O:JA&L Poetry: All forms & styles
Prose Poetry
Ken Poyner
UNDERSTANDING
For a fistful of moments, I stare into the monster’s eyes. No one heretofore has met him face to face. Usually, surprised victims seldom get beyond an unfeatured look at him, describing merely claws and fur and a congress of teeth. I have opportunity to probe and what I see is the monster’s essentials, his will to be a better, as he understands monsters, monster. Our concept of monsters to him is alien. Deep within him is a calm striving, a pattern for finding his place in our world. A peace of purpose. The fistful of moments becomes a handful.
About the writer:
Ken Poyner has eleven available collections of poetry, flash fiction and micro-fiction, the latest The Lechery of Fish Tuners, drabbles. He has suffered ten Pushcart nominations without a win, and has taught on an NEA Poets in the Schools grant. He spent 33 years herding computers. He is married to a world class female powerlifter, who is still setting raw world records.
Image: “I ought to be thy Adam…” (AI-assisted digital image) by O:JA&L staff creative. 2026. Public domain via Midjourney AI.
Other work by Ken Poyner available at O:JA&L:
Poetry: All forms & styles|Prose Poetry||Ken Poyner|”UNDERLYING PREDICTION”
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”
Poetry: All forms & styles|Prose Poetry||Ken Poyner|”Balancing the Rapture”
Poetry: All forms & styles|Prose Poetry||Ken Poyner|”Competitive First Date”
Poetry: All forms & styles|Prose Poetry||Ken Poyner|”Building the Serial Killer”
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.
The O:JA&L Free Presses Masters Series
The O:JA&L Free Presses Masters Series (from OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters) gathers acclaimed writers for concise, downloadable chapbooks that pair fresh work with candid reflections on craft. Each installment—often framed by an interview with an associate editor—opens a window onto how masters of poetry, prose poetry, flash fiction, and related hybrid forms build voice, compression, and surprise. Designed as a reader’s invitation and a writer’s toolbox, the series celebrates literary art that moves fast, cuts deep, and lingers long after the last line.
Click on the titles below to explore or download the free PDF chapbooks.
Prose Poetry and Flash Discourse
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
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Pedro Ponce on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Kent Dixon on Flash Fiction & Nonfiction
With an interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
MIixed Forms: Haibun, Haiga, & Tanka Prose
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Roberta Beary on Haibun
With an interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
Experimental Discourse
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Jim Meirose on Experimental Discourse (XP)
With an interview by Associate Editor Warwick Newnham
Poetry: All forms & styles
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Poetry from Bruce McRae
With an Interview by Associate Editor Jeff Streeby
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Poetry from Richard Widerkehr
With an Interview by Associate Editor Jeff Streeby
The Dally Post Press Masters Series: Cowboy Poetry from Rod Miller
With an Interview by Associate Editor Jeff Streeby
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