The Poetry of Emotion
my brother jumped off a cliff and now my bird has no friendshe couldn't bear the heavy burden of being the only child in a broken familythe milk bird with cast-iron feathers falls downa boat with two oars rocks in the moonlit water: and I have no friendheavy as chitin: this is the pen with... Continue Reading →
More to everyone’s surprise than to our sorrowKang, my best high school friend, left us only nineDays after his lung cancer was diagnosed. SomeAttributed his sudden demise to his stinginess (heHated to pay out of his pocket to hire a nanny to takeCare of him though, being a cripple, he’d completelyLost his mobility due to... Continue Reading →
He always liked to walk among the dead--for him it was a secret pleasure to imaginethe lives of once breathing, thinking beings.He would stop at each tombstone, curiousperhaps more than reverent, for he had longknown the body was just a set of clothesthe soul wears in a world where appearancesmatter more it seems than what... Continue Reading →
A butterfly landed on the concrete by my feetits wings orange and blackIn my mind I organize butterflieseither “not a monarch” or “maybe a monarch”This is not a monarch and she knows itShe dances circles on the sidewalkopens and closes her wings shylyas if weighed down by her own beauty Photo by Jonathan Borba on... Continue Reading →
My house is worth moreThan the balance of my debtGood news for my kids Photo by Binyamin Mellish on Pexels.com About the Poet: Editor and author Philip Athans has been a driving force behind varied media including Alternative fiction & poetry magazine and Wizards of the Coast. He lives and works in the Pacific Northwest.
Mounds of plowed snow look like bumpy sheep's wool, and even though sun is brighter than an arc lamp, it will take many days for these mountainous accumulations to melt. Temperatures have stayed below zero for two weeks. During these interminable, January days, spring exists as an elusive phantom, a season wished for, unattainable as... Continue Reading →
Ephemeral Elegies is relaunching one week from today! We're so excited to have the opportunity to showcase more new and emerging poets from all around the world. If you'd like your work to be considered, we are still open to submissions. Learn more about the submissions process here! So stay tuned for more poems! We'll... Continue Reading →
Dear Poets, After over a year away from Ephemeral Elegies, the time has come to say hello again. This project began in 2020, a dark year for the world where poetry became a wonderful outlet for the outpouring of emotions we were all feeling. Now in 2026, the world seems to need poetry and freedom... Continue Reading →
It's been 5 amazing years of Ephemeral Elegies! It's been incredible to connect with so many poets from around the world, but after a lot of thought and consideration, the time has come to say farewell (at least for now!) I don't know what the future holds, but for the time-being, Ephemeral Elegies is on... Continue Reading →
She was the first one to go becauseno thread of hope was ever in theair; she a meek girl at the age ofthirteen who had a poor opinionabout herself because of the fightsand negativity that poisoned the air.And there was no way out for her,no kind soul to whisk her away andgive her a loving... Continue Reading →
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