Poetry Journal 2026
January 1, 2026
#2295
2026 Resolution I look around and I can’t help but shutter, I think it’s time to organize and declutter, Why do people like that clutter and mess? It only serves to irritate and cause stress, Organization and clean bring me peace, But all that chaos never seems to cease, I believe everything has a time and place, That life should have a rhythm and pace, Overconsumption is the hobby of the day, It numbs us when the world is in disarray, Sadly, those dopamine hits will never last, Happiness isn’t in what we’ve all amassed,
January 11, 2026 #2296
History Will Judge Us The populist MAGA movement continues to grow, All while the sane world prayed it would truly slow, Trump loyalists are installed in offices everywhere, Our purported checks and balances don’t even care, Congress and the Supreme Court have bent a knee, Most of us are flabbergasted how this could ever be, Mass media and the largest corporations have caved, Is the United States done for can it still be saved? Those who might hold leaders accountable abdicated! Military, FBI, CIA, and DEA have all been infiltrated, Protestors are now being shot and resistance crushed, America burns as the world watches with sad disgust, Trump shifts ever closer to being a full-on dictator, We’re approaching Nazi Germany by every indicator, Trump’s every crazy whim and action goes unchecked, I fear American may be past our ability to self-correct, How are there so many people okay with any of this? The horrific reality they continue to reject or dismiss! Non-MAGA citizens feel powerless to stop this man, If not the courts or congress, who can really can?
January 16, 2026 #2297
Withered on the Vine Creative ideas no longer surface or bubble, The world around me is deeply in trouble, The written word has always been my voice, My echoing silence doesn’t feel like a choice, Part of me feels it’s important that I speak, But I’m morally exhausted and flesh is weak, There is no thirsting or hunger to even try, The end of the world as we know it feels nigh, Hope for our country and humanity is gone, It’s no wonder my creativity couldn’t hang on, In utter darkness how can we ever find hope? Especially when survival feels like a tightrope,
January 24, 2026 #2298
Missed Ideas Whisps and ghosts float by, All fragments of what could be, Had I but a pen!
February 1, 2026 #2299
Winter Disappointment No snow! A second time! The weatherman was wrong! So many broken promises! For shame!
February 7, 2026 #2300
Fish Delight Who thinks microwaving fish is a good idea? From that pungent smell there’s no panacea! It’s a common understanding not to do that, Bringing fish is practically begging for combat! That unpleasant smell makes anyone go pallid, If you must bring fish enjoy a cold tuna salad! What kind of person wants to microwave fish? You could have prepared another kind of dish! It’s considered mutually assured destruction, Clearly in office etiquette you need instruction! No one is saying you can’t have fish in your diet, But microwaved fish will elicit a breakroom riot!
February 14, 2026 #2301
Light Spreads Some shine darkness and others light, It may not always feel worth the fight, I know that’s the scariest of all deeds, But your light is what the world needs, Don’t allow your flame to gutter or dim, Not in a world that feels dark and grim, Show others it’s okay to light the way, Your voice and actions are that light ray, Be a beacon so that others might shine, Then your light and theirs will combine, With enough light the darkness will fade, All this because you refused to be afraid, Be the beacon we need and shine bright, It’s never too late to illuminate the night,
February 15, 2026 #2302
The Scale Would it truly be worth the effort required? I certainly see the possibilities that are there, It would necessitate pushing past being tired, Would it truly be worth the effort required? Can I say it’s needed and not simply desired? For I do not readily have the energy to spare, Would it truly be worth the effort required? I certainly see the possibilities that are there,
February 19, 2026 #2303
Intolerable Change The older I get the less I can tolerate change, Why can’t these damn changes ever be small? I prefer life to remain in its predefined range, The older I get the less I can tolerate change, Our daily lives shouldn’t constantly rearrange! It’s akin to running headlong into a brick wall! The older I get the less I can tolerate change, Why can’t these damn changes ever be small?
February 22, 2026 #2304
Everything Is Not Fine On a hamster wheel while the house is on fire, The sizzling flames grow closer and ever higher, The gravity of the situation is ever on my mind, How does one escape when they are confined?
February 28, 2026 #2305
Unfathomable How does MAGA fervently support the president? He’s been the embodiment of hate since his assent, He’s been nothing but a narcissist, a bully, and a liar, His loyalists and sycophants indulge his every desire, Trump is not moral or by any definition a good man, Most of us understood that the first time he ran! He thrives on being fawned over and getting his way, He breaks established social norms every single day, MAGA thinks Trump is the greatest thing since God, He could literally kill someone and they’d all applaud! They claim anyone who disagrees with them has TDS, Clearly critical thinking isn’t something they possess,
March 1, 2026 #2306
We Didn’t Stop The Fire Billy Joel once sang “we didn’t start the fire,” But I think humanity gave up trying to fight it, It’s self-immolation and the world is our pyre, Billy Joel once sang “we didn’t start the fire,” Since then the flames have only grown higher, As soon as a hotspot is extinguished it’s relit, Billy Joel once sang “we didn’t start the fire,” But I think humanity gave up trying to fight it,
March 7, 2026 #2307
Trauma Dump I’m sick and tired of processing all this trauma! There must be more than just anger or sadness! I’m weary of all this rampant chaos and drama! I’m sick and tired of processing all this trauma! There is a better use for the word and comma! I will not be consumed by the world’s madness! I’m sick and tired of processing all this trauma! There must be more than just anger or sadness!
March 8, 2026 #2308
The Cardinal Scarlet with black mask, Orange bill with spikey crests, Cheerful songs and chirps,
March 15, 2026 #2309
Insert Coin As an adult we forget the need to play, We get too embroiled in the day to day, We find ourselves too exhausted to think, Into a bed or couch we only want to sink, No longer do we have energy for the fun, A long day’s end means we’re totally done, The weekend, our refuge, goes in a flash, It’s filled with chores and a need to crash, I know I need the time to rest and unwind, But enjoying a bit of fun I wouldn’t mind! Doing so is easier said than done I’m afraid, Before I start the day, I feel myself fade! Exhaustion? Depression? Stress? Overload? My monotonous life could use a play mode!
March 22, 2026 #2310
Technological Advancement More and more it seems we can’t avoid the tech, It’s forced into our lives whether we like it or not, The speed of technological evolution is breakneck, More and more it seems we can’t avoid the tech, Does all this advancement warrant a blank check? What has all that spent money actually bought? More and more it seems we can’t avoid the tech, It’s forced into our lives whether we like it or not,
March 29, 2026 #2311
Input Overload Our brains weren’t designed for this much daily input, When there’re too many superfluous data points afoot! Our digital world is flooded with information overload, When we were intended to live our lives more slowed, The 24-hour news cycle details every worldly turmoil, When what we need is to feel our bare feet on the soil, Emails, text messages and robocalls constantly arrive, When our nervous system is struggling to even survive! Most social media posts and comments are rage bait, When we need a real community and not all this hate, Too many waking hours are spent behind a glass screen, When we’re all addicted to a steady trickle of dopamine,
April 1, 2026 #2312
Artemis II Mission Orion spacecraft. A nine-day trip into space, And around the moon.
April 12, 2026 #2313
Trump’s Iranian War Trump decided to start a war with Iran, And of course, he did so without a plan! He claimed it was to get a nuclear deal, But we all know it’s oil he wants to steal, Trump wanted another Venezuelan raid, Deposed leader and control of oil/trade, He got the Ayatollah and maimed the son, Dismissed allies and boasted he had won! Iran reacted by closing the Hormuz strait, The bully got upset and tried to escalate, Iran fought back and attacked oil facilities, He threatened water and energy utilities! Trump then demanded that NATO help him, NATO is for defense not for Trump’s whim, We had an Iran nuclear deal under Obama, But he killed it in a fit of MAGA melodrama, The GOP and his cabinet refuse to intervene, We may need to borrow France’s guillotine,
April 17, 2026 #2314
Dark AM How can it be 6AM already?! It’s far too dark to be awake, I’m bleary-eyed and unsteady, How can it be 6AM already?! For the day I’m just not ready, Adulthood must be a mistake, How can it be 6AM already?! It’s far too dark to be awake,
April 19, 2026 #2315
I Want Red Green days in the stock market are so boring, All the panic sellers are in their beds snoring, I guess all-time highs make for good headlines, But those prices will keep me on the sidelines, I’m only going to buy when there is a discount, Or when the VIX is accumulating a body count! Who the heck even cares about earnings beats? I get excited when there’s blood in the streets! The deeper the discounts the happier I’ll buy, I refuse to acquire stocks when prices are high! I guess some people feel FOMO when it’s green, But buying overpriced equities isn’t my scene, Where’s all the delicious fear, selling and dread? Bring me a stock market steeped in crimson red!
April 26, 2026 #2316
Tinker Time Tinker. Curse word. Tinker. Tinker. I can’t stop until it’s finally right! Web design can be a real stinker. Tinker. Curse word. Tinker. Tinker. It’s enough to make me a drinker. I’m clearly in for a long-haul fight! Tinker. Curse word. Tinker. Tinker.
April 28, 2026 #2317
Miles Away FOCUS! It’s not that hard. But it actually is. The brain does not want to obey. Scattered.
April 29, 2026 #2318
Squeakers, Not Sneakers When it rains don’t expect me to sneak, For my new tennis shoes always squeak! The squeaks occur both inside and out, It’s the shoes’ material I have no doubt! They practically squeak without the wet, Even if dry you’ll hear me coming I bet! I’m not used to my shoes making noise, It sounds like a basketball team of boys! The squeaks drive me crazy when I walk, I’m semi-worried people may start to talk! I’m nearly at the point of purchase regret, Footwear shouldn’t make someone upset!
2026 Resolution I look around and I can’t help but shutter, I think it’s time to organize and declutter, Why do people like that clutter and mess? It only serves to irritate and cause stress, Organization and clean bring me peace, But all that chaos never seems to cease, I believe everything has a time and place, That life should have a rhythm and pace, Overconsumption is the hobby of the day, It numbs us when the world is in disarray, Sadly, those dopamine hits will never last, Happiness isn’t in what we’ve all amassed,
January 11, 2026 #2296
History Will Judge Us The populist MAGA movement continues to grow, All while the sane world prayed it would truly slow, Trump loyalists are installed in offices everywhere, Our purported checks and balances don’t even care, Congress and the Supreme Court have bent a knee, Most of us are flabbergasted how this could ever be, Mass media and the largest corporations have caved, Is the United States done for can it still be saved? Those who might hold leaders accountable abdicated! Military, FBI, CIA, and DEA have all been infiltrated, Protestors are now being shot and resistance crushed, America burns as the world watches with sad disgust, Trump shifts ever closer to being a full-on dictator, We’re approaching Nazi Germany by every indicator, Trump’s every crazy whim and action goes unchecked, I fear American may be past our ability to self-correct, How are there so many people okay with any of this? The horrific reality they continue to reject or dismiss! Non-MAGA citizens feel powerless to stop this man, If not the courts or congress, who can really can?
January 16, 2026 #2297
Withered on the Vine Creative ideas no longer surface or bubble, The world around me is deeply in trouble, The written word has always been my voice, My echoing silence doesn’t feel like a choice, Part of me feels it’s important that I speak, But I’m morally exhausted and flesh is weak, There is no thirsting or hunger to even try, The end of the world as we know it feels nigh, Hope for our country and humanity is gone, It’s no wonder my creativity couldn’t hang on, In utter darkness how can we ever find hope? Especially when survival feels like a tightrope,
January 24, 2026 #2298
Missed Ideas Whisps and ghosts float by, All fragments of what could be, Had I but a pen!
February 1, 2026 #2299
Winter Disappointment No snow! A second time! The weatherman was wrong! So many broken promises! For shame!
February 7, 2026 #2300
Fish Delight Who thinks microwaving fish is a good idea? From that pungent smell there’s no panacea! It’s a common understanding not to do that, Bringing fish is practically begging for combat! That unpleasant smell makes anyone go pallid, If you must bring fish enjoy a cold tuna salad! What kind of person wants to microwave fish? You could have prepared another kind of dish! It’s considered mutually assured destruction, Clearly in office etiquette you need instruction! No one is saying you can’t have fish in your diet, But microwaved fish will elicit a breakroom riot!
February 14, 2026 #2301
Light Spreads Some shine darkness and others light, It may not always feel worth the fight, I know that’s the scariest of all deeds, But your light is what the world needs, Don’t allow your flame to gutter or dim, Not in a world that feels dark and grim, Show others it’s okay to light the way, Your voice and actions are that light ray, Be a beacon so that others might shine, Then your light and theirs will combine, With enough light the darkness will fade, All this because you refused to be afraid, Be the beacon we need and shine bright, It’s never too late to illuminate the night,
February 15, 2026 #2302
The Scale Would it truly be worth the effort required? I certainly see the possibilities that are there, It would necessitate pushing past being tired, Would it truly be worth the effort required? Can I say it’s needed and not simply desired? For I do not readily have the energy to spare, Would it truly be worth the effort required? I certainly see the possibilities that are there,
February 19, 2026 #2303
Intolerable Change The older I get the less I can tolerate change, Why can’t these damn changes ever be small? I prefer life to remain in its predefined range, The older I get the less I can tolerate change, Our daily lives shouldn’t constantly rearrange! It’s akin to running headlong into a brick wall! The older I get the less I can tolerate change, Why can’t these damn changes ever be small?
February 22, 2026 #2304
Everything Is Not Fine On a hamster wheel while the house is on fire, The sizzling flames grow closer and ever higher, The gravity of the situation is ever on my mind, How does one escape when they are confined?
The door on the cage is nothing but an illusion, The idea I can change my fate is likely delusion, Escape feels impossible but I refuse to pretend, Unlike the boiling frog I can see my coming end,
Everything needed for daily life is in that cage,
But that meaningless fact does little to assuage,
The sizzling flames grow closer and ever higher,
On a hamster wheel while the house is on fire,
February 28, 2026 #2305
Unfathomable How does MAGA fervently support the president? He’s been the embodiment of hate since his assent, He’s been nothing but a narcissist, a bully, and a liar, His loyalists and sycophants indulge his every desire, Trump is not moral or by any definition a good man, Most of us understood that the first time he ran! He thrives on being fawned over and getting his way, He breaks established social norms every single day, MAGA thinks Trump is the greatest thing since God, He could literally kill someone and they’d all applaud! They claim anyone who disagrees with them has TDS, Clearly critical thinking isn’t something they possess,
March 1, 2026 #2306
We Didn’t Stop The Fire Billy Joel once sang “we didn’t start the fire,” But I think humanity gave up trying to fight it, It’s self-immolation and the world is our pyre, Billy Joel once sang “we didn’t start the fire,” Since then the flames have only grown higher, As soon as a hotspot is extinguished it’s relit, Billy Joel once sang “we didn’t start the fire,” But I think humanity gave up trying to fight it,
March 7, 2026 #2307
Trauma Dump I’m sick and tired of processing all this trauma! There must be more than just anger or sadness! I’m weary of all this rampant chaos and drama! I’m sick and tired of processing all this trauma! There is a better use for the word and comma! I will not be consumed by the world’s madness! I’m sick and tired of processing all this trauma! There must be more than just anger or sadness!
March 8, 2026 #2308
The Cardinal Scarlet with black mask, Orange bill with spikey crests, Cheerful songs and chirps,
March 15, 2026 #2309
Insert Coin As an adult we forget the need to play, We get too embroiled in the day to day, We find ourselves too exhausted to think, Into a bed or couch we only want to sink, No longer do we have energy for the fun, A long day’s end means we’re totally done, The weekend, our refuge, goes in a flash, It’s filled with chores and a need to crash, I know I need the time to rest and unwind, But enjoying a bit of fun I wouldn’t mind! Doing so is easier said than done I’m afraid, Before I start the day, I feel myself fade! Exhaustion? Depression? Stress? Overload? My monotonous life could use a play mode!
March 22, 2026 #2310
Technological Advancement More and more it seems we can’t avoid the tech, It’s forced into our lives whether we like it or not, The speed of technological evolution is breakneck, More and more it seems we can’t avoid the tech, Does all this advancement warrant a blank check? What has all that spent money actually bought? More and more it seems we can’t avoid the tech, It’s forced into our lives whether we like it or not,
March 29, 2026 #2311
Input Overload Our brains weren’t designed for this much daily input, When there’re too many superfluous data points afoot! Our digital world is flooded with information overload, When we were intended to live our lives more slowed, The 24-hour news cycle details every worldly turmoil, When what we need is to feel our bare feet on the soil, Emails, text messages and robocalls constantly arrive, When our nervous system is struggling to even survive! Most social media posts and comments are rage bait, When we need a real community and not all this hate, Too many waking hours are spent behind a glass screen, When we’re all addicted to a steady trickle of dopamine,
April 1, 2026 #2312
Artemis II Mission Orion spacecraft. A nine-day trip into space, And around the moon.
April 12, 2026 #2313
Trump’s Iranian War Trump decided to start a war with Iran, And of course, he did so without a plan! He claimed it was to get a nuclear deal, But we all know it’s oil he wants to steal, Trump wanted another Venezuelan raid, Deposed leader and control of oil/trade, He got the Ayatollah and maimed the son, Dismissed allies and boasted he had won! Iran reacted by closing the Hormuz strait, The bully got upset and tried to escalate, Iran fought back and attacked oil facilities, He threatened water and energy utilities! Trump then demanded that NATO help him, NATO is for defense not for Trump’s whim, We had an Iran nuclear deal under Obama, But he killed it in a fit of MAGA melodrama, The GOP and his cabinet refuse to intervene, We may need to borrow France’s guillotine,
April 17, 2026 #2314
Dark AM How can it be 6AM already?! It’s far too dark to be awake, I’m bleary-eyed and unsteady, How can it be 6AM already?! For the day I’m just not ready, Adulthood must be a mistake, How can it be 6AM already?! It’s far too dark to be awake,
April 19, 2026 #2315
I Want Red Green days in the stock market are so boring, All the panic sellers are in their beds snoring, I guess all-time highs make for good headlines, But those prices will keep me on the sidelines, I’m only going to buy when there is a discount, Or when the VIX is accumulating a body count! Who the heck even cares about earnings beats? I get excited when there’s blood in the streets! The deeper the discounts the happier I’ll buy, I refuse to acquire stocks when prices are high! I guess some people feel FOMO when it’s green, But buying overpriced equities isn’t my scene, Where’s all the delicious fear, selling and dread? Bring me a stock market steeped in crimson red!
April 26, 2026 #2316
Tinker Time Tinker. Curse word. Tinker. Tinker. I can’t stop until it’s finally right! Web design can be a real stinker. Tinker. Curse word. Tinker. Tinker. It’s enough to make me a drinker. I’m clearly in for a long-haul fight! Tinker. Curse word. Tinker. Tinker.
April 28, 2026 #2317
Miles Away FOCUS! It’s not that hard. But it actually is. The brain does not want to obey. Scattered.
April 29, 2026 #2318
Squeakers, Not Sneakers When it rains don’t expect me to sneak, For my new tennis shoes always squeak! The squeaks occur both inside and out, It’s the shoes’ material I have no doubt! They practically squeak without the wet, Even if dry you’ll hear me coming I bet! I’m not used to my shoes making noise, It sounds like a basketball team of boys! The squeaks drive me crazy when I walk, I’m semi-worried people may start to talk! I’m nearly at the point of purchase regret, Footwear shouldn’t make someone upset!