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

  • THEIR DAY IS COMING

    THEIR DAY IS COMING

    I
    Patiently
    Smoke my
    Cigarette
    And quietly

    Wait

    Because
    In reality
    In mourning
    That’s all a man
    Can do

    In times
    Like these

    My age
    Doesn’t matter
    My weapons
    Don’t matter but
    My voice?

    Still
    Matters

    Even though
    They have tried
    Time & time
    Again to drown
    It out

    For the secret
    That most people
    On the wrong side of
    History don’t
    Understand is
    That Poetry & Words
    Are the most indestructible
    Most powerful weapons
    On earth

    Stronger than a
    Gun or a bomb
    Strong enough to lay
    Waste to a fascist regime
    With the wave of my soul

    Powerful enough to
    Target monsters

    And turn them

    Into ash

    So I
    Quietly smoke
    My cigarette

    And simply wait
    Simply write

    With a seven hundred thousand
    Other voices on my side

    Who have my back

    For I am no man
    I am destruction
    I am peace

    And even
    After I die by
    The end of a rope
    Or by a bullet

    Those words
    Will avenge me
    Avenge us

    And even if it
    Takes years or
    Centuries

    Will decimate my
    Enemies

    With HOPE

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2025

  • IN A WORLD OF SORROW

    IN A WORLD OF SORROW

    “There’s nothing we can do”

    So many people, moving
    Back & forth saying
    These things to themselves
    To get through the day

    Going to work
    Turning on the television
    Turning it off

    Going
    To sleep

    Feeling helpless

    Broken

    Lost

    Asking;

    Where are all our heroes
    Where is our God ?

    Not realizing that
    In a world of sorrow
    That they are the heroes
    We need to stand up

    And fight

    For you can’t just
    Do nothing

    You can’t just believe
    That someone else
    Will fix this planet

    Save a country
    Or save the animals
    Save our children or even

    Save ourselves

    And perhaps you are
    Angry, perhaps you are
    Sad that it’s all come down
    To this

    But you can no longer avoid
    The truth or ignore it all

    Anymore

    No one
    Is coming
    To save you

    No one is everyone
    And now we must
    All be one

    Together

    Undivided

    Without a promise
    Or guarantee
    That we will win

    For in the end

    The only thing we
    Have is each other

    The only thing that
    We have that binds
    Us together

    Is Love

    And nothing more

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2025

  • When The Clock Breaks

    WHEN THE CLOCK BREAKS

    How times change
    But stay the same

    Places & people gone but still sharing
    Space in our memories & dreams.

    Lovers leaving lovers meet.
    Some marry,some saying oh no,

    (not me)

    Believing they’ll just find
    Another heart to break

    The clock of youth ticking away

    Tick Tock Tick Tock

    Tick …

    Too late.

    Too late

    Too late

    Now the final hour
    Where the clock breaks

    Without a sound
    Or a warning

    Asking

    Who made this place or
    Allowed these things
    To happen anyways?

    It all went by too soon

    Too soon for me

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2025

  • Be You

    Be You

    Human beings are not placed here on earth to be citizens or taxpayers, or socially engineered pawns of other human beings; rather they are here in order to grow, to transform, to become their authentic selves.

    Remember to BE YOU.

  • POETS IN THE SUMMER

    POETS IN THE SUMMER

    POETS IN THE SUMMER

    Sittin ‘ outside on the terrace
    Drinking hot coffee & chain
    Smoking just lookin at his
    Phone in 90 degree weather

    The neighbors ask?

    Is he insane?
    Is he crazy?

    Damn.

    What’s wrong with
    That guy ?

    Just
    Sittin ‘ outside on the terrace
    Drinking hot coffee & chain
    Smoking just lookin at his
    Phone in 90 degree weather

    That’s easy

    He’s a writer

    Looking for the quiet
    Outside looking for
    Inspiration within

    Something all you
    ” Normal” folk with
    Your fancy backyard pools
    Wouldn’t understand

    That poetry
    Withstands the
    Elements of time

    Without
    Air conditioning

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2025

  • Unrest In The House Of Light

    Unrest In The House Of Light

    UNREST IN THE HOUSE OF LIGHT

    Perhaps when we get through this,
    When it’s all finally over then maybe
    As a country and as a people and even
    As a world we will fix all his wrongs &
    Make better rights. If this all right now
    Isn’t teaching us what was missing or
    What we’ve taken for granted before
    Then most likely nothing will

    We, the people are the Real Americans
    The real voices of change.

    And it’s TIME.

    ~ R M. Engelhardt ©2025

  • NO KINGS Poetry Book Review 2025

    1. Print length148 pages
    2. LanguageEnglish
    3. Publication dateApril 14, 2025
    4. Reading age17 – 18 years
    5. Dimensions8.25 x 0.53 x 11 inches
    6. ISBN-13979-8319446299

    Book overview

    NO KINGS

    Is A Book Of Poetry By R.M. Engelhardt That Crosses & Annihilates Their False Government Line And Is Most Likely To Get Burned, Buried Or Censored. And Surely It Does Not Meet The Approval Of The Heritage Project.

    Nor Should It.

    Offensive, Truthful & Even Beautiful At Times R.M. Engelhardt Captures These Days Of Being Real Americans And Says The Words & Supports The Voices Of All We Want To Say But Are Afraid To Say Even In Protest. So Let These Poems Ring True And Hit Hard Against Fascists, Dictators And Their Supporters. This Book Is Not Just Political But Also Contains Poems Of Loss, Beauty, Memory And Even Our Common Sadness & Anger. Outspoken, It Evokes The Power Of Words Against An Enemy In Our Own Backyard. Decimates White Supremacists, Billionaires & Those Who Would Erase The Contributions Of A Diverse Civilization In The Name Of Greed & In The Name Of A False Manufactured Media God.

    But It Doesn’t Stop Just There ~

    American Poet & Writer R.M. Engelhardt ( The Author of The Resurrection Waltz, DarkLands & The Bones of Our Existence 2046) Is pushing the limits of literature in a time when small press poetry is a truly dangerous and being a poet is a dangerous profession. And fear is not going to stop writers & poets from using freedom of speech and free expression. Ever.

    This is the 21st century.

    POETRY IS RESISTANCE

    https://a.co/d/f1GBwhL

  • IN THE DAYS OF AMERICAN OBLIVION

    IN THE DAYS OF
    AMERICAN OBLIVION

    I try to avoid
    The news

    I try
    Not to believe
    What’s happening

    But cannot

    In a place
    We call the
    Land of the free

    But we ask
    Where are the brave?

    A place
    Where people
    Are being arrested
    For merely protesting

    Or for fighting back

    Where Nazi like
    Groups in red hats
    Are even allowed
    On our streets supported
    By a false leader

    As our ancestors
    Who fought for
    Freedom of speech &
    America against
    Dictators & monsters

    Turn over
    In their graves

    So I try to
    Avoid the news

    But can’t

    For these are dark times

    Living in the days
    Of oblivion

    For this is not
    America

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2025

  • There Are Better

    There Are Better

    THERE ARE BETTER

    So if no one has ever
    Told you ?

    There are better poets
    Out there
    Than you

    Live poets
    Dead poets
    Poets who are well …

    Somewhere
    In between

    And there are better lawyers
    Better bartenders
    Better fighters
    Better musicians, barbers
    & better drunks
    But no uncorrupt politicians
    Who do or can do
    Anything interesting
    Or of much merit

    At all

    And no matter
    What you do or
    What you write
    Or who you are?

    Your popularity
    Your anger
    Your blunt denial
    That you’re any
    Different than they are
    Any more human
    Or even less than

    Doesn’t mean
    A thing

    Because all
    Your rants
    Your words & all
    Your screams

    Thrown up
    Upon the missing
    Pages of human history

    Are all uniquely

    Yours

    Born out of all
    The beauty &
    All of the constant bullshit
    Of this world

    Anyways

    So
    In the end?

    If you judge them?

    Then who the fuck
    Judges you?

    ~ R.M. Engelhardt
    ©2025

  • New Website

    NEW POETRY WEBSITE OVERHAUL. ~ POEMS, BOOKS, REVIEWS & EVEN

    http://www rmengelhardt.com

    Follow The Words