VOICEMAIL POEMS
Episodes
"The Coldening" by Kelly Gray
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The leaving was such that each apple in the orchard glassed over into ghost-form on a single night. Centers rotted, dropped out, only translucent orb...
"Street Plums" by Ashira Morris
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I’m waiting for the tram, picking plums but really what I’m doing is looking, longingly higher up where most of the fruit is sitting ripe. A man...
"Smoke Elder" by Allegra Wilson
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In front of the laundromat a cigarette grows out of stub and ash, smoke seeps from lungs back into sticky-dry tobacco, red hot cherry backs away...
"Revenge Fantasy" by Stephanie Valente
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Begins with texts to my best friend. Do you want to hear my revenge fantasy? Let’s get iced coffee and be brats. Learned helplessness is a crime. Su...
"POV - I sent you 317 reels on Instagram" by Kate Carey
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I am not mentally okay. I thought of you, or more specifically, I thought this would be something you'd enjoy. This is some news you need to hear. ...
"Poem" by Tom Snarsky
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I felt like masturbating I felt like crying It was the twenty-first century Already A quarter over There had been artistic movements & wars My ...
"Naturalization Test" by Aishvarya Arora
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aishvarya Arora called us from Queens, NY. voicemailpoems.org/submit/ facebook.com/voicemailpoems twitter.com/voicemailpoems instagram.com/voicemailp...
"Mojave" by Candace Cavanaugh
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
He gave up looking for a town, gas station, or house off a road or driveway The desert unfolded further than his eyes could see. In the stillness, the...
"Lorde's Supercut is Film Theory" by Ankoor Patel
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To hate yourself and have sex makes you a movie director on a street corner, seeing everything in slow motion, scouting for bodies. When it’s to...
"Lagoon" by Asha Berkes
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The cut on my ankle bleeds into the shape of an exclamation point You speak and it comes out ornate swirling, as if from an an ancient book I’m tr...
"Bloodgood Maple" by John Muro
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How their branches seem to extend without burden in the lengthening light, their star-shaped leaves of deepest burgundy, weightless, more form t...
"Bricks" by Kelsey L. Smoot
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I hope all my books are banned books, like, so contraband they start trappin’ them out the bando— people fiendin’ for my words with such fervo...
"Moon" by Zach Goldberg
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
as silent and holy as an empty church. a polished row of pews. you, moon in the sky, how do you do it? your one-handed gravity holding still the ear...
"Whero" by Stacey Teague
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
remember bodies at night how they glow how they bend into us like refracted light the memory of where a body was after it has left its phosp...
"Manic Pixie POV" by Taylor Jaczin
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
yeah i’ve got a lighter. can fix your filter. give you honey stick secrets and light tight roll laughter when you call me blue dream like your favor...
"Never Trust A Snowglobe" by Caroljean Gavin
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the palm of my hand I harbor Fault lines, one-way streets, A famous bridge half-crossed and Another I steered from the passenger’s seat While the...
"Reading Lines" by Mariah Bosch
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A man in a powder blue suit offered to tell me my future on Olive Avenue. When I tried to say no, he said Baby, please, in a way that told me that he...
"On Sundays" by Sara Hutchinson
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I stay in bed til 2 then get up and open all the windows. Make coffee and walk around the 5 x 10 space I call my living room. Turn my attention to ...
"200 Words About Airports" by Emryse Geye
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I. I fall in love every time I fly. Leaving Dallas: the medical student wearing headphones and a full headscarf just to forget her be-planed pred...
"Invitation" by Tria Wood
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When are you going to move closer? The space aches between us. It invents its own language. The jagged edge of the ocean paints the sand dark, retre...
“An Embarrassment of Dandelions” by Andy Powell
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sons blushed and became soft peaches in the hot backseats of cars, never even wanted the front seat. Or, I was the son, but it’s nice to be plural ...
“The sticks.” by James Barrett Rodehaver
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When you’re out in the sticks - the woods are a fortress - sunlight stabs down at you in bright daggers - I bet no one told you how a canopy is like...
"BEAVERS" by John Quinonez
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I feel as if I should tell you That I have never yet, seen - A Beaver in the Wild/ but have, for sure seen plenty things: -Too many a shrub and quail,...
“Different ways to say the word ‘thug’” by Dagmawe Berhanu
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
1. Trigger happy target 2. Archangel of the burnt and bruised 3. Newport ash on a papi store floor 4. Pants way passed where his mama taught 5...
“I Sang It in a Love Song, So It Must Be True” by Alison Kronstadt
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes I wish I could stop you from talking when I hear the silly things you say Alison, I know this world is killing you Oh Alison, my aim is tru...
"The Dark Spots" by Kelly Jones
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A few years ago a machine peaked into my head and found a section dead. Most likely from a lack of oxygen in utero, but really, that’s speculatio...
“Replication of a Miracle” by Katherine Indermaur
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For Owen Steinmann (2016-2017) Sugars trickle from maples’ taut trunks, sapping summer energy, the crystallized light of wanting to stay alive. Bu...
“Some Synonym of Practice I Am” by Olatunde Osinaike
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I finally want to talk about it has taken me a decade more than most and all my wisdom teeth have ...
“at the end of the devil’s breath” by Romaine Washington
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
…july. wilted cereal in a bowl / we drown in brown boiling milk. the haze of sparklers and fire- works add to the deafening heat that drips into ...
“SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT #2003” by Cortney Lamar Charleston
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The eyes have it: weight, such that they can’t even roll. This is one of those moments when I should probably listen to my body but you know how it ...
"TINY NOWHERE" by jessie knoles
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
brilliant elixer fuck me up fuck me dead why does academia hate me i’m ready to sacrifice my body to a career something boring like teaching te...
"How To Push" by Laura E. Davis
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I was on my back that morning standing still & running half-turned, fetal & spread eagle & curled up along the edge of the hospital bed and the doct...
*Winter 2018* - A Taunt, a Condo, and a Lifeline
10 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Our hosts Logen Cure and I.S. Jones review their favs from our Winter 2018 issue! (Get caught up on Winter 2018 here: soundcloud.com/voicemailpoems/s...
"Blackberry Winter" by Robyn Campbell
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Another storm has the neighbors' chickens all lumped together and subdued, so I can't hear them from my attic room. Rain has thrown itself for days a...
"Rayleigh Scattering" by E.G. Cunningham
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
End of the year gray. Anchors Where balloons should be, or: Could peace wait on the outer Bank of sane. How in the holiday Buzz to say nothing for cl...
"Alternate" by Mariel Fechik
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
i. In the other world, everything smells like cherries. Every phone call is the news of someone's death, and every cigarette is candy. In the other wo...
"Rocket" by Allison Hummel
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1: Untitled It was yesterday or something, when I heard the song playing in a store, asking do I make myself a blessing to everyone I meet? I...
"The Rising" by Cathleen Allyn Conway
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The town knows about darkness, the slithered purple that comes on the land when rotation hides the sun. Something gathered, slow and heavy and electr...
"we're on a roller coaster, i'm nauseous but i don't wanna get off" by aleida m
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
we're crying in a costco parking lot fiending for that intimacy we once felt because every so often we lose it and then i get depressed when i think ...
"ammonite sonnet" by Melissa Eleftherion
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
the ammonite an index of sutures i got tired of cataloging them hermetically sealing little traumas afraid they'd get to know one another go boom litt...
"Marseille" by Emily S Cooper
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
He had created a type of 3d paint, was one of the first things he told us. As we followed him upstairs to his plant filled apartment, we decided he ...
"say uncle" by Wimpy AF
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"when you see a mountain coming, get out of it's way." my uncle, six-two and oxen told me after clipping my wing. i learn at an early age to be a bla...
"HI, I'M OVULATING" by Elysia Lucinda Smith
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
My mother calls them phases and maybe that's an accurate representation because they're lunar, edges of something, the kind of scrambling you do drunk...
"Charms" by Joseph S. Pete
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
All soldiers believe Charms in their MREs are foul luck, bad juju, more than just a dark talisman, a virtual death sentence. Patrols have been called ...
"whelp" (after aziza barnes) by zach blackwood
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
my head is full of blood steamed like latte foam pressing open the seams in my skull, burning through folds in my brain like a shot luge. my head is...
"Taunts to the Klan" by Kirwyn Sutherland
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Klu klux what? I'm a such A tool for America Hands scraped raw Hammered deep into cotton Fly up and it rains gold I'm a Midas But was forced to turn ...
"Sonnet for Trans Lifeline & February 2017" by Sam Rush
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
sonnet for Trans Lifeline & February 2017 & for Kai It snowed last week & the clouds slept lower. I wonder where your body went without you, who unra...
"A SHINING EXAMPLE OF HOW AN HONEST, KIND, STRONG, AND RESPONSIBLE MAN LIVES HIS LIFE" by Dana Whtvr
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I set down my flaming sword long enough to stare into a hunting trip photo at my Grandfather's memorial. It shows two men, and him between them in a ...
*FALL 2017* Poems by Kimiko Hirota, Austin Beaton, & Kai River Blevins
13 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Our hosts Logen Cure and I.S. Jones review their favs from our Fall 2017 issue! (Get caught up on Fall 2017 here: https://soundcloud.com/voicemailpoe...
"Almond Blossom" by Ellen Webre
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
I have spent a thousand years picking myself out of the middle of nowhere on an empty highway clutching fistfuls of fireflies to my eyes ...
"Fourier" by Lihi Z
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The voice spills / Over the telephone / Time morphed into frequency / And back again / A compression of sentiment / Unraveled by longing / It says: ‘...
"Man Gets Tired of Being in the Spotlight" by Kai River Blevins
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
(after Jacqui Germain) Tells me that I’ve spent enough time antagonizing him, corrupting his divine name, condemning the thinly veiled violence in ...
"When You Were Gone" by Julia Pileggi
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In the morning, I stood up, sticky and sweaty. I walked to the fridge with weight. I felt a stillness. This house has been quiet since you left. Wh...
"Hi Jenn" by Jenn Henry
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
You said my name for the last time The night before you died Exhausted and terrified You lifted the oxygen mask from your mouth And said, hi jenn Tha...
"The Sacrifice" by Max Ureña
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
When I came into this world they said Welcome to the holy land The world is in your palm Just as you fit into your mother's Gave me a name which slid...
"You Guys, I Took Up Smoking Again" by Becca Yenser
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This time with Natives, not my old bougie choice Of American Spirits. I took up nail polish In Millennial Pink. I started mixing Sangria With Coca-Col...
"I Love You, Rite Aid!" by Austin Beaton
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
And it’s not only the dollar aisle or because you gave birth control to a couple ex-girlfriends or how you fed me Lexapro, a pill Kanye West rapped...
"A Poem for My Old Best Friend" by Kimiko Hirota
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The pink skies and dry air The blue tongues and dark secrets soften like chalk pastels on our fingerprints Remember picking up pinecones discovering ...
"Right Back With Coffee" by Shanna Alden
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
I have spent most of my life as a writer, spinning universes and microscope lenses, cosmic horrors, and hope. Intellectual treatise, statistical rese...
[Episode 05] - Summer 2017: Mercedes Lucero, Daniel Barnum, and Bee Ulrich
06 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Our hosts Logen Cure and I.S. Jones review their favs from our Summer 2017 issue! (Get caught up on Summer 2017 here: soundcloud.com/voicemailpoems/s...
Poetry by Nicole Jean Turner, Chelsea Sieg, Em Taylor, EJ Schoenborn, & Skyler Reed
31 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s poems: “The Scenic Rout” by Nicole Jean Turner “thank you for supporting your local counseling and psychological services” by...
Poetry by Bee Ulrich, Melissa Cerrillo, Chrissy Martin, Daniel Barnum, & Kyle Liang
23 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s poems: “the burning of knight von hohenberg with his servant before the walls of Zürich, for sodomy, 1482″ by Bee Ulrich “In a...
Poetry by Zoë Blair-Schlagenhauf, Elliott Ocean, Mercedes Lucero, TaneshaNicole, & alexis briscuso
16 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s poems: “New Orleans Poem” by Zoë Blair-Schlagenhauf "Frozen" by Elliott Ocean “Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful” by Mercedes L...
Poetry by Paulie Lipman, Melissa Rose, Indiana Pehlivanova, Alex McDonald, & Ryan Nakano
09 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s poems: “I Am Nothing I Thought I'd Ever Be By Now" by Paulie Lipman “Demeter Speaks to Persephone After her Rape" by Melissa Rose...
[004] - Spring '17: Catherine Weiss, Jessie Lynn McMains, & Kit Travers
20 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Our hosts Logen Cure and Alexis Smithers review their favs from our Spring 2017 issue! (Get caught up on Spring 2017 here: https://soundcloud.com/voi...
Spring '17 - Week 4: Belcourt, Williams, Weiss, McGinnis, & Davidheiser
29 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s poems: “GAY INCANTATIONS” by Billy-Ray Belcourt “Exit Speech For Michelle: Last Supper At The White House” by Kelly Williams “...
Spring '17 - Week 3: Doran, Kassirer, McMains, O'Hare, & Afutu
22 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s poems: "Syracuse, Lullaby, V. 1" by Alexa Doran "Dancefloor/Sanctuary/Office/Bedroom" by Kay Kassirer "Exeunt" by Jessie Lynn McMains "h...
Spring '17 - Week 2: Gehringer, Neer, Moore, Travers, & Ekoko-Kay
16 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Thank you to our Patreon supporters! Please contribute to our project: patreon.com/voicemailpoems This week’s poems: "POSSESSED BY CAITLYN JENNER’...
Spring '17 - Week 1: Balasko, Nkhonjera, Brannen, Cunio, & Goll
07 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week's poems: "My therapist thinks my name is Alex" by Alec Balasko" "Origin" by Jacqueline T. Nkhonjera "autogynephilia is the lie they made up ...
[003] - Winter 2017: Jasmine Dillavou, Chris Rife, Allyson Whipple
13 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Voicemail Poems contributor Allyson Whipple joins host Logen Cure for the Winter 2017 episode of our podcast! This installment features poems by Jasmi...
[002] - Fall 2016: Nico Wilkinson, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Emily Paige Wilson
13 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Voicemail Poems editors Logen Cure and Amy Saul-Zerby return for another episode of our podcast! Featuring poems by nico wilkinson, Melissa Lozada-Oli...
[001] - Summer 2016: Alabama Stone, Emily Yin, Ron Riekki
31 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Voicemail Poems podcast RETURNS! Hosted by editorial staffer Logen Cure, featuring poems by Alabama Stone, Emily Yin, and Ron Riekki. Music by Tru...