NEW as of October 2020!
i saw god cooking children / paint their bones by john compton offers 22 poems that range from abstract anti-religious to sexual to sad to lonely to handling anti-gay abuse and beyond.
Cover art - Temperature Red - Mad Cook: Sandra Feen, Photographer: Pete Diehl
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Here's one poem from the collection:
lonely
i plagiarize myself
to escape to reduce
my mother’s wrath
i lie
she is queen
this is a dream
to subdue the abuse
the madness
the abyss she creates
to store me in i deny
shes my mother
a stranger i live under
a prisoner in a kingdom
of hell
she is not well
she is plagued
by a psychotic
god
who convinces her
i am a sore
& she must rid
the disease
& her attempts
to succeed
fail
it is only
herself
boiling at the core
lonely
& invisible to the knowledge
of a world
which is not real
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Here's a blurb about the collection, written by poet and editor and Ohio Beat Poet Laureate of 2019-2021, John Burroughs:
"I keep devouring this chapbook over and over because john compton’s work richly rewards repeat readings. i saw god cooking children / paint their bones showcases the best of it with delightfully rich detail, fine turns of phrase and lean and engaging true tales. Blood Pudding Press’ wonderful handcrafted artistry gives you another reason to want to keep picking it up. But instead of going on and on about how much I like this collection, I encourage you to procure your own copy and see what I mean."
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Here's a bio of poet john compton:
john compton is a 33 year old gay poet who lives in kentucky. his poetry resides in his chest like many hearts & they bloom like vigorously infectious wild flowers. he lives in a tiny town, with his husband josh and their 8 dogs and 2 cats. he feels his head is an auditorium filled with the dead poets from the past. poems are written and edited constantly. his poetry is a personal journey. he reaches for things close and far, trying to give them life: growing up gay; having mental health issues; a journey into his childhood; the world that surrounds us. he writes to be alive, to learn and to grow. he loves imagery, metaphor, simile, abstract language, sounds, when one word can drift you into another direction. he loves playing with vocabulary, creating texture and emotions. he has published 1 book, which is being re-released and 6 chapbooks published and forthcoming: trainride elsewhere (august 2016/tba) from Pressed Wafer/Rogue Wolf Press; that moan like a saxophone (december 2016) from kindle; ampersand (march 2019) from Plan B Press; a child growing wild inside the mothering womb (june 2020) from ghost city press; i saw god cooking children / paint their bones (oct 2020) from Blood Pudding Press; burning his matchstick fingers his hair went up like a wick (march 2021) from black heart press; to wash all the pretty things off my skin (end of 2021) from ethel zine & micro-press. he has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies.
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If you have any questions, feel free to ask.