POETS PLACE
NOVEMBER EDITION 2026
YESSSSSSS WE VOTED VOTED VOTED!!! We Turned blue! And now we must end this reign of terror!!! I cannot wrap my head around this constant state of disembowlments. The constant barrage of known, documented, prosecuted, investigated and proved to be true criminal acts within our government and the disgusting vile people in power that allows it to continue. Around the world governments are cheating their people. People in power are disgusting!!! Power corrupts!! DJT has exposed every last deadly sin- Pride
“The "pride that blinds" causes foolish actions against common sense. In political analysis, hubris is often used to describe how powerful leaders become irrationally self-confident and contemptuous of advice over time, leading them to act impulsively” wikipedia. He is full of lust, evidenced a million times. His greed is off the rails. He is the epitome of sloth by having absolutely no interest in the American people. He spews wrath daily upon those that oppose and humiliate him. He shows his envy, especially towards Barack Obama and others that are educated and truly admired for their deeds towards humanity. He is the poster asshole for all those traits. SO WHY CAN HE SIT IN THE HIGHEST OFFICE????? What kind of role model is he???? He will likely go down as the most despicable president in our history. I wish we could wipe out this part. Fucking lame duck!!!
Thank you all for continuing on this journey of life, love, poetry and art! Let’s celebrate the love that is still in our hearts and pray for justice.
Love, Linda :0)
Today's Memorial Minute
By Linda Kaye
Today's memorial minute is brought to you by death
(Xylophone sound)
Death comes to us in all sorts of colors
shades of Black and shades of dust with a musty smell
Inside a cavern of corroding odors
Death wreaks havoc all around us casting it's pallor of dark depression
invades us engulfs us destroys us
Death leaves us feeling feelings
feelings felt for days on end swallowing us whole leaving us to contend
Death doesn't become her, him, them
Death leaves us pale drained grim
This was today's memorial minute
Privacy
By Sam Moore
A place to be.
A time to have.
Alone, without a bone to pick with anyone.
Myself, is all I need.
The bed to sleep.
The air to breathe in.
Water to drink.
Food to eat.
The privacy of self respect.
My name is Sam. I am an artist. A musician of 29 years. I play piano. I play classical music, and a lot of original music. I committed my entire life to the piano at 8, when I met an angel. The angel was an angel of light. And spoke to me in my own, adult voice. I started playing when I was ten, and never looked back.
I am a skateboarder.
Sk8 or Die
Why I Tell You Not to Compare Yourself to Others
By Jackie Chou
My mother's love
didn't care that I lost the pageant contest
didn't even care that I got eliminated
in the first round
My mother's love
didn't care that I Iost the essay contest
but insisted that the whole world
was trying to dim my light
because I shone too brightly
My mother's love
kept her from trading me
for one of her friends' daughters
an attorney
a Jeopardy champion
or an Olympic figure skater
My mother's love
held me to her bosom
and like a fire
kept the life she gave me lit
since the very beginning
Jackie Chou is a writer of poetry and flash fiction who has recent work in Chainmail Poetry, Gnashing Teeth Publishing, Poetry Online, Alien Buddha Zine, and Collaborature. Her poems have been translated into Chinese in the journal Poetry Hall. Her story "Kiss From a Rose on the Grey" is published in Spillwords. She believes that writers must write in order to call themselves writers, and hopes to live up to that herself.
28
BY Mary Cheung
9:33 a.m.
8-7-26
Your life is filled with responsibilities now.
Not as much as I had when I was your age.
But it's a lot for you, more than what you're used to at your stage.
Your calendars a rotating template of scheduled hrs for work.
And early evenings of training for “lion" dancing.
Socializing and exercise being the perks.
Some days I only see you going in the a.m. and returning late evenings around 10.
We leave each other notes,
Colorful Post-its of ideas and thoughts that we send.
I couldn't be happier, though, seeing you in this chapter of your life.
Another year has passed,
wow... you approach 30 at the speed of light.
And through the busy hustle and bustle of it all.
You fill in the spaces of “things" you must do.
To give your life meaning and to level up to a future made just for you.
So, although it's a busy time.
Take joy in the process and all of the change.
Because you'll look back one day
And realize how amazing it all was,
And wonderful and strange.
Happy Birthday, my dear darling girl.
You deserve the best that life has to offer you.
And to you I offer my heart, my soul, and these 3 words: I love you.
Mary Cheung is a multi-disciplinary artist. She has been creating art since she was little. Youngest in a family of eight. She came to America at the age of 2 and grew up in San Francisco. Attended American school during the day and Chinese school at night.
Her real passion and drive come from being able to engage the community while bringing hope, healing, joy, and human connection.
It is her goal to be able to continue to do this while making an impact on society’s values and thinking.
AOC - HOPE IS CONTAGIOUS
Hope Is Contagious is a vibrant political pop art portrait of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), United States Representative, by Keith Kurlander. The artwork features a stylized close-up portrait with dark flowing hair, a deep blue jacket, and luminous mint-green and turquoise facial tones. Bold black outlines and dense multicolored halftone dots create a striking retro comic-book and screen-print aesthetic. The background explodes with bright yellow, hot pink, red, and cyan circular patterns, while distressed lettering declares “HOPE IS CONTAGIOUS.” The vertical black panel spells DIS★OBAY, the signature branding of the series. Combining pop culture graphics, political portraiture, and vivid psychedelic colors, the piece presents a visually energetic interpretation of contemporary American political imagery.
https://www.artpal.com/disobay?i=338929-406
Keith Kurlander “I've always been a creative soul, I make art, music, music videos, TV shows, films and mayhem.
Buy Oh
By Don Kingfisher Campbell
Recently, I was awarded
The Golden Tricycle
by the Childish Poetry Group
I have been published
427 times on the
Poets Who Count website
My irregularly stapled chapbook
If You Are What You Have Seen
won the Write What You Know Prize
You may order my book
One Way to Create Poems
without the pagination you desire
I spoke in words at venues
such as the Stained Napkin Cafe
and the Sphincter Reading House
Finally, please check out my blog
Mirror Lines where you can post
reflections on my finite clarity
Don Kingfisher Campbell- I am moving to where my godfather lived over fifty years ago, Sun City, now Menifee, California. There I will continue to publish poetry, as I recently have been in the tome Unsinkable, a hefty compilation of poetry and prose related to the disaster, published in Ireland where the vessel originally launched. My most recent book, Kingfisher Analogy, is available on Amazon.com and Cyberwit.net along with three older books. I host Saturday Afternoon Poetry live on Zoom at 3pm PST every... Saturday (Details on http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com).
Poem
By Aihua Gao
Once luxurious chairs, now moved outdoors, I encountered them in a second-hand store. There was a time when I saw these old, vintage chairs and wondered, who would invite them home? One day, I went to Nancy's house. Sitting on a worn-out sofa, I felt the accumulation of life... My eyes couldn't take in the countless old decorations on the walls; they deeply affected me... I loved them! I loved my new chairs, even though they were in their twilight years. Their arrival felt like receiving new toys. I cleaned, repaired, and admired them! I didn't think they would be sad, even though they were moved to the backyard, because they could still enjoy beautiful scenery with me... They were still alive!
Potentiality
By Snow Mack
2026
Image
"The Possibility of a Lost Toy In the Mind of a Child"
by Snow Mack
Giclée Print on cotton paper
8 1/4" x 10"
Potentiality is the inherent capacity or ability for development, growth, or coming into existence
Pause for the slightest of chances
Praise for the unpopular baby names, like Enoch and Prisha
Listen for the words never spoken
Consider the unthoughts, the empty air quotes, the word balloons that popped before they were tied to the wrists of the thinkers
Aristotle reminds us that an acorn holds the potentiality to become an oak tree
To calculate the probability of a favorable outcome, divide by the number of possible outcomes
Miles of dignity and kilometers of disgrace weave their way to the stars
Wandering through the realms of possibilities, grasping for the strings tied to word balloons too fragile/distant/exalted to hold
I exist
Snow Mack (she, her) is a contemporary visual artist known for her vibrant, dream-inspired paintings and whimsical assemblage frames. Her work blends pop culture, mythology, and surreal imagery, creating visually rich narratives that are personal and archetypal. Snow Mack lives and works in Los Angeles, where she continues to develop a body of work that merges vivid imagination, cultural commentary, and symbolic vision. SnowMack.com - IG @snowmackart
Poema
By G. Billie Quijano
Beneath these feet
Sacred ground eternally
Cosmic portal
Their realm
Whispers of las faldas flowing through sands of times
My soul in cave dwelling shrines
I have walked a thousand journeys
Sway of the olive trees that guides me
through the winds and fragrance of your roses
La Gitana's grito
Song of Maja
Libation of pomegranate nectar
Abuelita, Abuelo
How do I clear the pathway
To begin healing the past
Hauntings of trauma
I am the product of your challenges and victories
Through the genetic alphabet
Ripples of history washing over re-connection
Wars of souls
Love of spirit
Solace of your embrace
Those of us on this earthly plane
Vessels of memories
We listen to your voice across the cosmos
My heart beats in your ceremony
G. Billie Quijano-Mestiza, Gitana Cosmica, instigator of beauty, Artista, Poeta, Bruja. I honor Dolores Huerta. She made this world a better place. Her eloquence, brilliance, beauty and passion mentored my evolution as a mujer, activist and artist. She gave us her truth, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Rest in power Dolores.
Love
By Kassi Crews
Seeing life through eyes of mine,
I wonder when peace inside will come.
Not to be swayed when circumstances chime,
A solid foundation till the end of time.
The pain I feel cuts deep inside.
When will I choose to have enough?
To let moments be moments is the key.
To have a life of peace and serenity.
The sun will always shine after the rain, this I cannot stop.
My confused feeling of the sort, must be dealt with just the same,
For in this lifetime, I will change.
To build a family is my dream.
Why does it seem so far?
I must remember the harder the struggle, the greater the reward.
Eventually, this dream will come forward.
I’ve come this far for love not to hurt.
Yet still, it does sometimes.
But I can change this painful thing
Into something that will last and shine.
I’ve chosen this life to live.
So I might as well face the facts.
Don’t run from love, face it head on
And do your best to give.
When circumstances aren’t the best,
Remember that’s the opportunity to change.
Stand tall and proud and never give up
And this event will lead you to your next.
Kassi Crews is an entertainment industry veteran and a consummate storyteller. She is a versatile & accomplished actor with a rich background in film, television, audiobooks, improvisation, stand-up comedy, and theatre as well as a published author. She currently focuses her time on building content for OURCOMMONUNITY.ORG serving the under-resourced youth. Crews became an industry leader in Hollywood post-production as the Vice President of Digital Jungle where she oversaw the day-to-day operations and served as producer on an endless list of film and television projects.
“after the blue tsunami recedes”
by dean okamura
blue heron wading
barely making a ripple
calm before, the beak …
Dean resides in Torrance. There is so much happening in this world, but he can only
comment in small poems.
Almost 43 (for TH)
By Heather Romero-Kornblum
Yes, everything is unbearable
Academia sucks
The earth is choking
And this has been going on for you
A long time
This life is small
Beer is beer
Anywhere
Pizza is sometimes pizza
The weekly rhythm
Journal club
Lab meetings
Occasional parties
Tacos eaten
On the faux grass
Amidst rising fresh metal
Glass and concrete
As Marie Antoinette one Halloween
You were so goddamn beautiful
When I was 43
(yes, me again)
I fought off a death
Not of my choosing
For all its daily breads
Whether this life was enough
Wasn’t the right question
You studied death and life
So much
Both choices
Must have seemed equivalent
“Heather, you must kill your babies”
You exclaimed
Bemoaning
An arbitrary word limit
On our article
Why did you decide to end your life at almost 43?
A former academic researcher, Heather Romero-Kornblum returned to poetry after several near-death experiences due to Long Covid. She captures the crumbling of her marriage in the wake of her near-death experiences in I’M NOT OVER YOU – the 2025 Four Feathers Press Chapbook Contest winner. She is published in multiple journals and anthologies, most recently on Poetry Super Highway as featured Poet of the Week, in the Altadena Poetry Review Anthology 2026, Tender Hearts Club by Feather Press, with Women Who Submit in ‘This Makes up the Sky’, LA Art News Poet's Place, Four Feathers Press monthly anthologies with her poem 'Alienation' winning a 2025 Print Poetry Award and her poem 'Flower' winning a 2026 Online Edition Poetry Award, The Zest of the Lemon, on the ZZyZx WriterZ podcast, Cobalt Poets, and in Silver Birch Press’ Words of Advice Poetry & Prose Series. She also leads the weekly community Poetic Problems workshop with the Saturday Afternoon Poetry group. https://www.heatherkornbooks.com/
"Last Night, I, We"
Written by Michelle Smith
(c) November 4, 2026
Inspired by the 2026 Election Day
My son and I are living in two centuries
Our votes posted are in the
wave of blue victory
Casting l, we, walked thru the polling place
through the grace of God and
all the right weaponry
Blue has 64 Senate state seats
It's 2026, are you awakened and not shaken
The voting apathetic?
Or the remaining 13 red states
do they have a headache?
The American trailblaze has made
more than political history,
Our ancestors did not witness the two terms
Obama the first African American president,
Nor were they aware of Stacey Abrams,
paving the way in Georgia, and
Keisha Lance Bottoms:
the first woman,
first mayor,
and African American Madame Governor
plus seven women hold executive power
what a mighty fortress
As California has voted for Becerra,
the first Mexican American governor,
A tribute to Dolores Huerta nonetheless
Her Excellency Deb Haaland, first Native American New Mexico in the southwest
my son and I voted with Harriet Tubman
and the North Star, last night,
For Fredrick Douglass
Nat Turner
John Brown
Slavery of 1619-1865
I recall his first vote in 2005, joyful tears I cried
We took our ancestors and departed loved ones in our hearts, their spirit
fueled us in 20/20 hindsight
Last night, I, we stood in line,
as we left the voting place,
wore an "I Voted" sticker circle
on lapelled coats smiling with pride
The Mississippi Burning of Cheney,
Goodman, and Schwerner enter my mind
As does Fanny Lou Hamer
Shirley Chisholm
Barbara Jordan
Carol Moseley Braun
Michelle Obama
Ketani Brown Jackson
Kamala Harris
Medgar, Malcolm, Martin,
and Viola Liuzzo
Freedom Riders
John Lewis
Rev. Lawson
All champions, valiant
for women, voting, and civil rights
Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman", hear me roar
in numbers too big to ignore...."
These actions are not to be taken
for granted or boasted
Thank you Lord Jesus for our energy
This is America with all the
"Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud"
bountiful and beautiful victories!
Michelle Y. Smith is a Los Angeleno native and is like Stretch Armstrong, an action figure with many life, love, and laughter roles:
My heart is mother to an autistic son who is my more than my pride and joy. Sister, aunt, grand aunt, cousin, & friend. My patience is my employment am a CNA and advocate for the developmentally and elderly disabled community. My drive is published poetry in Love Letters, Acid Verse II, and Just for the People by Los Angeles Poet Society Press; anthologies and zines by DSTLArts; and Four Feathers Press zines and http://saturdayafternoonpoetry.blogspot.com. My poem, "There is a Sunflower" published in June was nominated by the Four Feathers Press PDF/Print Publication Awards.
THANKS FOR JOINING US!!!!
Please submit your written work to: lindakayepoetry@icloud.com
and include a short bio
Linda Kaye writes poetry, curates poetry, produces films, spoken word and art events and produces a poetry column POETS PLACE for the online publication LAARTNEWS throughout the Los Angeles area. She has exhibited artwork. her first, a photograph taken in Waikiki, was represented at the Los Angeles Makery gallery’s REFLECTION:RESILIENCE show curated by the Arroyo Arts Collective. She has also been fortunate to show artwork again at the Los Angeles Makery. Her photograph, Ladispoli, Roma was included in The Quiet show April 2026. Her recent photography, ‘Nature is Not Corrupt’ is showing through October 2026, at the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock art show This Land. This month, November 20, 2026 will be the closing of her first curated art show “Beauties of Hollywood Boulevard” in collaboration with curator Anna P. Sutton and the Arroyo Arts Collective currently on display in the windows of Outfitters Wig in Hollywood!
She has published poetry in the publications, Art Block Zines 2024, 2025 & 2026, Curious Nothing vol 1&2, and the Altadena Poetry Review Anthology 2026.
Linda’s poetry events have included several summer poetry salons, and shows at the Los Angeles Makery, the Align Gallery, 50/50 Gallery, Gold Haus Gallery, Ave 50 Gallery and Rock Rose Gallery in Highland Park, The Manifesto Café in Hermon, Pilates and Arts studio in Echo Park, and Native Boutique, Zweet Café in Eagle Rock. And at the Neutra Institute Gallery and Museum in Silverlake. Her first short documentary film “BORDER POETS” was a socially and politically inspired event with poets and musicians filmed at the border wall near Tecate, Mexico on the Jacumba, Ca. side of the US. The film co-produced by MUD productions is available for viewing on her website and on youtube. https://youtu.be/5Te4-dlhxco
Her rap music video project in collaboration with Mary Cheung, “ERACE-ISM” can also be seen on youtube. https://youtu.be/NfrbveNUBgg This video was accepted into the Ontario Museum of History & Art show “We the People” Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. February 2- April 16, 2023. So honored!!
And… February 19, 2022, she debuted her staged poetry production of “20 Years Left” at the historic Ebell Club in Highland Park! Two sold out shows with 2 standing ovations!! Her documentary short of the making of “20 Years Left” screened at the Highland Park Independent Film festival in 2023 and was awarded an Honorable Mention. Check out the links to reviews and the video!
https://thehollywoodtimes.today/20-years-left-new-show-performance-poetry-music/
20 Years Left youtube live stream 2/19/22
https://youtu.be/GT1D5k2EeKU
Linda Kaye is a native Angeleno who grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She claims to be both a first-generation Valley Girl, and The Original Hipster. Educated at Antioch University and Cal State Long Beach in psychology and social work. Linda, now retired from medical social work, was working for her last seven years of employment as a psychotherapist and licensed clinical supervisor for an out patient mental health clinic. She was a licensed medical social worker for 30+ years working on the front line of healthcare, a private consultant for Physicians Aid Association and for skilled nursing facilities throughout California and Arizona. She was also an adjunct assistant professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Oh yeah.
www.lindakayepoetry.com
Twitter/Instagram: lindakayepoetry
www.laartnews.com
https://shoutoutla.com/meet-linda-kaye-poet-theatrical-poetry-producer-retired-social-worker-and-professor/
http://voyagela.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-linda-kaye/https://
shoutoutla.com/meet-linda-kaye-poet-poetry-and-theatrical-producer-filmmaker/