O:JA&L Poetry: All forms & styles
Prose Poetry
Ken Poyner
STEADY WORK
I spend the day sequencing the ducks. By ducks I mean geese and swans and anything with wings that floats. It is my endeavor, done by my work rules. The important thing is that by the next morning, the ducks have re-sequenced themselves. I am no longer in command of the order. I select a bench lakeside different from the bench I used the day before. The ducks and geese mingle unaware, gathering most near the usual denizens offering stale bread. I start again. Tomorrow, I will have to restart the sequencing. A meaningless job is no less a job.
About the writer:
Ken Poyner ’s twelve collections of flash fiction and speculative poetry are available from most web booksellers. The latest collection of speculative poetry is Science Is Not Enough. He lives in the lower right-hand corner of Virginia and is married to a world champion female power lifter. He spent 33 years herding computers. See him in Analog, Asimov’s, Café Irreal, Blue Unicorn and another hundred or so places.
Image: Mythic Row (AI-assisted digital image) by O:JA&L staff creative. 2025. Public domain via Midjourney AI.
Explore other work by Ken Poyner:
To explore more of Ken Poyner’s work available on O:JA&L, click in the links below:
Poetry: All forms & styles|Prose Poetry||Ken Poyner|”THE WORRY”
Poetry: All forms & styles|Prose Poetry||Ken Poyner|”THE CASE AGAINST”
Poetry: All forms & styles|Prose Poetry||Ken Poyner|”Steady Work”
Poetry: All forms & styles|Prose Poetry||Ken Poyner|”VALUES”
Poetry: All forms & styles|Prose Poetry||Ken Poyner|”UNPROFITTING PROGRESS”
Flash Fiction|Flash Sequence||Ken Poyner|”Beautification”-“Completing the Circle”-“Proof”
Featured Series: Prose Poetry|Ken Poyner|”The Rain Mistress”
OJAL Art Incorporated, publishing since 2017 as OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L) and its imprints Buttonhook Press, HOT BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Issues, and HIGH BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Art, supports writers and artists worldwide.
O:JA&L’S BUTTONHOOK PRESS MASTERS SERIES
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Brian Clements on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Mark Budman on Flash Discourse
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Ray Gonzalez on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Michael Martone on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Roberta Allen on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Peter Conners on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Maxine Chernoff on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
MORE TITLES IN PRESS
Oh, wow, I love this. I really enjoyed reading it. Well done.