Oatleaf

July has come to an end and we'd like to say thank you to our wonderful contributors! We are so, so glad that you chose Oatleaf to showcase your work. ... We are grateful to: TyJheir Shipman | Spiral Heresy K. Tyree |  Into the Drink Oliver Kleyer |  Floating Under the Ceiling Nehemiah Gaines |  Sharp Dirty Mirror Claudia Wysocky | Art Tim Chamberlain |  The Returning Wave  (July 2025 Competition Winner) ... We appreciate the work you put out into the world!

... can i paint you a picture of how it feels to be lost in a dream? the colors are all wrong and the shapes never stay still but every time i try to hold one it whispers something in a language i don’t know but understand perfectly. ... Claudia Wysocky is a 16-year-old Polish poet based in New York, celebrated for her evocative creations that capture life's essence through emotional depth and rich imagery. With over five years of experience in fiction writing, her poetry has appeared in various local newspapers and literary magazines. Wysocky believes in the transformative power of art and views writing as a vital force that inspires her daily. Her works blend personal reflections with universal themes, making them relatable to a broad audience. Actively engaging with her community on social media, she fosters a shared passion for poetry and creative expression. Instagram | @novembka 

What got you interested in writing poetry? As a child I used to enjoy the rhymed storylines in the Rupert Bear annuals; and my sister had a book called 'A Child's Garden of Verses', that had a poem about a train ride which sounded like the rhythms of a train journey clipping along if you read it at the right pace, which I really used to enjoy. But it wasn't until I was a teenager that I began to write properly, while I was at Sixth Form College in the UK (aged 16-18). My friends at the time all wrote poems too. It was a bit like the film "Dead Poets Society." Everyone was really interested and enthusiastic about poetry - both jokey poems and serious ones too. Much to my amazement, my poems became quite popular. People used to ask me to write poems for them, and so I began to think of poetry as something which I could actually do and share meaningfully with other people. I probably wouldn't have stuck with it if it hadn't been for that positive encourag...

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Tim Chamberlain for winning this month's competition. The theme for July was "message bottle at sea" and this piece paints a lovely picture detailing an unseen journey that we can only dream of.

... The Wandering samurai  looked at me with a steaming face.  His own smoke muffled  the voices that clung to his past.  And I begged him to look behind,  as the voices loudly faded into  the background. He said  The only path for peace was  a red sword.  He told a story about a desperate  sword that visited  thousands of blacksmiths,  And for the sake of clarity it must taste a  thousand human screams.  The blade was placed on my throat as his  shaky hands tried to  balance on the thin tightrope.  Until he finally looked behind to meet the  wandering eyes among the ghostly crowd.  A voice told him that all he needed to  do is learn to love,  But he couldn't do that with a Sharp dirty mirror.  ... Nehemiah Gaines is a 25 year old student who is currently attending a community college for psychology in Portland, Oregon. As a lover of anything related to the mind and human nature...

... On the first day of our class trip in 4th grade, I fell of a dumpster (don’t ask!) & sprained my right foot. Being unable to walk for a longer stretch, I spent most of the time the others went frolicking around the island reading “Return to Treasure Island” or just staring at the wooden ceiling. There were many friendly faces to meet & greet. Or I would just follow the lines of the grain pattern, leading me deeper & deeper into its maze, until it almost felt like my spirit would leave my body & I would finally fall asleep. ... Oliver Kleyer is a teacher and poet from Northern Germany. He teaches German as a Second Language in a refugee camp. He writes in German and English. His works have appeared in The Zinnia Journal, Academy of the Heart & Mind and Flow Magazine as well as in anthologies like FromOneLine to another or Dadakuku 2. His poem "A rambling meditation", published in Raw Lit" was nominated for "Best of the Net 2025". Find him...

... Have you ever had a moment  That should have been so scary                                                     And yet— There was the fire of the rocks The jagged haze of pain before                                                   The splash The sea welcomed me and I Looked at myself as someone else                                                    So free My lungs exploded in a seawater chorus Bound for the bottom, ever-dark                                                 ...

... Mastering me! Strand where faith is severed, sway of forbidden seas; Keeper of the banished and the blessed; Thou hast woven me with marrow and doubt, Fastened my flesh with longing and flame, And yet, didst almost undo me, For I walked the wilderness of Thy dread, And named the shadow by its true name. Was it not Thy DOING? Dost Thou reach for me still, After the tongue hath tasted heresy, After the mind hath wandered far from the fold? Once more, I feel Thy touch The silent hand upon my restless soul And in that trembling, I find Thee, Both wound and wonder. ... I am a speculative author who calls myself a "journeyman." Writing is my journey. Whether crafting a novel, a short story, a screenplay, or a research essay, I dedicate myself fully to the craft. And I will keep pushing forward, honing my skill without pause. Instagram: TJxTron Substack: Ty with the pen