I believe life is good, truth is paradoxical, and coincidence is full of humor and meaning if we’re awake to it. The poems I write use that worldview as a window.

I’ve loved playing with words since elementary school when snowman rhymes were the goal (though I lived in hot, dry Arizona). I love every form of it, from poems to essays to novels. I explore writing theories on my main website, All About the Words, but I wanted my bulging collection of poems to have their own space.

Sometimes the serendipity of a photo inspires a poem; other times a poetic mood seizes me and I’ll search my camera roll for a perfect match. Some of my poems are profound explorations about the nature of existence; a few too many are cat poems. Some continue to hold true for me; others were passing fancies.

In every case the photos and poems are original, so please give me credit if you use them in any way. Mostly I hope they inspire you to see the world with fresh perspective.

~Nikki Mantyla

About Me

I am in my early forties and recovering my love for life after a painful divorce 2021–2022. The whole thing felt like a heinous prank from the universe, pulling the rug of my own identity out from under me. But it forced me to see that life is about accepting the glimmers of joy that find us in any circumstance.

My joy trifecta is made of people, plants, and books: people like family, friends, and the students I teach at the community college; plants, both indoors and out, that teach me about patience and growth; books, which have a magic way of providing sage advice with impeccable timing.

I grew up devoutly Christian in a conservative denomination, which shaped my outlook for longer than I like to admit, but as other spiritual views crossed my path I rejected biblical literalism and became more of a new-age universalist/pantheist/Taoist/mishmash. To me, all great spiritual teachers describe the same essential truths, just in different words from different angles. I particularly love Taoism’s emphasis on trusting inner guidance, being present/awake, and viewing the world with amusement. When I’m awake and amused, life feels grand.