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.

Herb Kauderer

      I Would Take You Anywhere       Let us not succumb to the American delusion of nature & ruralness.   We are born of technology and live in cities with every amenity we can...

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Claire Walker

  At the Sociology Conference She told us that even basic research questions can be hard. For example, she said - paused to pour a glass of water, time enough to gather her words – how many...

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Marissa Glover

    Running Into My Ex at Publix With all the hard pains passed we stand in silence—two years and shopping carts between us— pretending to search for expected friends, hoping some familiar...

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Phil Vernon

      Instructions Select your glue with care as most are designed for smooth or porous surfaces – not both brush clear of debris then dab with alcohol rehearse the join – and breathe...

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Hannah Jane Walker

  Their small day The trunk is carried down from the attic, the dress beaten and hung out to bleach. After the truck dust clears 100 white plastic chairs are unstacked into a grin. The ceremony...

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Poetry Picks

Our favourite poems and ‘best of’ chosen from each month between 2007 and 2019

Jinny Fisher

      The Scarf This is the scarf Miranda makes. It is the scarf that she knits and knits and knits in strips of colours she picks from the current selection of wool in the hospice shop and that flows from the chest at the end of her bed down the stairs...

Paul Smith

      The Mattress Conspiracy   None of us saw it coming.  It was slow and subtle.  First, a lot of small stores went out of business.  We wouldn’t miss them.  They were tiny – nail salons, currency exchanges, party stores, boutiques, all of them...

Patri Wright

  It Starts with Her Awkward Hairline the bit behind her ear, along the bone, I accidentally on purpose stroke as the comb starts to move freely. Her head between my knees, a kiss on her lobe — something she wouldn’t get in a salon — and fingers that look for...

M. G. Stephens

    Missing Silverware Phantoms annoy my memory palace Late at night into early morning light, Streeling through the halls like banshee, they sing Dissonantly and claim to be me Or my siblings or old friends and lovers, Even to aping our gestures, taking Our...

Emily Oldham

      Love Love speaks in a manna-song, one that God might try on prophets. Don’t guess and tell, it says. You stumble down and through the gaping cave, giddy with self-consciousness and breathless ephemera. Don’t ask, says Love. Don’t assume. So you...

Robin Houghton

      Tying the bowline Slipped back on itself through the first loop, the rope forms a round window. You’re halfway in. Slick as a snake charmer you guide your needle point to pierce the eye, that tooth-shaped space, as words unravel me until nothing...

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.

Interviews

Archived interviews from 2007 to 2020.

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