Month: February 2024

“On Kestrel’s Wings” published at Gobblers & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry40 Comments

Hi, folks. I’d like to let you know my poem “On Kestrel’s Wings” has gone live at Gobblers & Masticadores. Sincere thanks to Juan Re Crivello and Manuela Timofte and their staff for this opportunity to share my poetry with their loyal readers. It’s an honor to have my work published at Gobblers & Masticadores alongside that of some top-knotch writers. Thanks so much, Juan and Manuela!

“On Kestrel’s Wings”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

“Must everything have
Pedantic meaning
Must I be ground-bound
By the numbing gravity
Of grim solemnity
Must unrelenting
Earnestness be
The boot heel
Upon my neck
Must I suffocate
On the cloying
Atmosphere
Of grave sobriety…”

You can read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.

My Poem “This World is Yours” Nominated for Publication of the Month at Spillwords Press

On By Mike U.In Poetry64 Comments

I’m so excited to announce my poem “This World is Yours” has been nominated for Publication of the Month for January and February 2024 at Spillwords Press. To be nominated along with so many other amazing writers is both an incredible honor and deeply humbling. I’m grateful to Dagmara K. and her staff for publishing my poem and for this wonderful opportunity.

If you’d care to cast your vote for my poem, all you need to do is register at Spillwords Press (it’s free and takes only a couple of minutes). Voting begins February 26 and ends February 29, 2024. You may cast your vote by following this link: https://spillwords.com/vote/

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not very good at self-promotion, so this is new territory for me. It’s my sincere hope y0u’ll take a few minutes to read my poem and cast your vote. I’d be beyond delighted to have your support. I’ve always believed my poetry should do the talking, not me, so if you find my poem worthy of your vote, I’d appreciate it so much.

Congratulations and best of luck to all the other nominees. 😊

“A Latticework of Tears”

On By Mike U.In Poetry56 Comments

“A Latticework of Tears”
(c) 2024 by Michael L. Utley

autumn rain has come
orb weaver’s sorrowful web
a latticework of tears
a trellis of weathered memories
in this mournful
forgotten meadow
abandoned
as dusk’s demise
renders moot
vestigial joy
and hope
gives up its ghost

your dreams, you say
what of your dreams
those airy flights of fancy
those rumblings of your soul
tinged the hue of
virginal sun rays
so bright as to
blind you to
the world’s apathy
and horror
so urgent and strident
as to stay your sleep
at night
so incendiary as to
ignite worlds
birth universes

I know of dreams
I know of death, too
the slow withering
of saplings whose
brittle stems
shall never
reach maturity
whose once
verdant leaflets
become piles of
yellow dross
that fade into
oblivion

I know the soul-crushing
pressure of expectations
the futility of failure
the exhaustion of anhedonia
I know the tainted love
of depression
a foul mistress
the bleak and hollow
echoes of loneliness
the roiling pit
of dread and uncertainty
for what lies ahead

dreams memories tears
an elegiac dirge
for a life lost
a life misspent
bereft of love and lenity
the godless howl
of the past
the gaping maw
of the future
I know these things

shattered pieces
of my dreams
litter this lea’s
desiccated grasses
I must tread with caution
lest I slice myself
bloody

let the weaver’s web
display my tears
as trophies of defeat
I have bled enough
let what’s left of me
fall to the earth
as autumn rain

“Stream Among the Reeds”

On By Mike U.In Poetry77 Comments

“Stream Among the Reeds”
(c) 2024 by Michael L. Utley

stream among the reeds
peeks at me through cattails
laughs and runs away
do you know you have my heart
do you, little one

I am but an old man now
nearing the clearing
in the woods where I will lie
among columbines
and verdant ferns to make peace

with the universe
every season has its end
every leaf must fall
Luna’s aspect silver-sheened
cycles heavenward

but you, my fair lithesome stream
whose silken skin glows
gilded ‘neath this summer’s eve
whose siren-song calls
forth the sweetest memories

from a lifetime’s font
of sorrow and bleak despair
whose ethereal
caress balms this broken soul
you, my little one

nurture and rejuvenate
keeping hope alive
koi kitsune dragonfly
tree and earth and sky
all accept your gracious gift

but what of you, friend
what recompense lies in store
for your kindly ways
koi glide somnolently in
slow shadowed currents

oblivious to your touch
wary kitsune
drink covertly, disappear
into bamboo groves
gone without a second thought

dragonflies alight
absent-minded and aloof
on reeds and never
acknowledge you smiling face
as you watch amused

do you ever wonder, friend
if anyone cares
does your joyful mien disguise
a heart bereft of
love, a loneliness so deep

it cripples you and
leaves you reeling as you wend
your way on life’s path
through wood and meadow and cleft
choking back your tears

I am not long for this world
but I’m here for you
my friend, let us sit and talk
and commune beneath
this willow upon your bank

let us share our souls
let our words pierce through the veil
that obscures our hearts
let us spend what time is left
in good company

years ago you smiled at me
peering through the reeds
and that’s made all the diff’rence
in the world to me
you’ve made all the difference to me

“I Stood at the End of the Earth” published at Gobblers & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry48 Comments

Hey, everyone. I’d like to announce my poem “I Stood at the End of the Earth” has gone live at Gobblers & Masticadores. Many thanks to Juan Re Crivello and Manuela Timofte and their staff for their kindness in publishing this poem. It’s always an honor to have my poetry published at Gobblers & Masticadores alongside the work of some amazing writers. Thanks so much, Juan and Manuela!

“I Stood at the End of the Earth”
© 2013 by Michael L. Utley

“I stood at the end of the earth
As it trembled and moaned
Beneath me
The great dark monstrous Pacific
Infinite and unseen
Before me
Mindless
Inexorable
The cliffs below me besieged
By the stentorian onslaught of
Night-cloaked sea

A lifetime of fear has deafened me
I cannot hear it
It does not exist…”

You can read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.

My Interview at Gobblers & Masticadores and Chewers Magazine

On By Mike U.In Poetry46 Comments

Hey, everyone. I have a bit of exiting news to share with you. Recently, I was interviewed by Manuela Timofte, editor of Gobblers & Masticadores, and this interview is now live. I want to thank Manuela for this opportunity to share a little of my writing philosophy and background with her readers. It’s incredibly humbling and quite an honor, and I truly appreciate this chance to connect with all of you in a different way. I hope you’ll enjoy the interview, which can be found by clicking this link. Also, an excerpt of this interview appears in Chewers Magazine and can be found at this link. Many thanks to Juan Re Crivello for including part of this interview at Chewers Magazine.

Once again, thank you Manuela and Juan for your kindness And thanks to all of you who have taken the time to walk with me on this journey and read my poetry and essays over the past two-and-a-half years here on my blog as well as at Masticadores. I couldn’t ask for better traveling companions. I’m truly grateful to all of you. 

Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.

“Forgotten” published at Gobblers & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry42 Comments

Hello, friends. I’d like to let you know my poem “Forgotten” has been published at Gobblers & Masticadores. Sincere thanks to Juan Re Crivello and Manuela Timofte and their staff for their kindness in sharing this poem with their readers. It’s a wonderful honor to have my writing published at Gobblers & Masticadores. Thanks so much, Juan and Manuela!

“Forgotten”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

“Those who fade away
Dust-covered and forgotten
Hushed in melancholy thought

Those of us denied
Peering through the river reeds
Watching joy drift out of reach

Who will remember
Those abandoned on the path
Those who fall by the wayside…”

I’d be delighted if you’d read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.

“January’s Scion” published at Chewers & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry30 Comments

I’m happy to announce my poem “January’s Scion” has gone live at Chewers & Masticadores. Sincere thanks to Juan Re Crivello and his team for publishing this poem. I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my poetry at Chewers & Masticadores and I’m excited for this opportunity. Thank you, Juan!

“January’s Scion”
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley

“January’s scion, born of winter
messenger of midnight’s dark domain
harbinger of fearful futures
herald of the past’s persistence
bearer of remembrances of
what shall surely be

I’ve succumbed to January’s Janus
peering ever forward and behind
frozen firmly on the threshold
of what was and what may soon be
doomed to bear the weight of all things
for eternity…”

I’d be pleased if you’d read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, be sure to follow and subscribe to Chewers & Masticadores. It’s a wonderful place for those who love writing.

“It’s Not Lost” published at Gobblers & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry52 Comments

Hi, everyone. I’m happy to announce my poem “It’s Not Lost” has been published at Gobblers & Masticadores. Many thanks to Juan Re Crivello and Manuela Timofte and their staff for their kindness in sharing this poem with their readers. I’m honored to have my poetry published at Gobblers & Masticadores. Thank you kindly, Juan and Manuela!

“It’s Not Lost”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

“It’s not lost on me
How this coral-tinctured eve
Tempers morning’s joy
With sadness and coos of doves
Grieve dying light’s somber end

It’s not lost on me that I
Never got to bid farewell
As sun languishes
On melancholy verge of
Day’s bitter demise…”

I’d be delighted if you’d read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.