The hero as he gazes up at them, mutual curiosity The time spent watching spirals of smoke curl toward the skyĪs evening falls and the stars appear, looking down at The gathering of kindling, the calling forth of an evening fire, So welcome to sore muscles after all the hours and miles. On his elbows, eyes closed and legs crossed, repose Sun gently warming the wanderer’s face as he leans back The beautiful pause of a lovely rustic meal next to a wood Left unrecorded, conversations held but unremembered. In every hero’s quest there are the silences, blank spaces Until nothing is left but an empty peace. In that crimson river and slip, sliding past Human life is hard, unfair, brutally short įreedom is fleeting and control, illusion The reinstated gods gloating and goading as This world home and everything in it theirs Rubble, looked in the brightness of day at theĬarnage, took stock of what was lost, wept inĭespair as the creatures landed, their ridersĭismounting with proprietary gaze, declaring Unlucky few who survived emerged from the The sun again brought light to the land, the The first screams, consumed in the maelstrom.Īfter the storm, as the clouds dissipated and In the shadow of their absence serenely, inįalse security, believing themselves masters May be ignored, forgotten, willfully set aside,ĭoom for mere mortals unsuspecting, living Return, here to remind this world immortals On theirīacks rode long-lost gods glorying in their Roared thunder and sent fire raining down They swallowed clouds whole,Ĭrunched lightning bolts in their jaws, then The deep cloud cover blotting out the sunĪnd sharp-taloned, on wings like great bats, Like demon steeds riding the gusts of hell. Large and lithe, whorling in the dim-lit sky “Adventures in the Dark of the Mind.” 17 lines.“Mere Mortals in the Maelstrom.” 40 lines.Thank you for sharing your skills and visions, in this and every world! I love the vibrant and vital speculative poetry community! You all are creating amazing things, conjuring amazing worlds, raising important questions, and dreaming marvelous possibilities. Special thanks to the publishers and editors who have supported and championed my work!Īlso, I am reading through the eligibility files now and wow, was it another great year for specpo! It is always such a challenge to decide which poems to nominate from among the many wonderful works created each year. I’m happy to share that 6 of my poems published in 2023 are eligible for the SFPA Rhysling award, and hope members will consider nominating one of them! They appear below.

Starfall calendar december 2018