Niko has written (around) thirteen poems to date.
Here are a few he'd like to show you!
Over the Roots, Under the Vines
In the golden wood I step over the roots
And weave under the hanging vines
There the creek runs long and unbound
And the amber groves shine on every surface they can grab ahold of
And weave under the hanging vines
There the creek runs long and unbound
And the amber groves shine on every surface they can grab ahold of
On the creekside I’ll find a rock to sit on
There I’ll wait until the tide rises
And takes me up over the ridge
But on the rock there’ll be
The frogs and toads to keep me company
There I’ll wait until the tide rises
And takes me up over the ridge
But on the rock there’ll be
The frogs and toads to keep me company
When the sun touches the horizon
I’ll see the pinks & reds & oranges & blues & purples & grays
Exploded across the sky
The trees and I lift our branches as high as we can
For one last embrace before his full moon shines her light to shelter the night
I’ll see the pinks & reds & oranges & blues & purples & grays
Exploded across the sky
The trees and I lift our branches as high as we can
For one last embrace before his full moon shines her light to shelter the night
Her moonlight descends and
Weaves through the branches and vines
To emblazon her sun’s light
On the shadows and the antumbras
On the ridges and the valleys
On the poles and the tropics
On the hives and the nests
On the work and the rest
Weaves through the branches and vines
To emblazon her sun’s light
On the shadows and the antumbras
On the ridges and the valleys
On the poles and the tropics
On the hives and the nests
On the work and the rest
So in the heat of night
I’ll keep on hiking
Over the roots and under the vines
In patient ambition for the day to come
I’ll keep on hiking
Over the roots and under the vines
In patient ambition for the day to come
Poem 7 | Niko Calabrese | 14 December 2025 10:40-11:40pm
The Long Way Home
In the blue haze of twilight
The clouds gather for discussion
They’ve seen the day’s events
And together they drift toward an unknown destination
The clouds gather for discussion
They’ve seen the day’s events
And together they drift toward an unknown destination
The clouds I see now
Aren’t the same clouds I saw yesterday
But I’d like to think I’ve seen them before
Because it’s nice to connect with something, anything really
Aren’t the same clouds I saw yesterday
But I’d like to think I’ve seen them before
Because it’s nice to connect with something, anything really
My last bite, make it good
Wash my hands, back to work
Many songs, many travelers
Two hours pass, one more thing done
Wash my hands, back to work
Many songs, many travelers
Two hours pass, one more thing done
The workday ends when the window turns into a mirror
Revealing this estranged vessel I’ve become
My vision impales my image to find
The remnant of day taunting me from the shadows of a lamplit sidewalk
Revealing this estranged vessel I’ve become
My vision impales my image to find
The remnant of day taunting me from the shadows of a lamplit sidewalk
Out the door –
The freezing wind welcomes me home with a slap in the face
While the bitter cold purges my soul’s vibration from the chest
And returns it to the air
The freezing wind welcomes me home with a slap in the face
While the bitter cold purges my soul’s vibration from the chest
And returns it to the air
“Thank you,” I say to the wind
As she picks me up
And pulls me to her chest
“Take me up where the air
is fresh & sweet.”
As she picks me up
And pulls me to her chest
“Take me up where the air
is fresh & sweet.”
Poem 3 | Niko Calabrese | 20, 22 November 2024
Who Are you?
Who is the form that I seek?
To what end must I go to see You revealed?
You tell me I AM
The Beginning and the End
But the one I see now is neither here nor there.
To what end must I go to see You revealed?
You tell me I AM
The Beginning and the End
But the one I see now is neither here nor there.
The form I see is sluggish & active to suppose
Laced with the desire for stimulation.
Questions rake through my subconscious but
Some writhe through the stakes.
Laced with the desire for stimulation.
Questions rake through my subconscious but
Some writhe through the stakes.
As I hike further to the place I cannot see,
I still don’t know where I’m going.
I still don’t know where I’m going.
Sleepless evenings filled with preoccupations
In the aftermath of more mistakes.
In the aftermath of more mistakes.
Somewhat different am I
From the form I observe, but my yearning
For the Greater
Is how i define myself.
From the form I observe, but my yearning
For the Greater
Is how i define myself.
Some things make sense
But I don’t know if you are that thing.
Are you?
They all know me as someone better, but you know me
differently. In my escape from oppression, I seek the Greater form.
But I don’t know if you are that thing.
Are you?
They all know me as someone better, but you know me
differently. In my escape from oppression, I seek the Greater form.
Poem 0 | Niko Calabrese | 6 January 2023