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Modern Papyrus

Category Archives: poetry

An Ode to the end of the Decade

20 Friday Dec 2019

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing

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Dear 2010’s and Twenty-Teens,

We’ve loved you. We’ve hated you. We’ve argued and fought and chided and scorned.

We’ve meme’d and snapped and selfied galore.

We have watched millennials kill whole industries and heard ‘okay boomer’ from Baby Yoda.

We’ve replaced incandescent with LED and brought “industrial design” into the home.

From 3D to virtual reality, from Recession to Expression and everything in between.

So long, 2010s, it’s probably better you’re in the rear view screen.

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Tired

14 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing

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Tags

poetry


Tired

By D. Ottalini

Tiredness is the smell of morning coffee / Alertness is the feel of warm sheets.  / We’d all come to find that life is lovely / If we spent a moment to actually live life / To breathe / to feel / to wonder / to marvel / to let go / to murmur when others yell / and scream when no one hears but the frigid night / We’d all find life is lovely  if only we bothered to live it

at all.

 

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Project 27 – The End of It All

15 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing, Thoughts

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Tags

project 27, teaching


Hi everyone. As many of you may know, I’m a teacher, as well as a writer.

Continue reading →

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Project 27 – Promises

05 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing

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Tags

poems, poetry, project 27


Howdy all!

Here’s another Project 27 poem as a treat!

Continue reading →

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Goalposts – Project 27

01 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing

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Tags

poetry, project 27


Greetings! Another Project 27 poem for you here. Not sure what I’m at by now 😉 Probably more than 27. Today’s poem is named Goalposts.

 

Goalposts

Here I stand

I can go no further.

Well, literally not, there’s a swamp of mud

between me and the net.

Sweat pouring down my neck

waiting for the ball to roll closer

through the mob of children kicking, shoving,

falling onto the damp grass.

I squint, eyes narrow.

Arms spread, knees shaking, praying

Please don’t shoot

Defense fails

the sweet, terrifying thwack

of a hard kick.

Dead center.

Can’t miss.

Right?

 

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Project 27 – Instant

31 Thursday May 2018

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

poems, project 27


Today’s Poem

 

At once

This instant

lasts and yet doesn’t

stretch onward to infinity but rather

simply is there until

like a butterfly’s heartbeat

it’s gone without a sound.

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Project 27 – Snapshot

23 Wednesday May 2018

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing

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Tags

poems, project 27, writing


Today’s Poem.

Snapshot

I take the photo.

Click.

Whir

Buzz.

Out slides the instant film.

A curiosity, attention grabbing, new-fangled thing

“Take my picture!”

Contrasting reds and blues, hues of green

Deep looks into eyes

that you never

quite

unsee.

What do these snapshots reveal?

What do these brief windows show?

Childhood ebbing

Drawing close to the end

but holding on perhaps

for one more summer day.

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Project 27 – Scared

08 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing

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Tags

poems, project 27


Enjoy this new Project 27 Poem – Scared.

Scared

Walls looming in
Children loom close
Loud, unfriendly
Your hand reaches out.
To grab hers
and pull close.
Safety in numbers.

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Project 27 – Next

30 Monday Apr 2018

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing

≈ Comments Off on Project 27 – Next

Tags

Author, poems, project 27


Hi all,

Here’s another poem for Project 27 – I’m actually not sure how many I’ve finished now, but I’m feeling pretty good about this one. Taking inspiration from life. As usual!

Enjoy

Continue reading →

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The Reason – Project 27

26 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by Daniel Ottalini in poetry, Self-Publishing

≈ Comments Off on The Reason – Project 27


Greetings!

While I await the final edited version of Laurel Emperor, here’s another poem to tide you over. Let me know what you think about it!

Continue reading →

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