I’d like to announce my poem “Air/Water/Air” is now live at Gobblers By Masticadores. Thanks so much to Manuela Timofte and her staff for publishing this piece. I’m truly grateful, Manuela!
“There is no air Down there Down in the dark Where I choke On my life Nature abhors A vacuum But rage Thrives Therein…”
You can read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers By Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
Hey, everyone. I’d like to let you know my poem “Stream Among the Reeds” has gone live at Gobblers By Masticadores. A mighty thank you to Manuela Timofte and her staff for publishing my poetry—it’s most definitely an honor for me. I’m sincerely grateful, Manuela!
“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…”
You can read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers By Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
I’m delighted to announce my poem “Wisdom” has been selected as a featured poem at Spillwords Press. Many thanks to Dagmara K. and her team for publishing this piece. It’s an incredible honor to share my work with the readers at Spillwords Press, and I’m truly grateful for this opportunity. Sincere thanks, Dagmara. I appreciate it.
“Wisdom” (c) 2024 by Michael L. Utley
“I attain wisdom not from church or pagoda temple or tabernacle but from wood and stream respite achieved through contemplation of cloud reflections on cobalt alpine tarns hammocked among granite crags and tors restoration gifted by toes-in-sand scamperings on dayspring sea shores as gulls cavort and sand pipers tempt fate balance granted by spinning constellations as Luna tends her silver star-gardens and earth dreams its pensive dreams…”
You can read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. And once you’re there, take some time to check out the work of many other talented writers at Spillwords Press, where you’ll find a treasure trove of good writing.
I’m pleased to announce my poem “You There” has been published at Chewers by Masticadores. A sincere thank you to Juan Re Crivello and Nolcha Fox and their team for sharing my poetry with their readers. It’s definitely an honor for me. Thank you so much, Juan and Nolcha, for this opportunity.
“You There” (c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
“I can only bleed so much but it’s never enough to satisfy you, is it nevermind my shattered soul and flesh flayed wide no secrets left no shadowed clefts to hide what’s left of me just the cold glare of reality and the medicinal stench of silent eternity…”
I’d be delighted if you’d read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, be sure to follow and subscribe to Chewers by Masticadores. It’s a wonderful place for those who love writing.
I’m excited to announce my poem “Anchor” has been published at Chewers by Masticadores. A big thank you to Juan Re Crivello and Nolcha Fox and their team for this opportunity. It’s always an honor to share my work at Chewers by Masticadores. Thank you, Juan and Nolcha, for your kindness and support!
“Anchor” (c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
“she sat there 9,000 miles away on the edge of her bed or the ledge of her building I never knew which and talked about anchors and the black depths of depression and what it would feel like to fly…”
I’d be delighted if you’d read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, be sure to follow and subscribe to Chewers by Masticadores. It’s a wonderful place for those who love writing.
Hello, folks. I’d like to announce my poem “What the Sun Denies, the Moon Divines” has been published at Gobblers By Masticadores. Sincere thanks to Manuela Timofte and her staff for sharing my poetry with their readers—it’s always an honor and it means a lot to me. I’m truly grateful, Manuela!
“What the Sun Denies, the Moon Divines” (c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley
“This light that burns Through bone-hued slats As serpentine sun Sheds its pretense And glissades through Fey reeds of twilight Cuts razor-lines Across eddying galaxies Of dust motes Infinities of minutiae Indifferent spirals A feckless requiem For rise-and-fall futility…”
You can read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers By Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
Hi, everyone. I’d like to let you know my poem “That Road Don’t Go Nowhere” has been published at Gobblers By Masticadores. Many thanks to Manuela Timofte and her staff for this opportunity to share my poetry with their readers—it’s always an honor and I’m truly grateful. Kindest thanks, Manuela!
Raspy sigh of too many cigarettes Grease-blackened claw points in the general direction of Eternity Stench of gasoline and sweat Indecipherable name emblazoned on Filthy coveralls Gas pump chugs and stutters Connected to my car by an umbilical cord of Ancient dinosaurs His eyes lost in pools of wrinkles and regrets As my eyes follow his finger Nothing but rock and sand and the howls of The lost In this desolation…”
You can read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers By Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
I’d like to announce my poem “I Did This” has been published at Gobblers By Masticadores. A big thank you to Manuela Timofte and her staff for this opportunity to share my poetry with their readers—it’s always an honor and I’m truly grateful. Thanks, Manuela!
“I did this A handful of fear and feathers The black eye of God Dulling Fading Misting Silent A handful of blood and feathers I did this
A tiny universe Gasping for breath Grasping for death Stopped cold By the golden orb of fate…”
You can read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers By Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
Hi, everyone. Juan Re Crivello, owner/publisher/editor at Gobblers by Masticadores, was nice enough to republish my recent interview at Spillwords Press for his readers to view. So, if any of you missed it at Spillwords Press and would like to read it, you can find it here:
Common Collared Lizard, Hovenweep National Monument, SW Colorado (c) Mike Utley
Hovenweep National Monument is located on a swath of land on Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain that straddles the border of southwest Colorado and southeast Utah less than an hour from where I live. It’s widely known for hosting six extraordinary groups of Ancestral Puebloan villages and a kiva, as well as displaying signs of hunter-gatherers from 8,000-6,000 B.C. through 200 A.D. (Info provided by Wikipedia)
On this day in the early 2000s, I set out to photograph the sandstone towers and other structures, many of which were in surprisingly good condition. The day was clear and hot, and as I hiked from the parking area toward the ruins, I was eager to see the place for the first time and make some images to add to my portfolio.
Alas, nature has a weird fickle streak which makes her unpredictable, and about a half-hour into my hike a sandstorm appeared and intensified with surprising alacrity. I managed to photograph one cylindrical tower amid blowing sand, then jammed my camera inside my shirt to protect it from sand and grit and hoofed it back toward the parking area to wait out the sandstorm in my truck.
On the trail not far from the parking lot, I stumbled across this little guy near a small juniper and some sage brush on the dirt trail. I’d never seen this species of lizard in the wild before, and was unaware of its name. At around ten inches in length, it was larger than the majority of lizards in my area, and its brilliant coloring was fascinating. So, I stopped and set about trying to get some shots of this fellow.
The sandstorm was still blowing dust and grit as I hunkered down to get a decent angle with my 75-300mm lens. The lizard was active, darting about, seeming to run laps around me. It was obviously acclimated to humans, at least to a degree, and it hung around the T-intersection of the trail, flitting about as though it were playing tag with me. After about twenty minutes of stalking this guy amid rapidly changing lighting conditions and several “oohs” and “ahhs” from passers-by, I finally managed to make a couple of images.
The first image here has better composition than the second, while the lighting in the second image is more dynamic than the first. I rarely photographed animals during my nature photography period of 1995-2003 for a couple of reasons. First, as much as I love animals, I prefer landscape photography—I was always very methodical and meticulous in my approach to photography and that meant taking my time to evaluate the scene and make compositional decisions, something that’s more difficult to do when attempting to capture moving animals on film. Second, I simply never had the proper gear to photograph wildlife. Big heavy, fast, expensive lenses are part of a wildlife photographer’s arsenal. I couldn’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on a 300mm f/2.8 lens for wildlife images, and my 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 zoom wasn’t ideal for subjects in constant motion. Photographing a mountain vista doesn’t require super-fast shutter speeds to freeze the action; photographing a common collared lizard who appears to be on a jittery caffeine-high is a different matter altogether. I was glad to get these two images, and later I checked my field guide to properly identify the species.
Common Collared Lizard, Hovenweep National Monument, SW Colorado (c) Mike Utley
This was more than twenty years ago, and I’ve never seen another common collared lizard. A bit of serendipity, I suppose—I set out to photograph ancient ruins and ended up with lizard images instead. You never know what nature has in store for you. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)
Silent Pariah 