Semblance – 8th November 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Shining she
A semblance of beauty
Kneeling, mirrored on the crystal shore

Diamond star
A guide to disaster
A tour of the princess’s kingdom

OCD
Order and disorder
A forest of fists, overthinking

Pining he
A narcissistic knave
A dead tree husk, empty underneath

This is for an old dVerse prompt (Parallelogram de Crystalline) that I liked but didn’t have time to partake in:

• 12 lines in total (each capitalised but without punctuation)
• 4 verses
• 3 lines per verse
• syllable count per verse 3,6,9
• unrhymed
Poetry Theme: the beauty of a (real or imaginary) lover as compared with and described in images of nature.
(Crystalline literally means very clear or bright; therefore, keep the complementary images crisp.)

I didn’t quite hit the requirements but that’s because the poem is basically a true story about an old girlfriend who suffered greatly with OCD. The ‘fists’ are metaphorical, don’t worry!

‘A semblance of beauty’ was lifted from another poet but I forgot to note down who it was!

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Actors In A Play

You don’t get to choose your role
So make sure that you play it well
You’re the star in your lifetime’s stroll
Encourage your own desire to excel

Cool Cats Dancing – 7th November 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment

Those English cats were special
King, soon joined by Mother
Next, Inca and Maya
An adopted sister and brother

Those Aussie cats were special
Cap and, from the shelter, Tigger
More than a decade together
From apartment to somewhere bigger

These Thai cats are special
Though Kim Chi succumbed to disease
How now, Khao Khao?
You managed to join us with ease.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

How To Be Powerful

Reputation, money and position are not strengths
Though they maybe what society prizes
The philosopher is not moved at any lengths
Ruling over one’s self is what one realises

Let The Sheets Dry – 6th November 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments 
Dear tomorrow,
           - let the sheets dry from the rain
             they've been hanging for too many days;
           - let excitement pinch me once again
             and ignore what everyone says;

Dear tomorrow,
           - make today my yesterday feel
             it was overcome with such ease;
           - and if anything starts to get real,
             I may handle it as I please;

Dear tomorrow,
           - in the endless scout to ensure
             there's enough food on the table;
           - and if my life ever needed a cure,
             let it be effortlessly stable;

Dear tomorrow,
           - give me courage, all that jazz,
             remind me of my own thinking;
           - no longer looking for the razzmatazz
             and shiny lights a-blinking;

Dear tomorrow,
           - make all the things be done
             without a story that needs retelling;
           - because I've heard all those tales spun
             and no longer buying what they're selling;

So, dear tomorrow,
           - let the sheets dry quickly and warm
             so I may sleep soundly this eve;
           - I know there's always another storm
             I just need a little reprieve.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Someone Else Is Spinning The Thread

A trial becomes a triumph
A triumph becomes a trial
Life can change in an instant
Having control is to live in denial

Principle 12 – 5th November 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 10 Comments 
Peace is not part of the plan
  but I await its arrival with every day.

Will there ever be a time of global harmony
  and an end to famine and jealousy?

Your kingdom may endure forever
  but peace was never part of the plan.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

A Higher Power

Attuning yourself to the universe
We discover we’re not the director
Much of life is out of our control
Trust in a higher powered protector

The Winner’s Song – 4th November 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 21 Comments 
Can you sing of your despair,
   swilling shandies by your fireplace?
Sitting on an empty beach, a faraway tsunami
   heads your way.

All your friends are dead now,
   your dog moved next door.
When you've bought the last bottle of champagne
   —will you sing?

Shared with dVerse Quadrille #259 – sing

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Not Good, Nor Bad

Suspicious of change
These things are just being
Objective – not strange
It’s all in your own seeing

Gin-Soaked – 3rd November 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 4 Comments 
sadly, we understand
to be cautious of this beauty
 nothing good ever came from nothing

sparkling firelight fanned
mesmerised by the smoky whispers
promises left strewn across a busy cemetery

sifting through the sand
for a rune to recognise consolation
in a sashaying skirt, wandering in traffic

where those memories still linger
you may find us, gin-soaked, waiting

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Following The Doctor’s Orders

Imagine nature is your doctor
Follow its orders
Fate and destiny are prescribed
As you natural warders

Freshest Flesh – 2nd November 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 3 Comments 
Only the freshest flesh will do.

The cherubic breast,
  falling out of her pretty dress.
 
 She’ll burn her softened thigh
  on his hot exhaust.
 
 Her oiled streaked Gucci,
  a story she cannot wash clean.

 She’ll get what she wants
  and regret what she gets.
 
 That’s the rough draft
   scratched with dead desires.

 She got into trouble
 and nobody helped her
   because people love to see
   a pretty girl fail.

“She’ll get what she wants and regret what she gets” is lifted from Susan Hyland (according to the link I kept) and “the rough draft scratched with dead desires” from Between Two Rivers by Chris.
“his hot exhaust” is not a euphemism (except that it is). In motorbike cultures, girls, sitting on the back of their boyfriends’ modified bikes, are often left with exhaust burn marks on their legs.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Binding Our Wishes To What Will Be

Often the outcomes
Are bigger than we see
Win or lose
Both are what will be

The following is a letter from May 02, 2026, delivered from the past by FutureMe

Dear FutureMe,

Here you are again, a couple of days before the new semester starts and a big change to your routine from past years, with Amy now running Heaven Burger. You feel comfortable and confident for the future.

The last month has been a whirlwind but you have forced yourself to read a lot of small articles from The Daily Stoic, which generally have kept many upsetting thoughts in check.

The main thing that you are trying to manage is your new work schedule and once again having to struggle with teaching the juniors. You would like to push back on this but also want to accept this test yet again.

There is probably lots more going on in your head but everything feels low stress and generally positive. Keep going Shaun!

Clowns – 1st November 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment 
i look forward to getting home
after a day of fun and laughter.
things get a weird kind of serious
as i watch reel after reel of supposed
news. until i realise I'm watching
a clown show and it's all back to
hijinks and japes. the clowns they
just keep on coming, they tickle
me with their stupidity.
long may they continue to reign.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Accepting What Is

The event cannot be changed
But your opinion surely can
It’s the art of acquiescence
Amor fati makes us human

Halo To Hall – 30th October 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 3 Comments 
Transcripts glow like neon; skill hides in a shadowy hall.
   Grade-point halos polish myths, yet within the basics stall.
GPAs float like helium, tied to nothing firm,
   while rounding to the hundred is now a mystery term.

Shuffling a system to drift through a soft parade of A’s,
   a cargo cult of “equity” that’s built from empty praise.
Dressed up best on paper has now become the story sold,
   but beyond all that glitters here, cannot become the gold.

Inspired by this article at The Argument about how schools are fudging grades for students, for a number of different reasons, with the result of a decline in the standard of education.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Who Gets The Lion’s Share?

Study first, pleasure second
Make your mind up to prepare
For your future reckoned
Because there’s always a lesson there