Where do I start? The past months have been a whirlwind. Sorting things out in the house has been time consuming. I have a new position at work which comes with an increased workload. The basketball season was extremely hectic, and in between I have been trying to write and perform as much poetry as possible.
Throughout this time, there have been ups and downs. A high point was appearing as a guest poet in Prosetrics Literary Magazine. I was excited when I was first approached and did not hesitate to accept. Prosetrics is one of my favourite Literary journals and I have submitted poems to their last three editions.
As featured poet in the spring edition “Mirage”, they included a biography and a synopsis of my book. An three-page interview and relevant poems were also featured.
Prosetrics always offers a diverse collection of poetry and prose. It must be one of the most attractive literary journals available. Just take a look at the cover photo taken by Matty Mattix.
Click on the link below to find out more about Prosetrics. It is available in both print and electronic format.
Born in the UK, Stephen Buttigieg moved to the island of Malta at the age of ten and now resides in Belgium. Though he wrote poetry prolifically until age 21, a traumatic experience involving the loss of one of his poems led him to stop. Over three decades later, the isolation of lockdown reignited his passion for writing. The outpouring of encouragement from the online community inspired him to devote every free moment to his craft, channeling life’s reflections into verse. Read full interview…
This piece of prose is based on an experience I had when I was much younger and fitter. At the time I was a very good athlete and was able to stay underwater for close to two minutes without any aids. Do not attempt similar feats without adequate training.
I crush my fear between thoughts of iced lemon-water and a red sun ready to trip over the horizon. Then drain the hesitation from my body, drawing deep breaths caught in harmonic resonance with the lazy summer waves.
I float, and reflect. My mortal nature is to be revered not resented. My fragility held with foetal grasp for it makes me strong. With one last intake of air, I flip the world over and dive.
The blue gets darker, tending to the black as I reach the tunnel mouth. Jagged walls call my name as they invite me to play.
I dive deeper.
A curtain of black covers my eyes, and the only sense I have left is that of conviction. I have to trust. Panic only burns the ether of life faster. My hands carve a path through the water. Kicking feet propel me forwards. I leave a trail of bubbles as I seek to relax my lungs.
I must be halfway.
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I push on and deflect the realisation that I have reached the point of no return. Arms pull, legs kick, bubbles escape, mind focuses on emptiness, eyes strain to see, lungs start to burn. It cannot be far now.
It mustn’t be far now.
Me, the sea, the dark, we all have our secrets. Perhaps, I may become one of theirs sometime. But not yet. A faint smear of light stains the darkness, teases the bubbles into view. The jagged rocks still call but I will not play with them today.
I kick harder, hands reaching for the light. I pick up speed, exhale just before breaching the surface and inhale in celebration.
I am on the other side. A breath away. Still mortal, but somehow more alive than I have ever been before.
Old & UnWise – A Haphazard Collection of Poetry and Thought
Hey Everyone, I’m excited to tell you that my book has been nominated for the “Cover of the Month” contest on AllAuthor.com.
I really enjoyed working on the the cover with Jude, the designer. I had an idea of what I wanted on the front cover there were many variations of the cover made before we finally agreed on the final design. Jude is a very patient man and a joy to work with.
It would really help if you could follow the link below and vote for the design.
Today I was experimenting using an autotune program to arrange some backing vocals which I had put together.
After a few adjustments I quite liked the outcome and thought about writing a short poem to go with the voices. Since they sounded very hymn-like it was inevitable that I would end up writing a prayer.
I tried to avoid references to any particular religion, hoping that as many people as possible would identify with the emotion of appreciating a new day.
Unfortunately war, poverty and sickness take away from the peace that everyone deserves to enjoy. I hope that future generations find a way to move to making life better for all. I suppose I am a dreamer after all. What do you think?
The images in the video were taken in the quaint town of Estaimpuis in Belgium near the ruins of an old fort.
Why not try writing a poem to some music and tagging me with the result?
Click to go to Amazon for print and ebook versions. Other links on homepage
During a brief sojourn in Malta I met a wonderful couple who perform under the name of @amarenamusik. You can check them out on Instagram.
I loved their act so much that I caught up with them again at @rootzsoulbar and joined Saro as he improvised on the guitar while I recited the only poem that I have in Italian.
The poem, which is about the walk of life “Una camminata” was written earlier on this year when I ws invited to take part in an Italian poetry evening, despite the fact that I had never written a poem in Italian. It was quite a challenge to write in what is my third language and I tried to immerse myself in Italian for a few days before attempting to write. I did not want the poem to sound like a translation from English. Saro’s music really helped bring the poem to life and this moment was one fo the best I had all summer.
What more could one want for a summer evening? Good food, good company, great music and new friends.
Although I have not been active here I still have been very active poetry-wise. I have been working on submitting new work to poetry journals and formatting “Old & UnWise – A Haphazard Collection of Poetry and Thought” so that the Ebook version would be released some time in September. I have also had the chance to perform at a number of events and there has been more progress with the distribution of the printed version of my book.
The intention was to restart the blog to coincide with the beginning of September but today I received a message out of the blue which made me think “why not today?”
A former student, someone I taught 29 years ago, sent me a thank you message. I will not divulge what was in the message but a simple thank you can have so much value. It certainly made my day. We all look for validation in life and knowing that something I may have said or done was a source of inspiration for someone else is so humbling.
This week I will be filling in the gaps from Summer so please watch this space for updates.
I have been working on some promotional material for my book. The above video is just one example.
When you stop writing poetry for thirty something years and finally get into a rhythm of writing any pause can be scary. I have been extremely busy and life has thrown me a couple of curve balls in the past couple of weeks, leaving me with little time to think of writing.
So I get scared and try to find a source of inspiration, something to break the ice, something that will allow me to string words together, something that will allow me to make sense.
When I find nothing, the only thing that gets me going is writing about the fact that I have nothing to write about. For some reason, this gets me writing. I am sure many of you have your own mechanisms to break through the dam of writelessness (yes I know that isn’t really a word but it should be).
If you click on the video you will see me recite “Meaningless” for a poet who has nothing to write, an artist unable to create, really has no meaning.
Feel free to comment, like and even share with others.
Any feedback is always welcome
More of my poetry can be found in my debut book “Old & UnWise – A Haphazard Collection of Poetry and Thought” For more information click on HOME
I have been rather quiet in this space recently. I had a very busy schedule which was complicated by the fact that I caught a nasty cold and ended up with a fever.
Ill health always tends to effect the way I write and this time was no exception, the end result is Delirium:
More of my poetry can be found in my debut book “Old & UnWise – A Haphazard Collection of Poetry and Thought” For more information click on HOME
Last year I received some shocking news. A young doctor and poet, Dr. Saniya Mezhar Khan, passed away during a tragic accident while on holiday in Montreal. She was with her friend Dania when a fire broke out in the block where they were staying, and unfortunately they failed to make it to safety.
Bunny (IG handle @cosmicdoctorbunny), as she was affectionately known among Instagram poets, was a very talented poet with a unique voice. I was fortunate enough to get to know her over time, and besides being a fan of her poetry, we had some very interesting conversations over IG. What struck me, more than anything, is what a genuine and unassuming person she was.
After the initial shock about the news of her passing, the Poetry Community on IG began to organise tributes to Bunny, and there was an overall feeling that her work needed to be published. A gofundme account was launched in order to fund the compiling of a book of poetry written by Saniya and the project is well on its way.
A donation over $50: Secures YOUR COPY of the hardcover release of “Cosmic Doctor Bunny’s …and If I Were to Die Today”.
A donation over $85: You will receive an exclusive hard card printed copy of Cosmic Doctor Bunny’s last written piece, “Run, Little Rabbit” for display or to add to your own personal memories and collection of this amazing poet gone too soon.
In the words of those who knew her best “Saniya was a beloved daughter, sister, doctor, student, caregiver, youth center volunteer, suicide hotline operator, brilliant, genius level poet, and an inspiration to countless people around the world who would read her work and find themselves in her words.”
In an effort to promote the book and also reach the amount required for its publication there is currently a poetry prompt on Instagram, The prompt is the title of the book “… And If I Were to Die Today” anyone can submit a poem with the prompt and all poems will be read live on Instagram. the link to the prompt is
During the live a draw will be made from all the submissions with the chance to win a copy of the book once it is published. My contribution to the prompt can be found in the slides.
Stephen Buttigieg - Words 