Author: Mike U.

“From Tsukiko, While Watching the Moon”

On By Mike U.In Poetry48 Comments

“From Tsukiko, While Watching the Moon”
© 2025 by Michael L. Utley

I have waited long enough
among midnight forests
and somnolent bamboo groves
the furtive whispers
of pensive yurei
a forlorn supplication
to dissolve further
into the rayless world
of lost souls
to seek the sleep
of bōkyaku

cloistered among
susurrating reeds
I bathe my feet
in Sanzu’s nocturnal tears
adorned in fragrant
willow shadows
as koi drowse
in the depths of dreams
and kitsune slink
clandestinely
their night-thoughts
unfathomable

the red footbridge
dun and sullen
in this half-light
recedes into nothingness
an abandoned relic
leading to nowhere
its purpose forgotten
another ghost in this
world of ghosts

beyond the bridge
emptiness

somewhere out there
lies a buried memory
the bones of a life
once lived
once lost
forever regretted
a recollection unknown to all
but mindless breeze
and insentient earth

above
insensate stars spin
upon eternal axes
their astral trajectories
a testament to futility
their presence neither
proof nor denial
of divinity
alignment
retrogradation
degradation
collapse
blackness
silence
eternity in the
blink of an eye

oh, but you, arrogant moon
gōman’na tsuki
skulking through the trees
your cold light casting you
as villainous
your spectral aria
a surreptitious siren-song
I must resist
oh, moon
your dubious countenance
burned into my soul
your serrated sickle’s
jagged tracks still scarred
across my pallid wrists

you don’t know me, moon
in your hubris
you assume all things
in your haughtiness
you presume to decide
the fates of men
your judgments
surpassing Enma’s
in their brackish cruelty
your domain the darkness
and all who dwell within
you of many faces
and the tongues of serpents
beguiler of hearts and minds
you don’t know me, moon

but I know you

you named me Tsukiko
birthed me in
the gloom of obscurity
flung me upon Fuji’s flanks
and fled
moon-child
daughter of Tsuki
I have watched you
all my life
from afar I contemplated
your shifting phases
your covert risings and fallings
your feckless betrayals
your eldritch gleam

and I waited
for acknowledgment
for recognition
for the simple pleasure
of moon-dapples
on lotus ponds
and still I wait

you don’t know me, moon
and you never shall
for now I embrace my fate
and begin my journey
into the tenebrous aether
of oblivion
no more shall I hope
for that which you cannot give
no more shall my tears
blind me to the truth
no more shall my dead heart
ache from your rejection

I am Tsukiko no more

“A Summer’s Field in Winter” published at India & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry47 Comments

Hey, folks. I’d like to let you know my poem “A Summer’s Field in Winter” has been published at India & Masticadores. Many thanks to Editor Abhilash Fraizer and his team for the opportunity to share my writing with their readers. I truly appreciate it.

“A Summer’s Field in Winter”
© 2022 by Michael L. Utley

“let us sift through summer’s solemn ashes
let us scavenge rusted hopes from twisted
hulks of yesterdays amid the swelter
and the din of frigid silence
as crows circle

this broad swath the acreage of sorrow
garden of the gods whose feckless mewling
echoes ‘cross the eons and the seasons
crumble into dust as autumn
gives up her ghost…”

You can read the rest of my poem here:

“A Summer’s Field in Winter” by Michael L. Utley

Also, please consider following and subscribing to India & Masticadores, where you’ll find unique voices and captivating topics to spur your imagination.

“The Grief of Winter”

On By Mike U.In Poetry70 Comments

(Author’s note: On January 20, 2025, fascism replaced democracy in America…)

“The Grief of Winter”
© 2024 by Michael L. Utley

in each flake
a brief eternity
the grief of winter
as December bleeds out
and January’s hell awaits

there shall be
no insensate oblivion
no benignant Lethe
no purgatorial reprieve
awaiting us on eternity’s cusp

only the purulent spoils
of our own wretchedness
a just reward for
embracing hate
and abandoning compassion

we have chosen darkness
consorted with the enemy
sold our souls in our
lust for power
and betrayed our fellows

January’s hell awaits
and we will all suffer
for the sins of those
who embrace fascism
racism and intolerance

those with black hearts
and frozen souls
have birthed a monstrosity
a nameless winter wendigo
whose reign of terror awaits

and what say you
you betrayers who have
cast your lot with madmen
who would see your fellows
dead or worse

what say you
when your turn shall come
when your wendigo god
regards you
with its slavering grin

our new world
a vast expanse of ice
a permafrost desolation
incessant howling winds
and the screams of the damned

winter’s grief
the delicate crystal latticework
of hiemal tears shattered
human warmth is dead
eternal winter has arrived

“A Tanka Trio (3)” published at Gobblers by Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry41 Comments

I’d like to announce the third installment of my tanka series titled “A Tanka Trio (3)” is now live at Gobblers by Masticadores. Each of these installments contains three tanka (be sure to click this link or the link below to read all of them). Sincere thanks to Editor Manuela Timofte for publishing this installment. I hope you find these enjoyable.

“A Tanka Trio (3)”
© 2021 by Michael L. Utley

(#7)

My eyes hear what my
Ears cannot see I wash my
Mouth of bitter taste
Of memories long past and
Chase scent of elusive hope

…..

(#8)

Distant memories
Hide like frail columbines
Shade-bound ‘neath the firs
Fragile petals woe-dappled
In the meadows of my mind

You can read the rest of this tanka installment here:

A Tanka Trio (3)

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.

After Rain Skies: The Global Anthology by Michelle Ayon Navajas–Contributor Profiles

On By Mike U.In Previews / Reviews33 Comments

Hey, friends. Nine days remain until the release of Michelle Ayon Navajas’ book After Rain Skies: The Global Anthology. March 8, 2025 will herald the arrival of a vitally important collection of poetry and prose dealing with violence and abuse and the stories of those who have survived and shared their personal experiences. You can read more about this anthology here:

After Rain Skies: The Global Anthology – A Powerful Collection of Voices Against Abuse and Violence

In the lead-up to the book’s release, Michelle has been kind enough to feature short contributor profiles of those whose work appears in the anthology. Her graciousness in recognizing these authors is so appreciated. Recently, she featured my profile, and you can check it out here if you’d like:

Mike Utley for After Rain Skies: The Global Anthology

I’m honored and humbled to be a part of this initiative to raise awareness for this significant cause. Michelle’s advocacy and hard work have done wonders for victims of abuse and violence, saving lives and helping people heal and find the light of hope again. Sincere thanks, Michelle, for allowing me to participate in this endeavor. ❤️

Smorgasbord Coffee Morning – Author D. Wallace Peach with Poet and Photographer Michael Utley

On By Mike U.In Featured Blogs43 Comments

Hey, everyone. Just a note to let you know esteemed and talented author Diana Wallace Peach has invited me as her guest to visit Sally Cronin’s wonderful blog Smorgasbord Blog Magazine for coffee today. Do stop by to say hello if you like. 😊

Smorgasbord Coffee Morning – Author D. Wallace Peach with Poet and Photographer Michael Utley

“How Swift the Stream”

On By Mike U.In Poetry34 Comments

“How Swift the Stream”
© 2025 by Michael L. Utley

as gloaming eventide stalks dying light
to ambuscade the remnants of the day
diurnal requiems give way to night
how quick the gloom
eviscerates its prey

regretful skiffs of shame contuse the dusk
as shadows skulking on earth’s wretched rind
asphyxiate its palpitating husk
how cruel the dark
and all it renders blind

the dreams of men have withered into dross
the fruits of hope lie rotting on the vine
of apathy and existential loss
how foul the taste
of sorrow’s bitter wine

the torrents of the years in all their guile
and surreptitious whisperings betray
compassion’s current flows but for a while
how swift the stream
and all it sweeps away

“A Poet’s Lamentation”

On By Mike U.In Poetry41 Comments

“A Poet’s Lamentation”
© 2025 by Michael L. Utley

pardon my sorrow
and forgive my weeping soul
my humble supplication
loosed into the void on raven’s wings
to fall on deafened ears of fickle gods

there is no recourse but to hemorrhage
wring my bleeding heart of every drop
of my wretched existence
rend the sinews from my bones
and flay me naked

in this bleakest night
‘neath the bitter howling stars
my armature gleams ghastly
pale, my dynamo has stripped its gears
my lidless eyes see all and naught at once

as galaxies cavort and novae scream
tunes atonal to eternity
and singularities gorge
on time itself, I writhe in
insignificance

what of sacrifice
what of tears that stain the path
to heaven or hell, what of
all the shattered promises, edicts
proposed to bridge sepulchral crevasses

to heal humanity, to proffer hope
all I hear is silence, all I see
are forsaken blasted lands
smoking ruins, open graves
all I feel is dread

words in lieu of souls
that is all the poets have
to lay upon the chantry
of contrition, penitence conveyed
through lifetimes etched in stone and signed in blood

a universal verse, an astral dirge
seeking meaning in obscurity
the great myst’ry locked away
far beyond my lexicon
all words have failed me

“I am the Coin that Falls Between the Cracks” published at LatinosUSA

On By Mike U.In Poetry32 Comments

Hello, everyone. I’m excited to let you know my poem “I am the Coin that Falls Between the Cracks” is now available at LatinosUSA. Much gratitude to Editor Nolcha Fox for publishing this piece. Sincerely appreciated, Nolcha.

“I am the Coin that Falls Between the Cracks”
© 2024 by Michael L. Utley

“parts of me have died
that no one will ever know
nor will ever mourn
and why should they
I am just a remnant of myself
writ small among the vagaries of life

I am the coin that falls between the cracks
the sub-aural hum of power lines
the mote-specked silence of barn lofts
the dull glint of galaxies
as seen through rheumic eyes
I am the shadow
in the corner
of my cold
listless
mind…”

You can read the rest of my poem here:

“I Am the Coin that Falls Between the Cracks” by Michael L. Utley

I hope you’ll consider following and subscribing to LatinosUSA–a place of unique visions and creative voices from around the world.

“The Daisy Ring” published at Hotel by Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry36 Comments

I’d like to let you know my poem “The Daisy Ring” has been published at Hotel by Masticadores. Many thanks to Editor Michelle Navajas for sharing this poem. I’m truly grateful for your kindness, Michelle.

“The Daisy Ring”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

“I found thee in a faerie copse…”

“Hmm?” she murmured
Her gaze caught somewhere
In the rainy neon night-world
Beyond the coffee shop window
Her fingers weightless
Feather-like
In my hand
Ethereal
Furnace-hot

“I found thee in a faerie copse
Alighting on each flower fair
And as I ‘proached thee in the hopes
Of snaring thee in lovers’ ropes
Thou disappeared into thin air…”

She looked at me then
A faint smile teasing
Her lips
“Your poetry is terrible,” she said…”

You can read the rest of my poem here:

“The Daisy Ring” by Michael L. Utley

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