poetry #haiku

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This #collaborative #rengay by long time FreshOut contributors Hifsa Ashraf (IG: @hifsays ) of #Pakistan and Arvinder Kaur (IG: @arvinderk8 ) of #India titled “Old Haveli,”reads in alternating verses beginning with Arvinder, Old Haveli sleeplessness a round of riddles on the terrace naming constellations after fairies filigree window light and shades on her cherubic face afternoon haze roasting peanuts in the sand haveli pathway grandpa’s footsteps fade broken wooden fence covered with the ripe grapevines Arvinder Kaur, India Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan #poetry #haiku

The stars
Show us
What beauty
Can be found
In collapse.

#poetry

New #blog post.

#poetry #poem #song

https://polydactica.neocities.org/posts/2026-09-19-Yore

On my knees
Begging ghosts
To carry the
Parts of me
That died
Into the
After.

#poetry

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;..."
Opening lines

#OTD in 1819.

After walking along the River Itchen in Hampshire, England, the 24-year-old poet John Keats composed what would become one of the most beloved fall poems in the English language: the aptly titled “To Autumn.” via @lithub

To Autumn is available at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/23684/pg23684-images.html#Page_137

#books #literature #poetry

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Posthumous portrait by William Hilton, c. 1822. Keats rests his chin on his hand, gazing thoughtfully into the distance, with an open book before him.

You taught me
Constellations,
But not how to
Live without you.

#poetry

A leaky full moon
Drips cheese over broccoli
Yummy lunar sauce

#dailyhaikuprompt Leaky Full Moon
#haiku #poetry #poetrycommunity

planets envy our
leaky gravity full moon
offered to #explore

#dailyhaikuprompt Leaky Full Moon
#haiku #vss365 #haikufeels
#poetry #poetrycommunity

“Divine” from Library on Fire, SOLD OUT

Thank you for supporting an independent poet! 🖤✨

#poetry #books #independent

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A page from the book Library on Fire by Michelle Joy Gallagher Soffe, it is a poem that reads: Divine Bloody fingered I divine A place of Meaning Out of time, Marked in Stone.

When the grief
Gets too heavy,
Let it carry me
Instead.

#poetry

Untitled poem from Disremembering, my first volume of poetry now available for pre-order at http://nihtgengapress.com!

Books arrive Saturday and will be shipped first thing Monday!

Thank you for supporting an independent poet 🖤✨

#Books #Poetry #Independent

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A poem from the book Disremembering by Michelle Joy Gallagher Soffe It reads The dead don't Haunt the living, The living Haunt the dead. While time is a hell That haunts itself.

All memory is
A summoning
Of ghosts.

#poetry

Brought
Forth from
Stellar corpses,
We know that
Death is only
A new beginning.

#poetry

Deer in headlights freeze
#Commence the circle again
Unbroken transit

#dailyhaikuprompt Deer
#haiku #vss365 #haikufeels
#poetry #poetrycommunity

#monoku by Patricia Hawkhead of Bradford-upon-Avon, UK. Patricia has been submitting Haiga, shahai and #poetry to FreshOut for several years and her work appears widely in many other fine publications. Find her on IG: @boujolais8 #flowers #haiku #UK

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Against a white background, this #monoku by Patricia Hawkhead of Bradford-upon-Avon, UK, reads, cut flowers a study in still death Patricia has been submitting Haiga, shahai and #poetry to FreshOut for several years and her work appears widely in many other fine publications. Find her on IG: @boujolais8 #flowers #haiku #UK

I turned to speak to God
about the world's despair
but to make bad matters worse
I found God wasn't there.

God turned to speak to me
(Don't anybody laugh)
God found I wasn't there
at least not over half.

Robert Frost, 1926

#poem #poetry #religion #atheism #quote #quotes #quotation #robertfrost

“Evergreen” from Threnody, my second volume of poetry available now for pre-order at http://nihtgengapress.com

Books are coming in on Saturday and will be mailed out first thing Monday!!!

Thank you so much for your support of an independent poet! 🖤✨

#Poetry #Books #Independent

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A page of the book Threnody, by Michelle Joy Gallagher Soffe. It is a poem that reads: Evergreen You are Evergreen Burgeoning With feral Offerings Of incandescently Laughing Light.

Storm Frog rushes in
The first one through breached doorway
The first one to croak

#dailyhaikuprompt First Storm Frog
#haiku #poetry #senryu #poetrycommunity

You slipped
Through
Their fingers
Because
They couldn’t
Hold light.

#poetry

#haiku by FreshOut newcomer Kila Lim ( IG: @KilaTalkStory ). Kila Lim is a poet from Manila, Philippines. She feels lucky to have found the world of haiku in 2024. Her poetry has appeared in various publications ever since. #poetry #blue #sky #philipines

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Against a white background, hashed intense sky blue, this #haiku by FreshOut newcomer Kila Lim ( IG: @KilaTalkStory ), reads, when we believed the blueness of the sky Kila Lim is a poet from Manila, Philippines. She feels lucky to have found the world of haiku in 2024. Her poetry has appeared in various publications ever since. #poetry #blue #sky #philipines

when Cascade Chill drove
his Caddy he was so cool
he stopped for green lights

#dailyhaikuprompt Cascade Chill
#haiku #poetry #poetrycommunity

#Jadaliyya | We Are Still Here: Voices of #PalestinianStudents From #Gaza

featuring student contributors to the book #WeAreStillHere, edited by Jacob Norris and Zahid Pranjol

co-moderated by Anisa Haddadi and Zahid Praniol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDMHSufeGz0

v. also https://darajapress.com/publication/we-are-still-here/?srsltid=AfmBOorOf6-FXa7OqhNrkcdK1yGpzzNGAjaRSBof8vJOKp9kEEaHPW7e

#Palestine #GazaGenocide #colonialViolence #PalestinianYouth #oPt #books #poetry #essays #shortStories #anthologies @bookstodon

There are
Nebulae
That know
Your every
Atom and
Call each
Of them
Home.

#poetry

#haiku by Adele Evershed (IG: @ad_libby ).
Adele is a Welsh writer who swapped the valleys for America’s East Coast. She has 2 #poetry collections: “Turbulence in Small Spaces” (Finishing Line Press) & “The Brink of Silence” (Bottlecap Press). Her 3rd, “In the Belly of the Wail” is upcoming from Querencia Press. She has published 2 novellas in flash, “Wannabe” & “Schooled” (Alien Buddha Press), & has an upcoming novella, “A History of Hand Thrown Walls,” with Unsolicited Press. #warbler #fathers

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Against a plain white background, this #haiku by Adele Evershed (IG: @ad_libby ), reads, hooded warbler — dad’s voice trembles over my new name Adele is a Welsh writer who swapped the valleys for the American East Coast. Adele is a Welsh writer who swapped the valleys for America’s East Coast. She has 2 #poetry collections: “Turbulence in Small Spaces” (Finishing Line Press) & “The Brink of Silence” (Bottlecap Press). Her 3rd, “In the Belly of the Wail” is upcoming from Querencia Press. She has published 2 novellas in flash, “Wannabe” & “Schooled” (Alien Buddha Press), & has an upcoming novella, “A History of Hand Thrown Walls,” with Unsolicited Press. #warbler #fathers

“Devour” from Threnody, my second volume of poetry, available for pre-order at http://nihtgengapress.com

Thank you for supporting an independent poet 🖤✨

#Poetry #Books #Independent

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A page of a book called Threnody by Michelle Joy Gallagher Soffe. It contains a poem that reads: Devour Pick my Bones clean, Hope's gleaming Teeth, And devour All doubt.

They may leave
You feeling empty,
But, lo, you are
Full of stars.

#poetry

Near FreshOut headquarters, deep in the American South, summer - even late summer, fall and early winter, can bring the sounds of frogs over any body of water, deep or shallow, overgrown or clear. Often one may be awakened during the night by them. Here, to note that, against a black background, is a #monoku by Adele Gallogly (IG:@AdeleGallogly).

Adele is a new writer of #haiku #poetry and its related forms. Her work has appeared in several other fine publications. #bullfrog #summer

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Near FreshOut headquarters, deep in the American South, summer - even late summer, fall and early winter, can bring the sounds of frogs over any body of water, deep or shallow, overgrown or clear. Often one may be awakened during the night by them. Here, to note that, against a black background, this #monoku by new contributor, Adele Gallogly (IG:@AdeleGallogly), reads, cottage sunday a bullfrog organ song Adele is a new writer of #haiku #poetry and its related forms. Her work has appeared in several other fine publications. #bullfrog #summer

Kolaswv
Esetv koleppa
Ofc fune
Fenke
Hvyayvketv ofv
Sutv
Yvmvsectve tokv
Vnokectv

Large stars,
Fireflies to catch
To have flame
Inside bone,
To shine like
The fire
In the sky.

#poetry #Mvskoke

It’s been a rainy weekend at FreshOut headquarters, deep in the American South. It’s still summer but fall is right around the corner. To celebrate, here, against a white background, is a #monoku by Melissa Dennison @melissa.dennison.54 of the UK.
#poetry #rain #haiku #summer

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It’s been a rainy weekend at FreshOut headquarters, deep in the American South. It’s still summer but fall is right around the corner. Here, against a white background, this #monoku by Melissa Dennison @melissa.dennison.54 of the UK, reads, rain on the roof a snail exhales #poetry #rain #haiku #summer

In my
Unraveling,
I became
Completely
Free.

#poetry

Nirvana submerged
Oral #eloquence supplied
Orient to please

#dailyhaikuprompt Nirvana
#haiku #vss365 #haikufeels
#poetry #poetrycommunity

An untitled poem from Disremembering, my very first volume of poetry, now available for pre-order at http://nihtgengapress.com

Thank you for supporting an independent poet! 🖤✨

#Poetry #Books #Independent

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A poem from Disremembering by Michelle Joy Gallagher soffe. It reads: The gaps within atoms Vast oceans where Electrons spin and Waves upon waves crash, The trick to make it matter. All that you've ever Touched Were simply phantoms Created in this space And oh, my love I'd rather I'd never.

A waning blood moon
Coagulates no loose beams
In dusty craters

#dailyhaikuprompt Waning Moon
#haiku #poetry #poetrycommunity

Sip #naïveté
The daily grind ground me down
More Wild Irish Rose

#dailyhaikuprompt Wild Rose
#haiku #vss365 #haikufeels
#poetry #poetrycommunity

You are the
Light that seeps
Through my eyelids.
I can’t help but
See you.

#poetry

Time will
Be unkind
Enough,
I will not
Be.

#Poetry

The stars
Forgive us
Our needful
Glances.
They are
Homesick
For us, too.

#poetry

"But beauty is set apart,
beauty is cast by the sea,
a barren rock,
beauty is set about
with wrecks of ships...."

Hymen (ed. 1921)

~H.D. was born #OTD in 1886.

Books by H. D. at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/33478

#books #literature #poetry

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Photographic portrait of American writer Hilda "H.D." Doolittle (1886–1961), taken by Man Ray circa 1917. From Tendencies in Modern American Poetry by Amy Lowell. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1917, p. 233. Shown seated, in dark clothing, downcast gaze, dark bobbed hair with bangs, against a patterned wallpaper.

“Eons” from Library on Fire, my third volume of poetry, available (along with my first two) for Pre-Order now at http://nihtgengapress.com

Thank you for supporting an independent poet! 🖤✨

#Poetry #Books #Independent

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A poem from Library on Fire, a book of poetry by Michelle Joy Gallagher Soffe, It reads: Eons Only eons know The poetry of What water Asks of stone And what the Stone gives.

Close your eyes.
The darkness
Inside is a
Cathedral.

#poetry

Unforgotten

© Simon J Ashcroft, 2026

#SJAshcroftsPoems #poems #poetry #PoetryCommunity #MyWordsMyWork

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Unforgotten Let none think today will answer for past faults, nor dry the tears of the unrepentant, or the unaware. Look within, and count the fingers pointing inwardly. In aching guts, unscried, unpurged, lies sickness none dare treat, because it forces flashing eyes to peer into a darkness more real than any may imagine. The brightest heart lives in shadow deeper than it admits. Look to the clouds, that swab an injured sky; the wind that calls its anguish; the weeping rain that falls from wounds unhealed. Look, and tell me, do you dare to think you know my heart? To believe the unjudged may sit in judgement? Heal, and watch, and do not presume. Then, only then will wisdom know to speak. © Simon J Ashcroft, 2026

#shahai by regular contributor, Jerome Berglund ( @Berglundjeromehaiku ).
Jerome currently hails from New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, where he produces fine poetry and art featured here many times and in many other publications.
#poetry #haiku #photo #NOLA

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In this #shahai by regular contributor, Jerome Berglund ( @Berglundjeromehaiku ), a black and white photograph shows a very full, colorless blossom, nested in its own foliage. In the top left corner, an accompanying haiku reads, wild iris one of the slats bent back at an angle Jerome currently hails from New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, where he produces fine poetry and art featured here many times and in many other publications. #poetry #haiku #photo #NOLA