The Stars — A New Poem

Believe me, these stars
were meant for you
and not for me.

They’re below the ceiling edge
staring at me.
A plastic, neon-star echo
sung from a leftover child’s bedroom.
The previous family was surely happy,
connected, and complete.
The type with snug bedtime stories,
and fresh snow on Christmas.

I only notice them at night,
when my lights are out,
and the dark is silk, clay, and mud.
They indigo-spike the gloom
in a glowing, five-point crown
frowning at me like muted suns.
I’m remembering poignantly
all those promises we couldn’t keep.

My roommate was too short to scalp
all those comets free
unhooked from their night sky of
cheap glue and white sheetrock.
She didn’t know they’d be blackhole
reminders of my marriage and family.
There was never a complete constellation
to guide us towards a normal home.

I do wish, my sons,
you had gotten the same roof,
but instead you have two houses,
bedrooms, holidays, separate everything.
An alternating, day-of-the-week purgatory
of endless in-between.
I couldn’t give it to you,
no matter how much I tried.

Yet, please believe me when I say,
these stars were meant for you
and not for me.

#blogging #books #divorce #family #patrickWMarsh #poem #poems #Poetry #poetryCommunity #reading #writing

Hold on to the Weird

Daily writing prompt What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you? View all responses

Just hold on to it.

The weird can be slippery. An eel fresh out of a burrow of mud. A game controller after a buddy used it after a long game of Goldeneye on the N64. You knew how use remote mines as projectiles and killed him from a distance.

The world will try and grind it out of you. And, FYI, I’m not talking about toxic weird, the kind that hurts people, but the weird that celebrates the goofiness of your personality. Wearing fun socks. Binge watching Nickelodeon Cartoons from the glory of the ’90s. An obsession with bigfoot that leads to horror/fan fiction stories about a traveling circus that has bigfoot attend a performance and he gets hired on staff. Only bigfoot is too much of a diva and has to start his own one “man” show. This is disastrous because it turns out bigfoot needed collaboration to express his peak creativity.

When we’re kids, and I see this with my sons, we have so many unique interests, and we’re completely unabashed and enthusiastic about them. A few bullies at school, an unsupportive parent, a judgmental teacher, and poof. Those interests get fed into the meat grinder, and pretty soon you’re afraid to stand out in case it attracts unwanted attention. You force yourself to like certain things just to get attention.

It is so odd, because as adults most of us want some sort of attention. We want people to know us, and we hide ourselves because we’re shown vulnerability is punished by society at a young age. Leftover echoes from the conformity of the baby boomer generation. Loneliness is an epidemic. I think that is a legitimate concern for people of all backgrounds. However, we need to stop getting frightened or annoyed by the interests of those around us, and get a little bit more curious.

So yeah, keep collecting Pokémon cards, sketching comics, or reading romantic fantasy novels.

Don’t let people dilute your weird.

#blogging #books #dailyprompt #dailyprompt2801 #fiction #horror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #reading #weird #writing

Writing Update 6/17/26

• Okay, back with a bit of a writing update for the month of June. Bunch of random stuff to share with you. No real rhyme or reason to it. Busy month for life events and such.
• Had a fantastic SpringCon here in the Twin Cities. Almost sold out of the first book in the Greenland Diaries, had just my display copy leftover. First time since 2021 that I attended the MCBA’s annual convention and comic show at the State Fair grounds here in Minnesota. I had a great time selling books, talking to people about writing, and commiserating with so many talented creators. The MCBA does a fantastic job, like always, hosting this event. There were comic book heavyweights there like Dan Jurgens and Gordon Purcell. There were a few old friends of mine as well. Since I’ve started doing conventions 13 years ago, the amount of authors who have come and gone from these events is astounding. I’m starting to think I have a dangerous level of stubbornness inside of me. FallCon is on the horizon. You can learn more FallCon right here. All the MCBA events are fantastic.
• Next event for me is CONvergence in July. You can learn more about that event right here. I’ll only be on one panel this year titled “The Year in Anime.” I signed up for more, but they seemed to have cancelled them. I’ll be in the dealer room all weekend though, selling books and whatnot. More details forthcoming. Excited to be a part of it.
• I had a bunch of poems get published in literary magazines the last few months. I have updated my publications page, and it feels really good. Need to keep going, but feels nice to take a deep breath and see my achievements. You can find my revised publications list right here.
• Pausing on any new self-published projects for the next few years. I’m still writing them, but letting time catch-up with the amount of material I’ve released. No point in releasing constant sequels if nobody has read the first books, or rushing stories out with lower quality standards. I have learned my lesson from that before. Having done countless revisions to all my Greenland Diaries books, Beware the Ills, and Monsters, Monsters, Everywhere, well, I don’t want to keep backtracking about stuff.
• Funny thing about writing is that nothing is ever actually done. You will end up revising and redoing your stories over and over again, even if they’ve been published. Updated editions, revisions, all that stuff. In fact, I have revised ALL my books countless times. Readers that bought the initial editions would probably find the revised ones completely different.
• Media has been all over the place for me. Playing through Saros, which is a spiritual sequel to Returnal. So far I absolutely love the game. Story is not as good as Returnal, but its easer and has better inventory options. Reading “Angel Down” which just won the Pulitzer. Fantastic novel. Listening to “Dungeon Crawler Carl” and loving it. Also, enjoying Anne Sexton’s poetry still, just have a thousand poems or so to get through. Wife and I are watching Psycho Pass, which is utterly incredible. Before that for anime we did Kaiju Number 8, and finished My Hero. So. Much. Media. Also, Obsession was a fantastic horror film.
• Alrighty, that’s all I got for now. Currently my son is recovering from hopefully his final eye surgery. Poor kid has been through it. Beware the Ills and the Greenland Diaries are running to their entirety here on my blog. When Beware the Ills is done, well, something else will fill that monstrous void. Thank you all for continuing to read my work and for supporting me.

#author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #fictionWriting #horror #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #reading #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Revisiting my post “World Map” where I talk about JRPG maps

@patrickwmarshauthor.wordpress.com

As above, I wrote a blog post last year about the world maps I had leftover from Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger. I grew up in the heyday of JRPG’s on the Super Nintendo. They had profound effects on me as a person and writer.

If gaming has led to your artistic identity and inspiration, then read my post. You can’t shortchange what inspires you.

Hit it here if the box above is not working to take you to the original blog post that this was suppose to attach to.

Sorry. First time blogging from the time capsule feature on WordPress. Hiccups abound.

#author #blogging #books #chronotrigger #fantasy #fiction #gaming #horror #jrpgs #monsters #patrickWMarsh #reading #writing

Read my Poem “Extra Skin” Published by the Mourning Paper

My poem “Extra Skin” was published by the awesome literary magazine the Mourning Paper.

This poem is about a interdimensional entity living in a warehouse. The monster is continuously stalking around the shelves and corridors, looking for people to come travelling through. When this happens, the creature throws its skin at them in an effort to understand itself.

You can read “Extra Skin” right here

My sons initially gave me the idea for this poem. They are obsessed with the Back Rooms, and its various lore, and they were talking to me about a creature that likes to give out its skin. I took the concept for myself and put my own spin on it.

I’m thoroughly honored to have my poem published by this excellent literary establishment.

The Mourning Paper is an excellent magazine. I highly suggest not just reading my work, but exploring the publication thoroughly. The many excellent writers and artists deserve your time and attention.

Hit it here to read more of the Mourning Paper.

Happy reading!

#ampoetry #author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #horror #horrorPoetry #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poems #Poetry #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Read my Poem “Stay the Same” Published by Malefica Press

Happy to have my poem “Stay the Same” published by the literary magazine Malefica Press.

Malefica Press publishes all things horror. They have a great catalogue of content, and I’m honored to be a part of it. What is really fun about this publication is they included an illustration with it as well. It fits the theme of my poem perfectly.

The poem I wrote “Stay the Same” is about a haunted scarecrow that tries to be different, and not fulfill its dark purpose. I love exploring complexity with monsters, it both therapeutic and interesting to me as writer. When those two creative forces coincide, lots of creation happens. The crows that spend their time around this scarecrow have some interest in whether he can continue this murderous journey he’s been on. They’re a vested party.

You can read “Stay the Same” right here.

I will continue to state, that you should not just read my poem, but also checkout the various material from Malefica Press. It is an incredible lit magazine, and I want to continue to support it. They have a ridiculous amount of excellent content to read for free. Please jump into that dark rabbit hole. You can find them right here.

Thank you for reading my work, and have an excellent day!

#author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #horror #horrorPoetry #horrorWriting #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poems #Poetry #poetryCommunity #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Read my Poem “Sit Down” Published by the Mourning Paper

I recently had my poem “Sit Down” published by the Mourning Paper.

They are a gothic, dark literary magazine that releases a variety of work from various writers. They have lifestyle, literature, and poetry, which is where I factor into this equation.

The poem that was published was called “Sit Down” and it is most certainly a horror poem. It is about a little girl ghost who imprisons families at a dinner table inside the house she used to live in. Recently, I’ve been exploring the concept of ghosts and the dead having motivation for their hauntings. I have been trying to experiment with the human reasons these nonhuman entities might have. I just never liked the idea of ghosts being mindless or emotionless plot devices in media.

You can read “Sit Down” on the Mourning Paper right here.

As always, with these posts about publications I highly suggest you read the rest of the material this fine publication has to offer. I don’t want to just promote these places because they published me or support literary horror. Too many literary magazines like the Mourning Paper are undervalued, and I don’t want them to vanish into obscurity. As I submit my work to many different lit magazines I see them vanishing into nothingness fairly often.

So please explore and support the Mourning Paper here.

Thank you for reading my work and have an amazing day!

#author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #horror #horrorCommunity #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poems #Poetry #poetryCommunity #poetryWriting #theMourningPaper #writing

Read my Poem “The Ordinary” at Altered Reality Magazine

One more poem to share on these Wednesdays. The final one in that trio of publications. Super grateful to Altered Reality Magazine for sharing my voice. I’m always honored.

This poem is another departure from the last two. It isn’t horror or science fiction, but pure fantasy with a hint of social commentary. I steal inspiration from Norse Mythology, my favorite of the big mythologies you’re forced to learn about in high school.

Also, in that same period of my life, I played a very influential video game called Valkyrie Profile which introduced a more personal and specific level of storytelling in the Norse mythology setting. That’s why I decided to get nostalgic with Odin in this poem and explore his line of thinking.

In “The Ordinary” I talk about Ragnarök, or the twilight of the gods, and how Odin is jealous about our simplicity compared to the cosmic battle he must fight at the end of times. He’s jealous of how easy we’ve got it on Midgard, even compared to the glory and majesty of this great war.

You can read “The Ordinary” right here.

And one more big thank you to Altered Reality for their acceptances. Again, please visit and read their whole catalogue. They’re awesome.

Happy reading, and have a great Wednesday!

#alteredRealityMagazine #author #blogging #books #fantasy #fantasyPoetry #fiction #horror #monsters #mythology #norse #norseMythology #patrickWMarsh #poem #poems #Poetry #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Visit me Selling my Books at Art A Whirl 2026

Alright, pretty self explanatory. I’ll be at Art A Whirl all weekend selling my books.

Art A Whirl is an awesome event, and this is my first time at it. So I guess I assume it’s awesome? I have no idea what to expect. I’ve heard amazing things. I know that is busy, fun, different, unique, and very artsy.

To learn more about Art a Whirl hit it right here.

I’ll be there for the whole thing. Admission is FREE. Friday 5 – 10 pm, Saturday 12 – 8 pm, and Sunday 12 – 5 pm. I’m in the Artspace Jackson Flats 901 18 1⁄2 Ave NE Minneapolis, MN 55418. I’m inside the building, in front of some office door. I hope nobody gets entombed by my books, but so be it if it happens.

I’ll have all my books for sale. All revised editions. The best these books have to offer. Now is the time to get invested in the series. Also, buy other stuff around the place. It isn’t all about me. I love my monsters, and my books, but there is so much to see at this event. I can’t wait to be a part of it.

Hope to see you there!

#artAWhirl #author #blogging #bookEvents #bookSales #books #events #fantasy #fiction #horror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Read my Poem “A Junkyard Father” Published on Altered Reality Magazine

Hello again! I recently had a trifecta of luck at Altered Reality with some poems, and this is my second one that was picked up for publication by them.

This week the poem is a little different than my previous one. No haunted forest or paradoxical monsters.

Instead, I choose to focus on an image that has haunted me ever since I watched it. The toy scene in Bladerunner (director’s cut of course) in Sebastian’s attic has stuck with me ever since I watched it back in 2004. I often wonder what would those cybernetic creations do if Sebastian never returned.

Who would take care of them?

In “A Junkyard Father” I follow this same idea and principle. A scientist has created sentient toys in some robotic future, and he is confronted with the concept of mortality. When he dies and leaves this world, they’ll be nobody to take care of them. The toys will outlive him, and still require maintenance. He’ll die when they could potentially live for centuries.

How will they cope? Who will be there?

You can read “A Junkyard Father” right here.

As always, you should check out the whole of Altered Reality. They publish great stuff from a variety of voices.

Thank you for reading my work, and have a nice Wednesday!

#author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #horror #horrorPoetry #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poem #Poetry #scienceFiction #theGreenlandDiaries #writing