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owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social
C. Oulens
@owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.2K following 5.9K posts
Poet, thinker, dreamer, scribbler… in ascending order
differently logical . . . I sense, I feel, I write . . .
Winner, 3rd Annual Poe-it Like Poe Poetry Contest 2025 by sixdegreesofpoe

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owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social
C. Oulens @owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social · 5d
For #PoemsAbout #DogTags
Will come back later to read others and comment. A slightly long poem today, will understand if you give it a miss. Thank you! 🙏 💫

@alanparrywriter.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
#Oulens #blueskypoets #blueskypoetry
#poetrycommunity #poetry
Of Certificates and Of Those Missing - C. Oulens I was born happy and blue! A little confused coz there seemed a lot of hullabaloos over this fact and that I did not wail and kept my eyes shut—they even discriminate against babies that are introvert! Oh c’mon, what’s the deal with this—I thought—should I gawk wide at the beauty of sunshine? Can I not let it seep in with time? Have they not learnt from dawn, of light’s slow release? Should I let the sun jump on me and damage my eyes? Let’s say I concede to that, but why, oh why—should they want me to shriek? Then I heard my mom’s wail—Yeah, well, emotional blackmail commences as early as that—even before they’ve prepared your destiny’s sketch (and the many certificates of mismatch). Besides, they were shaking me (and what not—uncomfortably)—so, with an eye roll, I kindly complied and delivered a heart-rending scream—an encore to my mom’s premature mournful cries (it seemed she thought I got born with an intent to die)—and to my bafflement—followed by a roomful of applause and cheer—it now appeared I had claimed my first entitlement of existence—certified in a registry. … and that, in short, is my introduction to a kind world that said—undocumented—you’ve had your heartful—henceforth the world would appreciate if you kept your screams inside and your tears dry—there’s too much, anyway, to pass by. And sunshine I found is not infinite—how can it be when some are looking to steal from you with a sleight of hand—but some, at the edge of abyss, will find a bagful of a warm wish—unclassified, uncertified. I am not happy but I’m happily blue. I stole too—some stars—of a blue moon—committing poetry—without standard devices—without requisite licences—without certificates to earn.
owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social
a bold tune
caught in the wind at the throat
of a lonesome flute
floatin’
in
a vale of tears

#SenseWrds
Prompt 149: Hollow Surrounding Fearless

#Oulens #haiku #senryu #monoku
#blueskypoets #blueskypoetry
#poetrycommunity #poems #poetry
November 25, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by C. Oulens
pdevonald.bsky.social
So delighted to be in this wonderful anthology which is out now

Great review here: Thanks to Greg Freeman for posting it and also Tim Fellows for making this wonderful anthology

www.writeoutloud.net/public/bloge...
Coalface scars: poetry anthology marking strike anniversary looks at mining's past and its aftermath | Write Out Loud
Coalface scars: poetry anthology marking strike anniversary looks at mining's past and its aftermath
www.writeoutloud.net
November 24, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
marcialynnpaul.bsky.social
IN CUSTODY OF... 🗣️🎙️

#poetry
#prompt
#spokenword
#whistpr dash
#emoetry hard
#vss365 relevant
#poetrycommunity
#blueskyrelay gaslight
#OurPoetryX foundation
#RetroArtPrompt shadow
#moonmystic heart_song
#2wordprompt type, strong
#firewords280 flouncy, faҫade
#foxprose trapped_under_roots
November 25, 2025 at 2:19 AM
owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social
A thought as I thought of “I think, therefore I am” hit me this a.m.—perhaps on account of the #strong tea I brewed—that if I already think & if I already am, is it #relevant to know ‘where’ I am and out of the various #types of wheres, which where would think that I am…
#vss365 #2WordPrompt #Oulens
November 24, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by C. Oulens
fizzytwizler.bsky.social
No longer #relevent
Are the seasons all four

If it rains it rains
If it shines sun it shines sun

Colourless are the snowflakes
Dead brown the leaves

I don’t care
My pockets are flooded
With rainbows

#vss365
November 24, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
fred-forge.bsky.social
#Journal #A.Soul.in.Transit #Notulite

“Behind certain appearances lies the sensitivity of those who know how to surpass themselves„

#ƒred-ƒorge ©

Photography source : U.A.G.
#Journal #A.Soul.in.Transit #Notulite “Behind certain appearances lies the sensitivity of those who know how to surpass themselves„ #ƒred-ƒorge ©
November 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by C. Oulens
blindedbeatpoet.bsky.social
do not forsake when rhythm and melody find
a score rich tapestry of happenchance and incidentalisms
not rent a breath schisms we might imagine sold futures with
but rather how ants dreams of being aardvarks one day
i suppose we all know of specificity in the gleams
night sky tombstone alchemies
November 24, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
throwawayreg.bsky.social
Evening Sunday
a bit late for #PoemsAbout #dogtag
And thanks to @alanparrywriter.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
#poems #poetry
have a great week everyone everywhere 🚶🏼‍♂️‍➡️
November 23, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Reposted by C. Oulens
wordingway.bsky.social
∴ skitterd sideways fate
achievable mischief drips
crow-crowned micklewit ∴

#vss365 #haikufeels #senryusunday #leakyfaucet #dukkha
November 23, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by C. Oulens
fhpowellwriter.bsky.social
#promptcombo #OnRoofs @thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social
Thank you @dragonslayerma.bsky.social for last week's stormer. All are welcome to contribute to this week's. I am the host. Please use hashtags ##promptcombo #OnRoofs and tag me @thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social:
The Roof He needs a hit, so on the roof of the ex bank, ex post office needs to break in sees somebody spot him so he changes his mind shouts I will kill myself. Ambulances and police talk him down.
November 24, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
jennnne.bsky.social
#poetry #cptsd
Daddy liked to dumpster dive With his head full of crack Piled his rusty pickup full of worthless things 'Cept this one time He brought something back just for me For me! I sprayed down my treasure with disinfectant And love became a second-hand teddy bear Daddy fished from someone's trash J. C. 11.18.25
November 19, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
rburrows.bsky.social
Another tiny tale from my grandmother’s childhood for #smallpoemsunday @tomsnarsky.bsky.social
November 23, 2025 at 11:16 AM
owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social
#SmallPoemSunday #micropoetry
#Oulens #blueskypoets
#poetrycommunity #poems #poetry
Amnesia - C. Oulens Dreamy dawn Forgets the night’s tears—shed and held—blurred to light All too soon
November 24, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
vignettes.bsky.social
This Is Not a Poem About Love

Your voice skims my skin
like a cheap match struck in darkness
The cold room tilts, warm at the edges
My pulse trips over its own shadow
and the air tastes of copper warmed by fear
Even the silence leans closer
learning the shape
my name makes in your mouth

#MPprompt
malformed-poetry.bsky.social Malachy Moran @malformed-poetry.bsky.social · 6d
Today’s #poetryprompt

Write a poem about a topic without touching the topic itself. Title it something like:

“This is not a poem about ____”

#MPPrompt
I repost replies. Follow for daily prompts
November 19, 2025 at 9:16 PM
owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social
folding hands
a prayer takes a form
a hand in the shadow’s warmth

#inkmine : #form
#BSPP47 : #foldinghands
#Oulens
#haiku #senryu
#blueskypoets #blueskypoetry
#poetrycommunity #poems #poetry
November 23, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by C. Oulens
fhpowellwriter.bsky.social
How do we find
the lyrics to life
hidden under a blanket
of confusion and strife
How do we play
a magical tune
that takes us from winter to summer
How do we make a wonderous journey
that takes us beyond our dreams

#OurPoetryX #LyricsToLife
November 23, 2025 at 9:43 AM
owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social
“What we call #achievable is” a tiny “cage we build to keep our courage from” wandering off for a nap during a torturous meeting. “Break the bars, and even the impossible” #travels —surprisingly #decisive —unfettered by aroma of arriving coffee.
wid apologies to Nietzsche
#vss365 2WordPrompt #Oulens
November 23, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
moritherapy.bsky.social
An editor at the #Haiku Society Of America conference was saying how he's not a big fan of haiku/senryu starting with prepositional phrases and now I want to write a whole bunch of them doing just that.

on time
alternative facts
in his speech

blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-pr...
What Is a Prepositional Phrase? 20 Easy Examples · PrepScholar
Struggling with prepositional phrases? Check out our helpful definition and collection of prepositional phrase examples.
blog.prepscholar.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:10 AM
owlnsquirrels1111.bsky.social
asclepiads order
doughnut on choco-spill
star packaging
#Oulens
Pic showing a couple of varieties of asclepiads in a partially revealed pot with a small flower shaped like a doughnut on star on one of the stalks
November 23, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
krislindbeck.bsky.social
first snow
Queen Anne's lace
re-crowned

#haiga #haiku #shahai
November 23, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Reposted by C. Oulens
tregallery.com
✨️☁️💙☁️✨️

clouds tangle
gazing up I like
being small

#BlueSkyArtShow #Small
#EastCoastKin
#WildWalkPrompt Tangle

#haiku #俳句 #Freeverse #Poetry #Micropoetry #Photography #clouds
This is a photo I took of cirrus clouds and altocumulus clouds over a blue sky. Their wispy streaks feel like brush strokes behind rounded taps of sheer paint. You can feel the wind pulling this scene from left to right. As a child, adults and children bullied me for being different. My autoimmune disorder didn’t help the situation, because it kept me small, and we all know size is a shallow mind’s favorite joke. I used to wish that I would grow big like an elephant, and then I’d be impervious. Half-pint, shrimp, small fry, munchkin, baby doll, Polly Pocket, mouse, and the list goes on. But this is not my sad story. In fact, it’s another reason I love clouds. They have always made me feel happy, despite my size, or any size, beneath them . . . we’re all small. Inspired by our fluffy friends above, here's my latest free verse haiku: clouds tangle gazing up I like being small
November 22, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by C. Oulens
davgar51.bsky.social
part two of #Desire (thwarted) -- looking back. All for #PoemsAbout this week, keeping the pot boiling. I wrote this one last week not in 1997 :-)
A poem titled: Desire Looking back—it's better seen from afar— I was unseated by desire my legs removed my arms broken my chest full of inexplicable singing my head—a burning bush of chat-up lines and glorious metaphors. And you, I think, just sat warming your hands. This is not to say dying in flames is bad or cause of regret— what burns easier than a re-grown wood or a re-built house when the time is right?
November 18, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by C. Oulens
dgmicaels.bsky.social
eternal reruns
of soft lust always dreaming meant
that
he’d always miss her

#Sensewords 148
November 22, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Reposted by C. Oulens
michaelbroussard.myatproto.social
The podcast will see Aldred take "a weekly dive into fandom, creativity, and the people who make pop culture extraordinary". Guests will include Sylvester McCoy, Katy Manning, Susan Twist, Janet Fielding, Sally Knyvette, Nicholas Briggs and David Banks. #DoctorWho

www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/do...
Classic Doctor Who legends set to reunite for exciting new project
Doctor Who legends are set to reunite for Sophie Aldred's exciting new sci-fi project.
www.radiotimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:09 AM