Poetry

In this poem, Greg Luti challenges the traditional image of philosophers and instead celebrates the quiet, everyday thinkers who ponder life’s deeper questions while living ordinary lives. The real philosophers, at least the ones I have met, are those who question the world, wherever they go. They whisper of truths in the office. Silently speak of questions in the grocery store. They philosophize as a part of their life. They question because that is what they see at the mome

A poem can confront the reader directly about whether the writing is worth their time. In “These Words,” Greg Luti gives permission to stop reading if the words fail to connect, urging readers to close the page, return the book, and walk away if it simply isn’t for them. Stop reading these words if they just don’t speak to you. If you feel nothing when you come across a phrase. If the words don’t jump off the page. If there is nothing living in these words. Stop reading them.

Greg Luti’s poem “Truthful Lines” reflects on those rare, powerful moments when a single line — in a story, a poem, or a conversation — cuts through everything else with raw, uncomfortable truth that stays with you long afterward. There are times when lines or moments can mean more than the rest of the scene or story being told. We all stop for a second because of the line. The part is so honest, so truthful, that we have to take a moment and appreciate what was said. The bea

Greg Luti’s poem “I Guess I’m a Ghostbuster Now” reflects on the suspicion society places on adult men around children, the disappointment of fallen celebrity idols, and one man’s quiet resolve to be a safe, reassuring presence for kids. There is a lot of talk today about kids, and the feeling that kids are when they are with guys of my age. Adult men. And let’s not even sugarcoat this, let’s get right into the deep end. Hold your breath. There is a stigma that the average si

Greg Luti’s poem “The Limit” explores the painful moment when the systems and people you once trusted completely fail, leaving you in profound isolation and questioning everything you believed. Who do you go to when the system fails you? When your heroes can’t even defend you anymore? What do you do when all that you know is wrong? Nothing more than a carefully crafted lie, you believed and developed your life around. What do you do when the hope you carried is thrown to the

An ironic poem reveals a contradiction in human behavior. In “The Lonely Man,” Greg Luti shows a man who openly admits his loneliness to two women offering help, yet twice rejects them with the same smirk: “I’m lonely… but I’m not that lonely.” This self-aware refusal to change is the heart of the poem’s irony. A man walked down a street one night when a woman whom he had never met approached him. All the men in town knew of this woman, but would never dare say such a thing i

An ironic poem often highlights the gap between what we say and what we actually feel. In “Why I Didn’t Open Your Email,” Greg Luti captures a chaotic morning spiral of overthinking, existential questions, and everyday procrastination that leads to a hilariously relatable decision not to open an email. I didn’t open your email right away because I was busy. No, I was not working late hours in the office. I try to leave as early as I can every day. Nor was I spending time with

Greg Luti’s uplifting poem “Your Name” imagines a future where crowds enthusiastically chant your name, celebrating the honest, good person you always dreamed of becoming since childhood. I hope when the crowd gathers, and the stadium is full And everyone is ready for the big show. I hope they are all screaming your name, kid. I hope that your name is the one on the billboard and is uttered by everyone who is there to see you. They are all excited to learn what you are going

A man’s true worth is often judged by society’s standards of success. In “Judgement of a Man,” Greg Luti reveals that real value lies not in wealth, strength, or achievements, but in the simple, profound way a man respects and honors his mother. Judge a man not on his accomplishments in his field of study nor by the fleeting greatness that the world bestows upon his mortal head. Don’t judge a man by his wealth, for the stocks he buys, or the gold he accumulates. Not by his st

A tribute poem can honor a national tragedy with reverence and hope. In “9/11 Tribute Poem,” Greg Luti offers a heartfelt prayer remembering the heroes and victims of that day — those who ran into darkness so others could see light, and the enduring power of faith and love over hate. Dear Lord, Jesus Christ, that which conquered Death and forced open the door that was jammed for all time, look upon those souls who we lost on that fateful day 23 years ago. Those who ran into t

Greg Luti’s poem “Blood on the Page” explores the intense pressure a poet feels to bleed all his darkest secrets and hidden truths onto the page — the raw, unflinching confession a “good poet” is supposed to make. I was going to bleed all over the page here for you as a good poet should. Good poets are adept at confessing things to their audience that no one really wants to hear. When a soul confesses their life, though, it is okay and acceptable all of a sudden. I was go

A poem about change can capture the painful gap between desperate hope and harsh reality. In “Change,” Greg Luti follows a boy who begs love to transform like the weather, the day, and the town around him — only to receive a heartbreakingly honest and final rejection. “People change, do they not?” A boy pleaded with a girl, who stood there physically but mentally left a while ago. “Surely people change… The day starts as morn and then becomes night. You don’t see the morning

Greg Luti’s poem “Wrong Answer for the Teacher” explores his decision to chase writing instead of following his family into teaching — weighing the pursuit of happiness against stability, risk, and all the what-ifs that come with choosing a creative life. Teaching is a touchy subject for me. I come from a family of teachers. My friends are teachers. Everyone I know is a teacher. Expect me. I do not teach. I have never stood in the front of a room as degenerate children stared

A poem can turn an ordinary late-night smoke break into a raw confession. In “A Smoke in the Cold Night,” Greg Luti listens in on two coworkers outside a yogurt shop as their conversation reveals deep frustration with hypocrisy, dead-end jobs, and the quiet desperation of doing what you’re “supposed” to do instead of what actually makes you happy. A disgruntled worker leaned up against the cement wall behind the yogurt shop, smoking his cigarettes as the new guy sat on the cu

Greg Luti’s poem “Hard Work” explores the quiet exhaustion and unglamorous truth behind real effort, sacrifice, and grinding through days when motivation is completely gone. Hard work is a lie. It is a lie told to you by above average individuals when they are asked why they are successful. The geniuses don’t claim that they needed to work hard to be great. No. They have natural talent. They don’t need to work hard. There is a difference between working hard to improve and wo

Financial anxiety and fear of debt can feel overwhelming and isolating. In “The Workers Are Going Home,” Greg Luti captures the intense dread of falling behind on bills, the panic of debt collection calls, and the trauma of a sudden middle-of-the-night car repossession — a stark look at the quiet desperation many face. Sometimes I want assurance from people who I shouldn’t get it from. Like people who want my money. I want them to type to me that it is okay that I am behind o

Greg Luti’s contemplative poem “Napoleon at the Pyramids” wonders what the French general truly saw and felt during his mysterious solitary visit inside the ancient Egyptian pyramids. What do you think Napoleon saw when he was left alone in the Pyramids? Did he see anything at all? Or was it merely a myth? Perhaps the would-be emperor saw nothing and this very idea is nothing more than speculation, a fancy imagination, similar to that of Alexander the Great being a member of

A poem can explore the painful gap between real-life tragedy and the hopeful fiction a writer tries to create. In “Receipts in a Story,” Greg Luti examines the struggle of turning personal pain and difficult truths into stories that might inspire readers, while knowing the words on the page can never fully change the reality behind them. When I write stories, I write to solve problems. Give a character an issue, and then create a solution to it… Somehow. Whatever the issue ma

A poem can question long-held romantic ideas about creativity. In “The Creative Genius,” Greg Luti wonders whether society has killed the idealized image of the singular artist who spoke for all of us — or if that romantic notion was always just an illusion. Maybe we killed the creative genius. The one who is supposed to speak for all of us. The voice of the people. The author who walked among us. The singer who sounded like us. The smart person, who was somehow still for us.

Greg Luti’s poem “Quite a Change” reflects on how suddenly and completely life can shift — the quiet shock, discomfort, and strange beauty that arrives when everything you knew is no longer the same. Sometimes I wake up and feel like Tupac, I ask myself if I should just end my life. One clip, one click, one ending. Click and then boom. My story would be over before it got started. Life sucks, so screw life. Screw all they say about it. All that guru bullshit the heathens teac