Poets: Welcome to My Plog

It started as a blog, but the poet took charge. So, now, it’s a plog.

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”
— Robert Frost 
Pickled

I dipped my pen
in pickle juice
and began,
naming the vinegar
and the dill,
just like you
required.

counted syllables
like coins
from my pocket.

each line
fit your narrow jar,
sealed tight
with rhyme and rule,

no juice left
for hunger.

I labeled everything
precisely—
brine,
seed,
skin—

as if accuracy
might earn me space.

submitted
with seconds to spare.

refreshed.

someone else
was now seated
at the last available table.

my crisp bite
now spongy,
without an audience
to taste the crunch.

Something’s Coming

Something Good

I have been hosting poetry contests over on AllPoetry.com for a while now with what I would call moderate success. I do not only host contests, though. I also participate in challenges that other poets host. The poem to the left, for example, is one I wrote for an AllPoetry contest.

Looking at the economics of those challenges, it clicked that I could probably do something similar right here on my own site and offer a humble cash prize to the winning poet each month.

I originally circled April 1st on the calendar for the launch, but the backend of the website had other plans. I did not quite have the right systems in place to make it work properly, so I am holding off until the technical side catches up with the idea. Once those gears are turning, the prize will go live.

If you are thinking of entering, your best bet is to spend some time with the poems already here to see what I value. Since I write everything on the site, the archives are the best way to get a feel for the rhythm, the restraint, and the risks that resonate with me.

Let’s grow this together.

Resources for Poets

Whether you’re just starting or returning to the craft, poets benefit from strong resources. Explore online workshops, curated prompts, and tips for revision. Sites like AllPoetry and Duotrope  connect poets with contests and publication opportunities. A little guidance can unlock powerful lines waiting to be written.

What You Will Find Here

This site is where I record and reflect on what’s on my mind. I write poems, experiment with words and form, share ideas, and try to make sense of things through language. If someone else connects with any of it, that’s a quiet kind of gift. I’m just doing my best to keep showing up with words.