Hi everyone! Please enjoy some new poetry from regular Insignia Stories contributor, Maria S. Picone. This post shares 2 poems, ' A Costly Mistake' and 'At the Elementary School Field'. A Costly Mistake Maria S. Picone She escaped the dark sorcerer who sought her schoolgirl soul by hiding in her skincare bottles: pure essence of... Continue Reading →
INSTINCTS #25: ‘Defiance’ by Amrita Valan
This month's poetry feature is by the talented Amrita Valan! Amrita is also a contributor in Mythical Creatures of Asia and the upcoming Mythical Beings of Asia anthologies. Defiance Amrita Valan The Apsara most adamant about herVisitPetitioned mighty commander Indra in vainAboard Indian Spaceship SuvarnarekhaDocked at space station Swarga. waiting in the netherworld dimensionsA swarthy... Continue Reading →
INSTINCTS #24: ‘The Akashic Yatra’ by Sultana Raza (3/3)
Today, it's my pleasure to present Sultana Raza's final poem, ‘The Akashic1 Yatra2′. Read her first two poems here: #22: ‘Inter-dimensional Classified Ad’ by Sultana Raza (June 10th, 2021) #23: ‘Quantic Chance’ by Sultana Raza (June 14th, 2021) Which poem has been your favorite? Let me know in the comments. ~Kelly~ THE AKASHIC1 YATRA2 We could havesaved our skinby goingto... Continue Reading →
INSTINCTS #20: ‘No Man is an Island’ by Ismim Putera
Time for more poetry! This is the second piece by Malaysian poet, Ismim Putera. Read his previous poem, 'Si Tenggang the Sailor' and other excellent Asian speculative poems on the INSTINCTS Poetry page. No Man Is An Island Ismim Putera I am an islandI float using the air in my balloon-like bellylegs and arms straighten... Continue Reading →
WiHM & INSTINCTS #19:’The Legend of the Devil Bird’ by Anne Silva
Our last entry for Women in Horror Month is a piece by Sri Lankan poet, Anne Silva! This poem will also be listed as part of our online poetry series, INSTINCTS. 'The Legend of the Devil Bird' is based on a folktale about the Ulama (devil bird) that sounds like a women screaming in terror.... Continue Reading →
INSTINCTS #18: ‘Si Tenggang the Sailor’ by Ismim Putera
It's my pleasure to introduce the work of first-time Insignia Stories contributor, Ismim Putera. Please enjoy his poem, 'Si Tenggang the Sailor', inspired by a Southeast Asian folktale. Si Tenggang the Sailor Ismim Putera Si Tenggang yearns for the seawater washes his thighssalt encrusts on his facesands in his eyeshe is a weeping statuefossilised from... Continue Reading →
INSTINCTS #17: ‘Hot Pursuit Goes Underground…’ by John H. Dromey
First INSTINCTS poem for the year! Please enjoy another haiku (double) by regular contributor, John H. Dromey! Hot Pursuit Goes Underground, Hostage Unharmed John H. Dromey His sweetheart kidnappedA spelunking samuraiRushed to her rescue With his katanaHiro slew the abductorInter the dragon ~~~ About the Author: John H. Dromey was born in northeast Missouri,... Continue Reading →
INSTINCTS #16: ‘Casting Call for a Method Actor’ by John H. Dromey
This week's poetry piece is a speculative haiku by regular contributor, John H. Dromey. This year, John has work featured in Horror Matsuri 2020, Castles & Kimono, and both drabble anthologies. He also has 3 drabbles accepted for our open call, Mythical Creatures of Asia! Check out John's Insignia Author Page for more links to... Continue Reading →
Horror Matsuri #9: ‘A Yōkai’s Haiku Halloween Abroad’ John H. Dromey
HORROR MATSURI #9 / INSTINCTS (POETRY) #14 It's Week 5 of Horror Matsuri, and sadly today is the last poem, but it's a good one! This is John H. Dromey's second poem for the month. The first, 'Spooky Yuki-onna' can be read here. A Yōkai's Haiku Halloween Abroad John H. Dromey Just one day... Continue Reading →
HORROR MATSURI #6: ‘RUBIES & GOLD’ BY KELLY MATSUURA
HORROR MATSURI #6 / INSTINCTS POETRY #13 How is it Week 4 already? Time to crank things up! We have 3 posts this week, and 4 coming next week...Stay tuned! Today I'm sharing my own freestyle poem. I was inspired by the Indian and Persian myths of a creature similar to a sphinx or chimera,... Continue Reading →