Laidback DM: The Year in Review 2022

My Year in Review! This is a post about all the stuff I released in 2022. I haven’t done one of these before, so here goes nothing lol. Each of the products is listed in release order. Maps for Fantasy RPGs 3 was released in February 2022. What can I say, hand drawn, royalty-free mapsContinue reading “Laidback DM: The Year in Review 2022”

Life in a Faded Moment Available in Print!

Hi all, My fourth book of poetry, Life in a Faded Moment, is now available in hardcover and PDF at Drivethrufiction! Life in a Faded Moment is a collection of poems for all your fated and faded moments – poems about Love, Sorrow, Anger, Death and Life. You can buy it at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/396390/Life-in-a-Faded-Moment Cheers SteveContinue reading “Life in a Faded Moment Available in Print!”

Southward. A poem.

On the black tar veld,Surrounded by beastsAnd wavering heat.We travel the path: Forever southward,Across lost lands,‘Neath forgotten stars.Here, Hand-in-hand,Ear to the wind,Avoiding pitfallsAnd predatorsThat might bring us low,Wary yet unawares, Forever on, we go.Because we are lostIn each other’s talesAnd each other’s mindsAnd each other’s souls;And from here on in,We will always Share this road.Continue reading “Southward. A poem.”

Dark Minds & Bright Souls: A book of poetry – available now at DriveThruFiction

Containing newly edited versions of the poems from The All or the Nothing (2017) and Poetry for the Sad, Lonely and Hopelessly Endangered (2018), Dark Minds & Bright Souls is a 160-page hardcover collection for all the bright souls and dark minds out there. Available at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/389015/Dark-Minds–Bright-Souls

Poets Loved: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? By William Shakespeare

Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, AndContinue reading “Poets Loved: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? By William Shakespeare”

Rose-Colored Glasses. A poem.

The rose-colored glasses slipped away and I saw you as you really are, crowned in wishful thinking and spoilt disparity of thought, overwrought, less than I expected and more than I assumed. I guess I didn’t know what I wanted, or why you made me blue, just another misdirected convolution leading me astray, as always.Continue reading “Rose-Colored Glasses. A poem.”

Writer Interrupted: my new Poetry book!

The print proofs are back and the new poetry book is ready! Today, my second poetry book – Poetry for the Sad, Lonely and Hopelessly Endangered – is available in print. Inside, you’ll find 76 poems for various states of mind: happy, infuriated, inebriated, dogmatic, dramatic, smiley, wily, cranky, spunky, overwrought, overworked, sad, lonely andContinue reading “Writer Interrupted: my new Poetry book!”

Poetry. A poem.

When I read good poetry I want to write good poetry But my feeble affectations And wanton masturbations Pale to insignificance When compared to Browning, Whitman, Yeats I yearn to write good poetry The way I yearn to read good poetry But such poetic vastness Just becomes loquaciousness Flowing perspicaciously Away into a vast, uncaringContinue reading “Poetry. A poem.”

An Exercise in Poetic Styles

Here’s a response I did for Uni. You might like to try the exercise out yourself. Cheers Steve 😊 Write a haiku (formal style) on the theme of water and then write a free verse piece (of no more than 10 lines) on the theme of water. Which style worked best for you? What stumblingContinue reading “An Exercise in Poetic Styles”

Upstart Photographer #7. And poems, no less.

Yep, it’s that time of the month, again. Time for some dreary photos to liven up your/my dreary world. This time, I’ve included a few (very) brief poems to accompany my black and white, unfiltered shots. Sunlight. A poem. Through the ancient boughs, you shine, shadow fall and illumine. Statue. A poem. The weight ofContinue reading “Upstart Photographer #7. And poems, no less.”

‘The All or the Nothing’ – My first book of poetry is available NOW!

62 poems to make you laugh, cry, get depressed or get drunk by! My first book of poetry is available as an e-book for $5.99 from the following distributors: Kindle/Amazon – https://www.amazon.com.au/All-Nothing-Unorthodox-Orthodoxy-Hearted-ebook/dp/B078JDTPDF/ref=sr_1_103?ie=UTF8&qid=1514113702&sr=8-103&keywords=the+all+or+the+nothing Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/the-all-or-the-nothing (Australia) https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-all-or-the-nothing (United States) and other countries Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Stephen_Thompson_The_All_Or_The_Nothing?id=he5DDwAAQBAJ Scribd – https://www.scribd.com/book/367654215/The-All-Or-The-Nothing-Unorthodox-Orthodoxy-for-the-Lonely-Hearted Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-all-or-the-nothing-stephen-thompson/1127694153?ean=2940158721397 Ebookit.comContinue reading “‘The All or the Nothing’ – My first book of poetry is available NOW!”

A Poor Poet’s Cause

I’m putting together a book of poetry to self-publish, hopefully before Christmas. I’m working on whittling the two hundred plus poems I’ve written over the last nine months down to about fifty, as that’s the general size of most poetry books. The book will include some poems I’ve published on this site and new workContinue reading “A Poor Poet’s Cause”

Haiku Friday. ‘Wings’, a haiku pentalogy.

Wings – a haiku pentalogy 1. Moment One tragic moment to turn your heart into ice; extinguish the flame. 2. Deficiency Such deficiency within your mind, body and soul. Pray you find the light. 3. Your Turn Heaven weeps tonight with all the unworthy souls. Is it your turn now? 4. Redeemed Walk the endlessContinue reading “Haiku Friday. ‘Wings’, a haiku pentalogy.”

Haiku Friday. Three freaky haikus.

Message I got a message, anonymous, confusing. “Don’t wait up,” it said. Nerd Glasses, weird hair cut, quirky disregard for all. “Grab a seat, player!” Dog All dogs love me so. Must be my cool aftershave. Or meat in pocket. . Haikus, those wonderful little 5/7/5 syllable Japanese poems, are usually serious. I decided seriousContinue reading “Haiku Friday. Three freaky haikus.”

Haiku Friday. Three Haikus pour vous!

Fence Sitter Here in your desert, every choice a mirage; each oasis lost. Silence Shy, foolish man child,  so terminally quiet. Silence will end you. Bloom I wish love would bloom. In the field of broken hearts, loneliness grows strong. . Well, it’s that time of the week again. Haiku Friday demands three line poemsContinue reading “Haiku Friday. Three Haikus pour vous!”

Every Word. A poem and a thank you.

Every laboured keystroke, every considered verb and noun. Every gritted mental blank, every meaning so profound. Every silken metaphor, every glorious turn of phrase. Every underlying message, every edit, every change. Every keystroke, every line, ever thankful every day. Every joy I write that lies within, that flowers on every page. Thank you. . ThisContinue reading “Every Word. A poem and a thank you.”

Poetry Drought!

I started a new uni subject today, on writing poetry. Because I have to write a lot of poems for this subject it’s gonna mean a bit of a drought for my blog (normally I post a poem a day). So I’m going to publish a few of my older poems to keep readers goingContinue reading “Poetry Drought!”

On the Shelf. A haiku trilogy.

Lost Another friend lost Empty space upon the shelf Whispered remembrance Alone Walking in my sleep Dreaming alone as always Isolationist Reflections Friendship, charity? Mature reflections adrift Empty shelf beckons Friendships can be hard to find and to keep, especially as one grows older. If you’re an introvert it can make it even harder. It’sContinue reading “On the Shelf. A haiku trilogy.”

The Mind of a Poet. A poem.

The mind of a poetConstructing verseRhythm and rhymeMeter and timeIn all-consuming madness Sonnets, coupletsHaiku, freestyle Diamanté, CinquainPantoum, villanelle Concrete, tanka So many choices and moreTo bring life to blank pages How sensitive you becomeTo your own critiquesAnd how you labour longAt your own expenseTo hide your jewelsBury them in the roots Of the tree you'veContinue reading “The Mind of a Poet. A poem.”

Three Loves. A Haiku Trilogy.

Film Lover Movie watching love My shared escapism Better with a friend Tabletop Gamer Playing RPGs Becoming a new person Only for a night Guitar Player Guitar strings strummed Emote in rhythm and rhyme Musicality

Turbulence. A poem.

They're across a crowded roomAnd the narcissist withinIs screaming "look at me, look at me"But the introvert withoutIt whispers "look away, look away"Trying to smile is a struggleAs complex and as simple as a Gordian knotAnd while the cannibal butterfliesConsume your insidesAnd the flush creeping upMakes you look like a fire hydrantAnd you're thinking hardHowContinue reading “Turbulence. A poem.”

Picture. A poem.

A picture of togetherness Written in elemental script Captured then in time serene A picture that made sense, it seemed Once upon eternity Before the poison settled in A picture of two frozen smiles But what in truth do they relay When hollow eyes betray the scene A picture of faded sepia Now all bitternessContinue reading “Picture. A poem.”

Haiku and You. Three poems (but not a trilogy).

Return to Sender You give but don’t get Your love returns to sender A sea of mail lost Man’s Best Friend Ten years with my dog Plucky and redoubtable I still miss her so To Read Books, they fill my shelf Adventure seeds the dream clouds How I love the rain Haiku! 5/7/5 syllable love.Continue reading “Haiku and You. Three poems (but not a trilogy).”