Poetry is in the air...

Just finishing NURSERY RHYME. Poems are tough to publish these days. Most editors want a third rate rhythm and rhyme screen involving marital aids. Others want disjointed and random thoughts allowing the nonsense to disguise as literary highbrow tripe.

Resistance is what we seek.

Freakcidents is on LURID-LIT.COM

Another day and another review. Come and read about Michael A. Arnzen's FREAKCIDENTS. Poetry rules today.

"SHOOTING STARS" is on Feathertale.com

My G-rated, children's. family poem about a UFO and the government titled "Shooting Stars" has just been published on Feathertale.com a Canadien humor magazine/e-zine. Nothing scary here, just humor. Check it out under poetry.

Happy Birthday Jim Morrison

To a true poet and visionary, Happy Birthday. In this age of posers and rhymers, we miss your genius Jim. We truly miss your soul. Rest in Peace and Happy Birthday.

When a Rejection is a Rejection. Hey New Writers!

We all get them. No matter how many stories you sell and have published you will still have rejections. You new writers, take heart. In my case, not that I am anyone special, some of my best items have been ridiculed before making an impact somewhere else. The annals of music and literature are filled with misguided rejections. So take the rejection, hang it on the wall, file it away and keep plugging. True, rejections do bother and they should. It is only natural. One of my favorites is the good old 'sorry we wish not to publish ____ so good luck with that." 'Good luck with that'? What do mean by 'that'? Is my story something akin to needing to be lanced? Or the carefully worded "Good luck placing it elsewhere." I guess it was THAT BAD!? Many editors don't necessarily mean to be mean; but sometimes you wonder. Sometimes you wonder if 'open' submissions are actually 'open'. Or how about those who run on and on about all the 'big' names who will be included in their anthology and if you are chosen you will essentially be the only nobody and damn lucky you are! This is a marathon and not a sprint. Real writing matures and survives, the flavors of the month no matter what awards they may 'win' or self-congratulations they may manufacture do have expiration dates. Work on your craft. Write what you feel. Do your thing and don't worry about what others are doing or even saying. Write from your gut. We all go through this, just don't let them get to you.

Parade of Bad Poetry Presents:

Smack Me


To some it sure is funny,
To others, it’s quite sad.
While time turns into money,
I sit on my fat pad.


I try to be insightful,
And witty and urbane,
But to many it’s quite doubtful
That I have anything to say.

Parade of Bad Poetry Presents:

The Day

The sky is grey
and the dawn can’t lift its haze.
The seas are brown
with the products of greed and waste.

The forest is black
and overcome with the dead.
The die is cast
and to our future we are wed.

The trees just bleed
in submissive conformity.
The sterile grass
salutes our obsessive vanity.

Back to the dust
I crawl in pain and disgust,
winding my shroud
as the sun slumps to the ground.