Category: Poems

My poems that are published either online or in print journals

National Poetry Month: April 3

The Frog.” Hopefully you will enjoy it! I love and miss you, Andrea and David! Today, for National Poetry Month, I am going to read Rigoberto Gonzalez’s “The Strangers Who Find Me in the Woods.” (Perhaps this is why those latino towns in California came to mind?) Enjoy! ▶ Robert Vaughan reads “The Stranger Who Finds Me in the Woods” by Rigoberto Gonzalez – YouTube Do you like getting lost in the woods? What did you find last time? Was Hansel or Gretl with you? Did you come across a wicked witch?    ]]>

Two poems and a nod

amphibi.us. Shannon published some uniquely experimental and strange poetry at his site. Recently I went online looking for it, and discovered it no longer existed. I was really bummed! I’d often include amphibi.us in my quest for some reading inspiration. One of my poems Shannon published, “Semaphones,” I also selected for Microtones: Semaphores I come from steel, bolt, twine, bales of indifference, swells of turpentine. Broken bells, misfires at semaphores. Shrieking hearts grind open moors. Twisting tides train moon in motion. Scurrying sideways, crabs flee ocean. You find me flinging misshapen flocks as you bridge closer filming shocks And here is another poem of mine that Shannon published at amphibi.us: Still, the Clouds Kelly tells me tonight Erik leaves for Minnesota this Sunday. Immediate relief, exuberance. Later deep pain registers regrets. What have I done? His wavering like weather. Inconsistent. A rare shimmer. Still, the clouds; still, the rain. Thanks so much Shannon, for always supporting my work. I hope you are still writing, and crafting your poems and I want you to know I wish you all the best!    ]]>

"Aretha" and Microtones review at Literary Orphans

Songstresses: Moving Lyrics Into Poems. The project originated a few months ago when writer Joseph Quintela asked several friends to contribute to his Working Definitions project. You could select any word, (sometimes he would provide a list), and re-define them using poetic terms. Then, JQ created a Word Poeticizer, in which you could select a line, or phrase, or a lyric (I used several for Songstresses), and feed them into the Word Poeticizer, and out popped a completely different poem! Then I edited, and re-edited, altering the phrases and embellishing to make them “my own.” And voila! I hope you enjoy “Aretha,” and thanks editor Mike Joyce for the incredible support, and Felicia Simion for the lovely accompanying artwork: Aretha by Robert Vaughan | Literary Orphans Also in the Wordsworth issue, my good friend John Riley reviews Microtones, with aplomb. Very grateful to John for this: A Review of Robert Vaughan’s Microtones by John Riley | Literary Orphans And while you are here, check out stunning and diverse writing by Amanda Deo, Misti Rainwater-Lites, Matthew Burnside, Tantra Bensko, Kenny Mooney, Joel Kopplin and more: Photo Content Page: Wordsworth | Literary Orphans]]>

Gone Lawn Journal issue #11

Gone Lawn Journal, thanks to guest editor Yarrow Paisley. There are several other talented writers in this issue, including Berit Ellingsen, Stephen Ramey, Nicolette Wong, Neila Mezynski, and many more. Featured artist is Pd Lietz and painting is called Maelstrom: Issue #11 Frontispiece The five pieces I’ve published are: The Hazards of Moving in With a Couple, A Wonderful Life, Dirty Laundry, Mercy, and Nuts: Gone Lawn 11 : Robert Vaughan These are pieces I am considering for my upcoming full length book, Addicts and Basements, from Civil Coping Mechanisms.  ]]>

"Leaving" and Microtones at Olentangy Review

Robert Vaughan – Olentangy Review Today I was happily informed they’ve added a Marketplace tab to their incredibly supportive literary website. My book, Microtones, is mentioned, along with other published writers and authors, Walter Bjorkman, Jane Flett, Bob Eckstein, Marcus Speh, and Bill Yarrow: Marketplace – Olentangy Review Thanks, Darryl and Melissa for your unwavering support!]]>

"Legacy"

Legacy An observer would have thought her unsuited for that frame. I wondered why my parents kept the photo on the piano. She’d died over ten years ago. Died on her own, by her own stupidity. A visitor would have thought her adorable, precocious, serene. Unable to see the contagious recklessness. Unable to see the damage she inflicted. How my family came undone. I slip her photo into the desk drawer. Underneath a stack of report cards. [This poem is from Microtones by Robert Vaughan Červená Barva Press, 2013]]]>