© 2025 by Michael L. Utley
(#379)
my life
bereft of kin and ken
December trees
…..
(#380)
a whisper of hope
just enough
to tear me to pieces
…..
(#381)
these heavy skies
and the burdens they carry
dove’s cries
…..
(#382)
expectant hush
beginnings and endings
we yearn for both
…..
(#383)
don’t ask of my heart
there are dark places therein
even I fear to tread
…..
(#384)
a journey
of a thousand lies begins with
“I love you”
Hey, friends. If you’re in the mood for some haiku and senryu, Gobblers by Masticadores has published the latest installment of my short haiku/senryu collections titled “A Few Haiku (23).” These small collections consist of six haiku and/or senryu. Many thanks to editor Manuela Timofte for sharing my poetry with all of you.
“A Few Haiku (23)”
© 2021 by Michael L. Utley
(#133)
winter blizzard
mountain’s clouded mind confused
avalanche of thoughts
…..
(#134)
my life stains the page
complicated crimson kanji
too obscure to read
…..
(#135)
arctic kitsune
little blizzard stalks the drifts
crimson raicho plumes
You can read the rest of this mini-collection here:
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, folks. My poem “I’ve Come at Last to Anhedonia” is now available at LatinosUSA. Much gratitude to editor Michelle Navajas for publishing this piece. Sincerely appreciated, Michelle.
“I’ve Come at Last to Anhedonia”
© 2023 by Michael L. Utley
“I’ve come at last to Anhedonia
that bleak and melancholy land
beyond the god-forsaken desert sand
far ‘cross the sea of memories
where sunlight fades and none has e’er returned…”
You can read the rest of my poem here:
I hope you’ll consider following and subscribing to LatinosUSA–a place of unique visions and creative voices from around the world.
Just a note to let you know Gobblers by Masticadores has published my poem titled “Anchor.” Thanks to editor Manuela Timofte for her kindness in sharing this piece with all of you.
“Anchor”
© 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…”
You can read the rest of my poem here:
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, folks. More haiku and senryu for your perusal as Gobblers by Masticadores has published the latest installment of my short haiku/senryu collections titled “A Few Haiku (22).” These small collections consist of six haiku and/or senryu. Sincere thanks to editor Manuela Timofte for this opportunity to share my poetry with all of you.
“A Few Haiku (22)”
© 2021 by Michael L. Utley
(#127)
serrated sea shells
flay unfeeling fleeing feet
my numb soul bleeds out
…..
(#128)
bits of blue shell
and broken soul mark my fall
from heaven’s nest
…..
(#129)
old pond and ocean
renewed with each thunderstorm
my soul begs for rain
You can read the rest of this mini-collection here:
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.
Hello, everyone. My poem “Idyllic” is now available for your perusal at Hotel by Masticadores. I’m grateful to editor Michelle Navajas for publishing this piece, which is an unapologetic, unvarnished rendition of what rural life is really like in parts of this lost and broken country. Thank you, Michelle, for sharing this dark poem with with your readers.
“Idyllic”
© 2025 by Michael L. Utley
“Leroy blew his
fingers off with
blasting caps he stole
from some old granary
and he’d chew on the
blackened stumps
while waiting
for the school bus
like some kind of
hard dude
like he didn’t feel
a thing
I hated him
but I understood
numbness
and I knew he was
dead inside
knowing his
little sisters
were never
coming back
from that long-ago
pile of twisted metal
on the highway
he was sixteen
and already
an old man…“
You can read the rest of my poem here:
Also, please consider following and subscribing to Hotel by Masticadores, where you’ll discover a world of wonderfully imaginative and profound writing.
Hi, friends. The eleventh installment of my tanka series titled “A Tanka Trio (11)” 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). Many kind thanks to Editor Manuela Timofte for publishing these tanka. Very much appreciated, Manuela.
“A Tanka Trio (11)”
©2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#31)
my exhausted faith
flows just as the drift ice flows
breaks and melts away
heaven’s reflection blurring
in the sea’s saltwater tears
….
(#32)
I catch the water
dripping from the icicles
in a mason jar
as a gentle reminder
that I do not weep alone
You can read the rest of this tanka installment here:
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.
Greetings, friends. My poem “My Life Reads Like a Suicide Note” is now live at Hotel by Masticadores. I’m so thankful to editor Michelle Navajas for publishing this unusually dark and intense poem. Much gratitude to you, Michelle, for being willing to share writing that deals with difficult subjects. We all have voices that need to be heard.
“My Life Reads Like a Suicide Note”
© 2025 by Michael L. Utley
“my old man died alone
on a busted sofa
on a September farm
in the middle
of nowhere
with a gut full of
prescription drugs
and a poorly scrawled note
left on the kitchen table
“something went wrong
in my head”
it said
he checked out
without tipping
the bellboy
the cheap fuck
remorseless
to the end
and in his
final act
on planet earth
he also killed
me…”
You can read the rest of my poem here:
Also, please consider following and subscribing to Hotel by Masticadores, where you’ll discover a world of wonderfully imaginative and profound writing.
Hey, everyone. I’m excited to share some good news with you. My poem “The Daisy Ring” has been nominated for the 2026 Best of the Net Award. It’s an honor for me, and I’m so grateful to editor Michelle Navajas of Hotel by Masticadores for thinking highly enough of my poem to nominate it. What’s more, I count several good friends among Michelle’s other nominees and I’m thrilled for all of them and wish them the very best of luck.
For those unfamiliar with this annual award, here’s what The Best of the Net’s website has to say:
“The Best of the Net is an awards-based anthology designed to grant a platform to a diverse and growing collection of writers and publishers who are building an online literary landscape that seeks to break free of traditional publishing. This space has been created to bring greater respect to the continually expanding world of exceptional digital publishing.”
You can read more about the annual award and its anthology here:
Also, you can view all of Michelle’s nominees here:
And finally, a link to my poem:
Congratulations to all the other nominees, and thanks again, Michelle, for your kindness and for believing in my writing.
Greetings, folks. Gobblers by Masticadores has published the latest installment of my short haiku/senryu collections titled “A Few Haiku (21).” These small collections consist of six haiku and/or senryu. Much appreciation goes to editor Manuela Timofte for her kindness in sharing these little ones with her readers. I hope you like them.
“A Few Haiku (21)”
© 2021 by Michael L. Utley
(#121)
old rain barrel
dark waters of
forgotten dreams
…..
(#122)
first snow
white kiku on
autumn’s casket
…..
(#123)
stone cairns
mark my future; stone heart
marks my past
You can read the rest of this mini-collection here:
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.
Silent Pariah 