Your poems on marriage tear my heart apart with unspoken agony, and then fuse it together again with seams of love and hope. You have to bring this collection to fruition because, selfishly, I need to own it.
The encapsulates the sadness of triumphs and failures, and lives that drift apart but are still tethered by the one thread both sides cling to. Beauty and poignance here.
That long, endless sigh. That was the moment for me. The way she deflates while you’re inflating with poetry—two people expanding in opposite directions.
You didn’t just write about disconnection, you framed it, quietly, through temperature settings and dowsing rods. The ending’s not loud, it’s resigned, and that’s what cuts deepest.
This felt like watching someone find poetry again while realizing their partner’s already drifted somewhere else entirely. I’m all in for The Familiarity.
Wow! Thank you for this. You picked up on so much of what I was trying to hold in the silences between the lines. That image of expanding in opposite directions really captures the ache of it all. I’m grateful you noticed the quiet framing too, the temperature settings, the resignation. It means a lot to have this resonate. Truly, thank you for reading it with such care.
I just found myself feeling like I had lived this in so many ways. The long sigh followed by needing to get the kids to bed. The issue with the thermostat. It felt very real and honest in a way that only someone who has lived this could communicate it.
I enjoyed this poem and am intrigued by your forthcoming book. I'm also curious to know about the photos you use in your posts. Are they your own work? They are evocative. This one especially. It works so well with this particular poem.
Thank you for sharing. Your photos are hauntingly beautiful, and your poems hold that same quality. In the words of Jeff Buckley, "I love anything that haunts me...and never leaves."
I personally know a couple who has been married TWICE! They are about 75 and it was cute when they told the story. They find it funny. I would find it funny years from now too. Now that’s devotion, true love- TWICE
So far my favourite account on Substack. Enjoying your work immensely. Thank you.
Your poems on marriage tear my heart apart with unspoken agony, and then fuse it together again with seams of love and hope. You have to bring this collection to fruition because, selfishly, I need to own it.
Well one day it will be published and you can procure a signed / numbered copy. Without your support it most likely wouldn't happen.
Backing you all the way..,
Profound contemplation of love in the mundaneness of Life . The last line hits hard 🙏🏻✨ thank you
Love the simple ending. (I also hate a hot room at night)
A demure ending, one could say.
😉
What's the secret of a successful marriage? About 3 degrees.
😂😂 probably truer than people realize.
Wow. Very authentic poem about marriage.
The encapsulates the sadness of triumphs and failures, and lives that drift apart but are still tethered by the one thread both sides cling to. Beauty and poignance here.
Beautifully expressed and, honestly, thermostat compatibility is a deal maker.
I mean, anything over 67 is a crime!
I can make an argument for 68 but I would allow 67.
This is why we would get a divorce.
So true and real. I'm sharing. <3
Thank you. What resonated with you?
I like, because is very real. Is like it
Wow. Poignant and necessary illumination. I love your transparency, and vulnerability. This is good work.
Thanking you !
Grasping for words but none have the meaning beneath your verses. Wonderful, genuine, a breathtaking expression
It’s a pleasure to get such a lovely comment. Thank you
That long, endless sigh. That was the moment for me. The way she deflates while you’re inflating with poetry—two people expanding in opposite directions.
You didn’t just write about disconnection, you framed it, quietly, through temperature settings and dowsing rods. The ending’s not loud, it’s resigned, and that’s what cuts deepest.
This felt like watching someone find poetry again while realizing their partner’s already drifted somewhere else entirely. I’m all in for The Familiarity.
Wow! Thank you for this. You picked up on so much of what I was trying to hold in the silences between the lines. That image of expanding in opposite directions really captures the ache of it all. I’m grateful you noticed the quiet framing too, the temperature settings, the resignation. It means a lot to have this resonate. Truly, thank you for reading it with such care.
Loved this. Looking forward to the rest of this series. I connected with these experiences so quickly.
Thank you, Eric. What lines or words landed the most? Always eager to understand other perspectives.
I just found myself feeling like I had lived this in so many ways. The long sigh followed by needing to get the kids to bed. The issue with the thermostat. It felt very real and honest in a way that only someone who has lived this could communicate it.
I enjoyed this poem and am intrigued by your forthcoming book. I'm also curious to know about the photos you use in your posts. Are they your own work? They are evocative. This one especially. It works so well with this particular poem.
Yes, these are all my photographs - and in this photo it's my wife, and myself. I was a fine-art photographer for years (less so these days).
This series had a lot of acclaim back in the day: https://substack.com/@gkallum/p-156071064
Thank you for sharing. Your photos are hauntingly beautiful, and your poems hold that same quality. In the words of Jeff Buckley, "I love anything that haunts me...and never leaves."
Oh Jeff! How I mourn that loss everyday.
God I know. That one. Talk about haunting.
Excellent stuff, nicely structured too.
Thanks Thomas, any particular lines stand out for you, or just the whole piece?
“molecular molasses”, and the use of repetition - “off-colored”, “sigh”.
I personally know a couple who has been married TWICE! They are about 75 and it was cute when they told the story. They find it funny. I would find it funny years from now too. Now that’s devotion, true love- TWICE