R.M. ENGELHARDT

Poet Writer Author Albany NY

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R.M. Engelhardt is an American poet, writer and author who over the last three decades has published over 20 books of poetry including “Nod” “Alchemy” DarkLands, RAW & “The Last Cigarette: The Collected Poems of R.M. Engelhardt. The founder of the Upstate NY organization ALBANY POETS & the Annual Poetry Celebration THE ALBANY WORD FEST he has through his ideas & visions helped to contribute a large amount of advocacy and creativity to the Spoken Word~Poetry Capital District scene and is the former host of the long running readings The School of Night & Vox. He is currently the host of SPEAK THE WORD ALBANY!. An Open Mic for Poetry And The Spoken Word at Ophelias. Over the last thirty years his work has also been published in many journals such as The Rye Whiskey Review, Red Fez, Rusty Truck, Sure! The Charles Bukowski Newsletter, Thunder Sandwich, Black Noise, The Hobo Camp Review, Full of Crow, on the Outlaw Poetry Network & in many many others. Look for his books “WHERE THE PEOPLE’S VISION PERISHES 2020” “DARK LANDS (2019 on LuLu, Amazon & At Barnes and Noble) The Resurrection Waltz, 2012 ( Infinity Press) & “COFFEE ASS BLUES & OTHER POEMS” ( 2018 Alien Buddha Press 2018) ” DarkLands” 2019 & “Where There Is No Vision” 2020, “WE RISE LIKE SMOKE” (2021) & Of Spirit, Ash & Bone (2022) and RAW- Poems ( 2023) all available on Amazon.com He is also the Editor of the small independent poetry press Dead Man’s Press Ink since 1998. Look for his books The Bones of Our Existence A Journal 2046 & his new books THE DYING TIME POEMS BY R.M. Engelhardt 2026 & NO KINGS 2025 available at Barnes & Noble and currently on Amazon. www.gentlemanoutsider.com *All Poems, Writings & Information Contained On This Blog Are The Property & Owned By The Author R.M. Engelhardt. © 2026 www.rmengelhardt.com

  • Words … R.M. Engelhardt

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt

  • Madame X

    Madame X

    MADAME X

    There are no longer any letters to Madame X
    That passion has died an unnatural death

    No more mysterious phone calls or texts

    Black lipstick left on envelopes
    Over twenty years ago.

    All her children in a neat little row

    Married now to the house & the show
    Of upper class mediocrity.

    No more letters from Madame X

    Bored in her castle with many regrets
    Now dressed in Mom fashions & drapes

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2023

  • New Poem Up At Horror Sleaze Thrash. An Ode To Malice In Writerland

    R.M. Engelhardt

    #rmengelhardt #gentlemanoutsider #poetry #horrorsleazetrash #poem

  • Generation Lame ~ A Poem

    GENERATION LAME


I saw beach boy 
Jesus just the
Other day at the
Tattoo parlor on East 
& 3rd getting a tattoo
That said " 666" & 
That had an image of
The devil that looked
Like a bad emoji

And when I asked him
Why the tattoo? He said;

My Dad threw me out
Of the upstairs penthouse
Because I threw a party and
Invited Kanye West & Elon Musk

" I'm a rebel"

"Dude"

Jesus proclaimed as I walked
Away  just shaking my head
& contemplating
The future of the universe
And the sorry ass state
Of Generation Lame

And how all tomorrow's
Parties are going to be very very bland

& Boring

The Real Black Jesus 
Had no comment

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt ©2023

  • Morning Meditations #5 Of rain & Memory ~ R.M. Engelhardt

    Morning Meditations #5 Of rain & Memory ~ R.M. Engelhardt

    the rain/the dream/always falls
    no shelter/soaked/down to bone

    love is/never was/always there
    no umbrella/no more dreams/
    hope/washes down
    into the gutter

    of memory

    an empty voice echoes
    thru an empty church
    but no one responds

    no sanctuary
    an asylum

    the candles
    all burned out

    long ago

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ®2023

  • morning Meditations #4 The Fly doth caffeinated

    morning Meditations #4 The Fly doth caffeinated

    The fly swims the backstroke
    In my early morning coffee.

    Died because it was from

    McDonald’s.

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt ©2023

  • Morning Meditations 3 ~ The Fly

    Morning Meditations 3 ~ The Fly

    The house fly seeks enlightenment.

    Gets hit with a book by Nietzsche.

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2023

  • when All the poets Are too damn happy

    when All the poets Are too damn happy

    WHEN THE POETS ARE ALL
    TOO DAMN HAPPY

    The poet dreams
    Of some perfect
    World where wisdom
    Rules and profit fails
    And all things are
    Beautiful, just & fair

    But the truth is
    That if it was we
    Wouldn’t have a
    God damned thing
    Left to write about
    And all our boring poems
    Would be about
    Rainbows & magical
    Unicorns

    & then we would
    Have to find things
    Wrong with them

    Too

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2023

  • Shadows

    Shadows

    SHADOWS

    Poets known or
    Unknown are all poets
    Either way

    Voices
    Words
    Etc

    But
    Follow the
    Shadows

    See the lines
    Forming

    The verses
    Changing

    Some shy
    Some ordinary

    Tomorrow is
    Today

    Fame isn’t
    Poetry

    Poetry isn’t
    Fame

    So we wait :

    For that perfect line
    That amazing chord

    That touches souls

    Leaving us all

    Speechless

    That

    Is poetry

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2023

  • Morning Meditations 2 ~ Basho

    Morning Meditations 2 ~ Basho

    Summer grasses,
    All that remains
    Of soldiers’ dreams

    Bashō

    Basho