Hot and Cold Highs and Lows

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
singsong in the celestial skyline
horizon humming on high
with a melody from the stars
 
we’ve waited
all this time
for just one thing
patiently longing
for the Word
from out the void
 
like the silence
needs the storm
we’ve been begging
for the noise
 
Raucous thunder
like no other
from Valhalla
 
the gods are weeping sorrow’s note
striking sharp against our flesh
 
abandon ship!
abandon soul!
the Devil has come
with Rock ‘n Roll
 
to drown our voice
unto damnation
at the bottom
of a river
 
but there’s no hellfire
just frigid cold
A reading of today’s poem recorded via audioBoom can be found at this link
 
Twitter Poem prompt response for:
 
#MadVerse 431
#SpeakPoetry
 
I usually try to include prompts from more of the Twitter hosts when I’m stringing these longer combination pieces together, but tonight this poem felt complete after working through just two, so who am I argue with my own intuition…besides it is past my bedtime, and I need to get at least a few hours of rest because I’m going to be waking up early in the morning to go play tennis so long as the rain holds off in Atlanta. Which means, wrap this blog up posthaste and fall asleep an hour ago.
 
…but, of course, that isn’t too likely to happen.
Stoked to have received my copy of The Angry Manifesto issue 3.0 in the mail today. Many thanks to Matt Duggan and Simon Leake for including my poem “Venom Laced Jackal Fangs” in this Propaganda/Middle East themed edition of the zine. Happy to see writers whose work I dig such as Strider Marcus Jones and Bryn Fortey listed as fellow contributors.
 
Anyone who would like to get in contact, just drop me a line on Facebook or Twitter. I’m always seeking to make new connections.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Kaleidoscopic Wonderland

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
The slightest subtle hint of chill in the air,
heralding the approach of Autumn.
 
August is not quite ready to give up the ghost of Summer,
but the new season is gently poking its nose in.
 
Soon now the imagery of brightly colored leaves
will splash upon nature’s beautiful canvass.
 
Always such an amazing spectacle to witness
how the death of green foliage can be so stunning.
 
Red, yellow, orange, purple, and brown hues
will hang limp before falling back to the soil.
 
Reabsorbed into the dust and ash from which they emerged
to continue the cycle of life in perpetuity.
 
There is no ending in sight,
only glorious new beginnings born afresh each year.
 
Naked branches will stand stoic in the storms,
collecting snow and ice of majestic crystalline forms.
 
Each flake a microcosmic world unto itself –
special, unique, and individuated from the source.
 
Reflecting the power of human consciousness
in those whose soul signature has been activated.
 
We have all come from the same Logos inspired Word of God,
breathed into the physical world to experience each season in turn.
I’m going to be giving a poetry reading during the latter part of October in Augusta, Georgia, and so have been gradually trying to figure out which pieces might work best for the event. I’ve been using SoundCloud and audioBoom to record excerpts from the past year’s material. “3,2,1…” will likely be what I open with, and there are a few other selections I’ve got in mind at this point.
 
This is a link to the version of “Prioritizing the Priorities” I recorded last evening. It’s now in the mix as a possible candidate. This poem appeared first at Dissident Voice last December, and later in this year’s March issue of Indiana Voice Journal.
 
I like to encourage everyone to connect with me here at 17Numa, as well as on Facebook and Twitter…I’m always happy to meet new people and hear their thoughts.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Silver Waves in the Night

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
With smelted swords of steel
they weave their webs of war
with threads of fire
and threats of flames
they seal our fate
with the Judas kiss
while they dance
into black mergers
with the night
 
Come now darkly
all ye Archangels
there is a fallen
paradise to claim
 
with apples rotten
with worms galore
with coffin cradled
in a womb of dirt
 
Come now softly
all ye silent waves
there is a jailbreak
tearing down the gates
 
With silver strings of lies
they draw their battle lines
in the sand
while the sun keeps spinning
garden be damned
A recorded version via audioBoom is available at this link
 
A Twitter poem prompt response for:
 
#MadVerse 429
#FIERYVERSE
#SpeakPoetry
Thank you to Taylor and Em Rose Ramser at Visceral Uterus for accepting my piece “A Poem about a Book That Has yet to Be Written” which will be appearing at the site in the next few days.
 
Thank you to Chris Gorrie and Seretta Martin at Synesthesia Literary Journal for accepting my piece “Tease” for the upcoming volume 3:2. This is a short poem that I posted on FB around six weeks ago which happened to be seen by Chris, and he was then kind enough to reach out and ask if I’d like to submit it to Synesthesia. My answer, of course, was yes. It is always a nice feeling when an editor solicits work, and I certainly appreciate all those who have recently done so.
 
Thank you also to Vanessa Eccles at Belle Reve Literary Journal for accepting my poem “Tidal Ignition” to appear later on this year at the site. I’ll link the current Summer issue here; it was released back in early June and contains four of my poems. I’m stoked that I’m being allowed to contribute once more.
Anyone that would like to stay in touch can reach me on both Twitter and Facebook. It’s always a pleasure to connect with new people, and that’s why I’ll continue to encourage everyone to drop me a line and say hello.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

New Speak (Sowing Season)

~ 17numa ~ 3 Comments
Some people
try to kill two birds
with one stone
 
but I’m far more interested
in planting two seeds
at the same time
Many thanks to Stephen Jarrell Williams for publishing “Midnight Halo” at his site Dead Snakes yesterday.
 
Thank you, also, to Guy Farmer for publishing “Kicking up Dirt” at his site Social Justice Poetry. A poem which was written as a response to a violent shooting spree that took place in a church some months back, and that originally appeared at Dissident Voice.
I am beyond excited to announce that I will be mailing out the signed contract for “Songs of a Dissident” today to Transcendent Zero Press. The chapbook is scheduled for a January 2016 release. I’m thrilled to be working with TZP which is run out of Houston, Texas by Dusting Pickering and Z.M. Wise. I anticipate the final product will look quite sharp, as I’ve been included on two occasions now in their quarterly journal Harbinger Asylum, and in both instances I was thoroughly impressed with the appearance and style of the copies which were sent to me.
 
I will certainly be mentioning more details about this chapbook in the near future. I’d like to think Dustin, Z.M., and everyone who has helped move this project along to the point it is at now.
 
I’d like to encourage those who are interested to check out Transcendent Zero Press by following this link where you can find further details about Harbinger Asylum as well as other books that have been released in the past.
You can always connect with me by leaving a comment here on the blog, and by reaching out to me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Good days are ahead, my friends.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Carrion Fiat Feast

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
Trading commodities
on the floor
of a viper pit
 
Watch out for venom
in the dirty derivatives
being exchanged
for stock market satiation
of a compulsive greed
 
the more they get
the more they need
 
Gone mad with lust
for the next fix
at the next guy’s expense
 
Paper fiat fallout
written in blood
chiseled in the sands of time
Watch out for the vultures
they will rip you apart
at the roots
 
and spit in your face
with hollow point
rusted steel bullets
burnt from the chamber
basking in the comfort
of trigger finger sin
wearing a badge of black Kevlar
wearing black boots
wearing out
every possible route
toward peace
 
Come the enforcers
Come the fascists
Come the digital
Come one world calculated currency
Come the Mark of the Beast
Come the horsemen of famine
Come rain the night down
Come whisper the Apocalypse
 
Money, Money, Money, Money…
Money


A recorded reading via audioBoom can be heard here.
 
A Twitter-inspired poem prompt response for:
 
#VerseReversal 232
#MadVerse 427
#FIERYVERSE
#ThePaths
 
 
Thank you to the editors at WritingRaw for accepting three poems of mine yesterday. Bread and Circus; Carnal Violence; and When I Think About (Insert Politician Here) are scheduled to appear in the upcoming September issue. “When I Think About (Insert Politician Here)” originally appeared a few months back at Dissident Voice as one of my weekly Sunday poems.
 
Thank you also to Sarah Frances Moran at Yellow Chair Review for accepting “A Heavy Yawn of Vomited Evolution” to appear in the October horror themed issue. I wrote this piece specifically with YCR in mind while in the woods at the local park. YCR has fast become one of my favorite indie lit journals. The first four issues that Sarah has compiled have all been solid throughout. I’ve connected with many fine poets whose work I came across while reading through these issues. I fully believe that YCR is going to continue to steadily grow, drawing even more great talent to its pages. I’d encourage anyone who loves poetry as much as I do to check out the past issues, which I’ll link below.
 
Yellow Chair Review issue 1
Yellow Chair Review superhero special
Yellow Chair Review issue 2
Yellow Chair Review issue 3
 
Thank you to everyone who stops by 17numa and reads my work. I’m on a mission, and knowing that these words are getting in front of people’s eyes definitely motivates me to keep moving forward. One step at a time. One deep breath at a time. One letter, one word, one sentence, one stanza, one poem, one page at a time. One seed in the ground at a time. One cycling season at a time. One sow. One reap. One harvest. One feast. One slumber. One dream.
 
I’m always looking to connect with everyone on Facebook and Twitter, so feel free to click on the links and drop me a line. I should really start messing around on LinkedIn at this point to figure out what it’s all about…but as for now, I would just like to encourage everyone to continue checking in here at 17numa to see what is new. One of these days I might actually say something cool…
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Core Agenda

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
Brass tax time –
the only revolution
that has true significance
is the one which first takes place
inside your own psyche.
 
Shaking your fist
and raging against
the injustices of the world
will not do a lick of good
if your own spirit
is polluted with anger,
angst, apathy, and aggression.
 
Gandhi was wise with his maxim:
Be the change you want to see in the world.
 
M.J. wasn’t just whistling Dixie in the wind
when he sang about the man in the mirror.
 
If the events taking place around you
cause suffering and sorrow,
it’s probably time for an enlightened evolution
brought about by a change of your own perception
to spark the realization that the pain you feel
is a projection of your own psychological core.
 
If the violence in the Middle East,
the looting by the bankers,
the emerging police state,
the toxic food, air, and water,
the profit driven medical industry,
the military industrial war machine,
the privately run prisons,
the corporate media whores,
the faux righteous indignation from the peanut gallery,
the burning oilfields,
the radiation filled Pacific Ocean,
the carbon smog polluted atmosphere,
the politically correct fascist brigades,
the special interest crony bureaucracies,
the alphabet soup unelected federal departments,
and the basic decline of society happening all around
has you bubbling over with hopelessness…
well, then it’s time to win the battle
raging in your own heart.
 
It is only after reaching a space
of calm mindfulness in your own thoughts
that you’ll be able to approach the problems
in the world with a sense of love and peace.
 
Until you’ve silenced the demons within
you’ll only be adding fuel to the fire
when you try to fight violence with violence.
 
The revolution will not be televised,
but it will be broadcast
as a pure vibration of courageous strength
which resonates outward
from the essence of your own emissions.
 
As long as your personal frequency is polluted
you’ll just be blowing hot air and smoke
into an already poisoned atmosphere;
but once you start breathing
serenity into your purified lungs
the oxygen around you
will begin tasting a whole lot sweeter.
 
Like unto like
is a Natural Law –
hate begets hate
while inner peace
begets world peace.
 
The solution is simple –
take control of your own consciousness,
stop blaming outside forces,
and align completely with the higher holy path
toward inner illumination,
which in turn
allows you to shine a bright light
on the world at large.
 
This life is just a game –
have fun
and play to win.
Another poem written in the woods at the local park last week. Seems that’s the place to bang out the words of late. Well, there and any/everywhere else, I suppose. Here in bed. Sitting on a brick wall outside a church funeral. In the car when an idea hits. With head in the clouds. With feet placed firmly upon the ground. When first waking up. Just before going to sleep. During every meal. Uhm, yeah, it’s been 170 mph for awhile now…and there is absolutely no reason I can think of to stop at this point.
 
Once upon a time I was driving a car down a hill when the brakes went out. I lived. I haven’t slowed down since.
Thank you to Julie Kovacs at Exercise Bowler for accepting my poem “In a Blaze of Glory” to appear in the upcoming Fall issue. The last edition that she put out was very nicely compiled, so I’m honored to be included again.
 
It’s a little after 3 a.m. and so it’s time to call this a night. There are a few more updates I want to announce, but I would like to be more rested when I write about them so that I can give them the gravity which they deserve. Exciting things are beginning to happen.
 
I’d like to connect with you, so if you’d like to connect with me, please do so on Facebook and Twitter. Badabing Badabang Badaboom
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Spiders in the Ash

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
Spiders in my eyes
Spiders in my hair
Spiders down my pants
Spiders in my rot gut
blood raw liver
 
Spiders in the halo
around the moon
Spiders in the owl light
Spiders in the wisdom’s sign
Spiders in the compass star
Spiders in the midnight shine
that goes on and on and on
 
Spiders in the circle
Spiders in the needle
Spiders in the spell
Spiders in the curse
Spiders in the grave
with the worms
however deep
the cancer weaves
its web of deception
Spiders in the cycle
of karma lurking
 
Spiders in the hand of God
Spiders in the chalice of wine
Spiders in the crimson flood
Spiders in the cracked black silence
Spiders in my sleep
Spiders in my dreams
Spiders cast into the fire
Recorded version via audioBoom available at this link
 
A #SpokenWord poem prompt response for:
 
#WhisperingNeds 14
#FIERYVERSE
#MadVerse 425
#SpeakPoetry
Thank you to poetry editor Angie Tibbs at Dissident Voice where my weekly poem, “Ode to the First Cigarette of the Day,” was published yesterday.
 
Many thanks to A.J. Huffman and April Salzano at Kind of a Hurricane Press for including my poem “Ballerina of the Sky” in the 2014 Storm Cycle Anthology which was recently released. The poem originally appeared last year at Jellyfish Whispers. The print edition of the anthology, which has a contributor’s list that is chalk full of great talent, is available at this link.
 
There were over 300 visitors and 800 views on 17numa last week – by far the highest traffic this site has seen in the first six months. A little over half of the views were on the Links Page. I’m very pleased that people are using the page as a resource to check out the venues which are listed there. I hope that this site can continue to serve with the purpose of helping spread the word about the indie lit poetry scene.
 
Connect with me here at 17numa, as well as on Facebook and Twitter…it’ll be fun.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Forty Thousand Nights of Flooding

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
Bad habits
haze glands
and fog neurons
crashing the network
with heart aches
and hard breaks
during these cold days
made of midnight sand
and calcified stone
 
cemented with
all these things I should not know
 
heavy gravity
taking its toll
 
Pleading the fifth –
only ever wanted
to be baptized in ignorance
to be dealt the dream of simple absolution
to be redeemed in the wanton disregard of reason
to find refuge in the plot twist of innocence
to be told the little white lie
 
over and over
until
it begins to sound
sweet enough
to accept as truth
 
or at least
can play the part
of the last thought
before the shadows of sleep
shroud the psyche with deceit
using the broken wings
of fallen angel apathy
to make the point moot
come the drowning
Poem prompt response for:
 
#MadVerse 424
#ashverse 193
#DrugVerse 64 & 65
#VerseReversal 229
#FlwVerse 4
Happy Hour Hallelujah in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Singing sweet praise unto the Holy Spirit with silent dreams of blackout consciousness. In the absolute best way possible…with a laser beam sober nature crashing the pillow…
 
Hit me up on Facebook and Twitter – I love to connect.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Wrathful Incarnations

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
Every craving is born
from the womb of lust
 
A red river of blood
gushing, screaming,
seeking, weaving
 
toward the final hour
when the gluttonous feast
begins in earnest
 
Without a doubt
dead sure
bull’s-eye
with machine gun ballad
bringing sin
to a trigger point
locked and loaded
with seven missiles
to the dark side
of the broken pride
when flesh falls hard
from the lofty
heights of heaven
 
A thousand jealous rays
of envy
turn to apathy
and disillusion
during empty hours
when coveting
the wrong girl
in the wrong place
at the wrong time
 
Come the midnight song
 
A dreamer’s flame
so greedy for the next burn
from the fired ignition
point blank
missed the mark
snuffed out
sucked dry
spit forth
in a vomit
of sloth
when sold
down the scorched path
of temptation
unto damnation
 
Capital vices
shattering
the moral compass
 
Come decadence
Come corruption
 
Come train wreck
Come the flood
Recorded reading found at this link via audioBoom
 
A #SpokenWord poem prompt response written for:
 
#ntitle 534
#SpeakPoetry
#MadVerse 423
#HomoAquarius
Thank you to Jessica Gleason and Ben Mohr for accepting my poem “Rue the Day” to appear in an upcoming issue of Aberration Labyrinth. I’ve not had work included here before, but from what I’ve looked over at the site so far it seems to be an interesting venue. I’m excited to read the next edition.
 
Thank you to Guy Farmer of The Poet Community for posting my piece “Lend a Hand” at his site yesterday.
 
My great Aunt passed away recently and I will be away most of the day attending her funeral. She was always very kind to me as a child. I remember her fondly, and will continue to do so. Rest peacefully, Naomi. Say hello to my Father. Tell him the Georgia season is starting soon…though, of course, he already knows.
 
Thank you to everyone who has stopped by the blog recently. I appreciate you reading my work. I’m doing my best to keep this site updated with new material on a daily basis. It helps keep me locked in. Up late, but laser sharp. Ready to ride the next wave. Wherever it may go…
 
If you’d like to connect with me, please feel free to do so by contacting me on Twitter and Facebook. I’m always happy to get in the loop with those who dance in the frequency of holy spirit vibration…
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Up and Down

~ 17numa ~ 2 Comments
Silver lace
silk stockings
hang from a
blood red moon,
dripping honey sweet nectar
through a melted liquid sky
with Zelaznian colors
splashing neon
upon the blank
black
canvass of space
 
Far out, man…
sounds real trippy –
 
Don’t mind me
but now I’m itching
to smoke the sound
of entropy’s song
and steel raw nerves
as the music speaks
with waves of adrenaline
through crashing veins
 
The haunting wails
from the hunting grounds
moan in broken violence
weeping against the changing
tide of light
 
Chasing the dragon
down rabbit holes
to hit the high note
with a fever pitch
pulling no punches
while flipping the switch
as electric neuron symphony
ignites to explode
with a velvet atomic rose
 
The orchestra is a butterfly magnet
bleeding through the veil
between vibrations
 
Chasing the frequency
Chasing the antidote
Chasing the remedy
Chasing the wicked truth
as a dagger
to the side
of the soul
 
letting out a final sigh
as the heavens collapse
 
Be not afraid
for the angels
cast out
with clipped wings
of fractured fear
for they have
nine lives
and always seem
to land
so softly
in the
fall
A recorded version of “Up and Down” can be heard here via audioBoom
 
#SpokenWord poem prompt response for:
 
#MadVerse 422
#ashverse 192
#FIERYVERSE
#SpeakPoetry
#ThePaths
My two poems “Conditioning” and “The Big Puzzle” are included in the new Summer 2015 edition of The Bond Street Review. I’ve now had a chance to read through this issue…it is chalk full of good work from poets such as Alison Grayhurst, A.J. Huffman, Michael Lee Johnson, John Grey, and several others.
It’s been a pleasure connecting with so many new people the past few weeks. I appreciate everyone who has been reaching out. I very much enjoy meeting and getting in the loop with fellow writers, poets, and artists of all sort. For anyone who would like to connect, please feel free to contact me on Facebook and Twitter.
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar