Category: Poetry

“Still I Toil On”

On By Mike U.In Poetry51 Comments

“Still I Toil On”
(c) 2024 by Michael L. Utley

my old hoe is dull
and the weeds
resist its blade
still I toil on
iron sharpens iron
rust begets rust
the crucible of life
makes or breaks
which shall I choose
do I even have a choice

my garden’s neglect
pains my soul
its hardened soil
thirsts for more
than rain
too many weeds
too few blooms
a loathsome facsimile
of the worst of me

these hands
cracked and dirty
beset by age
and the scars
of a futile life
once strong enough
to break the earth
shatter stone
yet tender still
to caress the lotus
dry the tears
of my beloved
these calloused hands
empty now
save for the
piercing splinters
and burning blisters
of stillborn harvests
and sundered dreams

once, long ago
across the stream
my young man’s eyes
beheld the youthful willow
nubile and lithesome
her slender feet
glissading upon
the cool water
sinuous fronds
breeze-blown
her sultry-shy gaze
beckoning me
offering respite
from noonday sun
and I watched from afar
as egret and kitsune
nestled in her shadows
and I yearned for her
but my garden
needed tilling
my hoe dull even then
my back bent
from years of struggle
my heart distracted
by worries of harvests
yet to be
and in my hesitation
she turned away
and all was lost

cicadas drone
in the bamboo grove
their maddening chorus
a condemnation
their brief lives
leave little time
for memories
but plenty
for judgment
their desiccated husks
reminding me
of life’s brevity
all I’ve lost
all I needlessly
carry with me

it has been too long
since the rains fell
too long since the wind
cooled my brow
too long since
my soul slept
too long have I
gripped this
infernal device
my entire existence
rooted in this
garden of regrets
I have become
the very weed
I wish to slay

still I toil on
for there is naught left
but to toil
until my blade breaks
or the harvester’s scythe
takes me away

“Ripples” published at Gobblers & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry47 Comments

Hello, everyone. I’m happy to announce my poem “Ripples” 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. I’m honored and truly grateful. Thanks so much, Juan and Manuela!

“Ripples”
(c) 2017 by Michael L. Utley

“There are no ripples
On this frozen pond
The puk-puk-puk of
The pebble
Skittering on iced skin
Dampened by
Frost-thick air
Breath caught short
In lung-numbed gasps
Silent words
Suspended
In wintry sighs
Eyes pools of
Frigid tear-prisms
Bitter empty gelid rainbows
Where are you…”

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.

“Platitudes”

On By Mike U.In Poetry39 Comments

“Platitudes”
(c) 2024 by Michael L. Utley

the yoke of burdensome veracity
does not comport with those whose vapid souls
would congregate toward lies like moths to flame
and frenzy-feed on poison from the troughs
of those who wish to lead all men astray

thus in the end your heaven’s impotence
could not redeem this unabating hell
and all your pithless ersatz platitudes
lay shattered in inconsequential heaps
the dross of feckless minds and futile means

and though you crow
This truth I know!
as you insist
you ken the gist
of edicts straight
from heaven’s gate
your craven heart
betrays you

this truth I know—that there are those who scheme
to dominate the spineless weak of mind
whose brackish hearts and savage mien await
the opportunity to unleash hate
and spread destruction in their savior’s name

and wear upon their heads their savior’s creed
its name emblazoned red upon their breasts
and armed with flag and gun and profaned cross
prepare to soon fulfill the prophecies
of bloodlust and democracy’s demise

and you proclaim
your savior’s name
on bended knee
and worship he
whose rancid heart
tears souls apart
and vow to kill
to please him

the dove of peace and purity is dead
its carcass desecrated by the mob
its once-white plumage dripping crimson now
as boots stamp restlessly and voices hush
your vulgar gilded calf about to speak

and all the lies of men pour forth as smoke
and all eyes blinded, all hearts burned to ash
and all ears hear the trumpet of the spawn
and all minds bound as one, their task at hand
it’s time to make this country great again

and you shall tread
among the dead
with weapons raised
your savior praised
a new world birthed
now hell on earth
and from above
heaven weeps

the monster you’ve created has no name
its voice the sound of screams and champing teeth
its appetite for wrath insatiable
and as it turns its gaze on you it grins
and now perhaps at last you know the truth

thus in the end your heaven’s impotence
cannot redeem this unrelenting hell
and puerile platitudes cannot assuage
the damnation you’ve brought upon yourself
go forth in horror, your new world awaits

“In Time to Come” published at Gobblers & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry53 Comments

I’m pleased to announce my poem “In Time to Come” has gone live at Gobblers & Masticadores. Many thanks to Juan Re Crivello and Manuela Timofte and their staff for this opportunity to share my poetry with their readers. It’s an honor and I’m truly grateful. Thanks so much, Juan and Manuela!

“In Time to Come”
(c) 2017 by Michael L. Utley

“She had that look about her again
Eyes like chips of coruscating amber
Caught in the westering sun
Her over-there gaze snagged
On some distant memory
Like thorn-caught thread
Hands prim and pale
In her denim lap
Amid foxtails and dandelions
And oak shadows…”

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.

“Clarity”

On By Mike U.In Poetry57 Comments

“Clarity”
(c) 2024 by Michael L. Utley

in my twilight world the seasons blur
snow on flowers, freezing summer rain
I seek clarity

dim uncertainty
gloaming settles on this silent vale
neither night nor day exists for me

in the mist beyond the frozen stream
yurei whisper in the burning woods
Yomi’s fey lament

nowhere left to go
hesitance and indecisiveness
stranded on the threshold of the fates

in the heavens moon eclipses sun
as Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto
fervently pursues

Amaterasu
fulfilling his futile destiny
casting earth below in shadow gloom

machinations of the earth obscure
as this spinning orb succumbs to guile
in its rayless fugue

and all eyes fall, dazed
as the haze of chaos binds and blinds
my discernment crumbles into dust

truth has lost its glimmer and its sheen
pyrite baubles magnified as gold
in one hand a rose

in the other hand
a dagger; the heart of man depraved
confusion’s inferno conflagrates

forests turn to ash, and ash to snow
bitter flakes descend upon the tomb
of veracity

cloak in acrid pall
verity’s forlorn sarcophagus
candor’s mere slowly evaporates

I can’t tell the darkness from the light
hope, despair—awareness betrays me
every day the scale

of acumen fails
there is naught left but to close my eyes
and weep for lucidity’s demise

UPDATE: My Poem “This World is Yours” named Publication of the Month at Spillwords Press

On By Mike U.In Poetry78 Comments

Hey, friends. I’m both excited and humbled to announce my poem “This World is Yours” has been named “Publication of the Month for Jan/Feb 2024” at Spillwords Press. Many thanks to Dagmara K. and her staff for publishing my poem and affording me the opportunity to share my work with the readers at Spillwords Press. This unexpected honor caught me off-guard and it never would have occurred without the kind support of so many of you. Thank you so much—this means a lot to me. This is the best community imaginable. Congratulations to all the other nominees whose work is deserving of all the accolades it receives.

I want to give a special shout-out to my friend and fellow writer Nigel Byng, whose brilliant poetry was also nominated. You’ll always be a winner in my book, my friend.

You can read my poem by clicking this link.

Thanks, folks. I’m truly grateful.

“I Cannot Ask the Mountain” published at Chewers & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry37 Comments

I’m happy to announce my poem “I Cannot Ask the Mountain” has been published at Chewers & Masticadores. Sincere thanks to Juan Re Crivello and his team for this opportunity. It’s always an honor to share my work at Chewers & Masticadores. Thank you, Juan!

“I Cannot Ask the Mountain…”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

“I cannot ask the mountain
To carry my burden
For it shoulders the
The cumbrous glacier
The forsaken tor
The desolate scree slope
It weeps already
At its heavy load
Remorseful streams
Of alpine tears
Flow into tarns of regret
Secret cirques of sorrow
Hidden in its granite heart…”

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 & Masticadores. It’s a wonderful place for those who love writing.

“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