Frederick Kesner

Member since August 16, 2007

Member for 18 years, 9 months

advocate member new member Founding Member

247 Poems

957 Comments

12 Followers

Most recent

early again

Posted Jun 11, 2026 · 18 lines · 5 critiques

He steps in before the light sorts itself,
carrying that slight forward set
of someone who entered the world
before the hour was ready for him.

Hey, Monday—you’re early again.

As if timing has always found us this way.

He looks at me with that same
unspoken recognition,
as if he notices the sideways way
I once arrived ahead of my own date,

how both of us were brought in
before the room was prepared
for whatever might follow,
standing in the same unfinished hour.

.

Frederick Kesner’s timeline

June 2026
12 Fri

Received a critique
on early again from @tgaz
"I really like the way it all resolves in "the unfinished hour.""
12 Fri

Received a critique
on early again from @Geezer
"You have described the feeling of not being ready for the day; for the thought that I was tossed in as a substitute for whoever was supposed to be on duty and has a hangover or something. Now, in my rush to get ready an…"
11 Thu

Posted a poem
early again
"He steps in before the light sorts itself,"
Open thread 18 lines
09 Tue

Received a critique
on before my time from @alicespagnol7
"I'm so glad to see a poem that doesn't force rhymes. The title is amazing!"
09 Tue

Posted a poem
before my time
" "
Open thread 19 lines
07 Sun

Posted a poem
breast-pocket
" "
Open thread 43 lines
May 2026
31 Sun

Contest commendation
05/26 My First Time

with "a small dismissal".
15 Fri

Highest posting month
May 2026 — 26 poems
April 2026
30 Thu

Contest commendation
04/26 April Fooled

with "bemusedly ruminating".
July 2025
31 Thu

Contest commendation
07/25 Renovated Quill

with "morning psalm".
31 Thu

First contest commendation
07/25 Renovated Quill

with the poem "morning psalm".
August 2022
15 Mon

Anniversary
15 years of membership
August 2017
15 Tue

Anniversary
10 years of membership
August 2012
15 Wed

Anniversary
5 years of membership
March 2011
06 Sun

Posting milestone
100 poems posted
November 2010
23 Tue

Most-discussed work
Looking out the kitchen window

24 critiques to date.
August 2008
15 Fri

Anniversary
One year of membership
January 2008
26 Sat

First critique offered
on "Revolving Echoes" by @purplemoondoll
23 Wed

First publication
From Swords to Plowshares
August 2007
15 Wed

Joined Neopoet
Membership begins

First poem published 160 days later.

About Me

About me

…a writer who started on the quiet side of things.
Early on, speaking felt harder than shaping a line, so the page became the place where thoughts could land cleanly. That history still lingers, but it doesn’t define the work.

What I write now comes from paying attention to the small moments that pass too quickly unless someone pauses. If you read along, thank you for meeting the work with patience and curiosity.

Location: West Moreton, AUS

Favorite Poets

There is nothing quite as boring as a life completely devoid of shadows.

I am because we are

Contest Wins

Winning Submission	Contest	Contest Date
a small dismissal	05/26 My First Time	1 May, 2026 – 31 May, 2026
bemusedly ruminating	04/26 April Fooled	1 April, 2026 – 30 April, 2026
morning psalm	07/25 Renovated Quill	1 July, 2025 – 31 July, 2025