Frederick Kesner

Member since August 16, 2007

Member for 18 years, 10 months

advocate member new member Founding Member

249 Poems

957 Comments

12 Followers

Most recent

minor league

Posted Jun 16, 2026 · 40 lines · 1 critiques

“Minor League”

Arthur has never been invited to the rooftop galas
where major heroes compare rescue statistics
and trade stories about collapsing bridges.
He cruises below that altitude,
on a bandwidth most sensors classify as background.

His ability is narrow:
he hears the low, steady commentary of indoor plants.
Definitely unremarkable
if not for the quiet rise of specialists around him.

There is a man in Midtown
who interprets the emotional drift of aquariums.
There is a woman in East End
who can read the mood of malfunctioning elevators.

Read the rest of the poem Show less

They have agents.
Arthur does not.

Last Thursday, when the Sky Battalion
contained a runaway energy core above the stadium,
Arthur was in a stairwell on the eighth floor,
listening to a row of office succulents
argue about the angle of the blinds.

They were not distressed by the emergency;
they were irritated by a colleague
who had grown too tall for the tray.

Later, when the Battalion received their commendations,
the aquarium‑reader was interviewed on the plaza.
The crowd applauded politely.

Arthur stayed in the stairwell,
adjusting the blinds by a single slat,
restoring a balance the succulents
could not phrase but clearly required.

.

.

Frederick Kesner’s timeline

June 2026
16 Tue

Posted a poem
minor league
"“Minor League” "
Open thread 40 lines
14 Sun

Posted a poem
a pull in the sky
"a pull in the sky"
Open thread 21 lines
12 Fri

New follower
@tgaz
12 Fri

Received a critique
on early again from @tgaz
"I really like the way it all resolves in "the unfinished hour.""
12 Fri

Received a critique
on early again from @Geezer
"You have described the feeling of not being ready for the day; for the thought that I was tossed in as a substitute for whoever was supposed to be on duty and has a hangover or something. Now, in my rush to get ready an…"
11 Thu

Posted a poem
early again
"He steps in before the light sorts itself,"
Open thread 18 lines
09 Tue

Received a critique
on before my time from @alicespagnol7
"I'm so glad to see a poem that doesn't force rhymes. The title is amazing!"
09 Tue

Received a critique
on before my time from @alicespagnol7
"I'm so glad to see a poem that doesn't force rhymes. The title is amazing!"
09 Tue

Posted a poem
before my time
" "
Open thread 19 lines
08 Mon

Received a critique
on breast-pocket from @Lavender
"Hello, CB, I love how ordinary, material "things" reveal the human experience. The activity within this feels almost like a dance - precisely choreographed to help the reader observe the actions of the individuals, and…"
07 Sun

Posted a poem
breast-pocket
" "
Open thread 43 lines
05 Fri

Critiqued
"Learning Bicycle" by @Sen99
"A truly fun read here. Never had an accident on my bicycle except once three years of so after when the front wheel went into a pothole and sent me flying. No other spills besides that."
05 Fri

Received a critique
on the baron declares from @Sen99
"A dry, amusing poem about a famous baron with delusions of greatness"
04 Thu

Posted a poem
the baron declares
" "
Open thread 32 lines
03 Wed

Received a critique
on architraval shadow from @Geezer
"way to introduce someone to the art of architecture! I just had to go look to see if there was in fact a word or word usage. This reminded me of a Greek or Roman amphitheater or temple; at least as I picture them. Funny…"
02 Tue

Posted a poem
architraval shadow
" "
Open thread 24 lines
01 Mon

New follower
@patrickgadoury
01 Mon

Critiqued
"The Frenglishman" by @patrickgadoury
"Loving the language play here. And to 'bleed before language has a say,' now there is a punch of a line! "Do we nod bleed!" a great playwright once wrote. This feels personal and existential like a multilingual raison d…"
01 Mon

Received a critique
on dutch revisions from @patrickgadoury
"This is expert language play. I have been working on similar themes and constructions, and yet this feels sharp and finished to me. It feels like something carved from your experiences. Humanity translated."
01 Mon

Posted a poem
dutch revisions
" "
Open thread 30 lines
May 2026
31 Sun

Critiqued
"Stargazers in Awe" by @Wallyroo92
"Last night was stepped outside in the chilly autumn air to witnessed what was meant to have been the last blue micro-moon for a while. Perhaps the moon was meant to be at its farthest apogee from earth. Fortunately, bec…"
31 Sun

Critiqued
"I Remember It Happening Kindly" by @Wallyroo92
"sometime ago, I re-watched Casablanca after being inspired to write a poem about one of its famous (misquoted) lines, "Play it again, Sam" (sic) as you aptly remarked "why not quote it and remember it kindly." In my cas…"
31 Sun

Contest commendation
05/26 My First Time

with "a small dismissal".
30 Sat

Posted a poem
cross-current morning
" "
Open thread 21 lines
29 Fri

Posted a poem
sanctuary
"“sanctuary”"
Open thread 21 lines
28 Thu

Posted a poem
leafy dapples
" "
Open thread 10 lines
27 Wed

Posted a poem
voices
"The voice of regret "
Open thread 5 lines
22 Fri

Critiqued
"Cowboy" by @Lavender
"Likewise. And you are most welcome, L. CB"
22 Fri

Critiqued
"Cowboy" by @Lavender
"Quite a highlight read, so much in the moment and stretches it out in the reading even if it was a short poem. Most thoroughly enjoyed🕊️🙏"
22 Fri

Critiqued
"Gone Unnoticed " by @RJ Bear
"Glad that you found the work around that suited your purpose. Your reading it aloud has made the poem sing its soul. This makes me happy. 🕊️🙏"
21 Thu

Critiqued
"Gone Unnoticed " by @RJ Bear
"The language use is one of the strongest aspects of the poem. The imagery is simple but carefully chosen: “Dust would settle on the things once held,” “A scratch on a surface that’s easily buffed out,” and “A life writt…"
15 Fri

Highest posting month
May 2026 — 26 poems
07 Thu

New follower
@BlueBerry
April 2026
30 Thu

Contest commendation
04/26 April Fooled

with "bemusedly ruminating".
28 Tue

New follower
@JoeyRoberts2028
July 2025
31 Thu

Contest commendation
07/25 Renovated Quill

with "morning psalm".
31 Thu

First contest commendation
07/25 Renovated Quill

with the poem "morning psalm".
August 2022
15 Mon

Anniversary
15 years of membership
August 2017
15 Tue

Anniversary
10 years of membership
August 2012
15 Wed

Anniversary
5 years of membership
March 2011
06 Sun

Posting milestone
100 poems posted
November 2010
23 Tue

Most-discussed work
Looking out the kitchen window

24 critiques to date.
August 2008
15 Fri

Anniversary
One year of membership
January 2008
26 Sat

First critique offered
on "Revolving Echoes" by @purplemoondoll
23 Wed

First publication
From Swords to Plowshares
August 2007
15 Wed

Joined Neopoet
Membership begins

First poem published 160 days later.

About Me

About me

…a writer who started on the quiet side of things.
Early on, speaking felt harder than shaping a line, so the page became the place where thoughts could land cleanly. That history still lingers, but it doesn’t define the work.

What I write now comes from paying attention to the small moments that pass too quickly unless someone pauses. If you read along, thank you for meeting the work with patience and curiosity.

Location: West Moreton, AUS

Favorite Poets

There is nothing quite as boring as a life completely devoid of shadows.

I am because we are

>> View all work

Contest Wins

Winning Submission	Contest	Contest Date
a small dismissal	05/26 My First Time	1 May, 2026 – 31 May, 2026
bemusedly ruminating	04/26 April Fooled	1 April, 2026 – 30 April, 2026
morning psalm	07/25 Renovated Quill	1 July, 2025 – 31 July, 2025