A Week In Substack Poetry #15
This newsletter connects you with the vibrant world of independent poetry! Let's dive into 10 poems published from the 28th of April to the 4th of Mai 2025 on Substack!
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In any case, have fun discovering 10 new poems!
willful ignorance
by V. Walker
After a short hiatus, V. Walker returns with a poem that deeply cuts into my flesh, expressing things I'm searching for in my soul. This poem took delicate skills to write and a healthy dose of boldness to publish.
i quit poetry, but poetry did not quit me
by pixiewithpens
Who does not love a heartwarming story filled with humor, whimsical observation, and even cat pics? Pixiewithpens tells us her story of growing up with poetry, getting a bit lost, and finding her way back to it. I must say I'm happy she did.
Touch Grass
by The Batty Bard
This is my favorite insult, and I need it a lot living in a major metropolis. People only know the crocked broken grass from parks, which is brown and dead. They think they know grass, but they need real grass. That's how this poem feels: Sitting on fresh green gas, enjoying the wind on your face.
Willow Tree
by Alex Jenkin
Willow trees are a cliche, and as such, poets should touch them with a ten-foot pole or drown in cringe. Alex somehow said no to that and wrote a wonderful, somehow erotic poem about a willow tree and a river.
You...
by David Kirkby
I don't know how to introduce this, so you should go for it!
Featured Creator of the Week
Not too long ago, contacted me asking for a collaboration. Their goal is to provide an accessible space for marginalized creators. As Substack is home to many people who might align with this goal or need such a space, I decided to feature them here.
Besides their Newsletter and Newsletter, they provide different events, from body doubling to poetry workshops. You can join for free or provide a donation price. Check them out:
Website: poetryorchard.com
(This feature is free and open to you too! Are you an independent writer with a book release, a collaboration, or fun events? Write me a message and I’m happy to feature you!)
musings at 00:34
by Jas Louis
I also struggle with sleep sometimes. This poem reminds me of taking my dog for a walk at 4AM instead. The world is different, and in summer, the sun comes up at some point, and it feels like all is good in the world.
Among All That Ruin
by Lucrezia Amelia
If my heart had eyes, it would cry; if my soul had hands, it would scribble this poem down, not to lose it. You should feed both your heart and soul with this.
A Summer Compromise
by BJ Dawson
Love is often a fleeting thing. The question is whether it is worth it for the broken heart we will inevitably have. The answer really is irrelevant; you're going to do it anyway.
Mother Hungry
by Debra King
Some holes cannot be filled with the scraps the world leaves you. I had to learn this lesson, too. It's a complicated topic for many who can't grasp that a mother might not be a lovely person to others.
The Shadow of a Flower
by Vita Caz
Let's finish with a beautifully crafted poem about spring and the promise it makes to us..
More from “A Week In Substack Poetry”
Thank you!
If you know a talented poet (I might be you!) message me or comment the Substacks you want to see featured! If you have any other feedback, I’m happy to receive it too!
Thank you so much for including me, Tim. Truly an honor that my poetry touched your heart.
Thank you for bringing poetry to our feeds, for sharing poets, & for the dialogue and passion!
As for Instagram poetry, I've written about this topic in an essay somewhere else; perhaps I will refurbish it for my Substack. I think it's extremely complicated.
I think there's a reason people gravitate toward it (it being the average IG poem--snackable, easy to digest), and I think we have to respect that.
I think engaging with writing and turning to art is important, and people turn to IG poems for validation and to feel less alone. There's power in that.
I think not all of us have access to literature in the way that many others do.
On the other hand, I think a lot of Instagram poetry does the very very very bare minimum, maybe isn't even poetry at all, and plays on simple clichés rather than craft. It undermines itself and its readers so often.
So I think its execution and the consumption of it...is its own thing, and very much a product of the times.
Do I like most of it? No. Do I get it? Yes.