David Karlsen
@vonkarlsen.bsky.social
Prose writer and poet. BA (Hons) Humanities, Literature. Non-binary. Interests: The Arts, Natural History, Geology. Vegan. Francophile. X 🌈🏴 🇪🇺
©️David Karlsen [All poetry, prose and photographs]
Paintings, etc. belong to the artist I repost. NO CHAT!
©️David Karlsen [All poetry, prose and photographs]
Paintings, etc. belong to the artist I repost. NO CHAT!
Pinned
David Karlsen
@vonkarlsen.bsky.social
· Jan 3
Warning: I absolutely hate being tagged! And, I always report and block people send me lewd or offensive material! Everyone I've reported so far have had their accounts suspended. I always protect myself and people who trust and follow me. Unless I know you don't send me DMs as you'd be blocked. X
This was How the Moon
looked that first time
we walked home
three excited unafraid
of darkness
countryside empty
now of people
strong we were
holding hands
Laura's first night
at the white house
all of us in fevered
love
the bright moon above
#poetry
looked that first time
we walked home
three excited unafraid
of darkness
countryside empty
now of people
strong we were
holding hands
Laura's first night
at the white house
all of us in fevered
love
the bright moon above
#poetry
December 20, 2025 at 10:27 AM
This was How the Moon
looked that first time
we walked home
three excited unafraid
of darkness
countryside empty
now of people
strong we were
holding hands
Laura's first night
at the white house
all of us in fevered
love
the bright moon above
#poetry
looked that first time
we walked home
three excited unafraid
of darkness
countryside empty
now of people
strong we were
holding hands
Laura's first night
at the white house
all of us in fevered
love
the bright moon above
#poetry
Reposted by David Karlsen
“Valerie Catron” by Eunice Bronkar (American) - Acrylic on canvas / 1974 - Springfield Museum of Art (Springfield, Ohio) #WomenInArt #art #artText #artwork #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #EuniceBronkar #Bronkar #SpringfieldMuseumofArt #1970s #PortraitofaWoman #Art #ArtText #WomenPaintingWomen
December 19, 2025 at 7:53 AM
“Valerie Catron” by Eunice Bronkar (American) - Acrylic on canvas / 1974 - Springfield Museum of Art (Springfield, Ohio) #WomenInArt #art #artText #artwork #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #EuniceBronkar #Bronkar #SpringfieldMuseumofArt #1970s #PortraitofaWoman #Art #ArtText #WomenPaintingWomen
I am one of two
women holding
hands as we walk
around a cathedral
we both love
architecture
Classical music
and literature
this amazing building
is made of
red sandstone
the woman I'm with
is not Swedish
if you can guess
my first name
you have
a poet's true identity
#poetry
women holding
hands as we walk
around a cathedral
we both love
architecture
Classical music
and literature
this amazing building
is made of
red sandstone
the woman I'm with
is not Swedish
if you can guess
my first name
you have
a poet's true identity
#poetry
December 20, 2025 at 8:52 AM
I am one of two
women holding
hands as we walk
around a cathedral
we both love
architecture
Classical music
and literature
this amazing building
is made of
red sandstone
the woman I'm with
is not Swedish
if you can guess
my first name
you have
a poet's true identity
#poetry
women holding
hands as we walk
around a cathedral
we both love
architecture
Classical music
and literature
this amazing building
is made of
red sandstone
the woman I'm with
is not Swedish
if you can guess
my first name
you have
a poet's true identity
#poetry
Laura
saw herself as a faint
adumbration in Swedish
unrecognized
in the community
apart by acquired close friends
and her two lived with lovers
she was extremely anxious
which fed
a lubricious nature
and when she discovered
her nose was a fetish
she enjoyed that attention
#poetry
saw herself as a faint
adumbration in Swedish
unrecognized
in the community
apart by acquired close friends
and her two lived with lovers
she was extremely anxious
which fed
a lubricious nature
and when she discovered
her nose was a fetish
she enjoyed that attention
#poetry
December 19, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Laura
saw herself as a faint
adumbration in Swedish
unrecognized
in the community
apart by acquired close friends
and her two lived with lovers
she was extremely anxious
which fed
a lubricious nature
and when she discovered
her nose was a fetish
she enjoyed that attention
#poetry
saw herself as a faint
adumbration in Swedish
unrecognized
in the community
apart by acquired close friends
and her two lived with lovers
she was extremely anxious
which fed
a lubricious nature
and when she discovered
her nose was a fetish
she enjoyed that attention
#poetry
Anaïs
in winter she could smell Flavia
in a room as one does
distant woodsmoke
from a car window
or an attractive
woman's personal
smell briefly passing
but this odour was always Flavia's deep centre
her body wore
nothing artificial
only the core scent
of women
attracted Anaïs
#poetry
in winter she could smell Flavia
in a room as one does
distant woodsmoke
from a car window
or an attractive
woman's personal
smell briefly passing
but this odour was always Flavia's deep centre
her body wore
nothing artificial
only the core scent
of women
attracted Anaïs
#poetry
December 19, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Anaïs
in winter she could smell Flavia
in a room as one does
distant woodsmoke
from a car window
or an attractive
woman's personal
smell briefly passing
but this odour was always Flavia's deep centre
her body wore
nothing artificial
only the core scent
of women
attracted Anaïs
#poetry
in winter she could smell Flavia
in a room as one does
distant woodsmoke
from a car window
or an attractive
woman's personal
smell briefly passing
but this odour was always Flavia's deep centre
her body wore
nothing artificial
only the core scent
of women
attracted Anaïs
#poetry
Priestly Blue
in pagan patches
propelling darker cloud
across an otherwise
pristine sky is how
Clarice saw the late
day from her small
bay bedroom window
the outcrops darkly
distinguished
as if underlined
and Danish who she'd
met at the estuary house
she had found
extremely interesting
#poetry
in pagan patches
propelling darker cloud
across an otherwise
pristine sky is how
Clarice saw the late
day from her small
bay bedroom window
the outcrops darkly
distinguished
as if underlined
and Danish who she'd
met at the estuary house
she had found
extremely interesting
#poetry
December 18, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Priestly Blue
in pagan patches
propelling darker cloud
across an otherwise
pristine sky is how
Clarice saw the late
day from her small
bay bedroom window
the outcrops darkly
distinguished
as if underlined
and Danish who she'd
met at the estuary house
she had found
extremely interesting
#poetry
in pagan patches
propelling darker cloud
across an otherwise
pristine sky is how
Clarice saw the late
day from her small
bay bedroom window
the outcrops darkly
distinguished
as if underlined
and Danish who she'd
met at the estuary house
she had found
extremely interesting
#poetry
Reposted by David Karlsen
Аутопортрет (Self-portrait) by Катарина Ивановић (Katarina Ivanović - Serbian) - Oil on canvas / 1836 - National Museum of Serbia (Belgrade) #womeninart #art #womanartist #selfportrait #portraitofawoman #serbianart #oilpainting #KatarinaIvanović #КатаринаИвановић #womensart #NarodnimuzejSrbije
January 30, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Аутопортрет (Self-portrait) by Катарина Ивановић (Katarina Ivanović - Serbian) - Oil on canvas / 1836 - National Museum of Serbia (Belgrade) #womeninart #art #womanartist #selfportrait #portraitofawoman #serbianart #oilpainting #KatarinaIvanović #КатаринаИвановић #womensart #NarodnimuzejSrbije
Kazu Dreaming
she was rubbing noses
with Laura
whose nose was cold
her own warm
one slightly damp
European
another small dry Asian
Laura left her nose on Kazu's
shoulder
was kissed
avidly
dream changed
Laura was smelling flowers
her nose in a filmic closeup
red and yellow nasturtiums
#poetry
she was rubbing noses
with Laura
whose nose was cold
her own warm
one slightly damp
European
another small dry Asian
Laura left her nose on Kazu's
shoulder
was kissed
avidly
dream changed
Laura was smelling flowers
her nose in a filmic closeup
red and yellow nasturtiums
#poetry
December 18, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Kazu Dreaming
she was rubbing noses
with Laura
whose nose was cold
her own warm
one slightly damp
European
another small dry Asian
Laura left her nose on Kazu's
shoulder
was kissed
avidly
dream changed
Laura was smelling flowers
her nose in a filmic closeup
red and yellow nasturtiums
#poetry
she was rubbing noses
with Laura
whose nose was cold
her own warm
one slightly damp
European
another small dry Asian
Laura left her nose on Kazu's
shoulder
was kissed
avidly
dream changed
Laura was smelling flowers
her nose in a filmic closeup
red and yellow nasturtiums
#poetry
Flavia
always looked at the past
thinking of this
photograph
her love for Anaïs
never died
it could not dissipate
she imagined a little boat as herself alone
waiting in a sea of colour sky a dream
she kept this image
in her heart and in a drawer taken
it seemed now
long ago by Anaïs
#poetry
always looked at the past
thinking of this
photograph
her love for Anaïs
never died
it could not dissipate
she imagined a little boat as herself alone
waiting in a sea of colour sky a dream
she kept this image
in her heart and in a drawer taken
it seemed now
long ago by Anaïs
#poetry
December 18, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Flavia
always looked at the past
thinking of this
photograph
her love for Anaïs
never died
it could not dissipate
she imagined a little boat as herself alone
waiting in a sea of colour sky a dream
she kept this image
in her heart and in a drawer taken
it seemed now
long ago by Anaïs
#poetry
always looked at the past
thinking of this
photograph
her love for Anaïs
never died
it could not dissipate
she imagined a little boat as herself alone
waiting in a sea of colour sky a dream
she kept this image
in her heart and in a drawer taken
it seemed now
long ago by Anaïs
#poetry
sailing clouds
on reaching the top
lose rock all around
and sometimes we've
been up here the sky
a grey gaunt spread
a world shining
in a raindrop silk
covering glaucous
green
the rocks and lichen
#poetry
on reaching the top
lose rock all around
and sometimes we've
been up here the sky
a grey gaunt spread
a world shining
in a raindrop silk
covering glaucous
green
the rocks and lichen
#poetry
December 17, 2025 at 8:07 PM
sailing clouds
on reaching the top
lose rock all around
and sometimes we've
been up here the sky
a grey gaunt spread
a world shining
in a raindrop silk
covering glaucous
green
the rocks and lichen
#poetry
on reaching the top
lose rock all around
and sometimes we've
been up here the sky
a grey gaunt spread
a world shining
in a raindrop silk
covering glaucous
green
the rocks and lichen
#poetry
Underneath
a mountain's strength
of insect life
their existence continued
as did all animals
birds above them
on the estuary in the sea
dolphin pods broke surface seals sat on rocks as bloated divas
occasional ship lights
passed oblivious of
loud love or silent
faces deeply dreaming
#poetry
a mountain's strength
of insect life
their existence continued
as did all animals
birds above them
on the estuary in the sea
dolphin pods broke surface seals sat on rocks as bloated divas
occasional ship lights
passed oblivious of
loud love or silent
faces deeply dreaming
#poetry
December 17, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Underneath
a mountain's strength
of insect life
their existence continued
as did all animals
birds above them
on the estuary in the sea
dolphin pods broke surface seals sat on rocks as bloated divas
occasional ship lights
passed oblivious of
loud love or silent
faces deeply dreaming
#poetry
a mountain's strength
of insect life
their existence continued
as did all animals
birds above them
on the estuary in the sea
dolphin pods broke surface seals sat on rocks as bloated divas
occasional ship lights
passed oblivious of
loud love or silent
faces deeply dreaming
#poetry
Did We Sit
and cry together
when we saw
a bird fly
under the moon
above a red sky
yes we did
and now the three
of us are crying
because winter has
arrived and dreams
dreamt are still in place
tell me that they are
life's too short and I'm
a long way from home
#poetry
and cry together
when we saw
a bird fly
under the moon
above a red sky
yes we did
and now the three
of us are crying
because winter has
arrived and dreams
dreamt are still in place
tell me that they are
life's too short and I'm
a long way from home
#poetry
December 16, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Did We Sit
and cry together
when we saw
a bird fly
under the moon
above a red sky
yes we did
and now the three
of us are crying
because winter has
arrived and dreams
dreamt are still in place
tell me that they are
life's too short and I'm
a long way from home
#poetry
and cry together
when we saw
a bird fly
under the moon
above a red sky
yes we did
and now the three
of us are crying
because winter has
arrived and dreams
dreamt are still in place
tell me that they are
life's too short and I'm
a long way from home
#poetry
Cold Winter
and trees fight stronger
winds
blue and cloud a melange
part of a mystery drawn
across a wild world
daylight leaves early
as if a switch has been
thrown
for many anxious fear
treads round our thoughts
for no reason other than
winter weather
produces chemical change
#poetry
and trees fight stronger
winds
blue and cloud a melange
part of a mystery drawn
across a wild world
daylight leaves early
as if a switch has been
thrown
for many anxious fear
treads round our thoughts
for no reason other than
winter weather
produces chemical change
#poetry
December 16, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Cold Winter
and trees fight stronger
winds
blue and cloud a melange
part of a mystery drawn
across a wild world
daylight leaves early
as if a switch has been
thrown
for many anxious fear
treads round our thoughts
for no reason other than
winter weather
produces chemical change
#poetry
and trees fight stronger
winds
blue and cloud a melange
part of a mystery drawn
across a wild world
daylight leaves early
as if a switch has been
thrown
for many anxious fear
treads round our thoughts
for no reason other than
winter weather
produces chemical change
#poetry
The Work
was a complex one
she knew it to be
having played the five
movements without
a care before
that audience
being her own family
but the Sonata
its increcies
layer upon layer introduction
explanation
repetition
and variation
her face in the piano looked agonized
#poetry
was a complex one
she knew it to be
having played the five
movements without
a care before
that audience
being her own family
but the Sonata
its increcies
layer upon layer introduction
explanation
repetition
and variation
her face in the piano looked agonized
#poetry
December 16, 2025 at 6:58 AM
The Work
was a complex one
she knew it to be
having played the five
movements without
a care before
that audience
being her own family
but the Sonata
its increcies
layer upon layer introduction
explanation
repetition
and variation
her face in the piano looked agonized
#poetry
was a complex one
she knew it to be
having played the five
movements without
a care before
that audience
being her own family
but the Sonata
its increcies
layer upon layer introduction
explanation
repetition
and variation
her face in the piano looked agonized
#poetry
Stormy Weather
black and white thunder
as they walked the beach
dressed warmly
every body scent taken
way out to sea
except
before leaving
the white house
Kazu knew she could
smell Danish on Anais
the wind brought tears
to all their eyes that day
#poetry
black and white thunder
as they walked the beach
dressed warmly
every body scent taken
way out to sea
except
before leaving
the white house
Kazu knew she could
smell Danish on Anais
the wind brought tears
to all their eyes that day
#poetry
December 15, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Stormy Weather
black and white thunder
as they walked the beach
dressed warmly
every body scent taken
way out to sea
except
before leaving
the white house
Kazu knew she could
smell Danish on Anais
the wind brought tears
to all their eyes that day
#poetry
black and white thunder
as they walked the beach
dressed warmly
every body scent taken
way out to sea
except
before leaving
the white house
Kazu knew she could
smell Danish on Anais
the wind brought tears
to all their eyes that day
#poetry
Old Red Sandstone
a large specimen
weighing several kilos four hundred million
years old
sits in our study
full of books
I find myself trying
to imagine that age
an impossibility
as you can see
waves
over time have rounded this rock
into a gigantic pebble
#poetry
a large specimen
weighing several kilos four hundred million
years old
sits in our study
full of books
I find myself trying
to imagine that age
an impossibility
as you can see
waves
over time have rounded this rock
into a gigantic pebble
#poetry
December 15, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Old Red Sandstone
a large specimen
weighing several kilos four hundred million
years old
sits in our study
full of books
I find myself trying
to imagine that age
an impossibility
as you can see
waves
over time have rounded this rock
into a gigantic pebble
#poetry
a large specimen
weighing several kilos four hundred million
years old
sits in our study
full of books
I find myself trying
to imagine that age
an impossibility
as you can see
waves
over time have rounded this rock
into a gigantic pebble
#poetry
Reposted by David Karlsen
December 7, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Kazu Camera
Laura had driven her there
trees were beautifully bare
breasting the declivity
seaward
rocks a strong plinth
pinning up a bipartite sky
she took snaps of Laura
sat on a canvas collapsible
chair watching
thermos on lap
Laura would never know
Kazu was not the docile lover
#poetry
Laura had driven her there
trees were beautifully bare
breasting the declivity
seaward
rocks a strong plinth
pinning up a bipartite sky
she took snaps of Laura
sat on a canvas collapsible
chair watching
thermos on lap
Laura would never know
Kazu was not the docile lover
#poetry
December 14, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Kazu Camera
Laura had driven her there
trees were beautifully bare
breasting the declivity
seaward
rocks a strong plinth
pinning up a bipartite sky
she took snaps of Laura
sat on a canvas collapsible
chair watching
thermos on lap
Laura would never know
Kazu was not the docile lover
#poetry
Laura had driven her there
trees were beautifully bare
breasting the declivity
seaward
rocks a strong plinth
pinning up a bipartite sky
she took snaps of Laura
sat on a canvas collapsible
chair watching
thermos on lap
Laura would never know
Kazu was not the docile lover
#poetry
Reposted by David Karlsen
“Autorretrato (Self-Portrait)” by Emilia Bertolé (Argentine) - Pastel on paper / c. 1925 - Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires, Argentina) #WomenInArt #art #artText #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #EmiliaBertole #Bertole #EmiliaBertolé #MNBA #MuseoNacionalDeBellasArtes #SelfPortrait
December 12, 2025 at 4:17 PM
“Autorretrato (Self-Portrait)” by Emilia Bertolé (Argentine) - Pastel on paper / c. 1925 - Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires, Argentina) #WomenInArt #art #artText #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #EmiliaBertole #Bertole #EmiliaBertolé #MNBA #MuseoNacionalDeBellasArtes #SelfPortrait
Yellow Iris
it was her favourite
flower
yellow was her colour
definitely
except for clothes
she was rarely seen
in yellow said it was custard to wear
a food although
green was cabbage
purple broccoli
that's why Iris always wore
a very somber black
#poetry
it was her favourite
flower
yellow was her colour
definitely
except for clothes
she was rarely seen
in yellow said it was custard to wear
a food although
green was cabbage
purple broccoli
that's why Iris always wore
a very somber black
#poetry
December 14, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Yellow Iris
it was her favourite
flower
yellow was her colour
definitely
except for clothes
she was rarely seen
in yellow said it was custard to wear
a food although
green was cabbage
purple broccoli
that's why Iris always wore
a very somber black
#poetry
it was her favourite
flower
yellow was her colour
definitely
except for clothes
she was rarely seen
in yellow said it was custard to wear
a food although
green was cabbage
purple broccoli
that's why Iris always wore
a very somber black
#poetry
The Estuary was Filling
under a cold clear sky
evening water running
fast
sound a constant
spoken voice
trees stood against
a numbing blue
reflected in the
goings out to sea
in the white house
Danish read and Anais
looked at her
occasionally
how green her eyes
the estuary was filling
#poetry
under a cold clear sky
evening water running
fast
sound a constant
spoken voice
trees stood against
a numbing blue
reflected in the
goings out to sea
in the white house
Danish read and Anais
looked at her
occasionally
how green her eyes
the estuary was filling
#poetry
December 13, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The Estuary was Filling
under a cold clear sky
evening water running
fast
sound a constant
spoken voice
trees stood against
a numbing blue
reflected in the
goings out to sea
in the white house
Danish read and Anais
looked at her
occasionally
how green her eyes
the estuary was filling
#poetry
under a cold clear sky
evening water running
fast
sound a constant
spoken voice
trees stood against
a numbing blue
reflected in the
goings out to sea
in the white house
Danish read and Anais
looked at her
occasionally
how green her eyes
the estuary was filling
#poetry
Sometimes
a cloud construction
enters the heart
as if one has been removed from the present
allowed to visit a dream
in a solitary environment
one's stored in memory
here is the horizontal
moving into the vertical
layer on layer
in a cobalt sky
of wonderment
before dissembling
#poetry
a cloud construction
enters the heart
as if one has been removed from the present
allowed to visit a dream
in a solitary environment
one's stored in memory
here is the horizontal
moving into the vertical
layer on layer
in a cobalt sky
of wonderment
before dissembling
#poetry
December 13, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Sometimes
a cloud construction
enters the heart
as if one has been removed from the present
allowed to visit a dream
in a solitary environment
one's stored in memory
here is the horizontal
moving into the vertical
layer on layer
in a cobalt sky
of wonderment
before dissembling
#poetry
a cloud construction
enters the heart
as if one has been removed from the present
allowed to visit a dream
in a solitary environment
one's stored in memory
here is the horizontal
moving into the vertical
layer on layer
in a cobalt sky
of wonderment
before dissembling
#poetry
Reposted by David Karlsen
“Autorretrato (Self-Portrait)” by Ida González (Chilean) - Témpera / c. early 1960s - Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Santiago, Chile) #WomenInArt #IdaGonzález #González #SelfPortrait #ChileanArt #art #artText #ChileanArtist #WomanArtist #WomensArt #WomenArtists #MuseoNacionalDeBellasArtes #MNBA
December 13, 2025 at 6:04 AM
“Autorretrato (Self-Portrait)” by Ida González (Chilean) - Témpera / c. early 1960s - Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Santiago, Chile) #WomenInArt #IdaGonzález #González #SelfPortrait #ChileanArt #art #artText #ChileanArtist #WomanArtist #WomensArt #WomenArtists #MuseoNacionalDeBellasArtes #MNBA
Anaïs and Danish
flew as one gull
holding tightly onto
each other
as lovers will
bodies covered
in protecting feathers against view
in their nakedness
trust in strong wings
taking them to rest
before Anaïs woke up
surprised by a love
revealed in a myth
#poetry
flew as one gull
holding tightly onto
each other
as lovers will
bodies covered
in protecting feathers against view
in their nakedness
trust in strong wings
taking them to rest
before Anaïs woke up
surprised by a love
revealed in a myth
#poetry
December 13, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Anaïs and Danish
flew as one gull
holding tightly onto
each other
as lovers will
bodies covered
in protecting feathers against view
in their nakedness
trust in strong wings
taking them to rest
before Anaïs woke up
surprised by a love
revealed in a myth
#poetry
flew as one gull
holding tightly onto
each other
as lovers will
bodies covered
in protecting feathers against view
in their nakedness
trust in strong wings
taking them to rest
before Anaïs woke up
surprised by a love
revealed in a myth
#poetry
Here Less is More
than a golden garish
house
these few populating
sticks against an angry
atmosphere more powerful than all
the warships in our world
more dangerous than man's obssessions
who is always toppled
by a mere wind's gust
than a golden garish
house
these few populating
sticks against an angry
atmosphere more powerful than all
the warships in our world
more dangerous than man's obssessions
who is always toppled
by a mere wind's gust
December 12, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Here Less is More
than a golden garish
house
these few populating
sticks against an angry
atmosphere more powerful than all
the warships in our world
more dangerous than man's obssessions
who is always toppled
by a mere wind's gust
than a golden garish
house
these few populating
sticks against an angry
atmosphere more powerful than all
the warships in our world
more dangerous than man's obssessions
who is always toppled
by a mere wind's gust