© 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.
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.
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:
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. I’d like to let you know one of my nature photography images titled “Sheep Mountain & Beaver Pond” has been featured at Gobblers by Masticadores. I appreciate Editor Manuela Timofte sharing my passion for nature photography with all of you. Thank you kindly, Manuela. I hope you enjoy seeing the natural world through my eyes.
You can view the image and its accompanying commentary 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.
(c) 2024 by Michael L. Utley
(#361)
November stubble
she tills the field
of memories
…..
(#362)
sorrow’s journey
drifting on the breeze
a sparrow’s plume
…..
(#363)
her sundered smile
picking up the pieces
of my heart
…..
(#364)
seeds of yesterdays
watered by the tears of years
memory garden
…..
(#365)
stream ice cracks
beneath the red footbridge
the hush of rushes
…..
(#366)
dip my bones in blood
etch my life across the stars
a soul’s journey
(c) 2023 by Michael L. Utley
(#355)
this sorrow
and so much left unsaid
November dusk
…..
(#356)
beyond my window
the cracks begin to show
this broken world
…..
(#357)
place my hardened heart
on the cairn of remembrance
the spoils of war
…..
(#358)
kitsunebi
lost souls seek solace
in a lost world
…..
(#359)
take my hand, November
it’s time someone showed you warmth
the hearth of hope
…..
(#360)
all these fallen leaves
and no one cares to mourn them
humanity’s disgrace
(c) 2023 by Michael L. Utley
(#331)
dusty stew pot
her memory lingers by
the cold hearth
…..
(#332)
a tiny sun
in this cold dark hell
golden suisen
…..
(#333)
strings of koto
from beyond the bamboo grove
my heart breaks again
…..
(#334)
don’t look at me, moon
I’m not who you think I am
dark night of the soul
…..
(#335)
from my window
the mountain; from the mountain
eternity
…..
(#336)
green silence
and the end of all things
sea of trees
(Note: A bit of a title change for this series. I’ve been writing senryu almost as long as haiku and I figured it was time to clarify that these little collections contain both. Haiku pertain to nature and seasons, while senryu address the human condition. The formats are virtually identical; the subject matter differs.)
(c) 2023 by Michael L. Utley
(#325)
to write is to breathe
and I am suffocating
in silence
…..
(#326)
speak again of joy
and the warmth of summer days
your lies are comforting
…..
(#327)
pond ice
stretched thin as hope
and equally deceptive
…..
(#328)
some write of joy
I write of experience
would they were the same
…..
(#329)
pardon my sorrow
and forgive my weeping soul
a poet’s lament
…..
(#330)
hope comes and goes
and lasts for but a season
winter snow
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#277)
my soul’s tourniquet
staunches words but not the pain
I weep in silence
…..
(#278)
strip me of my layers
to my core of nothingness
then you’ll understand
…..
(#279)
an errant snowflake
drifts through my paneless window
and freezes my heart
…..
(#280)
yuki no hana
coldness blossoms in my heart
my endless winter
…..
(#281)
I am not afraid
to say I am terrified
of what lies ahead
…..
(#282)
I am shamed by fear
my coward’s heart quails in the
shadows of my soul
Silent Pariah 