Poetry and More Poetry

Poetry

Poetry enthusiasts take note! We’ll be devoting much of the next few weeks to the art of poetry, presenting work from poets expert at the art. We don’t believe just anybody can write great poetry– it takes knowledge of the craft as well as sensitivity to echoes of the world. Our selections will, we hope, demonstrate this.

We start our poetic journey with Three Poems by John Zedolik.

Brother wine will accompany me
into a deep red evening, hours of elevation
above the average plain, a tethered balloon
from which to look down upon my usual self
—not in disdain—only a note of amusement

(NOTE: We’ve already published a Sneak Preview of John Zedolik’s oeuvre at our Fast Pop Lit site, here.)

The Importance of Poetry

Poetry

Study the roots and context of Shakespeare’s poems and plays and you realize the extent to which people of his time and class loved language. They were first-generation literate but from an oral culture background, with all that entailed. They were extremely verbal people– more than we at great remove can appreciate. Ben Jonson and Stratford Will arguing at the Mermaid Tavern.

Poets and poetry have existed for millennia in all cultures. Poets practicing today are our connection to our past and to what it means to be human beings. To Homer the blind poet himself– and others before him.

Poetry isn’t logical. It expresses feelings beyond logic. Our sensitivity to this magical analog world we inhabit. Today we present Four More Poems from Tom Preisler, a young poet and a musician whose words capture that sensitivity and magic.

We hope you enjoy them.

nylon string guitars, denim jackets, the sound
of crinkled leaves under my boots, with a book
of longing in my pocket and ghost stories read. . . .

XXXX

1850 painting by John Faed

New Poetry 2023

Poetry

OUR FIRST FEATURE of the new year is a good one– Four Prose Poems by talented Toronto musician and poet Tom Preisler. The poems are set in Toronto, at nighttime. They’re first of a two-part set of writing from Tom for New Pop Lit, the second set to appear in a few weeks.

What distinguishes Tom Preisler’s work from the crowd is its ability to convey atmosphere and mood. With a phrase or a word, the reader is put into the world, the moment. Simple yet evocative. “Do more with less!” we’re often told. Here’s a writer who does it. His edge is that he creates in more than one art form– which enhances the quality of both.

If today’s literary scene is to be transformed– we believe it will be– it will be through new writers like Tom Preisler.

Poetry Explosion!

Poetry

POETRY POETRY POETRY POETRY

At the moment we’re focused on all things poetry, as we await the release of our new poetry zeen– due within the next two weeks– which we believe will set a new standard for the production and presentation of the poetic art.

A literary journal? A book? A chapbook?

NO! None of the above. Instead, something entirely new and unique– a fusion of fun poems with art and design, words and colors that POP! off the pages.

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BEFORE THIS we indulge in a brief attack on Brutalist design and architecture, care of three poems by our own Kathleen M Crane, “Grand Mackerel Spa and Resort”— with the understanding that modernist design is difficult to do well, and works only if a lot of warm colors are involved. Ideally, Pop, day-glo colors!

Pre-fab flab floating flotsam hotel pool
Blank faced guests spoon their morning gruel

Summer Poetry 2022

Poetry

WHAT could be more essential to summer than traveling to an exotic place (though it be another planet!) or playing in a rock band?

That, anyway, is where we take you with “Two Poems by Ross Taylor.” Consider it a vacation inside your own mind. (No VR headset required.)

Speaking of the mind’s capabilities, the second poem, “How to Get Through a Song,” is noteworthy because it presents simultaneous experiences. What does that mean? Read it and find out!

I couldn’t hear the band any more. I couldn’t hear anything
and the pretty girl Frank and I were looking at was blind.
They started freaking about not being able to hear anything either,
“The birds have all gone quiet!”

Poetry For Ukraine

Poetry

A TOPICAL POEM

WE SCRAMBLED to insert a new feature into our line-up, one related to the ongoing war in Ukraine. We’re fortunate to have received a poem– “Kyiv In a Winter Evening”— about the crisis by Bruce Dale Wise, who uses anagram pen names as authors of his work– in this instance, Radice Lebewsu. Whatever, it’s a very good poem, and we thank Radice/Bruce for submitting it to us.

Now scenes of devastation follow streets with spitefulness,
tanks, drunk with power, roll into the city’s frightful mess.

ALSO be sure to check out our previous poetry feature, “Heaven Bound” by Alisha J. Prince, as well as new literary satire by Stuart Ross.

More Poetry

Poetry

WITH THE WORLD per usual in turmoil, poets and poetry are more necessary than ever. With that as context we present “Heaven Bound” by Alisha J. Prince— the kind of poem we love in its expression of rhyme and rhythm, its ambition, and the way it captures the reality of life in London, England. Alisha is one of the overlooked literary talents we’re always happy to stumble into– because the future of this project, and of literature itself, resides in them.

Crimson chaos fills the gaps
Inside the council pavement slabs
Torn and ravaged pizza boxes
Rats and bats and cats and foxes

(NOTE: We also have new fun stuff coming in a day or two to our revamped Special Projects blog. Not to miss!)

Disconnected Love

Poetry

WHAT IS LOVE?

We all want it but we’re not always sure how to get it. Many times we come close– then disconnect. Things don’t work out for any number of reasons.

With Valentine’s Day upon us, we present a poem which might be about disconnected love– “When It’s All Said and Done” by Aqeel Parvez.

If you haven’t found real love for yourself yet, keep trying! It’s out there. In the meantime, read our new poetry feature.

early morn, fairly warm, we subsist as two,
separate entities, delicacy, fallen leaves.

Alternative POP

Poetry

AS our goal is to move further toward the experimental in 2022, we offer as our first feature of the year some experimental (or at least alternative) poetry, “The Alternative Top 40” by Charles March.

One may have to read the lines over a few times to fully “get” them– the poem has its own rhythm unnoticeable at first glance, but present. Subliminal. There.

FUN.

We hope you enjoy it!

New New Poetry Poetry

Poetry

NEW POETRY!

We just wanted you to get the message that we have new feature poetry by Daniel Miller, “The Sea At Night,” up here at our main site, but also an audio version by Daniel himself at our Open Mic.

the queen of storms

sends storms

sends sleepless nights

sends shipwrecks

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(Painting: “Storm Over the Black Sea” by Ivan Aivazovsky.)