Shared with MTB – No Answers
Held Tight – 21st February 2026
What does the silence want
The Take Away – 20th February 2026
An erasure poem using Maya Stein’s Bless The Stars, shared with What’s Going On – Blessings
crossword cream coffee
sun slips by breezes
on the drive
cheer the age
just before the run
days difficult mixed ache
the night watches
minus time
marks rest
if the stars feel still
stars left blue over light
music fills this entry
poetry might shape fog
as the stars remember home
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
The Grand Parade of Desire
The dictators harem filled with plotting
Are the pleasures worth all the stressing?
When every desire is ageing and rotting
What were your indulgences addressing?
The Withering – 19th February 2026
stuck on the tutorial stage
these poems are dying
falling in the forest without a word –
thoughts written on the page
disappear into the ether
unheard
A cinquetin shared with Tanka Tuesday #52
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
The Banquet Of Life
Excited to grab the latest bling
transfers expectations
Patience obtains everything
– curb your expectations
Staring At The Sea – 18th February 2026
Shared with Melissa’s FFFC #360 picture prompt
Shifting into sunrise
the rats race behind me
while I wave at the horizon
“Good morning, fresh air”
My good friends, the gulls
hopefully jig,
gold glinting in sharp eyes
The sea laps, the sea laps, the sea laps
As your worlds wander by
wondering how I can be so happy
sitting on a wall, staring at the sea
Head held high,
shifting into sunset
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
Prepare For The Storm
The struggle is great, the task divine
So meet the storm with preparations
Within, without, we’re always fine
Because of our solid foundations
A Small Illusion – 17th February 2026
the dog or the wolf?
you are free to pick just one
who’s side are you on?
A haiku inspired by this article by Katy Keeleher
Todays’ Daily Stoic poem:
The Enemy Of Happiness
Happiness already has it all
There are no conditions to meet
Constantly striving towards the horizon
Only gives you aching feet
Steeped In Shadow – 16th February 2026
thrust from the summit
sharp peaks scrape towards the sun
carved statues of light
slumbering valley
steeped in afternoon shadows
reaching for her night
Shared with Senhai Saturday #39 picture prompt
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
Don’t Make Things Harder Than They Need To Be
On edge, always prepared to escalate
Righteous indignation is a losing state
Manage your duty until it’s done
There are few battles that must be won
Shadows Hall – 15th February 2026
Shared with Sadje’s What Do You See #327 picture prompt
Within a wall
where it shouldn’t be –
at the end
of the hall
What waits beyond its history –
a mystery
of the many wronged?
The morning light
casts shadows long,
that don’t feel right.
The arches set at brighter angles,
that entangles
where memories forget.
An architecture
of concealed trust –
unveiled conjecture;
A debate around congealed dust –
what’s found
beyond
this barricade?
The Beauty Of Decay – 14th February 2026
The initial inspiration for this write was from another poet who took the first and last lines from someone else’s poem and then wrote their own words between. The bolded, first and final lines are from Matthew Maitland, but his poem is no longer available.
‘no crows circle the carcass’ is from Aaron Guile
‘Fate creates strange apologies’ from this post at Poetry Culture
Outside. You hear all sorts of things.
The future isn’t what it used to be.
Watching your beautiful suicide,
no crows circle the carcass,
the poison too pure;
the ignorance makes us feel a little prettier each day.
The axis of evil is us – a
blight on everything we touch.
The bag now empty of cats
– the dream too slippery to hold.
Smiles that held secrets;
pit the people against each other
as bullet-headed scorpions.
Fate creates strange apologies.
It’s a beautiful world you’ve forgotten
– you’re all monsters to me.
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
Think Before You Act
“What was I thinking?” you said
Well, you weren’t really, were you?
But reason is within your head
Do what you are supposed to!
The Crush – 13th February 2026
is it true that it’s a weakness?
– a tender trap that crushes;
a sweet anguish to be mad about,
– a cherished affliction;
ah! blissful misery, hopeful despair
– crushed under its own weight.
A sijo for Tanka Tuesday #48 – love and passion and also shared with Poets and Storytellers United #214
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
Pleasure Can Become Punishment
Guard against getting carried away
On the waves of too much pleasure
Take a breath, think and say
Will this bring me further pressure?
Farewells – 12th February 2026
A poem using the memento form, inspired by That Wedding Day by Benjamin Tonkin
One last little look at the sun;
please don’t forget to say
goodbye.
It’s ok if you want to run;
please don’t forget to say
goodbye.
I knew it was over and done;
please don’t forget to say
goodbye.
When two divided becomes none,
please don’t forget to say
goodbye.
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
1994ever 