Tag: Poetry

“Prudent; Rational”

On By Mike U.In Essays, Poetry

“Prudent; Rational”
© 2025 by Michael L. Utley

“I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.”  Charlie Kirk, April 2023

…..

San Ysidro McDonald’s massacre, San Ysidro, CA, 1984 – 22 dead/9 injured
USPS shooting, Edmund, OK, 1986 – 15/6

prudent; rational

GMAC massacre, Jacksonville, FL, 1990 – 10/4
Luby’s massacre, Killeen, TX, 1991 – 24/20

prudent; rational

Columbine High School massacre, Littleton, CO, 1999 – 13/24
Red Lake massacre, Red Lake, MN, 2005 – 10/5

prudent; rational

Virginia Tech University massacre, Blacksburg, VA, 2007 – 32/23
Binghamton shootings, Binghamton, NY, 2009 – 14/4

prudent; rational

Fort Hood massacre, Fort Hood, TX, 2009 – 13/31
Aurora theater shooting, Aurora, CO, 2012 – 12/70

prudent; rational

Sandy Hook Elementary massacre, Newtown, CT, 2012 – 27/2
Washington Navy Yard shooting, Washington D.C., 2013 – 12/8

prudent; rational

San Bernardino mass shooting, San Bernardino, CA, 2015 – 14/21
Orlando night club massacre, Orlando, FL, 2016 – 49/53

prudent; rational

Las Vegas Strip massacre, Las Vegas, NV, 2017 – 60/546
Texas First Baptist Church massacre, Sutherland Springs, TX, 2017 – 26/20

prudent; rational

Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School massacre, Parkland, FL, 2018 – 17/17
Santa Fe High School shooting, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2018 – 10/13

prudent; rational

Tree of Life synagogue shooting, Pittsburgh, PA, 2018 – 11/6
Thousand Oaks nightclub shooting, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2018 – 12/22

prudent; rational

Virginia Beach municipal building shooting, Virginia Beach, VA , 2019 – 12/4
El Paso Walmart mass shooting, El Paso, TX, 2019 – 22/26

prudent; rational

Boulder supermarket shooting, Boulder, CO, 2021 – 10/0
Buffalo supermarket massacre, Buffalo, NY, 2022 – 10/3

prudent; rational

Robb Elementary School shooting, Uvalde, TX, 2022 – 21/17
LA dance studio mass shooting, Monterey Park, CA, 2023 – 11/10

prudent; rational

Maine bowling alley & bar shootings, Lewiston, ME, 2023 – 18/13
Utah Valley University shooting, Orem, UT, 2025 – 1

prudent; rational

…..

This is only a partial compilation of mass shootings in the U.S between 1982-2024. These instances refer to shootings with double-digit fatalities (except for the final listing, which was not a mass shooting but notable nonetheless for its irony); there are many, many more shootings not included due to limited space. This list by Mother Jones was used in this piece.

Mass shootings are defined as events in which four or more fatalities occur (excluding the shooter). Recent data from Everytown for Gun Safety shows that since 2015, more than 19,000 people have been killed in mass shootings in the United States (all of them presumably prudent, rational sacrifices, according to the late CK), with more than 686 mass shootings in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The statistics for mass shootings with fewer than four fatalities between 2015-2022 represent 95% of all mass shootings, with 3,533 incidents. The US averages more mass shootings than days in the year.

Giffords Law Center reports that more than 46,000 Americans die annually as a result of gun violence. That’s 125/day on average, with more than 461,000 dead since 2015. The number of guns in the United States totals more than 400 MILLION (population ~345 million). This article by The Intercept show that politically red states exhibit much higher levels of gun violence than blue states, in large part due to political ideology and lax gun laws. And with all the dark money flowing into morally corrupt republican politicians’ coffers from the Gun Lobby, this is not surprising. The GOP has sold its soul to the NRA and repeatedly shoots down (pun intended) any attempts by Democrats to pass common-sense gun legislation to curb gun violence and deaths.

Will these deaths be enough to satisfy those who demand blood sacrifice to protect “god-given” rights to amass vast arsenals of weapons and ammunition to achieve some twisted ideal of alpha manhood? Can any gun death be considered “prudent” or “rational?” What have we become when we glorify violence and bloodshed and vilify those who seek to end the carnage of mass shootings and other types of gun violence?

“One death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic.” – Joseph Stalin

“A Tanka Trio (10)” published at Gobblers by Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry15 Comments

Hi, everyone. The tenth installment of my tanka series titled “A Tanka Trio (10)” is now available 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). Thank you, Manuela Timofte, for sharing these tanka with your readers. You’re a wonderful editor and I appreciate all you do.

“A Tanka Trio (10)”
© 2021 by Michael L. Utley

(#28)

Sere crone winter sheds
Iced waraji at the door
Hangs her hiemal veil
On the windows, frigid laugh
Desecrates the sacred place

…..

(#29)

Shima-enaga
Silver-throated winter-borne
Yuki no tori
Huddle in Hokkaido chill
Little clouds alight on branch

You can read the rest of this tanka installment here:

A Tanka Trio (10)

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.

“The Grief of Winter” published at Hotel by Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry27 Comments

Hello, everyone. My poem “The Grief of Winter” is now available for your perusal at Hotel by Masticadores. I’m grateful to editor Michelle Navajas for publishing this poem. Thank you so much for all you do, Michelle.

“The Grief of Winter”
(c) 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…”

You can read the rest of my poem here:

“The Grief of Winter” 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.

Our Friend Maggie Watson Nominated for Author of the Month for August 2025 at Spillwords Press

On By Mike U.In General36 Comments

A bit of exciting news, folks. My good friend and superb poet Maggie Watson has been nominated for Writer of the Month for August 2025 at Spillwords Press. Earlier this year, Maggie won the award for Publication of the Month for April 2025 at Spillwords Press, so she’s on a roll. I want to ask all of you to check out her latest offering at Spillwords Press, a magnificent piece titled “Holy Communion,” then give her a vote of support. She is absolutely deserving of this award.

Voting for Author of the Month for August 2025 ends August 28. You may cast your vote here:

Spillwords Press Author of the Month for August 2025

You can also experience Maggie’s sublime poetry on her blog, Ephemeral Encounters. Maggie’s writing is intense, at times brutal, always courageous, and deeply personal, and I admire her as both a writer and a person.

Help support our writing community by casting your vote for our friend Maggie, will you?

“A Few Haiku (20)” published at Gobblers by Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry17 Comments

The latest installment of my short haiku/senryu collections titled “A Few Haiku (20)” is now available at Gobblers by Masticadores. These small collections consist of six haiku and/or senryu. Many thanks to editor Manuela Timofte for sharing this mini-collection. I hope you enjoy them.

“A Few Haiku (20)”
© 2021 by Michael L. Utley

(#115)

where once was laughter
now only bones
the burned forest

…..

(#116)

does the mantis pray
for long life and happiness
it receives neither

…..

(#117)

some live some die
I plant the seeds
anyway

You can read the rest of this mini-collection here:

A Few Haiku (20)

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.

“A Tanka Trio (9)” published at Gobblers by Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry10 Comments

Hey, folks. The ninth installment of my tanka series titled “A Tanka Trio (9)” 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). I’m grateful to editor Manuela Timofte for sharing this installment with her readers. Thank you kindly, Manuela.

“A Tanka Trio (9)”
© 2021 by Michael L. Utley

(#25)

Old stones squander heat
In the fire pit at night
After flames have died
Wrapped in fading embers’ arms
Love succumbs to apathy

…..

(#26)

I pick up the eggs
Fallen from a sparrow’s nest
Observing the cracks
There is silence as the earth
Contemplates what might have been

You can read the rest of this tanka installment here:

A Tanka Trio (9)

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.

“Koto no Yume” published at Gobblers by Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry28 Comments

Hi, everyone. I want to let you know my poem “Koto no Yume” is now live at Gobblers by Masticadores. I really appreciate editor Manuela Timofte’s kindness and support in publishing my poetry. It means a lot to me, Manuela.

“Koto no Yume”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley

“In dreamland forests of my soul I hear
What deafened ears in waking cannot know
A yearning in konara groves
That lilts in silent soft-edged shadows calls

The stream conversing with the hart has hushed
Its liquid-silver voice now mute
As herons ankle-deep in currents pause
And reverently bow in pious prayer

The insects cease their gossip in the ferns
And in anticipation preen their wings
As purple katakuri nod
At crimson higanbana through the leaves

And sly kitsune slinks from trunk to trunk
A flash of pale white-flickered tail
To find a seat ‘neath green-leafed momiji
Or ‘neath the needled kuromatsu boughs…”

You can read the rest of my poem here:

Koto no Yume

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.

Joni Caggiano’s new poem “Will It Snow Again This August” is a must-read masterpiece

On By Mike U.In Reblogs30 Comments

Hey, folks. Every now and then, I read a piece of poetry that is so startling, so profound, it stops me in my tracks. My good friend and award-winning writer Joni Caggiano–author of the blog Rum and Robots–has written a new piece that has remained lodged in my mind and heart for a few days now, and I want to share a link to it so you can experience it yourselves.

Joni isn’t afraid to speak out about sensitive, controversial topics, and for this she has my total and complete respect and admiration. Anyone who has read her book One Petal at a Time understands this author is a master poet with an uncanny ability to reach inside the hearts and souls of readers and leave an indelible mark. Her latest offering titled “Will It Snow Again This August” is one such piece. It is stunning in its artistic brilliance, and deeply, fundamentally moving in its subject matter and impact. And yes, I’m gushing over Joni and her peerless poetic skills—no one writes the way she does. Her writing is timeless and urgent and vitally important and needs to be experienced.

So, please take some time and visit her blog to read her poem:

Will It Snow Again This August by Joni Karen Caggiano

Joni, thank you for using your magnificent voice to speak truth to power and to lift up those who have no voice. Would that we all were as courageous as you, my friend.

“She was Six” published at Spillwords Press

On By Mike U.In Poetry62 Comments

Hey, friends. I’m pleased to let you know my poem “She was Six” has been published at Spillwords Press. Sincere thanks to Dagmara K. and her team for sharing this piece with their readers. I’m grateful for this opportunity.

This piece is a commentary on the global epidemic of violence against children, be it right-wing gun fetishism, gang violence, political and religious warfare, inhumane immigration policies, trafficking or other forms of abuse and neglect. Apparently, at some point humanity has decided the deaths of children is an acceptable form of collateral damage as we attempt to kill each other. We have, indeed, lost our way.

“She was Six”
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley

“she was six
and on the wrong side
of a tyrant’s bomb sights
her small broken body
no match for
the shells
and the hell
that befell
her country
city
neighborhood
block
home
her blood the price
of freedom
she was six

she was six
and on the wrong corner
of the wrong intersection
at the wrong time
as gang-bangers
threw lead
and fled
as she bled
just a typical night
in a typical city
she was six…”

You can read the rest of my poem here:

“She was Six” at Spillwords Press

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.

“How Swift the Stream” published at Hotel by Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry37 Comments

Hey, friends. I’d like to let you know my poem “How Swift the Stream” is now live at Hotel by Masticadores. Many thanks to editor Michelle Navajas for publishing this poem. It’s an honor and a delight, Michelle.

“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…”

You can read the rest of my poem here:

“How Swift the Stream”© 2025 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.