I’d like to announce my poem “Exhale” has been published at Gobblers by Masticadores. I appreciate the kindness of Editor Manuela Timofte and her staff for sharing this poem with their readers. Thank you, Manuela!

“Exhale”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

“A handful of words hastily shaken
Thrown like dice against a filthy brick wall
Skittering across deserted sidewalk
Bouncing into foul gutter rill
Profound thoughts from a tired mind

Is this all I have to say and if so
Does it even matter when no one cares
These words buoyant as a waterlogged corpse
Sink slowly beneath the surface
Of a world bereft of conscience…”

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.

Hello, friends. I’d like to let you know my poem “A Latticework of Tears” has been published at Gobblers by Masticadores. A big thank you goes to Editor Manuela Timofte and her staff for their kindness in sharing this poem with their wonderful readers. Many thanks, Manuela!

“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…”

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 “Platitudes” has been published at Gobblers by Masticadores. I’m grateful to Editor Manuela Timofte and her staff for sharing this poem with their readers. Thanks so much, Manuela!

“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…”

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 happy to announce my poem “When Ivory Kiku Bloom” has been published at Gobblers by Masticadores. Much gratitude goes to Editor Manuela Timofte and her staff for sharing my poetry with their readers. Many thanks, Manuela!

“When Ivory Kiku Bloom”
(c) 2024 by Michael L. Utley

“it’s my hope in time to come
when ivory kiku bloom
you’ll remember me
as I remember you

those days so long ago
in absence of joy
fraught with fear and agony
you gazed into the abyss

what did you see in the din
and darkness of depression
what peered back at you
shattered your very soul…”

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 pleased to let you know my poem “Still I Toil On” has been published at Gobblers by Masticadores. I’m grateful and indebted to Editor Manuela Timofte and her staff for sharing this piece with their readers. Thank you so much, Manuela!

“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…”

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, folks. Just wanted to let you know my poem “Clarity” has been published at Gobblers by Masticadores. Many thanks to Editor Manuela Timofte and her staff for sharing this poem with their readers. Manuela, your kindness is so appreciated!

“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…”

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 “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!

“Air/Water/Air”
© 2012 by Michael L. Utley

“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.