F441.4.4 Forest-spirits with wings and with backward-pointing fingers and toes.

K445.2 Whoever hears singing snake must die.

If this world is a little too much, why not make a new world from your creative work? I just shared a guide for poets to help turn their poems into solo RPGs. Plus I've set aside the whole day to help anyone who grabs the guide today. Interested? Read more here: www.patreon.com/posts/137744...

ghostcitypress.com/2025-summer-... Lisa Ciccarello

Graveyard earth passes judgement under the beds.

J1024 Quails caught in net rise up in a body with net and escape.

Now and then just when she thinks she is finally free, she shrinks from the sound of the scrape of a flagstone.

Delighted to have a new chapbook out with @ghostcitypress.bsky.social! You can read it here: ghostcitypress.com/2025-summer-...

WE HAVE TRAVELED FAR DOING NOTHING MORE THAN CALLING OUT FOR HOME. by Lisa Ciccarello (@saltlock.bsky.social‬) is now available as part of the 2025 Summer Series! Download your free copy here: ghostcitypress.com/2025-summer-...

A778.2.1 Milky Way as path of souls (demons).

It's all happening again, as dictated by blood. One girl removes her presence from the house; another arrives when the land is shrouded in mist, seeking shelter.

Inside of the flower, a flower; inside of the flower a seed.

The house is hostile. The schoolroom contracts and expands, as if breathing.

a shift in the sun

The Future Exists and Other Lies We’ve Told Ourselves

Squirrels chewing the apples down before they are ripe.

D1400.1.5 Magic jewel conquers enemies.

E271.2 Sea-ghost predicting death.

little dove cooing in the sun

I'd love it if your lit mag got funded, so we can get more art to help shore up our hearts against...everything.

The shadow of my house on the house next door.

Honeysuckle on the kitchen window

Drying my dress in the sun—

E423.3 Revenant as bird.

Bird

Unexpected horror vibes—

I don't know why I always think writing a poem is going to take forever--I got a first draft done pretty quickly during my last micro-retreat. (Sure, it was rough, but it existed!)

I turned today's office hours for patrons into a free micro writing retreat (with prompts, support, & a place to share what gets made) & it's been delightful. I've written lines & seen other ppls poem starts. It's been a lovely reminder that writing is actually *fun*. www.patreon.com/posts/micro-...

One of my own poetry prompts spiraled me into creating a weird interactive fiction for my newsletter subscribers.

D1317.17 Knife sings as warning of fraud.

Take it now, while you still remember it’s yours to take.

J2415.1.2 The two presents to the king: two poems.

Then from the dirt grew a plant called Honesty.

Something is coming

F715.2.3 River of milk.

The wind picks up, the fire dies down. The wind picks up, the fire picks up.

D1311.21 Divination by cup.

A boat in the water, a fire on the shore.

An arrow of geese above the house—

Medieval scenes ❤️

None of the prompts have mentioned animals or portals, yet I also ended up writing abt a terrifying hare & a symbol that opens into a physical item.

I want to take a minute to talk about how AMAZING @saltlock.bsky.social’s #NaPoWriMo prompts are. They’ve taken me from an orangutan who uses sign language to a backyard pool that doubles as a black hole: www.patreon.com/posts/quick-...

Every morning this month I'm asking my patrons a question about an imaginary kingdom meant to prompt a poem in response. I've gathered up the first 5 here that are free for you to use: www.patreon.com/posts/quick-...

F772 Extraordinary tower.

D1675 Garden wall that cannot be overleapt.

F379.1.1 No return from fairyland.

This is really cool. It’s kind of like Zork!

If you want to write a poem a day in April with the help of prompts, or create castlecore poems, or easily write a series of location-connected poems (or all 3), I might have just the thing—a daily prompt experiment I’m running on Patreon. You can find out more here: www.patreon.com/posts/125260...