"Emerging Writers, Serious Writers"

since 2009

Latest Poems

Jul 12, 2023

I‘ll love you

Poetry Hannah Hartje 101
i‘ll love you till my tea gets cold,
until I close my book.
I‘ll love you till I leave my room, until I wake up from this dream.
I‘ll love you for evermore.
Jun 26, 2023

Riverside

Poetry andres idrovo 106

I'm tryina finish a second chapbook of 20 poems

Footnotes

then sneak is thin

an inch is in

transition is trinsition

 

Riverside

 

1 The Watchtower

 

Embryos and fluids

More sez smoke than a…

Jun 14, 2023

The reason why I flinch

Poetry Niki M Betsill 238
You ask me, why I flinch,
At every sudden movement,
That I don't see coming.
Like I expect to be hit.
It's  a leftover reaction,
like A residual tic.
A predetermined mechanism Physically attempting to…
Jun 10, 2023

Stand Alone

Poetry Shahna vk 262
Stand alone girl,
You are making it better, even alone, those arms will never hold you again, neither you will see their smile nor their shadows.

That one who smiled at you on your triumph, yes he is…
Jun 04, 2023

Ancestors of Scripture

Poetry Teresa Nash 121
They were bold and they wrote and they ate sheep but not goats,
And they lived and they laughed,
And they kicked evils ass!

They were strong,
They were brave,
They weren't anyone's slave,
And they are who…

Published & Contest Winning Poetry

June 29, 2017 Published & Contest Winning Poems Mary Rose Fair 30170 5

Elephants

"Winner of the Open Community Poetry Contest for the period April 1 - June 30, 2017. See commentary below."-Ed.

"Scientists have long considered the ability to recognize oneself in a mirror to be an index of high cognitive ability...there is every reason to suspect that elephants may be capable of far more complex cognition than is currently…
June 22, 2017 Published & Contest Winning Poems Joey Turner 29409 2

Ants.

"Runner-up of the Open Community Poetry Contest for the period April 1 - June 30, 2017."-Ed.

A branch’s charcoal shadow
cast by an evening sun
traces a single line of trifling ants
following in file under an oak’s shade
avoiding the rays, scurrying;

Interviews & Culture

August 04, 2017 Contributor Interviews Staff Writers 2281

An Interview with Mary Rose Fair

Mary Rose Fair, a young poet, student, and lover of dance, is our featured poet for her winning poem, “Elephants.” Following her award for winning our Open Community Poetry Contest, I sat down with Fair and tried to talk with her more about elephants, love, and memory. 


What drew you to the subject matter? What is it about elephants?

I was drawn…
October 23, 2011 Contributor Interviews Administrator 9357

Recent Interview with Michael Miller

An Interview with Michael Miller, winner of the Open Community Poetry Contest, January-March, 2011

by John Winn

Staff Writer

Hennen's Observer


Known as michaelmiller.ic to contributors and visitors to the website hennensobserver.com, Michael Miller Jr. is as mysterious as the allegories he employs.  With little more to go on that an arm tattoo…

October 22, 2011 Contributor Interviews Administrator 8791

Recent Interview with H. E. Mantel

An interview with H.E. Mantel, winner of the Open Community Poetry Contest (for the period October—December, 2010) conducted February 28, 2011.

by John Winn

Staff Writer

Hennen's Observer


Harold E. Mantel has been a mainstay in the literary community ever since he burst on the scene almost a decade ago. Since then many of his poems and prose,…

Published & Contest Winning Prose

March 10, 2010 Published & Contest Winning Prose Neil Donnelly 61093 5

Fogtown: A Musical

Again the dusk has filled this town with fog a sight I've grown accustomed to; odd shapes and silhouettes become dancers and these cracked calloused streets have become their stage. As they dance a bullfrog belches in the background a light wind rustles…

struggle

  • Child of the night

    To you , my sweet child of the night - Where do you hide when your innocence is lost.
  • Daily Revalations

    Deprived of affection and a sense of belonging
    one retires to a sanctuary of isolation.
    Arraigned by the acute pain of rejection
    the walls become his or her world.
  • Dance back to me

    To you , my sweet child of the night - Where do you hide when your innocence is lost.
  • Death of a Broken Heart

                                            spirit,
    The thought of you lifts my 
                                                                y     .           .           .
                                                     a
                                            w
                                     a
    It lifts me so high I fly
    But then I f
                     a
                        l
                          l
                    for you bringing m
                                               e
                           back down to earth,
    But you weren't there to catch m
                                                   e
                               So I hit the ground,
                             And broke my  .   .   .  h . e . a . r . t .
     
  • Failure

    Why can't I ever look good in your eyes.
    Images and memories just flashing by. 
    I put in so much effort 
    But to you it doesn't matter because its not perfect. 
    Alone you treat me like dirt but in public you bury all the hurt. 
    You show people you with your mask on 
    Afraid to reveal what's really going on. 
  • Father dearest

    I've never been one to judge, 
    But it's come time for your reckoning. 
    Justified injustice of character, 
    Quite subpar. 
  • Her Broken Heart

    A ripped shell holds the inevitable
    The lost vow thought unbreakable
    Her swollen core cracking slowly
    Freeing the feelings she thought so lowly
  • Inamorata

    I breathe...

    The very essence of me

    Breathes in the deep scent of you.


    You are not my lover.

    I love you, but you are not my lover.

  • Judge Me Not

    What is it like to not be judged in a world where being yourself is just not enough? What is it like to be yourself and get a hug without being judged and getting mugged by someone who barely even knows you but they’re scared of what they think they know but don’t know anything about so they lash out on you and lose control, funny right? But I guess that’s how life goes people get mad about things they can’t control. How does it feel to be loved by someone who sees all your imperfections as a high and can see themselves with you for the rest of your life?
  • Memory

    My lifeless body roams the way a ghost does its' ancient mansion walls
     Invisible, I stumble through the world with a mask praying it doesn't fall 
     You destroyed me.
     Murdered my soul and shattered my spirit
     I am smashed stained glass -
     I am out together but in fractured pieces 
     I am transparent
  • Ode to the lighthouse

    I came to you with my wings ripped against my will like a wingless bird locked in a golden cage,
    I long to fly free above the skies, 
    beyond the stars and moon, 
    but i came to you to mend my wound,
    For the pain of worldly deception and contempt had left me bleeding,
    that i cry every night, silently, 
    weeping deep inside, loudly,
     
  • One more try

    I yearn for death in the small of my back,

    Every crack in my bones ache for the pain. 

    I crave the feeling of a blade vertically down my wrist 

    The slipping of consciousness.

  • Selfishness

    abort your idealistic views. 
    Your physical certainty is lack lustered, 
    Coated with inadequacy. 
  • Stand Alone

    Stand alone girl,
    You are making it better, even alone, those arms will never hold you again, neither you will see their smile nor their shadows.

    That one who smiled at you on your triumph, yes he is smiling like an evil, then this one who cheers for you might not be cheering,
    But you still believe, cause you're ingenuous.

    Stand alone before all around you tries to drag you down,
    Cause one's victory isn't a beautiful story for others.
  • Struggle

    Life is hard
    It gets really hard sometimes
    From small things,
    Small fears, small worries, small problems
    Day by day it gets piled up
    Thought I’ve able to take a control of it
    Thought I’m already okay
    Without realizing that those piles are actually still there
    Until one single thing added up to those pile
    Causing all of them to break apart
    That’s when I realize
    I’ve never been okay
    Those small things are piling up
    To the point where I can’t bear anymore
    Where I fall to my knees
    And my tears break
    I feel like I barely hold on
    I wish I could just let go everything
    I wish I could end all of these
    Is dying the answer?
    To end all the pain I hold in this world
    The pain of incapable of doing anything
    The pain of keep wishing life will get better but never knowing when
    The pain of trying to live with this pain
     
  • Struggles of a Third Kind

    These days Mindy just sits there. Listening out for that inner voice. To pick up a fork to savour meals is turning into a daily chore. Time does so little to mend this resident hurt. It never seems to go away. At least she has been able to sleep. Thank God for that. Each wakeful moment only deepens the pain...
  • Synonym for sadness

    Overwhelmed. 
    Scared. 
    Paranoid. 
    Frightened. 
    These are a few of the words I use to describe myself. 
  • What it is to be mute

    Souls set alight by the softest of sparks
    Fumbling through the darkness 
    They meet at their lowest 
    Friends until daybreak and so much more
    For when I am with you I can soar
    Although it is but an easy life 
    The spark remains throughout it all 
    A gentle smile imprinted on my soul
  • When

    When do I tell you? When should I tell you? Life will soon send me on my way again and then it will be too late.