Oatleaf

... 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