Struck From The Record – 6th August 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen
by Carl Mydans

Stories that fell into the hole
so that no distractions could be made.
A single gunshot wound to the soul.
The images remain unseen, unpaid.

by Arthur Rothstein

Lives suddenly non-existent;
documents denied by the punch,
but the memories are persistent.
History is always just a hunch.

unknown photographer

The belief remains on their faces
but the message must project strength.
All the poor folks kept in their places
and their stories maintained at arm’s length.

by Russell Lee

Those long-gone faces returned to haunt,
their stories born again to be told.
New deals sold short would finally taunt,
as their futures would slowly unfold.

Inspired by this article by Stephanie at Extracurriculars:
Hole-Punched History
In the FSA archives, photos of The Great Depression are marred by an empty black void, forever obscured by the perfunctory click of a hole-punch.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

There Is Always More Room To Manoeuvre Than You Think

Hard times can be softened
Tight squeezes widened
Heavy loads made lighter
Movement makes enlightened

13 thoughts on “Struck From The Record – 6th August 2026”

    1. Thanks Cara 🙏 This year I’ve tasked myself with writing a 4 line poem every day for each day of Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic – 365 Meditations. It has forced me to get my brain in gear for writing, though in general they are clinical rhymes than pure poetry.

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