for #vssmagic #bridle ~ GOLDEN BRIDLE With it, you'll tame a Pegasus, slay many-headed fire-breathers, become heroic --but, beware! Delusion disobeys those reins, and it may say you're godly now. That will be where your war begins. ~ #poetry #poem © me 2025 #mythology @vssmagic.bsky.social

Some poems stand out--in memorable ways--for what they WON'T reveal. An example: Walter de la Mare's The Listeners poets.org/poem/listeners Traveller arrives urgently with a message. Ironically, the silence to follow delivers #mystery and haunts the audience in and past the poem! #poetry #poems

My #vssdaily #bin #poem _ THE BIGGEST BIN It won't accept our history, much less what better years we lost to months of Sundays worrying and edgy Wednesdays wondering, the hour doubting everything, whole moments broken up by lies, or instants crushed and dumped by love. _ #poetry © me 2025

"Crossroads" is one of my guitar instrumentals people have enjoyed over the years. Almost all of my music is improvisational, building and building, up to the final measure. If you'd ever like to check it out, here's the ReverbNation song link: www.reverbnation.com/robertjtiess... #music #guitar

1/3 "Heart and Soul" is an instrumental I recorded a while back, like 12+ years ago. I re-introduce it from time to time since I feel it was one of my better recordings and it's powered by a view I still maintain. The song link soundcloud.com/robertjtiess... #music #songs #instrumentals #guitar

My offering for #vss365 #transport _ POEM AS MODE OF TRANSPORT Not everybody boards this bus. Some rather a subway, cab, or boat. Some others walk on or pause a bit. The few who ride can change their minds. One traveler might reach the moon. _ #poetry #poem © me 2025 @vss365hq.bsky.social

1/2 Sara Teasdale's "There Will Come Soft Rains" poets.org/poem/there-w... lures us into a seemingly safe nature poem. Then, in volta-like fashion, tone shifts. Pastoral turns piercing, profound. Nature's peace shrugs off wars, humans. Life continues calmly. #poetry #poems #peace #war #nature

My #haiku for #DailyHaikuPrompt #mask #lost theme ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ phantom-masked new moon lost in autumn's masquerade; chandelier stars fall ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #poetry #moon #autumn Inspired by Leroux's Phantom in a black mask @dailyhaikuprompt.mastodon.world.ap.brid.gy

My #vssdaily #block #poem _ DEEP IN ENGINE BLOCKS Fresh breaths become the timely lights of revolutions strengthening: old pressures fueling new beginnings force more causes (with effect) to drive inertia from the rusting gears of wheels stuck in park. _ © me 2025 #poetry @vssdaily.bsky.social

1/3 Exploring new techniques and topics is vital if we want to keep growing as poets, musicians, or artists. As audiences discover and follow us, we may be tempted to "play it safe" by creating more towards what we feel is expected of us. That can be severely limiting. #poetry #poets #writing

1/2 I don't compete with other poets. I've entered 2,500+ friendly poetry challenges to motivate myself to improve and to explore new approaches to ideas. I'm a lifelong advocate for poets and the reading of poetry. For me, poetry is community. We poets are in this #together. #poetry #poets

To me, #respect is essential in a poet's journey. Self-respect, yes, but also respect for... + other poets + readers + words + what you write about + the craft of poetry + communities + cultures + perspectives + interpretations + persons new to poetry Respect fosters advancement. #poetry #poets

I think one of the better pieces of advice I offer to developing poets inviting my insights is READ OTHER POETS. If they ask me why, I ask them to ask themselves "WHY (AS A POET) SHOULD I READ POETRY?" or "WHY SHOULD OTHER POETS READ MY POETRY?" Most try finding reasons fast. 😉 #poetry #poets

Rigoberto Gonzalez's poem "The Luna Moth Has No Mouth" is great for many reasons. e.g.: after the opening biological fact, it gets creative, shifts attention, then transcends its mouthless metaphor to voice a deeper message. So good! Check it out: www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi... #poetry

1/2 Astronomer / author Carl Sagan was born on this day in 1934. I believe he had the soul of #poet, and I wrote on that: robertjtiess.medium.com/carl-sagan-a... Sagan died in 96, but his Cosmos series and books still inspire people to explore and study the #universe. #poetry #astronomy #science

For #vss365 #language: ASYMMETRICALL Two folks debate the Big Bang: matter & antimatter meeting, cancelling cosmos (never though) . I question language in this way: quiet vs. words & if it's always gainful shouting SILENCE LOST ((or can that mean Pyrrhic victory ? _ #poetry #poem © me 2025

My #poem for a #rain #tanka AllPoetry challenge ':,.;+.;':,.;+.;':,.;+.;':,.;+.;':,.;+.;':,.;+. birdbath party crashed by furious thunderheads, their unfeeling rain; willows secretly relieved now hardened earth drinks to life +.;':,.;+.;':,.;+.;':,.;+.;':,.;+.;':,.;+.;':,.; #poetry © me 2025

1/5 I've talked about my mom's passing in 2020, how she introduced me to poetry as a child, encouraged me to keep writing and learning. I've not discussed much my dad dying of cancer in 1987. Losing him played a decisive role in my lifetime commitment to poetry. #poetry #poets #writers #parents

My poem "At the Exhibitions of the Vacant Frames" something for a Late Night Poets poetry challenge. A bit of a concept going on. I hope you find it interesting. ALT text in image + poem text link: allpoetry.com/poem/1874485... #poetry #poets #writing #art #perspectives #viewpoints #reality

My #haiku for #DailyHaikuPrompt #sleet #skylark theme -~=~-~=~-~=~-~=~-~=~-~=~-~=~- wind jazz, skylark hymns, soft-shoe leaves, tambourine sleet: fall's strange cabaret -~=~-~=~-~=~-~=~-~=~-~=~-~=~- #poetry #poem © me 2025 #earth #nature #music #songs @dailyhaikuprompt.mastodon.world.ap.brid.gy

1/2 My poem "Popped Art" submitted to an "art and authority" poetry challenge. It was inspired by the Pop Art movement and Warhol's soup can paintings, which some critics saw as challenging classical or elitist definitions of art. ALT text + poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1874065... #poetry #art

My #tanka for #TankaThursday #curse theme _ forests robbed of life? nothing of a magic curse: "economic growth" (booming industrial plants casting seeds of toxic blooms) _ #pollution #waste #toxicity #ecology #environment #nature #TankaPoem #poetry #poem © me 2025 @evecastle.bsky.social

COMING NOVEMBER 2025 Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times by Tracy K. Smith "A Pulitzer Prize–winning poet reveals how poetry is a powerful tool of connection and understanding in a fractured world." Author link: tracyksmithpoet.com/about Book link: wwnorton.com/books/978132... #poetry #books

"Petitioning My Syllables" a poem I wrote for an Emily Dickinson ("If I can stop one heart from breaking, / I shall not live in vain") inspiration poetry challenge. ALT text in image + poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1872924... #poetry #poems #hope #inspirational #healing #writing #helping #caring

My #haiku for #DailyHaikuPrompt #groan #colt theme =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= groaning, whinnying... pregnant mare, delivered colt: standing's everything =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= #poetry #poem © me 2025 #horses #birth #foaling @dailyhaikuprompt.mastodon.world.ap.brid.gy

My offering for #SenryuSunday -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- golden foliage: one leaf overshadowing Wall Street's weekly gains -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- #poetry #poem © me 2025 @jennfel.bsky.social

A somewhat eerie #poem of mine for the season... "The Undead Lessons of the Dead" ALT text in image + poem text link: allpoetry.com/poem/1872260... #poetry #poems #Halloween #ghosts #dead #death #horror #scary #haunted #teachers #history #past #education #lessons #learning #students #progress

For #TankaThursday #erase ___________________________________ autumn's haiku hues over summer's couplet rhymes: blank verse snows erase floral sonnets from earth's page until spring's bold inks arrive ___________________________________ #poetry #tanka #TankaPoem #seasons #nature #poem © me 2025

My #cat #poem for #vssdaily #tail theme I hope cat lovers, fans of 3i/ATLAS, and everyone else finds this interesting or funny or both 😸☄️✨ ALT text +poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1871437... #poetry #poems #cats #catlovers #comets #space #astronomy #animals #pets #caturday @vssdaily.bsky.social

My #tanka for #TankaThursday #pinecone theme ____________________________________ futility's seeds? pine cones striking cobblestone: little growing there except potholes waterlogged and weeds in cracking causeways ____________________________________ #poetry #TankaPoem #poem © me 2025

My poem "The Bottom Lines" about Nick Bottom and Titania. I submitted it to A Midsummer Night's Dream poetry challenge. I hope #Shakespeare lovers and others enjoy it! ALT text + link with an earlier draft: allpoetry.com/poem/1870857... #poetry #poems #fantasy #romance #literature #roleplaying

"In Wakes of Breaking Memories" a poem I wrote for a William Stafford themed poetry challenge. If you read this, thank you. I hope you find it enjoyable. ALT text in image + poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1870459... #poetry #poems #poetrycommunity #readingcommunity #boats #sailing #metaphors

Speaking of #butterflies in 2015 I created this using Blender Dreaming: Chuang Tzu, or the Butterfly www.artstation.com/artwork/DZl50 ALT text in the image. Re: Chuang Tzu iep.utm.edu/zhuangzi-chu... & his dream en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangz... #art #blender #butterfly #philosophy #philosophers

My poem As Butterflies Advise I submitted this to a 25-word poetry challenge about butterflies. I hope the poem--and the butterflies--speak to you. ALT text in image +poem link allpoetry.com/poem/1868929... #poetry #poems #butterflies #inspirational #butterfly #advice #readingcommunity #nature

My #tanka for #blueskyrelay #sublime theme ___________________________________ I cross out "sublime": mountains merit better words. Lordly? Glorious? Adjectives demean these scenes. Earth deserves choice poetry. ___________________________________ #poetry #poem © me 2025 @blueskyrelay.bsky.social

Today we are celebrating the publication of The Poems of Seamus Heaney, the long-awaited, definitive edition of Heaney’s poetry.

Previously unpublished Seamus Heaney poems released bbc.com/news/article...

I vowed to keep posts here focused on poetry, but... I just finished watching Picard... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Tr... ...and what an epic and glorious three-season tale is told! TNG fans who've not seen it yet are in for an incredible treat! Completely recommended! #startrek #scifi #trekkies

In 2002, I tried to launch the OpenLit Movement. It urged expressive liberty, interpretive freedom, critical openness. Total literary democracy. It went nowhere, but it had some good ideas.🙂 The WayBack Machine link if you're curious web.archive.org/web/20021004... #poetry #literature #writing

Here's something I often tell poets asking me how they might refine their work: * READ YOUR POEMS OUT LOUD. * Or ask someone to read them aloud. It can be a revelation. Try it! Once I started to do that regularly, I wanted more meter and musicality in my poems. #poetry #poets #writing #reading

My #poem "The Infinite Anthology" on #storytelling, mythic traditions, #odysseys beyond metaphors... Text flows down 1st column up to the 2nd. ALT text +text link: allpoetry.com/poem/1851475... #poetry #poems #stories #myths #mythology #poetrycommunity #poetrylovers #journeys #unity #literature

My 5-Star No-Spoilers GoodReads Review of Nikita Gill's HEKATE: THE WITCH: www.goodreads.com/book/show/22... The Book www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/nikit... About the Poet www.instagram.com/nikita_gill en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_... @nikitagill.bsky.social #poetry #mythology #books #reviews

1/6 "In medias res" is Latin for "in the middle [or 'midst'] of things." It's often used to describe stories/epics dropping audiences at once into situations. Two examples: +Homer's Iliad set during the Trojan War +Original Trilogy Episode *IV* Star Wars: the opening chase #literature #poetry

My poem "To a Tired Thespian" on contemplating the drama and more within the theater of another mind. I hope you find it interesting. ALT text in image + poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1868837... #poetry #poems #poetrycommunity #drama #stage #acting #plays #psychology #illusions #fantasy #reality

My #haiku for #DailyHaikuPrompt #yellow #leaves theme ___________________________________ green leaves yellowing; orange and red coming soon: autumn's slow parade ___________________________________ #poetry #poem © me 2025 #autumn #fall #trees #seasons @dailyhaikuprompt.mastodon.world.ap.brid.gy

I never saw this get posted. Also, I refuse to believe there are no Jane Goodall fans on BlueSky. This was my tribute to Jane Goodall, a poem I started years back to celebrate her life. When she passed, I had to update and finish it: bsky.app/profile/robe... #poetry #poems #janegoodall #nature

1/2 My poem in praise of Jane Goodall. I started it long ago and was moved to finish it when I heard she passed away. I hope this honors her amazing life. Please feel free to share.💙 ALT text +link allpoetry.com/poem/1868244... #poetry #nature #janegoodall #ecology #earth #conservation

My #haiku for #DailyHaikuPrompt #high #tide #shoots __________________________________ high tide not so high: hillside bamboo shoots prevail beyond the sea's reach __________________________________ #poetry #poem © me 2025 #nature #ocean #waves #growth @dailyhaikuprompt.mastodon.world.ap.brid.gy

1/4 Part one of my poem "The Problem Plays" I entered it a Late Night Poets contest. The poem's arranged in 3 acts + an epilogue. Some plays on Shakespearean references are included. Hope you enjoy it. ALT text + poem link allpoetry.com/poem/1867694... #poetry #poems #plays #drama #metaphors

As poets, our liberty (and arguably our duty) to experiment with expression lets us approach common things with uniqueness. Our individual "word choices" are vital: each decision draws from our personalities. All that nurtures originality and keeps poetry fresh. #poetry #poets #writing #education