Sad I’m a Tony, not a Midas.

#palindrome

BLACKBEARD*

Blackbeard —
menace at sea.

Enslave all the waters
and shred all the waves.

As the mast, helm, and stern race fast,
bear the flag
jet black;

spread the blade
and the name.

(*two vowels, alternating: a, e, a, e, a, e…)

Exactly.

bsky.app/profile/anth...

Sad I’m a Tony, not a Midas.

#palindrome

No one's quite sure, but yeah, it may arise from a Germanic borrowing/corruption of "cannabis" or the Greek equivalent.

WORD FACT

“Canvas” literally means “hempen cloth” and ultimately derives from Latin “cannabis” via Vulgar Latin cannapaceus and Old French chanevaz.

BLACKBEARD*

Blackbeard —
menace at sea.

Enslave all the waters
and shred all the waves.

As the mast, helm, and stern race fast,
bear the flag
jet black;

spread the blade
and the name.

(*two vowels, alternating: a, e, a, e, a, e…)

WORD FACT

“Canvas” literally means “hempen cloth” and ultimately derives from Latin “cannabis” via Vulgar Latin cannapaceus and Old French chanevaz.

Forgotten Ground Regained: A Quarterly Journal of Alliterative Verse, New Series, Issue 10, Spring 2026: Moment Sensed and Seen

The Spring issue of Forgotten Ground Regained comes out 4/26, including poetry by:
@thmazing.bsky.social @anthonyetherin.bsky.social
@helen-evans.bsky.social @etherealcolburn.bsky.social

and articles by:
@denniswise.bsky.social and @graywyvern.bsky.social

#alliterative #poetry #poetrysky #litmag

RENEGADE (Palindrome)

Named a general,
war began.
Amid, I manage, brawl —
a renegade man.

Please check out this new Fate of the Arts podcast episode in which I was interviewed by my brilliant friend, poet and palindromist Anthony Etherin!

Fate of the Arts, with Anthony Etherin. Episode 8: Lori Wike On the Present and Future of Symphony Orchestras

New podcast!

FATE OF THE ARTS, Episode 8

I met with my friend @lori-wike.bsky.social to discuss her work in the Utah Symphony, why AI can't write palindromes, and more...

Listen here:

open.substack.com/pub/anthonye...

Fate of the Arts, with Anthony Etherin. Episode 8: Lori Wike On the Present and Future of Symphony Orchestras

New podcast!

FATE OF THE ARTS, Episode 8

I met with my friend @lori-wike.bsky.social to discuss her work in the Utah Symphony, why AI can't write palindromes, and more...

Listen here:

open.substack.com/pub/anthonye...

RENEGADE (Palindrome)

Named a general,
war began.
Amid, I manage, brawl —
a renegade man.

No media on,
no AI demon.

#palindrome

No media on,
no AI demon.

#palindrome

WORD FACT

John Milton put the demon in pandemonium.

Coined for Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, “pandemonium” was the meeting place of all demons — a convergence of hell’s evil spirits.

[1/2]

It literally translates as such: pan- (all) -demonium (demon). This is why we use the term today when “all hell breaks loose”.

[2/2]

WORD FACT

John Milton put the demon in pandemonium.

Coined for Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, “pandemonium” was the meeting place of all demons — a convergence of hell’s evil spirits.

[1/2]

WORD FACT

“Veil” comes to us, via Old North French, from Latin “velum” — meaning covering, veil, or awning.

[1/2]

Sued a man I saw was in Amadeus.

#palindrome

No, but I can see why you would make that mistake -- because of the similarity to "vellum", right?

Vellum comes from Old French velin "calfskin parchment", in turn from "vel" (calf -- think "veal").

Latin velum and English vellum are not related.

Sued a man I saw was in Amadeus.

#palindrome

“Velum” is also the origin of “reveal”, which comes to us from Latin “revelare” — that is, re- (back, again — here implying “un-” or “opposite of”) -velare (to cover or veil).

To “reveal” is literally to remove the veil.

[2/2]

WORD FACT

“Veil” comes to us, via Old North French, from Latin “velum” — meaning covering, veil, or awning.

[1/2]

No lynxes in unisex nylon.

#palindrome

LOCH NESS

Upon the vernal equinox,
when all our fictions come to pass,

a shadow leans across the rocks.
Beneath the water, clouds amass:

a nebula absorbs the loch’s
illusions — hoaxes, dreams in glass,

the jostling haze of history’s whims —
until, at last, the creature swims.

WORD FACT

In Walter Scott’s 1820 novel Ivanhoe, “free lance” is used to describe a medieval mercenary — literally, an independent “lance for hire”.

Today, “freelance” refers to anyone who works independently.

WORD FACT

In Walter Scott’s 1820 novel Ivanhoe, “free lance” is used to describe a medieval mercenary — literally, an independent “lance for hire”.

Today, “freelance” refers to anyone who works independently.

LOCH NESS

Upon the vernal equinox,
when all our fictions come to pass,

a shadow leans across the rocks.
Beneath the water, clouds amass:

a nebula absorbs the loch’s
illusions — hoaxes, dreams in glass,

the jostling haze of history’s whims —
until, at last, the creature swims.