A Trio of Thought: Poetry of Scott Thomas Outlar

"Of Petals and Padlocks"

Violet autumn

    like a fire hazard

The hues and moods

     of trees and leaves

            released from branches

                   by the dozen

                 gliding through

                          a sighing breeze

           to kiss the gentle waters

Purple pulsing dot

       behind your eyes

   after bleeding into the morning rays

              View of the boiling inferno

                        bobbing around in the sky

Constellations

       of experiences

  Atoms on a board

         wildly connected

     and the shaman ducks

                lined up

         on the flotsam

              sneezing their way

          toward oblivion

                  or is that just

                              a quack

                   heralding annihilation?

Consider all elements

       in gratitude

Even the moon has

       a poison pill

   stationed at its galactic sore

and the sun will damn well

      blind any fool

  who forgets how to dance

           after they’ve mastered

       the art of falling

So I will stand here

      as long as it takes

            to catch a gift

    from the maple heart

           and blessed be

                the plague of grackles

            who come to join

          the syrupy wait

Love is the key

    and there are

  several ways

       to pick the lock

  but only one true fit

hear the click

   of my legacy

         and reposing laurels

---

"Of Spider on Ankle and Raindrops for Prom"

sheets of fountain water

slide from the rivulet

cascade against brick

structure, foundation, the whole spiel

nerve endings

crackle with hair pop electric shimmy

stand at attention

the ambassador of quadrant fire

cosmic crown

delta major

voodoo hoodoo

just sang a hymn

with hand over heart

hat to chest

lump to throat

synchronized with the lava king

of molten core

babbled verbs in vibration

peace and war hum between blinks

what meaning of words

if not followed by action

as thought folds into form

and promises hold true

over time

with careful stitching

massages through turmoil

fingertips weaving

around the edges of chaos

to spell the script

toward higher order

another storm

another opportunity to dance

another threshold

another do or die

another bug in the system

another chance to crack codes.

---

"Original Jesters"

The rupture of sound

breathed over a cosmos

Whispered vowels

and sigils given form

It came from the high realms

and swallowed us whole

Between dusk and dawn

one blink resets the system's signal

Big beast known as Moby

gut bigger than Galactus

While pondering about equitable shares

the giants stomp a healthy portion

Skin and bones are given

old rags and cake crumb morsels

Lamentations of Job in the bloodbath

took a cut in the nosedive

It's all zeroes on the silver screen

snakes of six eyes, seven glands stroked

The passing of fear in silence

changing guard after running gauntlet

Into abyss with pearls of sorrow

left to the waves with their infinite wisdom

Hush now, humans, don't dare fret

the mockingbird smirks at all you've wept

Not in vain nor with vanity

dance the peacock garb back to fashion

---

Bio:

Scott Thomas Outlar originally hails from Lilburn, Georgia.

He now resides and writes in Frederick, Maryland. His work

has been nominated multiple times for both the Pushcart Prize

and Best of the Net. He guest-edited the Hope Anthology of Poetry

from CultureCult Press as well as the 2019-2023 Western Voicess

editions of Setu Mag. Selections of his poetry have been translated

and published in 15 languages. More about Outlar's work can be

found at 17Numa.