Honest Words From The Grey Spaces
Visible & Invisible
Lately, I’ve been thinking about visibility—how it’s possible to feel both seen and unseen at the same time.
When I share my poetry, I’m visible. My words are honest, personal, and sometimes raw. Readers see thoughts I don’t speak aloud, glimpses of the vulnerable parts I usually keep hidden behind a calm, competent mask.
And yet, I’m invisible. Not because I hide my work, but because I’m still learning how to get it in front of more eyes. In a world overflowing with voices, mine hasn’t yet traveled far.
This week’s spotlight poem, Swampland, lives in that in-between space—between who I’ve been and who I hope to become, between the heavy pull of the present and the bright pull of the future.
Spotlight Poem:
Swampland
Where I find myself now
One of two extremes exists
Either time doesn’t flow
Or time is all there is
Which extreme do I face now?
I cannot be certain
At least not until I find my way out
But to find my way out,
I must find myself.
He is lost and drifting alone
He is somewhere near
I can feel it
Deep in thought
Wandering softly over the dark terrain
The ground is moist enough
That if I fall I will be cushioned
And if I sleep,
Even better.
And underneath this canopy
Not even sunlight can disturb me.
So I walk aimlessly.
That isn’t right
I have no goal for my feet,
But my mind has a goal to reach
As I stumble over the wet land
I stumble over memories of who I have been.
As I stare blankly at the path ahead
I can see in my mind’s eye what I want to become
But is there nothing between the two?
Who am I
There must be some link.
One day, the trees will open
And I will walk quickly
From this boggy hell.
Some days, “the boggy hell” is just obscurity—the frustration of pouring myself into words that don’t travel far. Other days, it’s the slow trek through self-doubt, exhaustion, and the erosion of old dreams.
But Swampland reminds me: there’s a link between the person I’ve been and the person I want to become. The fog will thin. The trees will open. And when they do, I’ll know more about where I’m headed.
Until then, I keep writing. I keep waving my arms in the fog. Maybe—just maybe—someone out there is waving back.
Upcoming project
I am in the planning stages of a new project and I wanted to share it here, with you, first. This December (2025) will mark the 25th anniversary of the publication of my first collection of poetry “Broken Images”. I am planning on releasing a 25th anniversary special edition. I hope to clean up some grammatical and typographical errors, re-order the poems for better pacing, and maybe include a foreword. Again this is just in the planning stage, but if you continue to follow this newsletter, you will know about the status updates before anyone else.
Thank you for coming along on this journey with me,
—Donnie
Stay connected:
💌 Subscribe to Broken Echoes: https://buttondown.com/donnierwallen
🖋️ Read more at: https://brokenechoes.blogspot.com
📖 Treading Water on Amazon: Order here
📱 Follow me:
Twitter/X: @donnierwallen
Instagram: @donnierwallen
Bluesky: @drwpoet.bsky.social