In the long stamped path over white snow the blood left distinct marks, slowly catching into evaporating bubbles of steam. The fox sniffed at the ground in pursuit of prey, a lonely hunter, surviving at this point on instinct and genetics. Above a hawk watches, circling, making note for an upcoming feast, talons ready for the rapture. The river slowed by ice, the temperature cause for concern, the fish buried to the lowest depths, with the mud holding earth warmth inside. 

And along the shallow edge the survivors would come, one by one, for a last taste of life, before the world froze, and an eternal winter began.

Excited for my first publication of 2026 and it is exclusive to twitter/x at Mythic Picnic in their Micro Mayhem series. This short by me is loosely based on my time growing up in ice hockey locker rooms. Thank you so much to editor Nathan Pettigrew for including me.

Leaves fall, and left to the Earth’s whimsy.

Begin anew like language to a child.

In the tunnels below society sustains together,

The sun long since blurring life with death.

In the refresh we grow closer, turning to each other,

For comfort, we intertwine like weeds running up a post,

Savoring touch, rejecting old politics,

To become something better, less wasteful.

Adaptation along a river running fresh blue again,

Long cornflower stalks like midnight moonlight shine bright,

To see such wonders with human eyes!

The birds know, and watch for us. Steady, ever present.

Till we figure out how to be better,

A tenant to our world, proper and prim,

She shakes with changes, her crust healing,

And we shall one day venture out again, ex

plorers once more.

Another one out in 2025. Even though I am getting lucky enough to get stuff published in a few journals it’s important for me to continue to contribute to zines. They are where I started getting things out years ago. And there is something pure about someone stapling and folding things and mailing them to a friend, or trading them for something else. Anyway lucky to have probably my sweetest poem Dressed for the Party (about penguins of course) in What’s Your Favorite Animal by Naturalist Zinester out of Switzerland. I am allowed to print my own copies here in the states or email the PDF if you’d like to read it just get in touch.

Naturalist Zinester

Merry Christmas to me. Two New poems up today at the wonderful Be About it Press.
Alexandra Naughton has always been super good to me publishing me way back in Be About it Zine #4 a long long time ago. Happy to have Sorcerer and The Time I saw the ice melt published on the Be About it substack today. Free to read at Be About It Press Substack but hit that subscribe button while you are there for more great stuff.

Mirabel Annette Julian Jones celebrated her first Christmas deep in Underground Houston. Her parents wet a small blanket lightly letting her sip water through the thick cloth as a filter. She was growing stronger but her eyes had trouble developing here in the darkness. Her mother sang her old christmas songs this morning, 

“Silent Night, Holy Night,”Her father held her tight, the wounds on his shoulder still healing from the uprising. They now hid from retribution deep in the underbelly of the Houston underground. Four families had carved out a place they could protect should anyone vengeful come looking. But they were running low on food and would have to venture back up sometime.
Joseph, a small six year old, came up to Mirabel’s mother with a small stuffed animal, ragged and loved. Mirabel’s mother nodded and he brought it and placed it in tiny Mirabel’s hands. She gripped it with infant instinct and held on tight, the fur a tactile touch she did not know. She would have this bear years later, in her office as president, high on a cabinet shelf, a reminder of where she came from.

“Merry Christmas,” Joseph said as he skipped away.

Mondays suck right? Well let’s make them not suck so much in 2026.

i want your weird, your strange, your happy no one is looking poems, flash, prose, and fiction to publish here on the blog on Mondays in 2026. No rules except keep it under 1k words.

And I’m going to pay each accepted author five dollars per work (paid the month your work is published) and you retain all rights to your work (just credit luckycreature as first place if you republish). And once accepted don’t submit again this year.

i will keep subs open until I have something for all 52 Mondays in 2026 and I will respond to all of them sent my way. Please email them either in body of email or as a docx file to luckycreaturelabel @ gmail . Com without the spaces with the subject line Mucky Mondays sub. Please also include your bio and any links to you that you wish to provide.

Good luck. Let’s get Mucky! First piece goes live January 5th