Welcome to the Ink Sweat & Tears Poetry Archive
This archive is formed from all the posts from that original Ink Sweat & Tears website, it now consists of everything we have published up to the end of 2019. IS&T was founded by Salt author Charles Christian in 2007 as a platform for new poetry and short prose, and experimental work in digital media. Charles ran the site single-handedly, publishing new work every day till 2010, when now sole editor, poet and artist Helen Ivory came on board as Deputy Editor. The Ink Sweat & Tears website continues to run and can be found here.
You can either click on the poems below which run from most recent to oldest, or you can search for particular poem or poet, there is also a list of all the categories to click through. From Prose & Poetry to Words and Images, Haibun, Tanka, Haiku & Haiga, in addition we have all of the Poems of the month and Poetry picks, old blogs and news, award nominated, reviews and interviews.
Please do take a look.
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Prose and poetry
Poems and prose published on the website from start to finish.
Rachel Burns
Distracted I am distracted by the bang, bang, bang shotguns ringing out across the fields. November and the grouse hunt is in full swing, Boris and Bean, both fat both mean with...
William Harper
Fisher's Folly What was it that brought us to Jasper’s, We both asked of each other Late that evening. I paused, long and hard And thought of The lines My need to keep To clasp...
Grant Guy
The Waitress Brought Him the Menu his wife threw him out told him he was not handsome told him he was not romantic told him he did not earn enough told him he was a bore in bed...
S.A. Leavesley
S.A. Leavesley is a prize-winning poet, fiction writer and journalist. Latest poetry collections include How to Grow Matches (Against The Grain Press, 2018) and plenty-fish (Nine Arches...
Rachel Bower
How to Speak of Grief I break it to her gently. He was old, I say, he had a good life, he was ready. She stares back at me, waiting for more. He won’t wake up again. She drops...
Maryam Gatawa
...And tell the stars Then tell the stars To take their leave too For within our breasts Shines the inward light To sail us through These fields of darkness Why wait for the...
Jeri Onitskansky
Home Grown Poem Bo’s trampled the bleeding hearts and not for purely metaphorical reasons. Squashed and pink in a mulch of pig manure, passion’s illuminated by mango martinis...
Beth McDonough
Grassy Beach evening Stalk between rails and the Tay where light stakes out any primped queen’s lace – which might be jumped-up hedge parsley. Touch columbine in...
Rizwan Akhtar
Word-Pact for Tammara Claire Without your dark eyes and a settled chin the evening is too unstable and shaky even the whetting shrill of woodpeckers is dulled wanting a...
Jane Murray Bird
Nevertold I took him for his wildness – a bite to the back of the neck dead in bed a playful nibble of my bare shoulder for breakfast. He gave me pounding heartbeats, fluttering...
Poetry Picks
Our favourite poems and ‘best of’ chosen from each month between 2007 and 2019
Sam Murphy
£3.56 Trotsky took the bus to the other side of town for his friend's birthday. The birthday was torn up by children running around homemade ponds in hand-me-down trunks and chocolate covered faces. Trotsky had become annoyed by the exponential rate of his...
Angharad Walker
Leda Meets Helen She is fresh on this globe from my globed belly and I am too scared to look. I dread the moment she opens her eyes. She could have his black beads. I unwrap her. Not a feather in sight. I turn her over and over with delight, run...
Eliot North’s ‘My Mother Visits the Dissection Room’ is Pick of the Month for August 2016
August's Pick of the Month comes with the wonderfully quirky title 'My Mother Visits the Dissection Room' which in itself demands that you read it. And it is clear from our voters' response to it that the poem does not disappoint! 'My Mother Visits the Dissection...
Gary W. Hartley
Worker Ant Monologue Alone among thousands millions, maybe We don't even talk if it's not about work If we did we'd say how happy we are Together, not lonely how can you be lonely when so damn together? Exactly. Nods to work/life balance from top...
Sarah Passingham
Lineage Then take one end to draw it close around my shoulders. Let it flow like a mountain burn about my neck but leave at least an inch below my lips where speech denies the thistle. They say the best pulls through a wedding band, but this is...
Abigail George
When light poured into me at the swimming pool There was a sweetness to the day. The horizon a blue harsh line. I looked for stars but there were none. For some reason they were always invisible during the day. My heart was filled with honey. I licked...
Haibun, Tanka, Haiku, & Haiga
Haibun, Tanka, Haiku, & Haiga reviously published on the website.
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12 Days of Christmas
All the poems from our regular 12 days of Christmas feature.
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Words & Images
Words with images previously published on the website.
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Blogs and news
Blogs and archived news from 2007 to 2020.
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Reviews
Archived reviews from 2007 to 2020.
Ken Head reviews David Cooke's 'In the Distance'
In The Distance David Cooke Night Publishing ISBN: 978-1-146-096581-8, Paperback 95ppAn unusual collection in a...
Twelve Days of Christmas Feature – Call for Submissions
Ok, it's that time of year again - well, nearly. I am running a 12 days of Christmas feature again on...
Julia Webb reviews 'Vintage Sea' by Marion McCready
Vintage Sea by Marion McCready, Calderwood Press, 2011, £5McCready has a strong and confident voice, especially so for...
Interviews
Archived interviews from 2007 to 2020.
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