The first of these is now ready and available for purchase at the un-princely sum of £1.36. I apologize to those of you who are boycotting Amazon for their tax avoidance practises and hope that you won't hold their malpractise against me. I don't think my sales are going to line their pockets overmuch... but you never know.
Pitch Mandible Stone is my first proper collection of poetry. I've had the odd poem published elsewhere over the years - 30 or so in small magazines and various UK small presses - but this is my first anthology that solely comprises all my own work.
Pitch Mandible Stone is made up of 18 poems that are a fair representation of my poetic repertoire. I'm hoping that enough of you good kind people will buy a copy that I might be able to buy myself a pint with the royalties. Even if poetry isn't your bag or you don't have a Kindle to download it to I am hoping you will at least follow the link and hit the "like" button.
It's always difficult to describe a collection of poetry so instead, as a show of good faith, I'm going to offer you a freebie. A free poem taken from the collection. If you like it or find it sufficiently interesting to want to read more, well, you know what you have to do. Thank you in advance.
The First Casualty Of War
They come ferreting through the bindweed
Dropping bobble hats and gloves in the rush;
A line of duffle coated warriors
Slogging over terrain rough as new landfill.
The cemetery erupts with the bold
Lung explosion of shrill voiced mortars
And invisible grenades. Right arms carried
Like automatics judder with school yard kick-back.
What foes there are drop by the thousand
But there are some who do not die easy.
Ranks of guanoed seraphim stand
Against the advance goading the crosshairs
To collect and dog them like midge flies.
One squaddie more astute in his brutality than the rest
Pistol-whips the neck of a submissive angel
With a club of wood. He is saving bullets.
There is a god shattering crack – real not voiced -
And every tongue stops.
What crows there are fester upward
And offer amused catcalls to the air.
Some are too wise to the ways of death.
17 comments:
I don't have a Kindle but I see I could download something to allow me to read it on a PC; not sure I want to do that! Is paper out of fashion? 'guanoed seraphim' is such a good phrase. I have never been one for poetry but I am tempted to read that poem again and wallow in the imagery. If the rest as are as good....who knows what I might do.
Colin: I'd be happy to email you a PDF version is downloading goes completely against the grain!
The "guanoed seraphim" caught my eye too, which I am now wiping.
Gorilla Bananas: they're good shots.
You're a very clever boy Steve. Most impressed. I'll check it out on Amazon.
Craig: many thanks!
With that excerpt from the book as bait I'm off to Amazon to try to download it.
The fly in the web: many thanks - do hope you enjoy the rest!
That's a quality poem. I really like that. Have downloaded your collection - busy at present with marking, but will get round to reading soon. Well done.
I wondered where you were... We missed you
Fran: thank you for your quality comment... I hope you think well of the rest.
John: I am genuinely chuffed that anybody notices!
I remember your poems in the Tiny Acorns book. Will download this collection. Best of luck with it, you talented man.
Trish: ta very much, you equally talented woman.
Good luck...and well done.
I'm still in the dark ages and insist on printed paper...and I buy those from Waterstones...other than that I would happily invest £11.36, let alone £1.36
Nota Bene: that is very kind of you, sir, thank you. Hope to see you in the 21st Century very soon. ;-)
Binking marvellous! Well done that man!
Suzanne: ta muchly.
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