Poems – FLYFANDANGO.COM

SMOKE AND DOOM

May 25, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“SMOKE AND DOOM” is a richly atmospheric noir-gothic narrative poem that blends occult romance, dive-bar Americana, and supernatural suspense into a cinematic tale of betrayal and reckoning. The tone is smoky, seductive, and increasingly ominous, while the voice carries the swaggering cadence of a late-night folk ballad told by someone half-drunk and fully haunted. One of the poem’s greatest strengths is its immersive world-building: neon-lit bars, whiskey-soaked card tables, and spectral witchcraft merge seamlessly into a coherent emotional and visual landscape. The poem excels at momentum and escalation, moving from grounded details of gambling and masculine bravado into something mythic and uncanny without losing narrative clarity. Its imagery is especially vivid, creating a palpable supernatural tension that transforms a barroom into a ritual space. The recurring archetypes deepen the poem’s thematic obsession with temptation, jealousy, and fatal attraction. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “Third Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“SMOKE AND DOOM”

with taillights red, a witch ascends
and disappears around the bend
and out beyond his line of sight
she hooked a left when home was right

she soars off to master midnight
some old wolf who wears her bat bite
and wishes on this shooting star
and lives on main atop a bar

and downstairs where the neon burns
where whiskey rules and tables turn
and cut-throat spades and smoke and doom
a golden blonde entered the room

just playing cards and scarred and jinxed
while waiting on his midnight minx
and he was falling far behind
drew a two, bid seven blind

replete with beer and losing hands
and broken dreams and one night stands
he ate the minus seventy
and then the blonde pulled up a seat

and no one seemed to take it strange
how suddenly his luck had changed
she bucked up next to where he sat
and rubbed against him like a cat

and like new money on skid row
another round for all his bro’s
joking laughing bold and young
stuck in that old seattle grunge

no one heard them steps a-comin’
through the thudding and the strumming
but who could ever trust the moon
when sometimes midnight strikes too soon

unseen but all could smell the sin
like black smoke she just drifted in
and hovered there til she took form
and drew the wolf across the floor

the world stopped spinning, time had ceased
the witch drew all the air to breathe
a whisper from some black beyond
asked master midnight

who’s the blonde

Copyright © 2026 Robert Myrnyj | All rights reserved.
The poems and literary works presented here are original creations by the author.
Unauthorized copying, reproduction, distribution, modification, or public display of this
content is strictly prohibited without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

LIPSMACK

May 25, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“LIPSMACK” is a compact neo-gothic character sketch that blends noir romance, modern decay, and fairy-tale distortion into a sharply stylized portrait of seduction and self-destruction. The tone is cynical, alluring, and darkly playful, while the voice carries the cadence of a modern folk ballad crossed with spoken-word incantation. One of the poem’s strongest qualities is its dense concentration of imagery, creating a vivid world where glamour and degradation exist side by side. The poem excels at mythologizing ordinary contemporary details, transforming cigarettes, bottled water, mirrors, and makeup into symbols of ritual, vanity, and emotional ruin. Structurally, the rhyming couplets give the piece a quick, chant-like momentum that reinforces its fairy-tale-meets-back-alley atmosphere. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “Second Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“LIPSMACK”

a wish upon a fallen star
cost everything you have so far
and all you take and all you spend
gets all accounted in the end

a midnight pumpkin princess car
a bat trapped in a pickle jar
across the lane a street light glares
a flash of lightning in her hair

her candle is a newport light
and bottled-water is her wine
the altar of her sex and lies
the church of many men’s demise

mirror mirror on the visor
who’s the fool, who is the wiser
lipstick lipsmack war paint red
poof the hair, puff up the head

who’s the blonde

PULSAR

May 25, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“PULSAR” is a surreal romantic-gothic narrative poem that combines heartbreak, mysticism, and modern Americana into a haunting meditation on desire, deception, and intuition. The tone shifts between dreamy infatuation and creeping dread, while the voice remains intensely cinematic and emotionally charged, moving through the scene like a slow-burning fever dream. One of the poem’s greatest strengths is its vivid fusion of mundane detail and occult symbolism. This blending of grounded specificity with supernatural atmosphere gives the poem a distinctive identity and strong visual texture. The language is musically dense, full of internal rhyme and rhythmic momentum, which enhances the hypnotic quality of the narration. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “First Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“PULSAR”

love is a fever, love is blind
and they say that time will tell
can a match be made in heaven
with a girl who is raising hell

hand in hand and winter’s landing
staircase to a household door
the lantern lamplight far too dim
for him to ever see for sure

her words invoke numb placation
a lie so cold so bold so bright
she laid her hand upon his heart
and then she kissed the man goodnight

patchouli haze, and dazed, he prays
that she is not yet going home
but her low-top doctor martens
romper stomp through the driven snow

nissan pulsar witchcraft death star
a broomstick parked out on the street
and there, alone, a queen enthroned,
who sits there in the driver’s seat

mirror mirror on the windshield
ultra blue white lady hoodoo
her lips of red hold lies unsaid
like tombstones shaded from the moon

fit of twisted intuition
shivering a silver chill and
then behold, a crystal vision
from somewhere else, beyond her will

ancient eyes with swiss precision
ahead in time while time stood still
she saw clear to her derision
a golden goddess seated
on a throne
upon a hill

who’s the blonde

NIGHTSTALKER

May 24, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“NIGHTSTALKER” is a dark mythic narrative poem that fuses gothic horror, apocalyptic prophecy, and folk-ballad cadence into the portrait of an almost supernatural avenger. The tone is relentless, severe, and judgmental, driven by a voice that feels both biblical and cinematic, as though recounting the legend of an unstoppable hunter sent to punish corruption and evil. The poem’s strongest quality is its sustained momentum. The imagery is vivid and forceful throughout, creating a world steeped in violence, judgment, and religious symbolism. The poem also succeeds in balancing archetypal grandeur with accessible diction, making the central figure feel both legendary and immediate. Particularly effective is the moral ambiguity surrounding the character: though positioned as a destroyer of wickedness, his total lack of mercy gives the poem an unsettling edge. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “Third Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“NIGHTSTALKER”

the nightstalker feeds
on death and on sin
the wealth of the devil
means nothing to him
he reads from a scroll
of murder and lies
and abominable objects
that men idolize
the nightstalker sees
through the ancient of days
and he tracks like a wolf
onto blood and decay
the light he draws down
is a fistful of sun
silver-eyed certain
he knows what you’ve done
the nightstalker wastes not
and works all alone
and he tramples on demons
with boots hewn from stone
each footstep a hammer
brought down on a nail
the men bow in shame
and the womenfolk wail
the nightstalker prowls
with an ear to the ground
there’s no sinner silent,
and no innocence found
there will be no doubt,
no pity or remorse
there will be no mercy,
there will be no recourse
the nightstalker creed,
destroy the destroyer
falling like hailstones
on down to gomorrah
so waste not your breath,
he hears not excuses
the dead one’s are clever,
insane, and elusive
the nightstalker feeds
on death and on sin
and the cries of the wicked
mean nothing to him

THUNDERSTRUCKEN

May 24, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“THUNDERSTRUCKEN” is a raw, emotionally charged confessional poem that blends self-deprecating humor, romantic collapse, and storm imagery into a voice-driven modern lament. The tone shifts fluidly between frantic regret, bitterness, vulnerability, and aching loneliness, creating the sense of a speaker unraveling in real time after a failed emotional confession or fractured relationship. One of the poem’s greatest strengths is its highly distinctive voice: conversational, profane, wounded, and darkly funny all at once. The imagery reveals both theatricality and genuine emotional exposure, giving the speaker an almost tragicomic dimension. The ending is especially strong, closing on quiet cinematic loneliness, transforming personal humiliation into a memorable tableau of abandonment and yearning. As a newly written poem for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, it has not yet been assigned to a chapbook.

“THUNDERSTRUCKEN”

lookit there,
it’s hope
i got it
strung up on a rope
i am a dope
a smitten fool
a thunderstrucken
fuckin’ ghoul
why not just let
well-enough alone
i had to stand up
on a wooden box and
commit my heart-felt
words to stone
i saw her frown
i’m such a clown
i let us down
i let us down
the thunder’s truckin’
through the skies
with teardrops
of a zillion eyes
that wash off
all uncertainty
romantic
hopeless clumsy
prematurity
what in hell’s
become of me
pain too great
time too long
now something sweet
and right and strong
has soured to weak
and woefully wrong
and i wait alone
in the light of the street
the moth it flutters
the cricket sings
by a public phone
that never rings

APRIL DAWN

May 24, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“APRIL DAWN” is a lyrical free verse poem centered on renewal, intimacy, and emotional rebirth, carrying the tone of a quiet devotional or love lyric. This piece feels tender, hopeful, and restorative, with a gentle voice that speaks through reverence rather than anguish. The poem’s greatest strength is its musical softness, with repetition creating a soothing refrain that frames the speaker’s awakening as both emotional and spiritual. Seasonal imagery functions effectively as metaphor. The language is restrained and uncluttered, allowing warmth and sincerity to emerge naturally. Particularly compelling is the poem’s ability to suggest transformation without dramatizing it; the awakening feels gradual, earned, and deeply human. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “First Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“APRIL DAWN”

smile, she says,
and so this awakens
so bright, so warm,
she rises softly,
a prayer aloft for the heavens beyond
this april dawn,
she calls for me
to come along,
and spite the weathered wear
of our wintry miles.
smile, she says,
smile and we are there
and so this awakens

SKY COME DOWN

May 24, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“SKY COME DOWN” is a minimalist apocalyptic lament that blends elements of modern free verse with the repetitive incantatory structure of a dirge or ritual chant. The tone is despairing, exhausted, and almost nihilistic, while the voice feels isolated and pleading, as though the speaker is calling into an indifferent void for annihilation, transcendence, or release. Repetition is the poem’s central strength: the recurring invocation “sky come down” creates a hypnotic rhythm that mirrors obsession, grief, or spiritual collapse, giving the poem the feel of a mournful refrain from a post-apocalyptic hymn. The poem’s restraint works in its favor, allowing atmosphere and cadence to carry emotional weight without over-explaining its meaning. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “First Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“SKY COME DOWN”

these are the ruins

sky come down
come down
come down upon me

shards of broken glass
from a shattered cup of doom

sky come down
come down
come down upon me

what for, to come to pass
a corpse for buzzards to amass
I call out through the window of my room

sky come down
come down
come down upon me

sky come down

THERE

May 24, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“THERE” is a brief piece of confessional free verse that leans into psychological and existential poetry, using sparse language to convey emotional isolation and fractured identity. The tone is bleak, intimate, and quietly despairing, while the voice feels vulnerable yet emotionally restrained, as though the speaker can only approach their pain indirectly through metaphor. The poem’s greatest strength is its compression: in just a few lines, it establishes a powerful contrast between decay and emotional defense. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, “Tome” appears in the “Second Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“THERE”

i don’t know
my rotting flesh
from the armor
that i bear
my heart is locked
in a black box
and i don’t have
the key to there

TOME

May 24, 2026May 24, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“TOME” is a gothic horror narrative poem steeped in occult imagery and oral-storytelling tradition, evoking the atmosphere of dark folklore and campfire legend. The tone is ominous, foreboding, and theatrical, driven by a prophetic voice that sounds both warning and witness, as though recounting an ancient evil newly awakened. Structurally, the poem succeeds through its ballad-like cadence and repeated framing lines, which create momentum and ritualistic tension. Its strongest qualities lie in vivid cinematic imagery, which establish a rich supernatural setting with economy and clarity. The poem also balances archaic diction with accessible phrasing, giving it the feel of a modern folk-horror tale. Particularly effective is the escalation from mystery to revelation, culminating in the chilling final warning that transforms the poem from mere narration into apocalyptic prophecy. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, “Tome” appears in the “Second Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“TOME”

well i’m gonna tell you once
and it’s all i’m bound to say
a force of holy hell has been
exhumed this very day

upon a craggy mountain
in the dirt atop a grave
when the full moon luminescence
strikes the handle of a spade

an old gray white beard hermit
with a lantern and a cane
brought a pyre of dry hemlock twigs
and white oak logs to flame

the sacrifice cursed thrice
in a prayer of ancient ways
was a tome of profane dark and deeds
laid out plainly on the blaze

while the book of evil burned
the shovel stabbed
the shovel turned
the old man wiped his brow
and drew his light

there carved in the casket lid
old church slavonic
script that bid
beware the one who
feeds upon the night

well i’m gonna tell you once
one more time i mean to say
a force of holy hell has been
unleashed this very day

STARS UPON THE NIGHT

May 24, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“STARS UPON THE NIGHT” is a dark lyrical narrative poem that blends elements of confessional poetry, folk balladry, and Southern Gothic storytelling. The tone is mournful, suspicious, and emotionally bruised, carrying an undercurrent of betrayal that deepens as the speaker wrestles with a particular woman’s dishonesty and the collapse of trust. The voice is one of the poem’s greatest strengths: intimate, rhythmic, and musical, with the refrains giving the piece a song-like cadence that reinforces obsession and emotional fixation. The poem’s strongest qualities are its memorable repetition, evocative phrasing, and ability to sustain tension between accusation and uncertainty. Particularly effective is the contrast between cosmic imagery and raw colloquial bitterness, which gives the poem emotional texture and originality. As a newly written poem for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, it has not yet been assigned to a chapbook.

“STARS UPON THE NIGHT”

molly swore me to her secrets
and shackled to this dark request
i hear her
spinning gold, a treasure chest
of circumstantial evidence
i hear her

molly told me, but molly lied
she told me she told him goodbye
i saw what i saw, but still she denies
molly told me, but molly lied

what, by god, is wrung from right
how many tears to blur the sight
the fates pin stars upon the night
distant so, can’t taste the light

and even though she told me so
she has lost my trust, i fear
i keep her basted in my doubt
the things she wanted me to hear

molly, molly, sugar cain
she roams the darkest depths, unchained
what good a man, de-balled, de-brained
even she, herself can’t say

MISGIVEN

May 23, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“Misgiven” is classified generally as Dark Gothic and Romance poetry, a mythic love curse and gothic duet. Two damned figures are locked in a sulfurous circle. The strength is the compression, how for example, “one misgiven kiss” dooms them both. The imagery is fierce, original, and unapologetically baroque. The poem suggests a mythic dimension to a particular woman’s relationships that transcends naturalism. As a newly written poem for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, it has not yet been assigned to a chapbook.

“MISGIVEN”

a warhorse storm
of hades, she,
and i, condemned
to her by fate
she drifted in
to shoot the moon
and feed on souls
of low estate

a nightmare on
her blinds, i was
and she, condemned
to me, the same
i, the rage of
brimstone blazing,
who grabbed the midnight
by the mane

a night mare gallop
reigns in hell
our sulfur circle
wishing well
the curse of
one misgiven kiss
and all roads lead
us both to this

FUNNY MAYBE

May 25, 2026May 23, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“Funny Maybe” is a strong, thematically dense lyric poem that blends anti-romantic confession with folk-blues cadence. A reflective poem of a love lost, it maintains a sharp tension between trauma and divine order as principle factors in romance, where only wisdom prevails, but the source of wisdom is God, who many ignore or deny. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “Third Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“FUNNY MAYBE”

romance is a double-edged
sword of bliss and pain
what one day finds sophisticated
another finds insane
i met her on the road to torment
dancing in the rain
funny how its feast or famine
funny how things change

i learned the hard way long ago
and true the light remains
a man can stand tall in a storm
a boy gets washed away
i was never not the fool
up to wisdom, faith and grace
so what fool any better than
the one so blind to his own face

they say the road to hell’s so wide
that we need never know the way
just what we’re apt to think and do
will surely get us there someday
by god i did not die the fool
by god all things made new again
lest i’d forever be beneath
her spell and tethered to her fate

her wrath was bred for so she said
on trauma no one sane could face
and so averse, she to the curse,
castrated patriarchal ways
and there the seed, revenge and rage
into the dirt of dark decay
stretched a hand out to the moonlight
that predator might become prey

but for suitors woe was but a ruse
a pagan priestess yet a saint
and all for good that it harm none
but such it is until it ain’t
no light true is born of darkness
no good comes from bitter hate
and yet the line runs round the corner
where in the rain so many wait

i met her on the road to torment
planting roses in a vase
funny how it keeps repeating
funny, maybe, surely strange
one sure thing a fool will do
is take up arms, defend her name
a knight in shining armor, no
just icarus into the flame

AFTERMATHEMATICS

May 16, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“AFTERMATHEMATICS” is a confessional narrative poem blending neo-beat realism, dark lyrical storytelling, and contemporary tragic balladry. The poem’s greatest strength lies in its emotionally raw voice and its ability to balance intimate confession with mythic undertones. Through compact, conversational lines and recurring invocations, the poem creates the feeling of a witness account delivered somewhere between testimony, memory, and lament. Its language remains direct and unornamented, which gives the heavier subject matter a stark authenticity. Strong rhythmic repetition, internal rhyme, and spoken cadence give the piece the quality of a modern folk confession or underground torch song. The poem succeeds as a haunting meditation on trauma, intimacy, memory, and the difficult mathematics of human attachment. This poem is is included in the novella “A Shattered Cup of Doom.”, but is newly written and has not yet been assigned to a chapbook.

“AFTERMATHEMATICS”

molly swore me to her secrets
and dumps her mess with no regrets
i hear her
she lays a hand upon her chest
and by these truths she does attest
i hear her

molly told me that december
fire smoldered down to ember
when her man demand she sever
bastard child bond forever

what, by god, do mothers see
when cleavered clean from their baby
then in accord with destiny
aftermathematically
she left that man and turned to me

i know because she told me so
the numbers, names, her every tear
i could write a book about
the things she wanted me to hear

molly blue, the bitter queen
the darkness yet holds truths unseen
i wonder might there come a day
even she, herself can’t say

TEARDROPS TWO

May 16, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“TEARDROPS TWO” is best categorized as a lyrical contemporary poem blending romantic elegy, dream pop surrealism, and refrain-based confessional verse with strong musical and song-like qualities. Its language is simple yet emotionally charged, creating an atmosphere that feels intimate, wistful, and electrically surreal at once. The alternating dedications establish a mirrored structure that reinforces themes of reciprocity, separation, identity, and emotional exchange. The repetition functions musically rather than redundantly, producing a soft rhythmic pulse that resembles a melancholic ballad or synth-pop lyric. As a newly written poem for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, it has not yet been assigned to a chapbook.

“TEARDROPS TWO”

teardrops, two,
electric blue
one is for me,
reborn and renewed
the one you inspired
to rise from the gloom
this one is for me,
and the other for you

teardrops, two,
electric blue
one is for you,
the supercharge queen
the one with too many
to choose, in between
this one is for you,
and the other for me

teardrops, two,
in a bottle on the sand
once upon a time
i held the lightning in my hand

teardrops, two,
electric blue
one is for me,
the one tried and true
the one who constructed
a folklore undue
this one is for me,
and the other for you

teardrops, two,
electric blue
one is for you,
the one i set free
the one with those eyes,
yet too blind to see
this one is for you,
and the other for me

teardrops, two
in a bottle on the bay
once upon a tide
i watch the lightning drift away

STRATUM

May 16, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“STRATUM” is best categorized as a gothic narrative poem blending dark fantasy, supernatural horror, and military gothic within a modernized ballad structure. Its strongest achievement is the sustained atmosphere of mythic dread, created through vivid, cinematic imagery and tightly controlled tonal consistency. The poem evokes the cadence of an old oral legend while presenting a layered descent through grave, earth, tomb, and hidden relic that mirrors the title’s geological symbolism. Particularly effective are the concrete visual details, which give the work a tactile, haunting immediacy. The restrained approach to exposition strengthens the mystery, allowing the poem to suggest an entire hidden mythology without over-explaining it. The piece succeeds as a dark, atmospheric ballad of buried violence, dormant power, and memory entombed beneath history. As a newly written poem for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, it has not yet been assigned to a chapbook.

“STRATUM”

drawn with casket from his grave
an old ghost soldier bold and brave
with cold steel eyes that never slept
for many years in vigil kept

into the starry skies he stares
calm and cool the midnight air
and buried last in silver chains
that hobble so his last remains

for one day he was called to life
he howled and drew a kabar knife
and joined in spirit to his flesh
in hot pursuit of sin and death

but now he’s flat upon his back
and bound this day to not attack
and whatever next the orders be
he waits prepared when he’s set free

and there beside the coffin door
a shovel stabs the garden floor
the moonlit shadow that it casts
extends far off into the past

and in the hollow of the dirt
six foot into mother earth
an old man cussing pains out loud
and wiping sweat off from his brow

the old man sweeps away with broom
by torchlight cast into the tomb
a stratum tier of fieldstone rocks
that hides from sight an old black box

HELL AND EGYPT (REPRISE)

May 24, 2026May 16, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

This poem, the continuation and stark follow-up to the longer “Hell and Egypt”, is likewise a lyric narrative within the gothic and confessional genres, having strong elements of ballad and theological complaint. Its central theme is the trafficking and abandonment of a child by a mother who herself had been sent off as a baby. It speaks subtly to the notion of generational curse under the horrible torrent of grave misfortune. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “Second Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“HELL AND EGYPT (REPRISE)”

she was sworn to not reveal
that she had been the devil’s whore
and so her wrath and agony
is shade upon the boy she bore

and so the shadow falls on him
she left him lying there alone
who allowed this to occur
she left her baby on the stone

she sold him off to hell and egypt
her running blood, her like, her kind
like some cold slab of bovine carcass
and she rode off, left him behind

she sold him off to hell and egypt

CAULDRON

May 16, 2026May 11, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

This poem is a lyric narrative within the confessional and trauma poetry genres, with strong elements of gothic balladry. Its central theme is the aftermath of rape-induced pregnancy and the impossible choice forced upon a survivor who was left with child of her offender. The poem explores maternal sacrifice, theological rage, and the enduring, unquantifiable depth of suffering. The voice is a first-person confidant and witness, attentive, present, and ultimately humbled by the immensity of the struggle shared with him. Structurally, the poem employs a recurring refrain structure across five stanzas, with repeated lines creating a ritualistic, almost liturgical rhythm. Striking imagery abounds. The poem’s theological question hangs unanswered, reinforcing the speaker’s helplessness. This poem is is included in the novella “A Shattered Cup of Doom.”, but is newly written and has not yet been assigned to a chapbook.

“CAULDRON”

molly swore me to her secrets
draws the curtain to confess
i hear her
pandora opens up her chest
and tries to bring her heart to rest
i hear her

molly told me that november
that her soul became dismembered
when the savage ravage rendered
her with child of her offender

the bird gets worse, the more it sings
a mother forced to cut her strings
to leave her own to what fate brings
what kind of god would do these things

i know because she told me so
the numbers, names, her every tear
i could write a book about
the things she wanted me to hear

molly the princess of pains
the darkness of those days remains
how deep the cauldron of her bane
even she, herself can’t say

HELL AND EGYPT

May 24, 2026May 10, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

This poem is a lyric narrative within the gothic and confessional genres, with strong elements of ballad and theological complaint. Its central theme is the trafficking and abandonment of a woman, the subsequent shattering of her faith, and her defiant but self-destructive turn toward forbidden love. The poem also explores inherited trauma and the seemingly unanswerable question of why darkness befalls the innocent. The voice is a third-person omniscient narrator who shifts between anguished witness, theological interrogation, and tragic chronicler of the woman’s internal collapse. Structurally, the poem unfolds across eight stanzas of irregular length, mixing quatrains and couplets. Repetition of key phrases creates a refrain-like meditation on desire, suffering, and divine silence. The title phrase suggests both a literal place of exile and a biblical resonance, with Egypt as the land of bondage and hell as ultimate abandonment. The woman’s rejection of God and her choice to lie beside “a priestess of deceit” frames her rebellion as both liberation and damnation, symbolized by quicksand imagery. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “Second Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“HELL AND EGYPT”

they sold her off to hell and egypt
her running blood, her like, her kind
like some cold slab of bovine carcass
and they rode off, left her behind

who set her naked on the stone
and who allowed this to occur
who left her lying there alone
why did this shadow fall on her

and what, dear lord, in darkness breeds
the heart it wants and the heart it needs

she swore to hell and heaven then,
with hand on heart, forevermore
that this would never be as such
no not again, no never more

and so forwent, and then she severed
whatsoever ties and binds
even unto god most high
and then, again, and for all time

for he allowed this woe to be
who tames the storms and calms the seas
they say he sees our darkest thoughts
and hears our cries, our prayers, our pleas

but she chose not their ancient one
in vain, she deemed him obsolete
and chose instead to lie in bed
beside a priestess of deceit

but the moonlight whispers marking time
the quicksand of her very sin
and though the kicking of her legs
she drifts and sinks much deeper in

she was sworn to not reveal
that she had been the devil’s whore
and so her wrath and agony
is shade upon the boy she bore

the heart it wants and the heart it needs
but what, dear lord, does darkness breed

IRON MAIDEN

May 11, 2026May 10, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

This poem is a lyric narrative in the confessional and trauma poetry genres, with gothic undercurrents. Its central theme is the aftermath of sexual violence and the profound, shattering psychological damage inflicted upon a survivor. The poem also explores the role of the empathetic witness who bears the weight of her confession. The voice is a first-person confidant and listener. This speaker is compassionate, physically attuned to the distress, and ultimately resigned as helpless to wash away the stain of what occurred. Structurally, the poem uses a repetitive, chant-like form across five stanzas, with recurring lines that create a ritualistic, almost mournful incantation. The closing stanza acknowledges the limits of healing: The title, “IRON MAIDEN,” creatively evokes both the medieval torture device and an image of a heart turned into a locked, punishing cage. Written for the novella “A Shattered Cup of Doom,” “Iron Maiden” is newly produced has not yet been assigned to a chapbook.

“IRON MAIDEN”

molly swore me to her secrets
i give my best and nothing less
i hear her
her heartbeat staggers in her chest
a shimmery star amulet
i hear her

molly told me that october
a horrid tale she won’t get over
how once a stranger got to know her
how once a stranger got to know her

what, by god, might a heart do
iron fisted, torn, abused
overdriven insane, bruised
what, by god, might a heart do

i know because she told me so
the numbers, names, her every tear
i could write a book about
the things she wanted me to hear

molly, molly, made insane
the darkness of that night remains
how many tears might lift the stain
even she, herself can’t say

MOLLY BLUE

May 10, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“Molly Blue” is a lyric narrative blending confessional poetry with ballad-like repetition and elegiac tone. Its central theme is the burden of bearing another’s trauma and painful secrets. The voice is a first-person listener and confidant, someone to whom Molly has “sworn” her secrets. The speaker oscillates between tender witness, helpless chronicler, and mourner. Structurally, the poem shifts between rhythmic quatrains and shorter refrain lines. The repetition creates an incantatory effect. The final stanza introduces unresolved mystery, suggesting that some wounds resist articulation, even by the one who lived them. The imagery grounds the ethereal pain in physical, almost noir detail. This poem was written for the novella “A Shattered Cup of Doom,” and being newly produced, it has not yet been assigned to a chapbook.

“MOLLY BLUE”

molly swore me to her secrets
i guess to test, but nonetheless
i hear her
and getting something off her chest
a haze of menthol cigarettes
i hear her

molly told me that september
she so young, she can’t remember
how once upon a time, forever
to other arms, her soul surrendered

what, by god, in moonlight shown
cleavered clean from all she’d known
abandoned, set adrift, alone
what, by god, in moonlight shown

i know because she told me so
the numbers, names, her every tear
i could write a book about
the things she wanted me to hear

molly, molly, child estranged
the darkness of that night remains
what wind aloft might drive the rain
even she, herself can’t say

MOLLY BLACK

May 10, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

This poem is a lyric incantation, drawing on the traditions of chant, folk magic, and gothic verse. Its central theme is the summoning of forbidden or dangerous feminine power, blending erotic obsession with spiritual transgression. The voice speaks in imperative commands within a ceremonial circle. The tone is hushed, urgent, and reverent, building toward the whispered climax of the curse. Structurally, the poem consists of heavy internal rhyme and near-rhyme that mimics the repetitive nature of spellcasting. The juxtaposition of sacred imagery with profane or transgressive language aligns with the “A Shattered Cup Of Doom” novella’s recurring tension between salvation and damnation. Originally titled “Draw Down The Moon”, “Molly Black” appears as a snapshot in the “First Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“MOLLY BLACK”

open the circle,
open the door,
draw down the moon,
draw out the whore.
the greenwood floor,
the quarters, four,
the witch, she whispered
the curse d’amour

CHURCH TO ME

May 24, 2026May 10, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

“Church To Me” is a lyric poem with strong elements of spiritual skepticism and romantic devotion, blending confessional and secular hymn traditions. Its central theme is the replacement of institutional religion with a beloved person as the locus of transcendence, grace, and moral reckoning, without requiring faith in God, heaven, scripture, or organized worship. The voice is a first-person speaker who is unapologetically flawed, agnostic, and self-deprecating, yet experiences the beloved as a sacred presence. Structurally, the poem uses a repeated refrain across five quatrains, each rejecting a traditional religious element before affirming that the woman’s supernatural quality provokes the same awe, sanctuary, and moral gravity as church. The language is plain, rhythmically steady, and undercut by earthy imagery that grounds the spiritual claim in bodily, lived experience. Written for the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, this poem appears in the “Second Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“CHURCH TO ME”

i don’t pretend to be an angel
i’ve done my share of evil deeds
but something in her, supernatural
seems so much like church to me

i don’t intend to go to heaven
just roll my carcass to the street
but something in the air about her
seems so much like church to me

i don’t depend upon some jesus
cannot believe what i can’t see
but something in her eyes, like lightning
seems so much like church to me

i don’t attend saint paul’s on sundays
i naturally just oversleep
but somehow she’s my sanctuary
seems so much like church to me

i can’t defend the holy bible
i cannot reckon what it means
but something singing in her whisper
somehow seems like church to me

TIME AND TIME AGAIN

May 11, 2026May 10, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

This poem is a lyric poem, with strong elements of confessional and gothic poetry. Its central theme is the cyclical nature of suffering and redemption—specifically, the journey from suicidal despair and imprisonment toward spiritual rescue through love. The voice is a first-person speaker, who oscillates between raw anguish and hard-won salvation. Structurally, the poem uses stark rhyme, repetition, and fragmented imagery to mimic obsessive thought and emotional relapse. A new work, “Time And Time Again” is not yet assigned to a chapbook.

“TIME AND TIME AGAIN”

the darkest night of all my days
mousetrap house rat in a maze
some angel shoulder old crow sings
one-eye jack go suicide king

the knight is still without the moon
lately death can’t come too soon
an ounce of cure, a pound of rock
beat the dead horse, beat the clock

marking time and time again
i’m living hell and back again
again and again
and again
again

the prison gate reverberates
scared straight date where fate awaits
lightning striking, hallowed hall
shadow creeping up the wall

she sat beside me on death row
her eyes a blue electric glow
my heart plugged into supercharge
the second hand remains at large

travel time and time again
i’m back from living hell again
again and again
and again
again

she stood to rise and took my arm
and led my spirit clear of harm
due time done did doing time
a simple love, a simple rhyme

energized amazed enthralled
her picture nailed onto the wall
the undeath of the valley stir
every time i think of her

TWENTIETH & SIXTH

April 25, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

The mystical and darkly spiritual work called “Twentieth & Sixth” is something of a ghost story, a snapshot in the back story of the antagonist character in the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella. The poem is an Urban Gothic type with a note of Melancholic Lyrical that conveys the haunting memory of a particular crossroads and emanates from the battered psyche of one particularly troubled witch, an unlikely villain silently seething with vengeance and relentlessly nursing a vicious agenda. The poem is released in the “Third Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“TWENTIETH & SIXTH”

lonelier, yet,
than just alone,
ghost of passion
bastard drone
undead adrift,
chained to a myth
of some church
twentieth and sixth
where some are born
and some are cloned
but all them boys
are turned to stone
the fruits of one
ecstatic kiss
all avenues
lead me to this

ALWAYS

April 25, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

The poem “Always”, although tiny in stature, packs a large structural punch that interlocks two souls in a single space in time, and for all time. It is an expression of the remnants of a doomed romance trapped in time, yet timeless, holding only the distant memory, maintaining no presence, and having no hope for any future. It is at once happy and sorrowful, at once triumphant and somber, and at once blessed and cursed. The poem is classified in the Lyric tradition while employing a distinctly minimalist and free verse style. A snapshot in the “A Shattered Cup of Doom” novella, it is released as a part of the “First Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“ALWAYS”

always
there you are
in the place
that I
last left you
waiting
in the place
that you
last left me
forever
waiting
always and forever
there you are

ALL YOU KNOW

April 15, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

An example of Lyric Poetry, “All You Know” is a self-talk done in blues form. The words are taking the wisdom of a friend and instilling them as one’s own mantra of a new anti-discipline: letting oneself go. It is part of the narration character’s backstory in the “An Empty Cup of Doom” novella and appears in the “First Shards of Broken Glass” chapbook.

“ALL YOU KNOW”

when the clouds get heavy
don’t they rain
when the clouds get heavy
they just go ahead and rain
when the weight
of the world
is on your shoulders
and all you know is pain
you can cry
just like the clouds
you can cry

when the sun gets tired
don’t it sleep
when the sun gets tired
it just lays right down and sleeps
when the dark
of the night
falls upon your soul
and all you know is grief
lay to die
just like the sun
and let it die

maybe the moon will rise
maybe the stars will fall
when i look to the skies
i realize
after all this time
that i know nothing at all

when the clouds get heavy
don’t they rain

JUKE

April 9, 2026 by Robert Myrnyj

The ambitious six-part narrative “Juke” is a poetic take on the legendary folk tales of the Mississippi Delta Bluesmen. Here, the universal tale of a meeting with the Devil at the crossroads is bungled ironically enough by the sin and vice of an aspiring musician.

“JUKE”

i left the delta on a train
for chicago in the pouring rain
but the central line, it runs two ways
and will return again someday

mississippi chicago
the more you look the more you know
it makes no difference, you see
pullin’ cotton , packin’ meat

a stella flat-top made of birch
stolen from a bronzeville church
i can’t sing or play a note
yet fortune waits for me i’m told