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Dr. John Wagner

@drjohnwagner.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.1K following 1.4K posts

Proud dad. Applied mathematician. Life scientist. Consummate inventor. Software engineer. Data nerd. Life-long foodie. Aspiring chef. Progressive lefty taking refuge in a blue state with blue skies. #CT #Bsky

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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
A young poet calls from the kitchen. His father is dying in the next room. He asks what to write. — What I Am Willing to Answer For allpoetry.com/poem/19221617 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
turning my father’s breathing mask beneath the lamp, placing it beside the letter my wife left unopened on the kitchen bench. — What I Am Willing to Answer For allpoetry.com/poem/19221617 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
She comes in and says my mother called. For one second I listen to her. Then I write down how listening looked. — What I Am Willing to Answer For allpoetry.com/poem/19221617 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
On a black charger, spear held high, he rode into the distance across the night sky. Called into battle, he simply can't stay; when he'll return, the Fates cannot say. So valiant a warrior, with spear and shield, his courage will stand, his love will not yield. — Ellie and the Pear #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Most nights he returned to the room they said was his and sat on the bunk with one shoe still on until the pipes started their knocking. — Busy Dying allpoetry.com/poem/19185608 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
A doctor touched the screen with the back of his pen. Here, he said. As if the body were a map and not the place you had been living. — Almost Harmless allpoetry.com/poem/19168886 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Almost Harmless allpoetry.com/poem/19168886 Copyright © 27 June 2026 by John Wagner #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Some nights my hand finds your scar before we awake, and I relearn what you knew then: the cut was necessary, and necessity did not make it clean. — Almost Harmless allpoetry.com/poem/19168886 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
I lifted it once. Black dust. A burnt match. A twist of peel. No reason for the peel. — The Room Kept Its Booking allpoetry.com/poem/19149121 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I called the police but I wasn't sure how to report a robbery or a missing person, or whether they should check the morgue. — This Morning allpoetry.com/poem/18862164 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Instead, I wrapped her in my arms. Not steel. Not concrete. Just flesh and promise, which somehow felt stronger. — Bubble Wrap allpoetry.com/poem/18878086 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Where you appear, I feel the break first— a shudder in the inner order, a loosening I dare not correct. — Vier Elegien allpoetry.com/poem/18908657 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Small, orange, with one bright edge still refusing the soot. I put it back. I shut the fireguard too hard. — Guest Book allpoetry.com/poem/19149121 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Guest Book allpoetry.com/poem/19149121 Copyright © 2 June 2026 by John Wagner #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Tell me once more how the boy in the yard is banging on the car, kicking the garage door, screaming into the night air like I don't know how that feels. — Antyesti allpoetry.com/poem/19113056 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
allpoetry.com/poem/19118738 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
allpoetry.com/poem/19118738 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
My Little Brown Mouse allpoetry.com/poem/19118738 Copyright © 21 May 2026 by John Wagner #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Collapsed allpoetry.com/poem/19114885 Copyright © 16 May 2026 by John Wagner #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Collapsed allpoetry.com/poem/19114885 Copyright © 15 May 2026 by John Wagner #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Antyesti allpoetry.com/poem/19113056 Copyright © 14 May 2026 by John Wagner #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Your book was still there. Open on a desk. The librarian held it flat, not reading, just keeping it from closing. — As Craft allpoetry.com/poem/18888721 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
As Craft allpoetry.com/poem/18888721 #Poetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Letter to an Old Poet allpoetry.com/poem/18903976 Copyright © 7 May 2026 by John Wagner #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram allpoetry.com/poem/18903976 #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
allpoetry.com/poem/18903976 #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I had to pay twice as much for double the defeat. I had to learn how to regret you. — My Child allpoetry.com/poem/18864106 #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
For You, Who Called Me to Water allpoetry.com/poem/19001128 Copyright © 6 May 2026 by John Wagner #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram allpoetry.com/poem/19001128 #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
In this space, our complex measure abandons me. The tangent rises beyond grasping, arching ever upward to the heavens. — Vier Elegien allpoetry.com/poem/18908657 #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
You said, "No" like it was a country you’d discovered, and I was only visiting. I stood in the smoke of it, watching the shape of you burn through the outline I’d drawn. — Pilot Light #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #SpilledInk #PoetryIsNotDead #PoetsOfInstagram
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
I trace your outline in imaginary numbers, not as allowance but containment— because what is unreal still yields when framed correctly. — Control Theory
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
The Trump Administration's Iran plans were leaked.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
The Trump Administration says that these officers feared for their lives.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
The right is correct: we *are* coming for their guns. Very, very soon.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
As soon as Nuremberg 2.0 ends, the first next step will be eliminating the Second Amendment as useless dead weight.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
ECMO #APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry
ECMO
By JoJo

When I die
I need You
    to slice me open,
    look around,
        find us.

The birthday weekend—
    rain-soaked beach,
    board games,
    Persian food,
        cheating at Catan.
Remember
    that gift.

A stroll through Manhattan—
    the Blake exhibition,
    street craft fair,
    MOMA and bulgogi,
        the hotel balcony.
Remember
    the release.

That hike in the Catskills—
    aquamarine snow,
    the whispering wind,
    ridges on the horizon,
        final freedom.
Remember
    our breath.

When I die
I need You
    to be my life support.

Author's Note
ECMO was written with deliberate restraint. Rather than describing loss or love directly, the poem treats memory as a functional system—something external, specific, and shared that keeps a body moving when it can no longer sustain itself alone. The details are not symbolic; they are procedural. What matters here is not what love means, but what it does.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Just Enough Freedom #APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Don't threaten me with a good time.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
This Morning By JoJo #APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry #PoemOfTheDay #Poetry
This Morning
By JoJo

Where is my skin.
    Where are my hands.
        Where is my heart.

My skin is leather—
    it isn't fragile,
    isn't thin,
    doesn't bruise,
        crack.

My hands are certain—
    they don't shake,
    don't hesitate,
    aren't weak,
        idle.

My heart holds—
    it doesn't waver,
    doesn't misfire,
    can't stutter,
        yield.

My skin resists fire.
    My hands can find a way forward.
        My heart can be followed.

I called the police
    but I wasn't sure
        how to report
            a robbery
            or a missing person,
        or whether
            they should check
                the morgue.

They asked for
    a description.
I gave them
    my name,
    my age,
        everything I had.

None of it
    matched.

Author’s Note

This poem records the moment when a body can no longer be reconciled with its description. The language remains procedural throughout; discovery occurs through classification, escalation, and verification rather than reflection. The poem does not specify the source of the mismatch, only the failure of available systems to resolve it.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Reclassification By JoJo #APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry
Reclassification
By JoJo

The toothbrush and toothpaste are aligned
    to the right of the faucets.
The hairbrush is set on the glass shelf.
The toothpaste is returned fully to the left.
The mouthwash is set beneath the sink.
The hairbrush is moved to the empty bottom drawer.
The towel is folded and kept in the linen closet.
The hook remains empty.

The shirts and suits are ordered in the armoire.
The sheets and duvet are replaced.
The bed is rotated.
The pillow is centred on the bed.
The other pillow is stored back in the linen closet.
The bed is repositioned below the window.
The extra dresser remains empty.

The couch is turned perpendicular to the wall
    facing the television.
The bookshelf is angled in the corner.
The dining table is flush against the wall.
The unused chair is stored at the back of the garage.
The coffee table is arranged parallel to the couch.
The board games are put away in the closet.
The flowers are discarded.

The water kettle is placed above the refrigerator.
The chopsticks are emptied into the drawer.
The coffee maker is set in the corner.
The extra mug is assigned to the top shelf.
The tea tin is stored in the pantry.
The trash is moved under the sink.
The spare key remains on the counter overnight.

Author’s Note:
This poem is structured as a sequence of domestic adjustments. Nothing is narrated; changes are registered only through placement, containment, and omission.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
No Exit By JoJo #APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry
No Exit
By JoJo

The day you were born I acquired words.
Think: threat. Think: terror. Think: love.

The day you were born the hospital jumped
then the sun rose and we drove—the
highway lurching and certainty dissolving
and stillness as distant as the horizon,
offering approach with every mile.

The day you were born my dreams began
and the sun rose but darkness followed
and first steps became imminent falls
and walking to school became abduction
and a single failure became terminal.

The day you were born my life collapsed
and the earth folded in and autonomy
became a cicada that forgot how to shed
its skin and the highway stabilised and
a horizon arrived without announcement.

The thing about love, you told me, is
it's not a cliché—it doesn't conquer,
it's a house built on implacable granite
atop slabs of accumulated indifference.

The thing about love, I told you, is
it is a cliché—love is forever, it's a
slab of dense granite formed by years of
instability, eroding under pressure.

The day you were born I realised that forever
doesn't have an exit, it locks horizons
that promise arrival and do not arrive.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
My Child By JoJo #APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry
My Child
By JoJo

Don't you know?
She left us both.

She left you without continuity.
Without shelter from fear.
Without permission to exist.
Without her love.

She left me without a way to orient myself.
Without a measure.
Without permission to fail.
Without her help.

I had to provide twice as much.
I had to sacrifice twice as much.
I had to love twice as much.
I had to fail twice as much.

Three out of four isn't bad.
It's terminal.

You had to absorb
all of my failure
anyway.
You had to learn
your dad is not a hero.
I had to pay twice as much
for double the defeat.
I had to learn
how to regret
you.

My child.
Don't you know—
I named you.

I didn't name you after her or me—
I know how dangerous that can be:
I was named after my father,
a man I hardly knew.
Your name carries no assigned weight—
no responsibility,
no constraint,
no expectation
to carry what failed
forward.

I named you after the strongest person I know—
stronger than her abandonment,
stronger than my failures,
stronger than either of us ever were.

I named you
after you.

Leaving is on her.
Failing is on me.

I seek no forgiveness.
I seek no redemption.
But please: forgive her.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
Water on Upright Stone By JoJo #APoemADay #FifthDaysOfPoetry #LouiseGlück
Water on Upright Stone
By JoJo

A space.

Water on paths.
No prohibition.

Water on grass.
No footsteps.

Water on upright stone.
Marked.

Some stop.

Two flank stone.
They speak.

The others stand close.
Rearrange.
Measured.
Still.
And listen.

Water on paths.
Water on grass.
Water on upright stone.

All are still.
They speak.

All quiet.
All are still.
Remain so.
Speech continues.

Water on paths.
Water on grass.
Water on upright stone.

Another appears.
Stands close.

All are still.
Quiet.
Held.
Speech continues.

Water on paths.
Water on grass.
Water on upright stone.

Speech stops.
Distance dissipates.
All vanish.
The stone remains.


The next step.
Blocked.

The water on paths.
The water on grass.
The water on upright stone.

The next step.
Binding.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
#APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry #MyHomageToCharlesReznikoff #BondiBeach #Australia #Sydney
Incident

JoJo

The shooting occurred at a public gathering.
The event took place on a Sunday afternoon.
A number of people were in attendance.

Fatalities were reported.
Injuries were reported.

Emergency units were dispatched to the area.
Ambulances were sent from multiple locations.

Two individuals were reported to open fire during the event.
One suspect was confirmed deceased.
A second suspect was taken into custody.

Multiple firearms were recovered.
One suspect was listed as owner.

Explosive devices were found at the incident site.
All devices were confirmed disarmed.

Public access to the area was restricted.
Operations in the immediate vicinity were suspended.
Public information on business closures was not provided.

Reports vary as to the starting time.
Estimates of the duration of gunfire varied.

Counts were not consistent across accounts.
The number of shots fired has not been reliably established.
Exact counts of first-responders were not specified consistently.

Demographic information could not be verified.
It was not confirmed whether children were among the fatalities.
Age information was incomplete.
Reports differed regarding the second suspect’s hospital status.

The number and origin of ambulances were not recorded consistently.
Reports of the types of weapons were inconsistent or unconfirmed.
Details of closures and restrictions were pending.
The incident is not classified.
Area reopening is pending.

This poem is constructed entirely from publicly reported information available at the time of writing. It does not seek to interpret events or supply conclusions absent from the record. Omissions reflect the limits and inconsistencies of the available reports.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
#APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry
Opaline
By JoJo

It's an opaline night:
    it's walls closing in,
    it's a prison break—
        a cake, a file, an extra set of clothes.

It's a Mustang on the PCH—
    brisk air, wet fog and sixty-mile-an-hour wind
        but zero visibility.

I think I am safe.
        Not how she drives.

There’s something about a woman
    who slams on the brakes,
        hands you a loaded gun
            and leads you trespassing.

But it’s L.A.
    and you know how that goes:
    a closed beach at midnight—
        fog for cover, no witnesses.

We make for the water's edge:
    take off our
        stocking masks,
        canvas tennis shoes,
        white athletic socks;
    feel crushed glass between our freezing toes;
    wrap ourselves in a thick, yellow bedspread;
    and do what prisoners do
        the moment they escape.

The cliffs stand watch.
    The waves remain quiet.
        Even the stars can't testify.

We leave the bedspread in the moonlight—
    an admission.
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
#APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
#APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
#APoemADay #FiftyDaysOfPoetry
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
I think I captured it. Remind you of anything? Another time? Another place?
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Dr. John Wagner @drjohnwagner.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
It’s like this except I didn’t pre-pay, I just had the misfortune of being born here.
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