Cover

By Scott Bailey © 2026

You a square
A nerd, a regular guy
They said
That’s what they saw
They missed the depth
I am cubed, irregular, weird
Infinite
Spiralling
Spiralling


In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVqq9KxAVD8?xmt=AQF05TtOY3ZAKH108g_kQhxdqHPXEWNtxzRPTRJxgqD5PwM1_4VykF_B0hx1bMdkQUkW5mx_&slof=1

Simplicity

By Scott Bailey © 2026


Your dogs chin on your knee
Bills paid
A cup of tea
Simple joys
What most of us crave
Beyond all the noise



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVoHuCXDPDd?xmt=AQF0kZCXWvEAL6GYSkW1jrduy97IzM3qrjKa7leQdmjMP4yrU5__eOIIyR-G0pn6Nd2vq-sL&slof=1

Moonside

By Scott Bailey © 2026

The far side of the moon
Is not dark, actually
It is illuminated by the madness
Of tortured talent
Contemplating time and money
And impending death
Singing into the sky



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVljwzTjAOK?xmt=AQF0ijTRGE28IzF65c8PqQj2lD6KO6Ux2IAN4WdQwR8R16RjRH1EC8I-bQjDzpE-TfWS8PDw&slof=1

Beyond

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Anxiety starts at the foot of my bed
Beyond the impenetrable shield of the duvet
Out there, where things matter
The weight of the world awaits
Only heroes and fools venture beyond



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVjCqLeDDTY?xmt=AQF0F__KOqAJJuMXeg8c39PgpHbyrhf_vv4jLzM_H7vY_c77hf-7Ed_kGXcvVfifx3mJfFtI&slof=1

The Book

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Against the backdrop of the stars
In floats
Frozen
Preserved
A book
One day
Alien eyes might find it
Decode it
Understand it
Learn about the world
That discarded such things
And why it died



In response to malformed_poetry’s poem


https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVgXwLPDFyo?xmt=AQF0MJiuJr8yIQVNq_B8_feG9kAAS8wE8NWveACcfvS9GdoA0MairteAKO6Md8FxrzrrII8&slof=1

No Wonder

By Scott Bailey © 2026

After all, we are shameful
Stupid and disgusting
Expendable
No wonder
We are falling


In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVd0NfSDCV5?xmt=AQF05zfA5VykjcQ12M9W7Zx-EcK5mBjbVo6jryreOr27J28n2pnCKFDqGwuMpBwmIEhaY0J8&slof=1

The Cruel Wind

By Scott Bailey © 2026

The wind will carry all kinds of litter

I watch it go, feeling bitter

There I am a bitter sitter

Weary of the time I fritter

Wearied by what the wind won’t take

By design or by mistake 

My ageing mask begins the flake 

My solid core begins to shake 

Because the wind won’t take my pain

My grief and regret it does disdain 

And it will not deign to explain

So the wind will ever be my bane.

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVbQKkoAh-I?xmt=AQF0IWHjpfT5lgrsNYDc5AYMeL6woiqasmNG7JMT5StZEaMQ6U1ZCwdZtpDGAWyxsnhWHtg&slof=1

Madness

By Scott Bailey © 2026

What madness is this?
Words on a mind
Defining words
Enclosing words
Words as chains of judgement
Knowledge from the past
That’s creeping back
Like a disease


In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVYrhLmDJwk?xmt=AQF0tmVXOOzh-g_cJ5tCjI_vCyB8Vao_lthIE5yLgaUMM7xbQzLlRi18rDfd0ORn7Fb31zI&slof=1

Wakes

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Some people race through life
Like expensive speedboats
Churning everything behind them
And making a splash
Others sail serenely by
Barely making a ripple
In the end, all wakes are erased
By the waves of time



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVWH_DpiH8l?xmt=AQF0cGEkwT_fKa1x3UglpHoN04VZZ3paNwbJELzNFhyUnspLIYUzN9hInellf9mHPmIqsYM&slof=1

Mourning

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Justice was long dead
Law breaking fragrant
Honour was cold in the earth
Food for worms
Truth had disappeared
Into a quagmire of blatant lies
So it was no surprise
That the empire crumbled slowly
Before our very eyes



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVTjUsiEztt?xmt=AQF0Wm9nzU92Qm9Fopqa3xf6CiWXasKvDDoIP1G2Kwv0D10-qhMVp5vw7ylge2KdrRqtiEM&slof=1

Comfort

By Scott Bailey © 2026

I take comfort
In home
In family
In security
In peace
In friends
In dependability
So anyone espousing policies
Defending these
Is desperate and suspicious



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVQ6aEiEjIN?xmt=AQF02FN-WoH43rtBscKNOW1G_oyZJc4YcuBZsGzK9lMzA5IvxBUBsLoYMY1bBm-4y56jFvyv&slof=1


Mysteries from the Earth

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Brushed and teased
Carefully lifted from the foamy earth
Intricate gold and jewels
With no discernible function
Must be ritualistic



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVOWgnHEre2?xmt=AQF0lOloPVrwhONSN1ah1LN_yNqCpHnc-Piy4zfobUVS-hNEiehRWjvg9ddT8qV46G3gEIhT&slof=1

The Last

By Scott Bailey © 2026

The last of the resistance 

Faded

Dragged down and overwhelmed 

The next generation 

Live in ignorance 

Unaware of their chains

While the rich choose their prey

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt 

ww.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVLxL4aggFi?xmt=AQF0cVgjd39ksHK90NBHVdeSrb8kQM3-sPNL0BRT7OqoO8Kg6d

Weight Lifting

By Scott Bailey © 2026

The weight of what ifs
And the pressure of just in case
Means the future is dull and heavy
The future is a dumbell

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVJMPSADoAl?xmt=AQF0yy2oVvj0AG5a59iGvFdNTySb1NUDE2hZcp3K-O5zvQAS3xwl5B4FMem0joD9iE4PBco&slof=1

Misunderstanding

By Scott Bailey © 2027

My words will be misunderstood
As they should
For your understanding is not mine
Therein lies the curse
And the gift
Of the poet



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVGpOA9j6uN?xmt=AQF0pqYsOMciUV4Xxm4DfGA1ot-vH-dIvC76OK1tvyGLyPzb-mmotJZDmRs8hxmqzGXsx10X&slof=1


Lies

By Scott Bailey © 2026

You have to roll the dice
To have a chance
Has become
If you roll the dice
You will surely win
This is the subtle lie
That breaks us when we’re old



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVEHewEgiSn?xmt=AQF0XZJ-VyF8PdQSE2WUvuSQh1oGCGFP_hOL7-kmmmDKKkZLj1HfOHdX_YqbqfUNhAYfcmEN&slof=1

Dragged Up

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Dragged up from the bottom
Into the higher echelons
Dizzy from the height
Uncomfortable
Not belonging
But unable to return
The bottom looks like hell
From this height



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DVBi0Q5k5Kx?xmt=AQF0qmBJvjegv8QFJ1TVsUEdIK3x6zNRPmmf9umd52BIWSU1I6hLzLae1q2gOyibLQDyU2LL&slof=1

Twilight

By Scott Bailey © 2026

The time between times
When worlds merge
We see with different eyes
Secrets from the other side
Shadows and whispers
That excites our nerves
As we glimpse other potentials



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DU-7lCGjX8Z?xmt=AQF0X_PqrrKZuxBcMDVP0a73-GUmAPUpkRFPjf6yu-vpeYVJvpEnjmsH8vhI0863q1Ovgp3D&slof=1

What is it?

By Scott Bailey © 2026

It heals division
And prevents it
It is a beacon through chaos
The steady hand through the storm
It is the fire that warms
The nurturer of life
It is free
In demand
Scarce for no reason
The toppler of tyrants
The dissipator of destruction
What is this wondrous mystery?



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DU8Un1IjBMN?xmt=AQF0j1PXIHb_Ezs1zUeoXSh1T_ttc2VNP_BCU2ULaHPOBKowpq-MXDkV1nkubIJ9TbYtZ2TP&slof=1

Reaction

By Scott Bailey © 2026

I am a calm man

I like to think

Slow to anger

Slow to act

Yet

Arrogance and entitlement

Inflames me

Takes my breath away

An allergic reaction

To stupidity

In response to malformed_poetrys prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DU5wjXdgg3S?xmt=AQF0dd0GH90rWuKyXXUa5JH7muBM9XSR4VxFbehHjNDkqQ

Outside

By Scott Bailey © 2026

We like to lounge in leisure

Crash in comfort

Sound and secure

Until we forget 

It’s all armour

A shield against the horror 

Just remember 

One day

We have to open the door

And step out

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt 

Cul-de-sac


By Scott Bailey © 2026

Some people have highways
Others fly in their jets
Some leap into space
For the rest
We are trapped
In the cul-de-sac maze
Into which we were born



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DU0mUSckhwd?xmt=AQF0tstuE-kkyHmW1wZMbfUT8pXHP6aCnk-Wn1X4JVvUqLx3afMhG2upBe8GEwB03q3X61BH&slof=1

The Sunrise in the Evening

By Scott Bailey © 2023

We watched the sun going down.

And deep inside

Every one of us

We yearned.

That primaeval wish.

That the sun would return, rise again.

And like it, we could return to the place we left.

We give the past much reverence

For its shrunken, diminished truth.

We should turn our eyes away

To the real sunrise of the morning

A give our awe

To the future.

Gathering

By Scott Bailey © 2026

It gathers like wool

In a vale

Golden light

Emanating warmth

Through the mist

And so they come

Congregate around the glow

Until they go

Back into the world 

Fulfilled 

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt 

Fading

By Scott Bailey © 2026

The distant friction of cars passing
Fading away, as traffic dwindled
Like light seeping away in the sunset
Soon, the last one will pass
And the world will be left alone
In peace and healing



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUs2meVjXNA?xmt=AQF0jLQ9FkU0XiwoG7hDGp89OBgoZuLt_Yh4fKQjwLd2FQ4RaxvP5sPfwG6U3k1R5X-V2Ds&slof=1

Onionman

By Scott Bailey © 2026

The skin is thin
The father, the worker, the responsible
Peel it away
And there’s the fear, the weariness, the despair
Barely held back
Deeper still is the yearning
To shed it all
To sing and dance and play
Without a care



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUqVcwagnzH?xmt=AQF0psI13VHVW0jWrPaRp-Qr0YkIBUVbJbNFbuaYwA_PgY1ljMHON7P7_7LFU_IEGcwcrLPW&slof=1

The Fear


By Scott Bailey © 2026

For the love of the fear
We wake
Enter the fray
Surely
That’s right?
Isn’t it?



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUnx0VEgg9W?xmt=AQF0_ujwR_zcbcBrwl8mQPFdLnAURGKwcJGT-FT681Z4aOjw2dG5BJIkqUr6wlfAnwi14Q8&slof=1

Poetry Whispers

Scott Bailey © 2026

Words

Transferred

From mind

To mind

From nothing 

To 

Eternity 

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt 

Answers from the Sky

By Scott Bailey © 2026

It was a wonderful day

That they came

Bringing their science from the sky

Removing our problems

No more disease 

No more poverty 

Immortality

I wonder how

We’ll screw this up

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt 

Eulogy for an Unknown Poet

By Scott Bailey © 2026

He left words

That nobody read

Was there something there

They missed?

Will he be?

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt 

Mother Earth

By Scott Bailey © 2026

We need her lullaby 

To calm us

But we can’t hear her hum

Over the bluster

We need her warmth

To comfort us

But the wind blows cold

From our souls

We need her solidity

To support us

But the earth trembles

For our fears

We need her

We don’t have her

We forsook her

For our greed

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt 

Message From The Future


By Scott Bailey © 2026


I found it
In a box
It looked old
Yet
It was from the future
From myself
I expected advice
Wise words
From my older self
From a better future
Instead it was a request
For an apology



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUa3BlrDOLv?xmt=AQF0FAz-_JWCllYc92y1xdZD_4XME-Zrsb2XOkmodZSqC__Wim5FAxPGwDk2FL5YhhgnUMCo&slof=1

Sleep of the Gods

By Scott Bailey © 2026

There is a God
Whose soul is bursting
With empathy and compassion
Whose very smile is sunlight
That blesses the earth
Nurtures life and love
Whose heartbeat is time itself
Whose breath is the breeze that soothes
Whose tears feed the Seas

That God sleeps.
When that God is needed

What do we need
To end that slumber?



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUYUsmFiLj7?xmt=AQF0927nS7H2yMaElMLS2vsMCh8nltPJfVl7v9dS84UmaOnPLeTHoXoJGusu4yRyo6jUn_eB&slof=1

Trust Issues

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Greatness is within me
I am the one you all need
Victory will come easy
Everyone just follow me

This is destiny
High and mighty
Everyone says so

My path is clear
Our victory assured
Never doubt
Everyone trusts me, so
You just need to give me your credit card number


In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUVtpLmiMhE?xmt=AQF0usIhR5B8Bb7Vy-nuxyxnz7fn5T36BgcUK60-huv51W41oBcIazwSADXLj_9HfzktvOc&slof=1

Transgressions

 By Scott Bailey © 2026

I have laid my transgressions in the arms of the past 

Hoping

That the weight of time

Will bury them

Until they’re forgotten 

It’s what we hope

But some transgressions 

Are too big

To bury 

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUTKOz4kl2p?xmt=AQF0Qk78uCCQ3eONcDlCeq7ZGzoqTaREfvvHMSZ2YcwmmWZiCmJelzp_OnzIUxWCbM7sKtY&slof=1

The Taste of Freedom

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Ice cold water, fresh from the spring
Cheese and ham, home reared
Earthy vegetables, simple and true
An ale
Solitude when needed
Friendship at hand
No clocks, no calendar
The sun and leaves a guide
The expanse of the stars
This, is how freedom tastes



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUQoYjvia1C?xmt=AQF0UHP6DgxXYAdYTHMiUAYJrV8G6JNtjPw5AG7ypmFC6mBNM3jDHe9SiqjAVmJCKJqBiwO3&slof=1

The Poem

By Scott Bailey © 2026

The poem

The words

Incisive 

Inspired 

That can reach into hearts

Change minds

Shift history 

Leave the world a better place

That’s the poem

That, to my shame

I cannot write

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt 

Solace

Scott Bailey © 2026

Gazing in awe
At the piercing stars
Light that reaches the deep
Of my heart
There is comfort in the night
In the soft distance of sounds
As the world
Sighs
There is comfort in the night
While you avoid the dawn
And what the light will reveal



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DULgUFKk5_8?xmt=AQF0vuqEMfh_k0RyMpHgD-RPmGrVxfkEteRN0ltILdq0Jo2EnvyJfNrY3EO2LwXR6MUuIY8&slof=1


Sound of Tomorrow

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Creaking deeply
Cracking ice
A frozen lake
Is our path
Tomorrow
The sinking sound
Of uncertainty


In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUI18N-Efnu?xmt=AQF0VTqP-REV-wizzhi12wAEmZGlgM9Mgc9yrtiGynKezYWjBbtQicJDValpg8smlK8PSSS_&slof=1

The Dragon

By Scott Bailey © 2026

I am the mighty Dragon waiting in the wind.

I am the twisting fire, ready to begin.

I am the rage of light, that shines within the eyes

Of those who are bereft and see through all the lies.

I am the rising heat, swelling beneath the earth.

The mounting indignation against disregarded worth.

I am the trembling dark, terror of the night.

The creeping realisation of crushing fist of might.

I simply wait the day, when I become the we.

When the shackles burst and fury is set free.

When I am we, remember this

I am coming for you.

Legacy

By Scott Bailey © 2026

I came from stability
So I crave it
I came from poverty
Where I am stuck
I came from love
So I know how to feel

Where did these
Clueless politicians
Come from?

What will they leave us?


In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUDxhMlCIyP?xmt=AQF0AsMPUEp-I94lTywrz95lFEl5XjRM8FlAu6yvbg-ona6j45UhwmKD2ZVrrQRCi_94PbaN&slof=1

Through the Screen


By Scott Bailey

The screen is a lense
Narrow focused and personal
Stare at it for long enough
It becomes a mirror in reverse
As you become the reflection



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DUBNzsQEuLN?xmt=AQF0ejCbmEiWqikZIwx4a5dwG8pBd3FtIFzW5nqovncIySkcOjNmz_42pXkAemnh4gmnEfVS&slof=1

Fuse

By Scott Bailey © 2026

This poem
Could be the blue touch paper
If I could think of the words
Instead
I have to watch
As three hundred and forty three million souls
Fail
To find even one
To outwit
A blithering idiot

Maybe?
Light it?



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DT-nTeKgEBe?xmt=AQF0ELwmhYjmD6LEtk05kFLGeAYDu5eBzzu-pXkni5fjAhOIPf7HnsL3KFt06L4T6gBc5g8V&slof=1

Wearied

 By Scott Bailey © 2026

Scroll

Rage

Scroll

Learn

Apply

Learn

Work

Bills

Work

Pills

Meals

Pills

Stress

Distraction 

Stress 

No rest 

No rest

No rest

Months

By Scott Bailey © 2026

January snows

   White like paper, waiting for words

February mists

    Obscuring and caressing the land

March winds

    Tumble everything we know

April showers

    Freshens the world

May lambs

    Bring hope and joy

June beaches

    Excite and entice

July sun

    Bathes us

August skies

    Clear the way forward 

September breezes

    Tousle the hair of the earth

October leaves

    Red like tired eyes

November nights

    Reveal the shining stars

December frosts

    Freeze time and life

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DT5etEACF3A?xmt=AQF0vwCvxZmW4CGkcff7p8_RuHMNY_oRE0BHZ83QEiLa7LUZo1TvSdA19IUKlCIEimas2kw&slof=1

The Truth

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Crime doesn’t pay
   They used to say
        And the truth was hidden away
Now we hear the truth at last
    Obscured in deception in past
        Now we see in every broadcast

Crime pays
Might wins
Justice is brought



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DT247CpE_Yr?xmt=AQF0txgXTqcP96e7DghQ6iGreV7nbzcB2HXPrADbgoqiHW4F02QbOyOeIb1RBgzTzsvSFW4&slof=1

My Nation

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Welcome
To all
Intelligent chat
Imagination
Philosophers
These are my people
All across the land
And in my heart



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

Faces

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Flipping through faces 

Up for adoption

Trying to choose

How have we come to this?

That there’s so much choice

And how can they smile?

Through their trauma

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt 

Views

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Loyalty when viewed

Within the circle seems sane

From without, madness

In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DTvKjIJkVTn?xmt=AQF0HVVYgB82VQcmPIxwgn6aSI4s6eajZKxDYAYW0S3pp528AISiVyKLj3wv9QtpTJFRxxjq&slof=1

Simplicity

By Scott Bailey © 2026

Peace and quiet
And security
Family provided for
No demands
Whisky and a good book
A simple dream
Yet so far distant



In response to malformed_poetry’s prompt

https://www.threads.com/@malformed_poetry/post/DTsmJw5Dmgq?xmt=AQF0P7fSOmFmNtMVNlbxfuLVfRx4BvIVyOWfTiyuRX7qgBSYMQK52W1t98AbOiSGO6sJetIU&slof=1