I remember the call from Brussels like a wound that never quite closed. Your voice trembled.
“Jacques ignored us the entire evening,” you said.
“The only thing he talked about was you. He seemed… obsessed. With everything about you.”
The line went dead.
I stood there, breath caught somewhere between my chest and my throat, and then I walked—no, I fled—to the closet.
My fingers found the white dress before my eyes did. I pulled it out like it had been waiting for me, like it knew. The fabric slipped through my hands, soft and familiar, still carrying that scent—Hypnotic Poison. His perfume. His gift. His presence.
Something inside me snapped.
I grabbed the scissors.
The first cut was hesitant.
The sound—sharp, final—echoed louder than it should have. Then came another. And another. Faster now. The blades tore through silk and memory alike, each slice a refusal, a protest, a scream I couldn’t voice.
Gabriela Marie Milton
Updates on Haiku for Soulmates
To those of you who submitted to Haiku for Soulmates:
Please be patient. Due to the overwhelming response we have received, we are diligently navigating through the selection process. Rest assured, we will notify everyone via email regarding your acceptance status. To ensure you don’t miss a moment of this exhilarating journey, please follow Literary Revelations for timely updates!
Thank you
Gabriela Marie Milton Author, Editor in Chief, Founder.
Please follow me on IG @gabriela_marie_milton and ob X @shortprose1
In the Beginning – Poetic Prose – Poem by Gabriela Marie Milton
In the beginning, the sky was dark, swollen with braided longings. The earth lay beneath it, clothed in smiling flowers and the slow breath of gods. Petals parted like whispered confessions, damp with promises. Desire had no name.
On that day, I bent and chose one bloom. My fingers lingered,. At the first trembling touch love burst from the ground.
The earth arched upward, aching, rising to meet the weight of the sky. Roots tightened, winds sighed, and the night thickened with roses and heavy steps. Your name became the name of desire spoken by birds.
The second day of creation started.
Gods of my many worlds, I beg your forgiveness.
Featured Art: Shutterstock
A thought and some reminder
I was asked in an interview how I write “lush poetry” and “haiku”, such different poetic genres. The answer is I do not know. I just can. I leave the beauty of both genres raining over me. I became one with my writings.
Please do not forget our fabulous Artist in Residence, Hikari, and me published Haiku and Tanka: Lull, Harmony, and Power in Japanese Art.
Literary Revelations is thrilled to announce an open call for submissions for our upcoming anthology, Haiku for Soulmates. Whether you have a soulmate and wish to celebrate your connection, or you dream of finding one, we invite you to share your poetic voice. If you have a soulmate, please compose five haiku for him or her. If you do not, let your imagination shape five haiku that describe the soulmate you hope to meet.
To participate, please submit your five haiku to literaryrevelations@pm.me and clearly label your email subject as Haiku for Soulmates. Please note that unlabeled submissions may be misplaced and not read. The submission deadline is February 25. Your five haiku will be accepted or rejected as a block.
This was first posted in Literary Revelations. For those of you who do not follow Literary Revelations, I hope this read is interesting.
The Economy of Emotion: Why Poetry Struggles at the Checkout Counter
In the literary world of 2026, a strange paradox exists. If you scroll through Instagram, you will find that poetry is more “viral” than ever. Short, punchy verses from “Instapoets” are screenshotted, shared, and tattooed at record rates. Yet, when we look at the hard data from 2025, a familiar trend remains: poetry unit sales continue to lag significantly behind other genres like Romance, Thriller, and Non-fiction.
While the Romance genre alone generated over $1.4 billion in sales last year, poetry remains a niche category, often struggling to break the million-copy mark across the entire industry. Here is why the “most shared” genre is often the “least purchased.”
1. The “Single Verse” Consumption Model
The primary challenge for poetry in the digital age is that it is inherently snackable. In 2025, 62% of poetry readers consumed work primarily via mobile devices.
• The Problem: Readers feel they have “experienced” the work by reading a single poem on a feed.
• The Contrast: A Mystery or Thriller novel requires a 300-page commitment to reach the “payoff.” You cannot “consume” a thriller via a single screenshot; you must buy the book to get the resolution.
2. Lack of “Binge-Ability”
Other genres thrive on the “just one more chapter” effect. Romance and Fantasy—the two highest-selling genres of 2025—rely on narrative momentum. * The Hook: Fiction creates a dopamine loop through plot and character development.
• The Barrier: Poetry is an emotional or intellectual “stop and think” medium. It is difficult to “binge-read” a collection of 80 poems in one sitting without suffering from emotional fatigue. Consequently, readers buy fewer books because they spend more time digesting the ones they already have.
3. The Utility Gap
Non-fiction (Self-Help, Memoirs, and Finance) remains the industry’s largest segment because it promises a tangible ROI (Return on Investment). * The Value: Readers view a $25 non-fiction book as an investment in a skill or a solution to a problem.
• The Perception: Poetry is often viewed as a luxury or a purely aesthetic experience. In an era of economic caution, “utility” often beats “artistry” at the cash register.
4. The Academic Shadow
Despite the rise of modern, accessible poets, the genre still carries the weight of “high art.” Many consumers still associate poetry with the difficult, coded language they were forced to analyze in school. While “Romantasy” (the 2025 breakout genre) promises pure escapism, poetry is often perceived as “work,” which can deter casual readers looking for relaxation.
On a different note,
Statistically, the vast majority of poets sell very few copies on Amazon. While the platform offers massive potential reach, most self-published poetry titles struggle to gain visibility without an external audience.
The Harsh Reality of Poetry Sales
Average Lifetime Sales: Approximately 90% of self-published books (across all genres) sell fewer than 100 copies in their entire lifetime.
Genre Challenges: Poetry is statistically one of the lowest-selling genres; it is estimated that of the roughly 10,000 new poetry books released annually, the top 10 titles account for 25% of all sales.
Typical New Author Performance: Industry data suggests that many new poets may only sell between 25 and 30 copies total. Without active marketing, a first-time self-published book might sell as few as 0 to 5 copies in its first year.
Why Sales Are Low for Most Poets
Lack of Organic Discovery: Amazon does not heavily promote poetry in its main browsing menus, meaning readers rarely “stumble upon” new poets unless they are specifically searching for them.
Saturation: In 2025, over 1.7 million books are self-published on Amazon KDP annually—roughly 4,700 new titles per day—making it extremely easy for a single collection to be buried.
Marketing Gap: Success on Amazon typically requires an existing following. “Instapoets” or those with large TikTok or Instagram audiences drive the majority of high-volume sales.
When is it Still “Worth It”?
Despite low average sales, Amazon remains a “worth it” tool if you adjust your expectations:
Zero Financial Risk: Unlike traditional printing, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is free to use, meaning selling even 10 copies results in a small profit rather than a loss.
The “Business Card” Effect: Having a professional book on Amazon can serve as a credential for speaking engagements, open mics, or local workshops.
Global Distribution: It is the only platform that allows a niche poet to be accessible to a global audience instantly, even if that audience is small.
The Blogging world – as a venue for sales
The philosophy behind buying poetry in the blogging world is reciprocity. By buying each other’s poetry and exchanging reviews, bloggers foster a sense of camaraderie and encouragement. This dynamic helps build trust, expand audiences, and create a network where creative work is appreciated and amplified through shared engagement. In the blogging world, it’s about cultivating a collaborative environment where everyone benefits from the collective growth and exposure. Nevertheless, that may give a poet 20-30 sales. Not more than that. But it gives everyone online friends and a nurturing community. Yet, what about quality?
Reminders:
1.
Haiku and Tanka: Lull, Harmony and Power in Japanese Art by Hikari and Gabriela Marie Milton is now available in eBook format. It’s a wonderful album of poetry and art that showcases different perspectives on the same painting.
A local Japanese restaurant got Haiku and Tanka: Lull, Harmony and Power in Japanese Art and Naoki Kimura’s Fine-Art Photography: Lullscapes in Light and Shadow, and now its walls are adorned with splendid art from within, framed and shiny. I thought I would share that with you.
Here is a short promotional video optimized for IG, so the video may appear blurred. My apologies for that.
2.
Literary Revelations – Haiku for Soulmates -Call for submissions
Literary Revelations is thrilled to announce an open call for submissions for our upcoming anthology, Haiku for Soulmates. Whether you have a soulmate and wish to celebrate your connection, or you dream of finding one, we invite you to share your poetic voice. If you have a soulmate, please compose five haiku for him or her. If you do not, let your imagination shape five haiku that describe the soulmate you hope to meet.
To participate, please submit your five haiku to literaryrevelations@pm.me and clearly label your email subject as Haiku for Soulmates. Please note that unlabeled submissions may be misplaced and not read. The submission deadline is February 25. Your five haiku will be accepted or rejected as a block.
Wishing you an exhilarating 2026 brimming with boundless love and vibrant creativity!
Gabriela Marie Milton – Updated Bio
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.
I am Gabriela Marie Milton, a 3-time Amazon bestselling poet, award-winning poet, and internationally published author. Vita Brevis Press nominated me for the 2022 Pushcart Prize. My poetry has been published in various journals in the US and abroad (sometimes under the pen name Gabriela M) and translated into Italian, Greek, Romanian, and Albanian.
In 2023, I founded Literary Revelations Publishing House to honor the memory of my mother, who was beautiful, generous, and loved literature with all her heart. Presently, I am the Editor in Chief of Literary Revelations.
I am three times an amazon bestselling author. My books are:
In Addition, I have edited the following poetry anthologies: Wounds I Healed, Hidden in Childhood, Petals of Haiku, and Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku. You may want to visit Literary Revelations to see more of my work as a publisher and curator, and my awards.
Cultural Journalism
Beyond the written word, I am a cultural journalist known for my cinematic storytelling and immersive digital reportage. My multimedia clips from Greece and Portugal offer a sophisticated exploration of the Mediterranean’s historical and aesthetic soul, blending high-production visual artistry with her signature lyrical commentary. These original works bridge the ancient and the modern, documenting the genius loci of the Hellenic world through a lens that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. By integrating these visual narratives into her broader body of work, I continue to redefine the boundaries of contemporary literary journalism, bringing the ‘splendor and sorrow’ of human history to a global digital audience.
Visit my IG @gabriela_marie_milton
Call from Submission
Literary Revelations will open on January 5, with a new call for submissions for a haiku anthology entitled Haiku for Soulmates. Please visit and subscribe to Literary Revelations Journal for more updates:
The streets remember you, every cobblestone etched with the memory of your footsteps, as if the earth itself had been branded by your presence. It’s been three years, yet the imprint of your steps lingers, a haunting echo that refuses to fade. I recall the way we’d dance in the empty streets, lost in the mystic glow of a sunset that unraveled itself just for us. The world melted away, leaving only the soft whisper of our footsteps and the fading light.
You vanished around the corner, turning left into the fading light, and I followed, my heart racing. But when I turned the street was deserted, the silence palpable. Yet, I could still feel the resonance of your steps, the vibrations of your presence lingering in the air. The distant chime of church bells pierced the evening air, and as the darkness gathered, it felt like the very shadows were alive, swirling around me like a shroud. In that moment, I was consumed by the ache of your absence, the longing to be reunited with the ghost of our past.
I was absolutely overwhelmed with joy when I learned that Hikari had crafted a stunning piece of art just for me. Her incredible generosity and unmatched talent brought tears to my eyes. The way she wielded those masterful colors struck a chord deep within me, igniting an emotional blaze that I couldn’t contain. I wept, and in the throes of that powerful inspiration, I penned a heartfelt poem dedicated to Hikari.
Painting by Hikari
Poem by Gabriela Marie Milton
Concentrated smell of roses Blooms in the night of white spirits Heavy perfume on midnight’s skin Thorns soft like tongues in prayers
Why do you think my love You know the secret language of roses – The secrets they carry in soft petals’ glow. The legend speaks of tears and blood Of the day when the Goddess ripped her clothes In the bourns- Who told you, darling that roses are love They are nightingales caught in blue fingered thorns
Follow me on IG from more poetry and news @gabriela_marie_milton
my love, I speak to you through centuries of pain trees spin barren branches in the air when loneliness rains on blue hills I crush my heart so yours can still beat
listen ocean waves embrace the moon’s pale chest instead of tears I shed naked pearls to wash the effigy of your acoustic agony and mend the painful scratches from your skin
with my imaginary fingers in blue and black the time I bend and no matter who I am a human or a spirit I swear to you I’ll love you till the end
Included in my book Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings
“Passions is a collection for the contemplative reader, those who appreciate symbolic language, mythic references, and emotional depth. Gabriela Marie Milton has crafted a poetic world where spiritual longing meets sensual reality, and where even the quietest images pulse with significance. This book is a rewarding experience for lovers of lyrical, layered, and emotionally intelligent poetry.“
Independent Book Review
My books (Only English) #1 Amazon bestseller, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis) #1 Amazon Bestseller, Women: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis)
Thank you to all my followers who reviewed my books. Please read other reviews here:
“With lush language and lavish imagery, Gabriela M. evokes a fantastic world ripe with emotion.” Christina Schwarz, the author of the New York Times Bestseller “Drowning Ruth.”
For five times in twenty-four hours, I face in the direction of the sea.
The first time the morning star floats above the water as innocent as the breast of a young girl. Soon the sun will try to catch her naked and burn her skin. She will escape. Pigeons will carry her across the sea. She will melt into yellow waters. Her last rays will fall in my lap like feathers.
I will rejoice.
The second time, divorced from her night bed, the light disperses itself on the shore. I can see myself washing clothes in the sea. My hair is tied in a ponytail. I am barefoot, and my dress is rolled up. The skin of my lips is cracked. I bleed. The clothes I wash smell cedar and spices. The shadow of a seagull positions itself on my forehead. The sea reflects the twelve signs of the zodiac. I can see no relationship between my destiny and that which I do. I am scared.
At noon, the sun kneads the waters with rapture. Shells shed pearls on the shore. My own rational thought leaves my body. I delight in the waves like a gazelle in the grasslands. I feel the movement of the water on my skin. Its cyclical quality sends me into a state of ecstasy. No, it is not the ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Ávila. It is something similar to a soporific trance. I am dead, and I am alive at the same time. I come from the sea. I return to the sea.
In the afternoon, my rational self awakens. My mind spreads its wings. I get preoccupied with verbs. I set one triangle in the normal position, and I invert the other one. I bind them together. I make myself a dress from pieces of paper inscribed with old symbols. Oh, femininity! You are the goddess of vines, the mother earth, the chalice, the blood, the fertility of the womb. I mull over these desperate efforts to equalize the feminine with the masculine. There is nothing in these symbols that points to the intellect of a woman.
In the evening, the sky stretches itself from blue to dark violet. The silk of the gloves hugs my fingers. I feed my iguana with cookies soaked in champagne. She hisses at me. I open a package of silk stockings. The door opens by itself. You step in. I stare at you. You are in by your own volition. One kiss and you borrow my tears. One touch, and I borrow your pain. A passage rite. I keep a coffin adorned with lilies in my bedroom. I sleep besides death like Sarah Bernhardt.
Did you hear that noise? A rosary fell from the Spanish chest.
The wind slips between the petals of a rose and opens it.
Who am I? If I knew, I would tell you.
Did you say you love me? The twenty-four hours are up. Nobody is facing in the direction of the sea anymore.
There is no me.
NEWS
Now, more news about Literary Revelations and Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku.
As I write, Tranquility is currently the #1 top release in the US and the most gifted book in Japan.
Literary Revelations is deeply grateful to everyone who bought the book. That helped us to donate to several charities.
You can get the book here:
Literary Revelations and Victoria Onofrei of Bloomsbury Radio (Victoria in Verse Show), UK, will organize a Poetry Festival on Sunday, May 18, 2025 – 5pm London time. The festival will take place via Zoom.
All contributors will be invited, as well as, those who are not contributors but bought the book.
I will come back very soon with more details. Please follow us at Literary Revelations https://literaryrevelations.com/, @gabriela_marie_milton and @lr_publishers.
Thank you,
My books (Only English) #1 Amazon bestseller, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis) #1 Amazon Bestseller, Women: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis)
Thank you to all my followers who reviewed my books. Please read other reviews here:
The night had too many eyes, too many tears, and too many candles. It left sticky traces of wax in our souls. Escaped from its unbearable seduction, the morning light felt like a benediction: the smell of fresh brewed coffee, the whiteness of the tablecloth, the raspberry cobblers aligned on the window of the freezer, your eyes clearer than any mountain spring ever known.
We finished our coffees. Christina, the waitress, blew us a kiss and then threw her hands in the air. Her high-pitched voice rang in my ears:
“Don’t forget to return to the Six O’clock Café, you love birds.”
“We will be back tomorrow.”
I saw the trolley moving like a red sleepwalking worm through the windows. We rushed out.
We watched the city and the sea come to life from our chairs, side by side. It was a bridal time filled with the smell of salt and sweet oranges. Your lips trembled, and you spoke about our wedding.
We were going to get married on a boat. We would leave the shore on a Sunday morning. Behind us, all church bells would toll. I would wear a simple dress made from hemp, and a crown of pink fresh roses gathered the midnight before our marriage when the moon rose from the waters. A huge basket filled with a thousand cherries would be set at our feet to make our marriage as sweet as their flesh. Blue and white threads wrapped around our wrists would protect us forever.
The end of the line.
How did we end up at the Six O’clock Café again? The trolley must have gone in a circle. We laughed, got off the trolley, and entered the place.
I thought everything looked strange. The refrigerator was now on the other wall, and the tablecloths were no longer white. A long-faced waiter passed me.
I asked:
“Is Christina here?”
“Christina? Oh, Christina quit working here five years ago.”
Numb, I looked at you. There was something deeper than desperation in your eyes. Something that I could not translate.
Your arms pull me to your chest. I could hear your whisper.
“Please tell me we are married.”
I looked at my fingers. I had no wedding band.
Reminder
Please stay tuned for more updates on Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku. Tentative publication date: late April. Publisher Literary Revelations.
My books (Only English) #1 Amazon bestseller, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis) #1 Amazon Bestseller, Women: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis)
Thank you to all my followers who reviewed my books. Please read other reviews here:
frontiers of my being the hour of sunsets has come with bare hands I drown you in the coldest seas red lilies burn you in the hidden valley predatory birds delight in carnal straps I run barefoot through streets of no return I knock on doors a piece of bread for my entire heart
oh, it’s midnight I step into the land of fantasies that are not mine I play with dreams like children play with kites fires taller than the sky burst from my pregnant heart nocturnal marigolds crawl on my skin like ants I interrupt the voice of number Pi from the clouds I rain on you, my love, the silence of the prophets without tongues
was that a ray of light? skyscrapers yawn destinies melt in the taste of coffee and mistrust coughs of cars the day confines me to the sick banality of its own land my hands, aquatic pillars of forgotten fantasies wait like thieves on corners of the streets for yet another night
And here is a review of Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings that I think I’ve never seen before, and I do not know the reviewer personally.
[Following is a volunteer review of “Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings” by Gabriela Marie Milton.]
4 out of 4 stars
Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings, by Gabriela Marie Milton, is a beautiful book that talks mainly of love and its infinite ways of touching each one of us. It also depicts the true depth of human relationships and emotions, how passion can be malleable, intense, and sometimes difficult to understand completely. What I think is one of the greatest achievements of this book is the diversity it has when it comes to writing: love poems, prose poems, flash fictions, and poems translated in Italian.
The poems are brief, carrying such perceptive and sensorial imagery that they give off the impression of being constantly and infinitely expanding themselves to the universe. They talk about love and how wonderful it is, but also about the disagreements and complexities that come with it. Each poem unfolds different scenery with its very own landscape and emotions. It offers a full repertoire of sensations to explore with all the human senses. The reader will be able to smell, touch, see, taste, and hear everything that the poem narrates, transforming the reading into a unique experience. “Those roses which die in the winter/played the piano last night/a whirlpool of notes and of poems/inscribed on a wall painted in blue” (p.26) Reading these lines, it feels as if you were immersed on them, surrounded by those roses and the whirlpool of notes and poems. Closer to the end of the book you have the Prose Poems and Flash Fiction. These are short stories written in poetic prose, which is a hybrid genre of writing that mixes the attributes and structures of both prose and poetry, meaning you can find short stories divided into brief paragraphs or separated into lines on the page, which is the process known as lineation, used when writing poetry. The stories narrated in these sections address issues like the strength of character, loneliness, obsession, love, family, and every little thing that comes with human relationships. It is exceptionally and beautifully written and it completely captivates the reader and makes him feel the same way the poet does.
The poems and the flash fiction are highly aesthetic, sometimes even rhythmical, and its unique quality is the ambiguity that they offer. It is poetry that suggests multiple interpretations of the words that it uses, and by doing this, it evokes a lot of emotive responses from the reader. Apart from the main topic that the poems address, which is love, they also have abundant cultural references. For example, when Astraea is named, which is a goddess from Greek mythology, or the Guadalquivir which is a Spanish river, or even García Lorca, a famous poet. The writer of this book uses symbolism, alliteration, and other figures of speech such as metaphor, metonymy or simile brilliantly and intellectually. She creates a complex yet excellent layering of meanings, forming connections between the verses that were not previously perceived, and it also establishes a resonance or even similarity between images that may seem disparate when you first read them. It is a wonderful book to read if you are interested in a kind of poetry with universal meaning and value.
I recommend this book to poetry lovers who are looking for a kind of poetry that mixes all kinds of different elements, creating a new way of perceiving love. In this book, love can be found everywhere: on the trees or the river, in the soul or inner self, in the scary darkness, in every city of the world. The poems that this book offers are wonderful because they can show the complexity of love and its many branches. I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone who has just started reading poetry because he may find it hard to discover the underlying connections between the verses or understand the very complex and advanced lexicon this poetry has.
I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars because, on the one hand, it is evident that it was professionally edited, with no spelling mistakes whatsoever or errors in the typing. On the other hand, the one I consider the most important aspect of the book, is that it represents the essence of poetry with its characteristic sensitiveness and diverse, heartfelt meanings. Gabriela Marie Milton proves to be an impressive, very intelligent, sensitive, and perceptive writer and without her, this book wouldn’t be what it is now: a beautiful, creative and unique book.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day!
My books (Only English) #1 Amazon bestseller, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis) #1 Amazon Bestseller, Women: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis)
Thank you to all my followers who reviewed my books. Please read other reviews here:
Edited Collections: #1 Amazon Bestseller, Hidden in Childhood (Literary Revelations) #1 Amazon bestseller,Petals of Haiku (Literary Revelations) #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women (EIF)
