WORLD FROM FALLING This abandoned railway culvert is a good way down the line to its age of ignorance, and seems to be left for an eventual collapse. This side doesn't look so bad... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 30, 2026 Green Oaks, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6775 of my daily journal.

CAN'T EVER CLAW Sometime in the lead-up to 1901, these blocks were laid for the Midland Railway Company. They've been holding up the railbed ever since. Sandstone, I suppose, carr... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 30, 2026 Green Oaks, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6775 of my daily journal.

EFFORT SPARED Stuck in a strange cold snap lately, month of May closing down with the lowest weather in weeks. That don't bother me none, because I know that blackflies and mosq... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 29, 2026 Beaconsfield, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6774 of my daily journal.

SIMPLE LITTLE SCAR This former fish ladder hasn't seen swimming traffic in years, but was still mostly intact till a couple years back. Then we got one of the wildest summer storms o... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 28, 2026 Nictaux, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6773 of my daily journal.

STANDS NOT STILL I'm an eager inhabitant of the down-under-the-bridge universe. It's a world I know well all over my rural backroads, probably better than anyone save those w... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 27, 2026 Mosher's Corner, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6772 of my daily journal.

REACH THE ROOTS This is where the night comes from. It starts down here and rises, on the up and up, until eventually encompassing the sky. There are times I feel the most inc... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 26, 2026 St. Croix Cove, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6771 of my daily journal.

HEARTS HOW I'm full of surprises. They're rarely my own anymore, as I've long been aware of my greatest secrets. But sudden beauty inhabits me, hikes ending in discovery, or n... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 26, 2026 St. Croix Cove, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6771 of my daily journal.

MUCH LINGERING The cabin compulsion is one I've never felt as an adult. But there was a genuine draw as a kid, to build me somewhere isolated from outsiders. I didn't fit in wel... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 25, 2026 Waldeck East, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6770 of my daily journal.

WHAT RESEMBLES The dark days of spring are the happiest for me. Splash the fresh green canvas with a coating of rain, like varnish on a painting, and watch the colours come aliv... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 25, 2026 Waldeck East, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6770 of my daily journal.

RHYTHMIC REVIVAL "why, I oughta" I said knowing full well I wouldn't I was the stubborn stranger the billy goat kid "well, I never" I claimed forgetting all the times I did I've alwa... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 24, 2026 Hampton, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6769 of my daily journal.

Signed copies of my older poetry books are going out of print! When they're gone, that's it. What's left in stock is on sale for 50% off. They were $20 each, now just $10. etsy.com/shop/SteveSkafte

LEFT OF LATE Curious displays on a wooded wander, greeting only me going in and out. I pass the brushy yards of cabins growing hot in a bright spring sun. I stop to say hi, but... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 23, 2026 Parker's Cove, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6768 of my daily journal.

LAST LOW BREATH When I first entered the dooryard of this derelict cabin, it was in the last week of brown and grey. Now it's nearly swallowed in green a full month later. The sha... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 22, 2026 Round Hill, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6767 of my daily journal.

GHOST I GUESS On a cool spring evening, I catch myself feeling like autumn. The hints are all there. Cool breeze, chill on my fingers, hints of the same yellows and oranges that n... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 22, 2026 Round Hill, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6767 of my daily journal.

TERROR AND GRACE I only get an excuse to visit Liverpool once or twice a year. It's not on the way to anywhere I'm headed. But I was invited to speak on my latest book tour at Rosef... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 21, 2026 Brooklyn, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6766 of my daily journal.

STORIES FOR THEM I find it amusing how the work of Ivan Higgins so often mirrors my own. Many of my self-portraits are similarly posed, in the process of reclining on rocks, hanging... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 21, 2026 Brooklyn, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6766 of my daily journal.

THE HOROLOGER'S WHORE "time is money" someone told me when I was settled in to get good sleep "money is time" I said in return I work to earn the clock I break and the cash I burn... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 20, 2026 Culloden, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6765 of my daily journal.

6 down, 12 to go on my spring book tour! Lots of stops left in central and western Nova Scotia. Where will I see you?

A LITTLE LIGHTER The sleepy cascades of upper Starratt Brook are rarely seen. For the few who stumble down the abandoned Old Vault Road, then take the time to follow the hollow upstre... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 19, 2026 Outram, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6764 of my daily journal.

THE SUREST WAY On a stream only fed by mountaintop marshes, running dry is never far from coming. But bare rock and a deep pool will tell you the fury that's been and will be a... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 18, 2026 Parker's Cove, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6763 of my daily journal.

WAY BY KNOWING When I'm far gone from civilization in blackfly season, I've got a particular appreciation for cabins. Somewhere to shelter and let those bloodsuckers dissipate... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 18, 2026 Parker's Cove, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6763 of my daily journal.

WHAT LAY BEYOND I've had a lot of adventures that started hurtling through this hollow. Something about heading west out of Hampton always seemed so welcoming, crossing over Gaskill... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 17, 2026 Hampton, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6762 of my daily journal.

ALL RETICENCE I've always considered climbing an appealing activity, a hobby I might have if all my days weren't fully engaged already. There's something I find fascinating in the pr... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 17, 2026 Hampton, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6762 of my daily journal.

SPRING SWALLOWED All my rural bridges have such a hold on me, perches to hang around and watch the wilderness steal away in the distance. I've been on and especially under so many... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 16, 2026 Round Hill, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6761 of my daily journal.

STAY SANE There's are no streetlights down by the Round Hill River bridge. So when I find me here in the fading twilight, it's in a purer kind of blue that's free from human inter... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 16, 2026 Round Hill, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6761 of my daily journal.

ALL THE MORE SO It takes quite an effort to arrive here. I park up at the corner of Grant and Schoolhouse roads, on the outskirts of Port Lorne, and hike a while east on what's locall... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 15, 2026 Outram, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6760 of my daily journal.

THE RED SEAWATERS nigh on night I saw her earrings piercing through the dark I told her I've been waiting for my life of quiet desperation to start she said: "we'll have to wait for t... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 15, 2026 Outram, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6760 of my daily journal.

WATER FOR THE WORK Today was about as much blackfly bait as I'm willing to be. Waiting for gusts of wind to scatter them as I picked my way along the boggy tangle of Mill Brook... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 14, 2026 Parker's Cove, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6759 of my daily journal.

FROM THE LIGHT It's been generations since this dam last held back Nictaux River. Could still do the trick someday, I suppose, if deadfall driven by floodwater plugged the slui... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 13, 2026 Nictaux Falls, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6758 of my daily journal.

I wrote this poem is the midst of the bad times, when life was but a dream some days, and a nightmare others. It's in my poetry paperback: Someone in Search of a Story (2020). Currently on sale for 50% off! Grab yourself a signed copy here: etsy.com/shop/SteveSkafte

REASONS TO WRITE On late sleepless nights as a kid, I was on my own, but I wasn’t alone. I shared a bedroom with the body of my older brother. David was born five years earlier, and h... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 12, 2026 Debert, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6757 of my daily journal.

UNADULTERATED All this unburnt driftwood lets you know it's been a time. Those beachfront bonfires not started, smouldering memories unmade. The driveway to get here lost in natur... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 11, 2026 Litchfield, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6756 of my daily journal.

NO WATCHER You gotta be desperate, man. Surely you should. That's what I grew up feeling about feeling, and I swear I still do. Rattling off the echo in my head, a heart held clos... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 11, 2026 Litchfield, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6756 of my daily journal.

So excited for my upcoming tour of retirement communities, but I still need to raise a little bit more to make it happen! Please share this with anyone who may be able to contribute. It means a lot to speak to those who can't come out to me. www.gofundme.com/f/send-steve-skafte-to-old-folks-homes

BURIED IN SHADE We're slipping into the last bare week, a time I call "false fall". The colour of early leaves break out in a kind of imitation autumn. Pale yellows and oranges... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 10, 2026 Beaconsfield, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6755 of my daily journal.

HANG LOW Rotten old deer stand isn't much use to you. But I can use it to overlook the world of feral fields, where wildlife keeps the woods from reclaiming. Ancient forests fo... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 10, 2026 Beaconsfield, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6755 of my daily journal.

INCONVENIENCES Out behind an old one-room school, a reminder that it closed its doors before indoor plumbing. Dempsey Corner had students until 1961, but those days were number... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 9, 2026 Dempsey Corner, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6754 of my daily journal.

SO LONG AS NOW This hollow tree is far from dead. For years, I thought it was, having spotted it first all bare in the dregs of autumn. But life still buzzes through that outer tru... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 8, 2026 Round Hill, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6753 of my daily journal.

STILL AS AN IMAGE What's beauty at random but a disembodied feather in a dead tree? Blown by wind and chance to end up here. I'm an anxious-hearted holistic human on my best days... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 8, 2026 Round Hill, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6753 of my daily journal.

My kind of Canadian cinema. Canada often doesn't play itself on screen, and when it does, quality sure does vary. Here's a short list of my favourite films that were both shot AND set in Canada. Meaningful stories from my homeland. letterboxd.com/steveskafte/list/my-kind-of-canadian-cinema

Want to Hear a Good Story? I've used this photo I took of my late grandfather to illustrate this playlist of 46 narrative tunes that I love, heartwaking stories in song. Listen here: open.spotify.com/user/k0vddyh6owaiem82a8ihyrhcy/playlists

FOLLOW ALONG On the roads running further from home, there are still spaces less familiar. The hills and hollows of Gaspereau Mountain slip silent to a wilderness I've only seen in... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 7, 2026 Gaspereau, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6752 of my daily journal.

SORT OF RESET I love a world that's rocky and rooted. Growing and eroding, constantly reshaping, all while looking much the same for thousands of years. Do you like it timeless? It... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 7, 2026 Gaspereau, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6752 of my daily journal.

Those of you who follow my work regularly are familiar with the fact that songwriters have always been my biggest inspiration. But what could be better than seeing them singing their own words live? I've put together a playlist of some heartwaking performances. Enjoy! www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

STILL UNDERFOOT The way the road once went is always obvious in passing, houses crowded close around a curving lane while modern traffic flies by on Shore Road West down below... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 6, 2026 Phinney's Cove, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6751 of my daily journal.

SEE NO MORE This was the first disembodied door I wrested from the forest floor, so many years ago. It falls down now and then, but I always put it back in place. It's my sugge... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 6, 2026 Phinney's Cove, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6751 of my daily journal.

Those of you who follow my work regularly are familiar with the fact that songwriters have always been my single biggest inspiration. But what could be better than seeing them singing their own words live? With that in mind, I've put together this playlist of some heartwaking performances. Enjoy!

Planning for my upcoming tour of old folks homes is well underway, thanks to the donations of my audience! For years, I've wanted to add such venues to my book tours, but most have no budget to host me, so it's never been possible. Thanks to you, I can finally go to those who can't come to me.

SAME SHARP I run from the sun as if I'm allergic. Unless I'm mowing the lawn, it's a rare thing for me to spend much time in the blinding bright. But today seemed so compulsive... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 5, 2026 Prince Albert, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6750 of my daily journal.

SOME UPHEAVAL Can't count the times I've stood at the head of this single lane drive to a cottage by the sea, shin-high at the chain that marks it private from the road. Eyes t... [Read More: IG, FB, Patreon, Substack] May 4, 2026 St. Croix Cove, Nova Scotia Year 19, Day 6749 of my daily journal.