SCOTT THOMAS OUTLAR

Poetry fans, Welcome to the June edition of SHINE! Allow me to introduce Scott Thomas Outlar, a long-time writing community acquaintance. I'm thrilled to share his two poems, "A Lot of Good, Our Thumbs" (first published by Borderless Journal), and "A Patient Path By Subtle Degree" (first published by Dissident Voice), which blesses us with such lines as, "...if chaos remains|your favorite tonic|then carry your piece to the stars|and howl by night in lamentation." Enjoy!

A Lot of Good, Our Thumbs

The fog of war
has never been thicker
and every angle of attack
casts its own shadow
of propaganda upon the scene

but I give a wide berth
to all they’re selling –
be it bombs, sanctions,
or nuclear annihilation

I found a forecast in the woods
about the end of days
where seven squirrels told me
why they buried all their nuts
just for this age

and the sparrow sang
a song that hurt my heart

and the patient worms were licking their chops

but I stared straight toward the sun
praying for violet

promised my palms
and the flesh thereof

because God only knows
how we’ll build this bridge anew

A Patient Path By Subtle Degree

Four white swans
melancholic in the shallows

little unicorn souls
neon snowflake tincture

for the sum
of five lost ages
in the sun

six spent sirens
and seven spirals careening empty

The assimilation
of life’s seemingly
discordant aspects
into a cohesive whole
is like unto
brewing a medicinal spell
to release on the new moon

and when the cards are turned
to reveal a peaceful moment

hark!

spark your spirit
to the rhythm
of an orderly vibration
humming electric
from magnetic spheres

dancing geometric patterns
swirling in shapes, manifesting form

All the mushrooms and flowers
and herbs and trees that I
have no names for

hold my imagination
in the life grip of hope

but if chaos remains
your favorite tonic
then carry your piece to the stars
and howl by night in lamentation

I listen instead
to the song of the whales
ringing sacred
at the yawning abyss

music’s inside aquatic source
mouth stuffed with salted pearls

pink fish and red eyes
Wim Hof secures deep breaths in place

my silver thread untethered
lucid along the path of turtles

Scott Thomas Outlar originally hails from Atlanta, Georgia. He now resides and writes in Frederick, Maryland. His work has been nominated multiple times for both the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. He guest-edited the Hope Anthology of Poetry from CultureCult Press as well as the 2019-2023 Western Voices editions of Setu Mag. Selections of his poetry have been translated and published in 15 languages. He has been a weekly contributor at Dissident Voice for the past ten years. More about Outlar's work can be found at 17Numa.com.

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