“Stream Among the Reeds”

“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

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

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

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

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

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.

“This World is Yours” published at Spillwords Press

Hey, folks. I’m excited to let you know my poem “This World is Yours” is now live at Spillwords Press. I appreciate Dagmara K. and her staff for publishing this piece. It’s an incredible honor to share my work with the readers at Spillwords Press. Many thanks, Dagmara. I’m deeply grateful.

“This World is Yours”
(c) 2023 by Michael L. Utley

you thought you could
save the world
wee lad
you couldn’t even
save yourself

those bleak nighthawk skies
where dead stars fall
like blood-bloated flies
and fey winds howl
in deafened ears
a behemoth’s fetid exhalation
violent and ignorant
and inexorable

breathe
breathe it all in
the sweat-soaked fear
the bitter tang of futility
fill your lungs
wee lad
this world is yours
as far as tear-blurred
eyes can see…

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 on Spillwords Press, where you’ll find a treasure trove of good writing.

“Heroic” published at Chewers & Masticadores

I’m pleased to announce my poem “Heroic” has been published at Chewers & Masticadores. Many thanks to Juan Re Crivello and his team for sharing this poem with their readers. It’s always an honor to have my poetry published Chewers & Masticadores and I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity. Thank you, Juan!

“Heroic”
© 2013 by Michael L. Utley

“The kid was too young
This distant uncanny boy
Face absconded
Into the murky depths of his
Drenched and threadbare
Crimson hoodie
Eyes mere pinpricks
Of sentience in the shadows
Where his face should be
On this pouring midnight
Sidewalk where even the rain seemed
Exhausted in the scornful cones
Of streetlamp illumination
And unseen clouds sighed above
Too tired for the bluster and pretense
Of thunder…”

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.

“For Harley” published at Gobblers & Masticadores

I’m delighted to let you know my poem “For Harley” has been published at Gobblers & Masticadores. I appreciate Manuela Timofte and her team for their kindness in sharing this poem with their readers. It’s an honor to have my poetry published alongside that of so many talented writers at Gobblers & Masticadores. Many thanks, Manuela!

“For Harley”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

“I wonder if he ever knew his ears
Had failed him as he nosed the gravel road
Collecting scents of all that passed that way
As afternoon slipped into eventide
And xanthous-tinted rabbit brush held sway

Amid god-beams

Gilded god-beams…”

I’d be pleased 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.

“My Jade Remembrance” (reprise)

(originally posted 10/5/2021)

“My Jade Remembrance”
(c) 2019 by Michael L. Utley

I used to know you
9,000 tears ago
A tear for every mile
That kept me from you
A tear for every moment
Not spent with you
A tear for every hope
Not shared with you
9,000 tears

A jade remembrance
For my brown-eyed love
A dusky green heart
On a silver chain
I keep in my pocket
It was for you
Everything was for you
Everything I had
Everything gone except
My jade remembrance

You were already dead
Before I ever met you
Your path etched in stone
I was just a detour
A distraction on your way
Into darkness
A temporary reprieve
An unplanned respite
For the lost girl
The girl who would learn to fly
Or die trying

And I was the lost boy
The boy who had
Never seen the sun
Until I saw you
The boy whose shattered heart
Had one last beat for you
A final crescendo for my
Brown-eyed love

I couldn’t fix you
You weren’t broken
You were destroyed
Crushed by the weight of
Damnation
Hounded by demons
Unknown to me
Yet you smiled at me
And pulled me from
My own abyss
And I loved you

My jade remembrance
Are you still there
Did you close your eyes
And take that leap of faith
Did you learn to fly
Or did you die trying
You didn’t just take your life
You took mine too

I keep your heart in my pocket
On a silver chain