Read Poems by Daniel Henry Rodgers

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Cryptic Cipher in the Crypt

(Begin: There is no beginning.)

(O' my--not again--you should not have started.)

 The quill burrows. No--splinters. No--fractures. No--was never here.
 
Ink spills--no--veins spill--no--veins collapse--no--veins rewrite.

The vowels--black-lipped--no--the ink coagulates--the ink tightens--the ink breathes-

acrid, metallic, it stings the tongue.

Teeth in the--grain. Teeth in the letters. Teeth in me--no--teeth in you--no--teeth in the mirror-

splinters in the gum's raw edge.

(First Code Fragment: 8F-2R-7L)

 Look closer. Did you find it? Did you feel it? Did you erase it? Did you write it?
 
Did you write it? Did you--did you--did you-

(Wait--did something change? Did you taste it? Did you see it?)
 
Walls tremble--no--the air trembles--the bone trembles--the breath fractures-

walls crack--walls contract--walls... what walls?

(Second Code Fra-gment: 6X-3T-1D)

 Words gnaw--no--you are cracked--no--you are reading--no--you are inside it--no--you are it-

Reverse it. Reverse it. Reverse it. Reverse it. Reverse it. Ti Esrever.

(Third3 Code Fragment: 4M-9Y-5Q)

 It festers. It bleeds. It rots. It wails--like iron scraping stone--like teeth on glass.
 
No--it does not end. It never ended. It was never written.

(Wait. Did it always say that? Was something different before?)

They find me--folded, drained, chanting riddles--you missed it.
    His counselor reads--her pulse dissolves--her lips part--the verse evolves.

(Fourth Code Fragment: 2N-8P-0W)M

 Who wrote this? Who's reading? Who's listening?
 
No--who's speaking peeking? No--who's thinking sinking?
 No--who's remembering dismembering? No--who's forgetting letting?

Your breath is shallow. Your fingers twitch. The ink knows you--its scent of rust and salt-

Did you see it? Look again. Did you miss something? Did you write it? Did you erase it?
   The letters shift. The text moves. The meaning is gone. No--the meaning is waiting-

No--there is no meaning. No--there is only ink. No--there is only you-
a taste of copper on your teeth.

 You have written this before. You will write it again. It will be written again. It will be read again.

It has always existed.

(Final Code Fragment: 6R-3V-7K :(

 Ahhhhhh-

Do not--write. Do not--erase. Do not--read. Do not--think.

        My God. Do not--breathe

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Tom Woody Date: 6/16/2025 8:09:00 AM Haha! Well that was an interesting ride. I've said it before but you certainly have a unique way of expressing yourself. I think it's fair to say no one writes like DHR. My fave line that stood out is the rhyming one just above fourth code fragment. Footnote: I never allow myself to fall under the compulsive need to write, so I don't really experience the frustrations so many writers experience. When something strikes my fancy I'll write and it tends to come fairly easily. When I hit a
Anne Winter Date: 6/16/2025 7:25:00 AM Dearest Daniel, this poem reminded me of the book The Bell Jar, where Esther cannot read or write. Sometimes, it feels like there's something indescribable I want to write but I cannot write it articulately, we all have doubts. This poem is describing the chaos very well and this line is very calming “You have written this before. You will write it again. It will be written again. It will be read again”. I really enjoyed reading this poem, my dearest friend. With love and respect always, Anne

Tom Woody

Date: 6/16/2025 8:09:00 AM

Haha! Well that was an interesting ride. I've said it before but you certainly have a unique way of expressing yourself. I think it's fair to say no one writes like DHR. My fave line that stood out is the rhyming one just above fourth code fragment. Footnote: I never allow myself to fall under the compulsive need to write, so I don't really experience the frustrations so many writers experience. When something strikes my fancy I'll write and it tends to come fairly easily. When I hit a

Anne Winter

Date: 6/16/2025 7:25:00 AM

Dearest Daniel, this poem reminded me of the book The Bell Jar, where Esther cannot read or write. Sometimes, it feels like there's something indescribable I want to write but I cannot write it articulately, we all have doubts. This poem is describing the chaos very well and this line is very calming “You have written this before. You will write it again. It will be written again. It will be read again”. I really enjoyed reading this poem, my dearest friend. With love and respect always, Anne

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