Posts by Mariana

More from the chapbook Using An Ink Pen To Escape My Cage, written by Jon Albert Kaspar. Mr. Kaspar resides in Virginia. This is a sophisticated collection. Mr. Kaspar played with form, including some sonnets and a ghazal. The imagery here is wonderful. From The Ballad of the Ambiguous Prisoner:   Over stuffed cages Filled…

This is from the chapbook Using An Ink Pen To Escape My Cage, written by Jon Albert Kaspar. Mr. Kaspar resides in Virginia. I loved this collection. A little bit Beat, a little bit Dylan, allusions flying out in all directions. This poem travels to the future, through history, and ends right in your lap.…

This is from the chapbook Mentally Confined, written by James Gondek. Mr. Gondek resides in Michigan. Many, many of these chapbooks touched on issues of mental illness and treatment. Read this for the insight, where the personal story turns into a universal truth.   Facing my Thoughts Every single night I drop these same tears…

This is excerpted from the chapbook Maybe, written by J. LeBlanc. Mr. LeBlanc resides in California. Mr. LeBlanc starts out with a bang: I was born in an 82 year old lady’s living room, a tongue-tied bastard and an underdog against life itself. Wow. When they say “you need a first line to grab the…

This is excerpted from Inspired, written by Derick LeCompte. Mr. LeCompte resides in at the South Woods State Prison in New Jersey. I like the shape and movement; it’s a very visceral moment. At A Time Moments flash by           grazing skin like the wind            …

Another poem from Secret Indictments, written by Robert Andrew Bartlett Sr. Mr. Bartlett resides in North Carolina. Rarely has so much been said in so few words. Even the blank lines on the page speak.   Pamela’s Query A woman screaming   “Why do you act like children?”   Three preschoolers cry.

The poem above, Dead End, is what we call a “place poem”. Places which were special in people’s lives serve as very evocative prompts. Note how we get so much of the poet’s story from the details described in the poem. These are the prompts which were provided in the assignment:   Chapbooks must have…

This is a poem from Secret Indictments, written by Robert Andrew Bartlett Sr. Mr. Bartlett resides in North Carolina. He writes about his ex- and his experience with the courts. I’m not a fact checker: I’m a poet. It’s a compelling story, beautifully written. This is his truth. Dead End Turn left at the ranch…

Another poem from Requiem for the Latent and Lamented Soul, written by Timothy D Raddatz. Mr. Raddatz resides in Minnesota. I love the word play. I read this several times; it gets better. Angels and Demons Angels dance and sing while they play gleefully. Demons twist and writhe at the thought. Angels cry and weep…

This is the beginning of the opening poem from Requiem for the Latent and Lamented Soul, written by Timothy D Raddatz. Mr. Raddatz resides in Minnesota. The title of the collection is very descriptive of what was found inside. The movement and the intensity here demand attention. Wheel of Lost Running river Running wheel Wheel…