Hello, all who either happened to stumble on to my page or regular subscribers. It’s Poetry Night, where I drop some samples of original poetry for your consumption and consideration. The theme for tonight is… all over the place, to be honest. Let’s see what I whip up tonight.
The first poem tonight is me realizing I’m in a fiction writing rut and trying to get out of it with this poem. It’s only sort of working1.
Procrastination
Fort Madison, Iowa, 26 September 2025
Staring at a screen
Which is not the one you need to be staring at
The words don’t come
You want them to appear already
The creation completed
The effort behind you.
But your thoughts
Dart toward endless distractions
And entertainments occupying your mind.
The problem is
While you feel calm when you distract yourself
At the end
There’s just emptiness for time and opportunities
Wasted.
This is not a poem intended to be aimed at anyone in particular. I think it’s something that might apply to many people who think they might need to engage with certain individuals, some they know very well, some little more than strangers. Sometimes it’s better to keep your distance.
Hermitage
Fort Madison, Iowa, 26 September 2025
There are people in this world
Who provide anxiety and not comfort
Emotional work and not renewal,
Who drain and don’t cultivate.
You feel you need to engage
To draw them in, to cultivate relationships.
Building relations, networks,
Is the most human of instincts.
But poisoned people you don’t need
In your hermitage of the soul,
You can keep that safe
And thrive on your own.
Now a quick commercial break, lol.
If You’re Interested in the Poetry You See Here… You Might Want to Check Out Some More…
My first collection of poetry is out.
Since Substack doesn’t have the setup for this (that I’m aware of), I’ve set up something at my WordPress sister site, Liegois Media. I have my own Internet storefront page where you can order my chapbook for $6 per copy. The link is below.
Anyway, hope your night is going well. I’m doing all right, trust me. See you around the bend of the road, river, or rail, depending2.
-30-
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- It’s actually not – I just looked at my word count for last week. ↩︎
- Thanks to my friend and fellow poet Gesene Oake for her suggestions and revisions to these pieces. ↩︎