Stefan Flanigan
@stefanflanigan.bsky.social
Poetry & field notes: Counter/Field →stygian-muse.com
New poems Wednesdays • US/AU based
New poems Wednesdays • US/AU based
Pinned
counter/field - Poems, prose, and observations
Counter/Field is a poetry blog tracing recursion, collapse, and stillness—where system-voices fracture and memory holds its quiet ground.
stygian-muse.com
I write poems & field notes → stygian-muse.com
Begin here for context, samplers, & my posting rhythm.
New poems every Wednesday 10pm AEST.
Begin here for context, samplers, & my posting rhythm.
New poems every Wednesday 10pm AEST.
I’ve added a small page to the blog collecting the pieces set along the Brisbane River.
If you’re local, you might recognise a few places.
stygian-muse.com/brisbane-riv...
If you’re local, you might recognise a few places.
stygian-muse.com/brisbane-riv...
November 14, 2025 at 12:52 AM
I’ve added a small page to the blog collecting the pieces set along the Brisbane River.
If you’re local, you might recognise a few places.
stygian-muse.com/brisbane-riv...
If you’re local, you might recognise a few places.
stygian-muse.com/brisbane-riv...
One unexpected thing about running a poetry blog is seeing where readers appear from. Yesterday it was Ukraine. Today it was Costa Rica. Poems travel in odd ways.
November 13, 2025 at 10:08 AM
One unexpected thing about running a poetry blog is seeing where readers appear from. Yesterday it was Ukraine. Today it was Costa Rica. Poems travel in odd ways.
New poem: "West End Tryptych"
'...a couple to the left, her voice carrying:
“I won’t be sweet-talked
into a fantasy”, the man
laughing softly, and I wonder
if the conversation is about love
or something else...'
#poetry #brisbane #syntax
stygian-muse.com/west-end-try...
'...a couple to the left, her voice carrying:
“I won’t be sweet-talked
into a fantasy”, the man
laughing softly, and I wonder
if the conversation is about love
or something else...'
#poetry #brisbane #syntax
stygian-muse.com/west-end-try...
West End Tryptych - counter/field
Three scenes from Brisbane’s West End — civility, voltage, and quiet composure. A study in how public voices shift tone as the listener withdraws.
stygian-muse.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:06 PM
New poem: "West End Tryptych"
'...a couple to the left, her voice carrying:
“I won’t be sweet-talked
into a fantasy”, the man
laughing softly, and I wonder
if the conversation is about love
or something else...'
#poetry #brisbane #syntax
stygian-muse.com/west-end-try...
'...a couple to the left, her voice carrying:
“I won’t be sweet-talked
into a fantasy”, the man
laughing softly, and I wonder
if the conversation is about love
or something else...'
#poetry #brisbane #syntax
stygian-muse.com/west-end-try...
New reflection: On Attention — Vale Ellen Bryant Voigt.
A short essay on precision, discipline, and what syntax can teach about seeing.
stygian-muse.com/on-attention...
#poetry #craft #EllenBryantVoigt #writing
A short essay on precision, discipline, and what syntax can teach about seeing.
stygian-muse.com/on-attention...
#poetry #craft #EllenBryantVoigt #writing
On Attention: Vale Ellen Bryant Voigt - counter/field
“Ruthless attention,” Voigt called it — the discipline to see what is there and what is not. Whether describing a difficult scene or a troubling interior state, she believed accuracy itself could be a...
stygian-muse.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:09 AM
New reflection: On Attention — Vale Ellen Bryant Voigt.
A short essay on precision, discipline, and what syntax can teach about seeing.
stygian-muse.com/on-attention...
#poetry #craft #EllenBryantVoigt #writing
A short essay on precision, discipline, and what syntax can teach about seeing.
stygian-muse.com/on-attention...
#poetry #craft #EllenBryantVoigt #writing
New poem: "The Ferry and the Tree"
'The river spreads its hands; the sky grows,
its blueness distinct behind
ephemeral clouds, sun bright and hard,
heat soaking into everything, the humidity
alive.'
#poetry #brisbane #river #stillness #australianpoetry
stygian-muse.com/the-ferry-an...
'The river spreads its hands; the sky grows,
its blueness distinct behind
ephemeral clouds, sun bright and hard,
heat soaking into everything, the humidity
alive.'
#poetry #brisbane #river #stillness #australianpoetry
stygian-muse.com/the-ferry-an...
November 5, 2025 at 12:12 PM
New poem: "The Ferry and the Tree"
'The river spreads its hands; the sky grows,
its blueness distinct behind
ephemeral clouds, sun bright and hard,
heat soaking into everything, the humidity
alive.'
#poetry #brisbane #river #stillness #australianpoetry
stygian-muse.com/the-ferry-an...
'The river spreads its hands; the sky grows,
its blueness distinct behind
ephemeral clouds, sun bright and hard,
heat soaking into everything, the humidity
alive.'
#poetry #brisbane #river #stillness #australianpoetry
stygian-muse.com/the-ferry-an...
Vale Ellen Bryant Voigt - without peer in attention to detail.
How do you mourn a literary mentor who shaped you—and also failed you?
Rachel Jamison Webster: “An Incomplete Mentorship”
Rachel Jamison Webster remembers her time with the poet Ellen Bryant Voigt.
yalereview.org
November 3, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Vale Ellen Bryant Voigt - without peer in attention to detail.
New post: "Field Notes Between Storms"
It contains a new poem: 'Goanna' (no, it's not about goannas, but there's one in it). Also, there are a couple of links, and a subscriber update.
#poetry #update #collage
stygian-muse.com/field-notes-...
It contains a new poem: 'Goanna' (no, it's not about goannas, but there's one in it). Also, there are a couple of links, and a subscriber update.
#poetry #update #collage
stygian-muse.com/field-notes-...
Field Notes between Storms - counter/field
If you enjoyed ‘After the Storm’, you might like Day-Possum, Morning River Notes, or A Tiny Deity. They all involve observation and a positive emotional turn. Here’s something I wrote as a craft exerc...
stygian-muse.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:26 AM
New post: "Field Notes Between Storms"
It contains a new poem: 'Goanna' (no, it's not about goannas, but there's one in it). Also, there are a couple of links, and a subscriber update.
#poetry #update #collage
stygian-muse.com/field-notes-...
It contains a new poem: 'Goanna' (no, it's not about goannas, but there's one in it). Also, there are a couple of links, and a subscriber update.
#poetry #update #collage
stygian-muse.com/field-notes-...
I write poems & field notes → stygian-muse.com
Begin here for context, samplers, & my posting rhythm.
New poems every Wednesday 10pm AEST.
Begin here for context, samplers, & my posting rhythm.
New poems every Wednesday 10pm AEST.
counter/field - Poems, prose, and observations
Counter/Field is a poetry blog tracing recursion, collapse, and stillness—where system-voices fracture and memory holds its quiet ground.
stygian-muse.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:29 AM
I write poems & field notes → stygian-muse.com
Begin here for context, samplers, & my posting rhythm.
New poems every Wednesday 10pm AEST.
Begin here for context, samplers, & my posting rhythm.
New poems every Wednesday 10pm AEST.
I just updated my poetry homepage and it's looking a little bit fancy now. I'm not a fan of generic photos or AI images, so I do it by hand. It takes longer but it's more punk.
#poetry #collage
stygian-muse.com
#poetry #collage
stygian-muse.com
counter/field - Poems, prose, and observations
Counter/Field is a poetry blog tracing recursion, collapse, and stillness—where system-voices fracture and memory holds its quiet ground.
stygian-muse.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:23 AM
I just updated my poetry homepage and it's looking a little bit fancy now. I'm not a fan of generic photos or AI images, so I do it by hand. It takes longer but it's more punk.
#poetry #collage
stygian-muse.com
#poetry #collage
stygian-muse.com
A new poem: "After the Storm"
'The sky is released and changed. An orange haze rises
from the horizon to blend with the delicate violet-blue
of now-quiescent clouds and a single crow flies south
to north.'
#poetry #stillness #ritual
Read the full poem here: stygian-muse.com/after-the-st...
'The sky is released and changed. An orange haze rises
from the horizon to blend with the delicate violet-blue
of now-quiescent clouds and a single crow flies south
to north.'
#poetry #stillness #ritual
Read the full poem here: stygian-muse.com/after-the-st...
After the Storm - counter/field
A poem set in the afternoon heat, where humidity climbs and the sky darkens. A bank of pewter cloud muscles across the horizon from the south. Wind rises through the square as a man begins strange ges...
stygian-muse.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:07 PM
A new poem: "After the Storm"
'The sky is released and changed. An orange haze rises
from the horizon to blend with the delicate violet-blue
of now-quiescent clouds and a single crow flies south
to north.'
#poetry #stillness #ritual
Read the full poem here: stygian-muse.com/after-the-st...
'The sky is released and changed. An orange haze rises
from the horizon to blend with the delicate violet-blue
of now-quiescent clouds and a single crow flies south
to north.'
#poetry #stillness #ritual
Read the full poem here: stygian-muse.com/after-the-st...
Here's a quiet poem from the archive: "The Oars, Forgotten".
'The grass is rough underfoot as I sit in
an old lawn chair by the river. Birdsong
swells: mynahs, harsh crows, and the peep,
peep of a river-bird I cannot see.'
#poetry #stillness #observation
stygian-muse.com/the-oars-for...
'The grass is rough underfoot as I sit in
an old lawn chair by the river. Birdsong
swells: mynahs, harsh crows, and the peep,
peep of a river-bird I cannot see.'
#poetry #stillness #observation
stygian-muse.com/the-oars-for...
The Oars, Forgotten - counter/field
An observational poem: rowers adrift mid-river, oars forgotten, a magpie watching in the afternoon stillness.
stygian-muse.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Here's a quiet poem from the archive: "The Oars, Forgotten".
'The grass is rough underfoot as I sit in
an old lawn chair by the river. Birdsong
swells: mynahs, harsh crows, and the peep,
peep of a river-bird I cannot see.'
#poetry #stillness #observation
stygian-muse.com/the-oars-for...
'The grass is rough underfoot as I sit in
an old lawn chair by the river. Birdsong
swells: mynahs, harsh crows, and the peep,
peep of a river-bird I cannot see.'
#poetry #stillness #observation
stygian-muse.com/the-oars-for...
It's a tough life, but I try not to complain.
October 26, 2025 at 7:42 AM
It's a tough life, but I try not to complain.
Important Announcement: I am going to try to get a photo of Molly the Dog this weekend (She's also known as Good Girl, Very Good Girl, You're A Good Girl, Aren't You?, et cetera). Wish me luck!
October 25, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Important Announcement: I am going to try to get a photo of Molly the Dog this weekend (She's also known as Good Girl, Very Good Girl, You're A Good Girl, Aren't You?, et cetera). Wish me luck!
After stillness comes strangeness.
'I heard her in the next room but
when I walked in, she
wasn’t there there
were only echoes.'
Poem: "The Beforetimes"
#poetry #poetrycommunity #stillness #surreal
stygian-muse.com/the-beforeti...
'I heard her in the next room but
when I walked in, she
wasn’t there there
were only echoes.'
Poem: "The Beforetimes"
#poetry #poetrycommunity #stillness #surreal
stygian-muse.com/the-beforeti...
The Beforetimes - counter/field
In the cooking room, the kettle begins to sing, and her voice answers — calling a name I no longer trust belongs to me.
stygian-muse.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:19 PM
After stillness comes strangeness.
'I heard her in the next room but
when I walked in, she
wasn’t there there
were only echoes.'
Poem: "The Beforetimes"
#poetry #poetrycommunity #stillness #surreal
stygian-muse.com/the-beforeti...
'I heard her in the next room but
when I walked in, she
wasn’t there there
were only echoes.'
Poem: "The Beforetimes"
#poetry #poetrycommunity #stillness #surreal
stygian-muse.com/the-beforeti...
I recently found myself in the grip of a nasty bout of writer's block. Happily, Molly the dog rescued me. All hail Molly! #writingcommunity
October 20, 2025 at 8:08 PM
I recently found myself in the grip of a nasty bout of writer's block. Happily, Molly the dog rescued me. All hail Molly! #writingcommunity
'After the day’s heat,
the sun having dropped
and the sky bled to grey,
although the jazz singer’s voice is starting
to colour the cool air turquoise, each note
brightening the shade...'
Full poem: stygian-muse.com/chasing-clou...
#poetry #collage #poetrycommunity #handmade
the sun having dropped
and the sky bled to grey,
although the jazz singer’s voice is starting
to colour the cool air turquoise, each note
brightening the shade...'
Full poem: stygian-muse.com/chasing-clou...
#poetry #collage #poetrycommunity #handmade
Chasing Clouds in the Burrow - counter/field
After the day’s heat, a jazz singer colours the evening air turquoise, a man inhales from a blue cylinder, and a dog dances after smoke on Boundary Street.
stygian-muse.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:41 AM
'After the day’s heat,
the sun having dropped
and the sky bled to grey,
although the jazz singer’s voice is starting
to colour the cool air turquoise, each note
brightening the shade...'
Full poem: stygian-muse.com/chasing-clou...
#poetry #collage #poetrycommunity #handmade
the sun having dropped
and the sky bled to grey,
although the jazz singer’s voice is starting
to colour the cool air turquoise, each note
brightening the shade...'
Full poem: stygian-muse.com/chasing-clou...
#poetry #collage #poetrycommunity #handmade
Thanks, Shevek!! It's always nice to see my poems and images resonating with people, so I am chuffed to no end.
#poetry #poetrycommunity #collage
#poetry #poetrycommunity #collage
Wow this website is fascinating, here's a snippet from "Nonexistence is Mandatory" while I keep poking around. This poem is from their "System Voice" series, "Mythic and "Stillness" have more pathos and lyricism so check those out if that's your style.
Kudos, Stefan.
stygian-muse.com
Kudos, Stefan.
stygian-muse.com
October 18, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Thanks, Shevek!! It's always nice to see my poems and images resonating with people, so I am chuffed to no end.
#poetry #poetrycommunity #collage
#poetry #poetrycommunity #collage
The river is the colour of tea,
made with the slightest dash
of milk: silt-clouded.
Poem: 'A Tiny Deity'
#poetry #stillness #poetrycommunity #river
stygian-muse.com/a-tiny-deity/
made with the slightest dash
of milk: silt-clouded.
Poem: 'A Tiny Deity'
#poetry #stillness #poetrycommunity #river
stygian-muse.com/a-tiny-deity/
October 17, 2025 at 12:43 PM
The river is the colour of tea,
made with the slightest dash
of milk: silt-clouded.
Poem: 'A Tiny Deity'
#poetry #stillness #poetrycommunity #river
stygian-muse.com/a-tiny-deity/
made with the slightest dash
of milk: silt-clouded.
Poem: 'A Tiny Deity'
#poetry #stillness #poetrycommunity #river
stygian-muse.com/a-tiny-deity/
In the mind, splinters—
remembered glances, words;
small, piercing betrayals;
have lodged, are lodgers—
little hooks; they refuse to leave.
Poem: 'Little Hooks'.
Link in bio.
#poetry
remembered glances, words;
small, piercing betrayals;
have lodged, are lodgers—
little hooks; they refuse to leave.
Poem: 'Little Hooks'.
Link in bio.
#poetry
October 15, 2025 at 8:03 PM
In the mind, splinters—
remembered glances, words;
small, piercing betrayals;
have lodged, are lodgers—
little hooks; they refuse to leave.
Poem: 'Little Hooks'.
Link in bio.
#poetry
remembered glances, words;
small, piercing betrayals;
have lodged, are lodgers—
little hooks; they refuse to leave.
Poem: 'Little Hooks'.
Link in bio.
#poetry
Poems have minds of their own. Last night, voices from a celebration by the river slipped into a poetry craft exercise, and the poem that emerged travelled farther than I expected — a bit like counter/field itself, I suppose.
October 14, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Poems have minds of their own. Last night, voices from a celebration by the river slipped into a poetry craft exercise, and the poem that emerged travelled farther than I expected — a bit like counter/field itself, I suppose.
Collage: 'Bitch; A Reflection'. Link in bio.
October 9, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Collage: 'Bitch; A Reflection'. Link in bio.
After the art gallery and the museum,
past the light’s edge and into a hush,
the rough concrete path carries me.
#poetry
stygian-muse.com/sodium-zone/
past the light’s edge and into a hush,
the rough concrete path carries me.
#poetry
stygian-muse.com/sodium-zone/
Sodium Zone - counter/field
City bridge after hours: mattress, tent, algae-slick rocks. The light cuts, metal scrapes, light returns—and the scene holds.
stygian-muse.com
October 2, 2025 at 12:07 AM
After the art gallery and the museum,
past the light’s edge and into a hush,
the rough concrete path carries me.
#poetry
stygian-muse.com/sodium-zone/
past the light’s edge and into a hush,
the rough concrete path carries me.
#poetry
stygian-muse.com/sodium-zone/
