“There Were Daisies,” a collaborative story by Joni Caggiano and Mike Utley, published at Hotel by Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Stories
Photo © Joni Caggiano

Greetings, folks. Just a note to let you know “There Were Daisies,” a new story collaboration with my friend and poet extraordinaire Joni Caggiano, is available at Hotel by Masticadores. A big tip o’ the cap goes to Joni for sharing this adventure with me and providing her uniquely lyrical and profound writing. You can find more of Joni’s poetry, prose and photography on her blog Rum and Robots. Also, many thanks to editor Michelle Navajas for sharing this story with her readers. Be sure to check out Michelle’s new book Afternoons That Tasted Like Love in Manilla.

An excerpt from “There Were Daisies”:

The sickly pond, lifeless, the hue of bad dreams and uneasy regrets, fumed quietly, forever giving up its pallid ghost to the aloof heavens. With anguish stinging my dry eyes, I was drawn to a fleeting remembrance…

We sniff petrichor, my wife’s smile brighter than the morning sun. An early kiss of water on the green grass in fertile soil draws us toward a tender embrace. We interlace fingers and hold tight, clinging to this treasured happenstance. We hear the sigh of the oaks and see a white quilt of dandelions and daisies dotting our clear pond. Fish jump as frogs meander along the edge. Bass notes from bullfrogs cling to our ears as my wife begins to pirouette barefoot, and I am without words, enamored and in love with her grace.

Ghosts, my mind whispered, this is a world of ghosts, ephemeral, intangible memories that linger in shadows and call in soundless cries to no one. Where once was life, now there is only the torpid peal of silent bells amid an eternal night…

You can read the rest of our story here:

“There Were Daisies” © 2026 by Michael L. Utley and Joni Caggiano

Also, please consider following and subscribing to Hotel by Masticadores, where you’ll discover a world of wonderfully imaginative and profound writing.

19 thoughts on ““There Were Daisies,” a collaborative story by Joni Caggiano and Mike Utley, published at Hotel by Masticadores”

      1. Oh, and congrats on the being published! I’m curious as to how you both worked on this — did you alternate paragraphs or assign lines or something? (If it’s a secret formula, it’s ok — I was just curious!)

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    2. Well, here’s the scoop…

      I began this piece as a poem in 2022 and got all the way to the shed section (part III), then hit a speed bump (writer’s block) and took a break. I had the ending planned and all I needed to do was get back to writing it, but even though I’d revisit the poem every few months, there was a wall that kept me from progressing. At one point, I decided to reformat the poem as prose to see how it would look in paragraphs instead of stanzas, and it transformed into a story…but still, I was blocked. I figured I’d finish it at some point and put it on the back burner.

      Then, a few weeks ago, after Joni and I did our first collaboration, we were talking about another team effort. I mentioned I had some unfinished pieces sitting around and sent some to her just so she could see what I was writing. She liked this unfinished story and added some paragraphs to the first couple of sections and sent it back to me. She thought she might be able to add some balance to it as it was so incredibly depressing (end of the world, etc.), so we sort of went from there.

      We had some revisions here and there to make sure our styles matched closely enough for the piece to flow smoothly. Joni’s work enhanced all four parts of the story by adding some humanity to it, some remembrances of the time before everything fell apart in the world, and connected the story together in a way I hadn’t anticiapated but which worked out pretty well.

      One thing Joni did was inspire me to write the final stretch of the story, finishing the shed and daisies parts, along with some of her wonderfully emotive writing filling in some gaps. At long last, the story which began as a poem so long ago had found a place to call home.

      Collaboration is relatively new to me. This is only the second real piece of collaboration I’ve done where two authors work on the same piece, and I’m learning a lot. I couldn’t ask for a better writing buddy than Joni. We have an uncanny amount of similar life experiences, and our writing styles nearly mirror each other in many ways. and yet can be vastly different at times. If it weren’t for her, this piece may never have been completed.

      Despite some strange formatting errors that occurred when this story was published at Hotel (weird spacing glitches between sentences and lines in some paragraphs), we hope the readers enjoy the piece. Many thanks to Joni for helping to bring this story to life, and to Michelle for sharing our story at Hotel.

      And thank you, Carol, for your constant support. ☺️

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    1. Thanks a million, Maggie. Very kind of you, my friend. Joni and I hope to work together again–she’s brilliant, for sure. And Michelle’s the best for sharing our work and being so supportive.

      I hope these summer days find you well and happy and staying cool. ☺️

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  5. Dearest Mike, Sorry it took me a while to comment. I was staying busy answering comments too.

    This has been such an amazing experience for me, writing anything with you has always been a goal of mine and I love working with you. A brilliant poet and storyteller. Thanks for letting me shine a bit in your words and light. You are a blessing to the community and a true blessing to me. We treasure your friendship and appreciate your talent so much. Big hugs and lots of love, Joni

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    1. Kindest thanks, Joni. This story came alive because of you. It might never have been completed without your contributions and inspiration, so my sincere thanks goes to you, my friend and writing buddy. And let’s not forget your influence on so many writers in this community. Everyone looks up to you due to your talent and kindness, so we’re lucky to have you here.

      Wishing you and Scott a good upcoming weekend, and I look forward to teaming up with you on a project again soon. ☺️

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    1. Thank you, Tina. We both appreciate that so much. We enjoyed working together so much. Mike is an amazing writer, and it was such an honor to be able to collaborate with him. I hold him in such high regard as an artist.

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  7. Dear Mike, it is a truly beautiful and heartbreaking story. The way you wove together memory, love, loss, and hope through the simple image of daisies was deeply moving. The contrast between the vibrant past and the desolate future made the ending all the more powerful. Your prose is lyrical, immersive, and emotionally authentic. Thank you, Mike and Joni, for sharing such a poignant reminder that love endures, even when everything else is gone.

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    1. Thanks so much, Saima. Teaming up with Joni on this one was really satisfying. She brought a delicate human touch to the story with her unique style. She’s brilliant. As abjectly sad as this piece is, there is redemption at the end of all things, perhaps, and some peace as well. I hope our world avoids the fate depicted here; I hope there’s a way compassion and kindness prevail. We all need daisies in our lives…

      We’re grateful to Michelle for her constant support and for sharing this tale at Hotel.

      Thank you for your generous words, Saima. It’s always a pleasure to see you stop by to say hello. Wishing you a grand rest of the week, my friend. ☺️

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