A documentary of sorts. Poetry, music, video, images married together. I had the opportunity to work with the amazing and talented director, Esther Plumb Malo, to complete my desire to put my poems to film and then some. She went above and beyond. I am truly happy with how this video turned out. Please take a moment to see for yourself. Enjoy.
Filed under break up, Drinking, lost love, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Writing
We at Six Ft. Swells Press believe in celebration and we want you to have more beer money and great poetry. So we are offering you a 25% Discount if you order the book before November 15th in appreciation for your support of the small press and in celebration of Hell and High Water. Order your copies at the link below or to the right.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/wolfgang-carstens/hell-and-high-water/paperback/product-23385664.html
Praise for Hell and High Water:
“In Wolf Carstens’ latest book of poetry HELL AND HIGH WATER he strips bare his relationship to his wife of twenty-five years- Tracy Lee. Fuck, he’s in for a good hiding when she finds out!”
–George Anderson, Bold Monkey
Filed under break up, Drinking, Giveaway, lost love, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Writer's Block, Writing
The book is available NOW!! Click the link below or the Lulu link to your right! Us pirates at Six Ft. Swells Press are so thrilled to publish, Hell and High Water by Wolfgang Carstens, that we are hitting the rum hard in total celebration! To pre-atone for our drunken ways we are offering the book at a 25% DISCOUNT now until November 15th in honor of Wolfgang Carstens 25 years of matrimony, chronicled here in Hell and High Water.
The poems in Hell and High Water offer the gritty reality of a poet, husband, provider, father and shady romantic wrestling with life’s responsibilities and his own primal urges. From the familiar dinner table to disastrous family vacations and mail order sex toys, Wolfgang Carstens presents us with vulnerability, humor, rawness, regret and the rejoicing in twenty-five years of intimacy with another as no other poet can. Carstens has wickedly disguised Hell and High Water as a twisted yet tender guide for the rest of us in maintaining the wildness among minivans, mortgages and matrimony.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/wolfgang-carstens/hell-and-high-water/paperback/product-23385664.html
Filed under break up, Drinking, Giveaway, lost love, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Writer's Block, Writing
The water is rising and the flames grow hotter as October 19th nears. Here is an early review of the book and a poem to get you through the weekend. Order information to follow.
Wolfgang Carstens promises “hell and high water” in his new book from Six Ft. Swells Press, and that’s exactly what you get. These poems blaze short and hot like matches, but baby, you’ll feel the burn; they both praise love and raise the level of pithy skewering to new heights. In Hell and High Water, whether he’s getting lucky (“i don’t write love poems”), or ruminating (“len,” “contrary”), Carstens remains true to himself and his sometimes dark, sometimes hilarious, episodic visions of life.—Dianne Borsenik, publisher of NightBallet Press, author of Age of Aquarius (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2016)
instead of “Speed Bump,”
the sign read
“Speed Hump.”
“look Honey,”
my wife said,
laughing.
“finally,
a sport
you
can win.”
–Wolfgang Carstens, Hell and High Water
Filed under break up, Drinking, lost love, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Writing
On October 17th, Six Ft. Swells Press will release the next book in its acclaimed Top Shelf Poetry Series, Hell and High Water by Wolfgang Carstens. No matter how high the water mama or how hot the heat this book will kick the poetry world up a notch. Carstens offers a savage look into the essential life concepts of love, commitment, obligations, creativity, responsibilities, fatherhood, regret and the matrimonial benefits of good tequila. Hell and High Water, is about maintaining the wildness among minivans, mortgages and matrimony.
Wolfgang Carstens lives in Canada with his wife, five kids, grandson, dog, mortgage and death. His poetry is printed on the backs of paid bills. More information at http://www.wolfgangcarstens.com.
Order details to follow.
the human animal
possesses
an uncanny ability
to justify any action
after the fact:
if the devil didn’t make us do it,
we were drunk,
stoned
or temporarily
insane.
when all else fails
we blame it
on love.
Filed under break up, Drinking, lost love, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Writer's Block, Writing
The amazing George Anderson from Bold Monkey provides a stellar review of Burning the Evidence and an interview with poet, Todd Cirillo, click below for both and to order a copy of the book to see what everyone is saying from Australia to England to Detroit, Portland, Dallas and Arnaudville, Louisiana!
https://georgedanderson.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/book-review-interview-todd-cirillo.html
Burning the Evidence is the latest collection of poetry by the New Orleans resident and co-founder and editor of Six Ft. Swells Press Todd Cirillo. Some of the poems have originally appeared in small press mags such as Red Fez, Lummox Journal, Tree Killer Ink, Heavy Bear, Rattlesnake Press and others.
The collection consists of 45 poems, mainly free verse narratives written in a simple, pared back confessional style. The poems characteristically sparkle with good humour and a cheeky self-awareness. The subject matter often focuses on his relationship with women, flirting with gorgeous bar staff, chance meetings and his humorous observations of his life as a poet.
In a recent interview with BM, (which appears at the end of this review) Todd Cirillo says candidly about his writing method, “I hold no regular writing routine except for carrying around a small notebook, placing myself onto the railroad tracks for inspiration or creativity to roll over me and having the guts or stupidity to write it down.”
Cirillo typically sees things in terms of images, as snapshots, “I write when inspired, which usually takes the form of an image. Almost like a still polaroid that appears before me, could be an actual image or sound, a line someone says, or the way she stands, a simple shiny moment that I pick up.”
Cirillo certainly takes a lot of snapshots of women, perhaps a dozen or more different women appear in this collection. He is characteristically affectionate, good-humoured, respectful and highly appreciative. Asked about his serial attraction to women, Cirillo adeptly says:
“I do write about women often. I say that with pride. I create composites or become inspired by a single person who shines and offers me something extraordinary, whether they know it or not; strangers or significant others. I might add that I also write poems about males as well but females have always been my touchstones. Women can provide pure comfort or chaos, sometimes both and that’s wonderful for me. I tell people that everything I write is a love poem in some form or another and I believe that. I’m in this constant search for love and always hold the belief that it’s going to happen this time or….the next or…the next, no matter how bruised, broken or betrayed I get…I am a true sucker for punishment or possibility.”
In the poem “Those Little Words That Change Everything” the speaker closely observes a young woman he chances upon in the street handing out flyers for an upcoming concert. Cirillo raises our expectations in how he can use his words to befriend the girl, but in the end he is cool and moves on from there.
Those Little Words That Change Everything
She is stunning
with a dishevelled style,
wears purple glasses,
no ring,
flashes a great smile,
bounces through the crowd
with an athletic way
handing out flyers
for a free concert
this weekend.
I promise myself
that if she comes my way
I will tell her
Those little words
That can change everything.
I watch her
move through the people
and don’t care what they are thinking,
then she is in front of me,
smiling,
small hand with flyer outstretched.
I take it and ask her name,
introduce myself
and fulfil my promise
by saying all those little words
to her.
She keeps smiling.
At the end I ask,
“Do you have a significant other?”
she touches my shoulder,
leans in close
and whispers
those little words
that change everything,
“Of course I do.”
(reprinted with the permission of the poet)
In this collection, Cirillo is certainly in search of the next girl. Or his next drink. Or his next poem. The poems typically have a feel-good flavour about them which refreshingly tend to gloss over or avoid darker thoughts and the inevitable complications which spark from evolving relationships.
The poems are usually anecdotal or fuelled by the use of an extended metaphor. There is often a wry and knowing tone when relationships inevitably fall apart. Cirillo’s voice is resolutely cheeky but sometimes self-mocking.
In the opening poem “Perspective”, for example, the persona, presumably Cirillo, admits jokingly that although he has split amicably with his girlfriend they may later explain to their friends:
We agree to say
it was not you
and it was not me.
But really,
we know,
deep down
that next time
we are at the bar
telling our story,
we will say
it was definitely
you.
In one of the better poems in the collection “Who Knew”, Cirillo provides us with an intimate, ironic portrait of how a couple can come to love the blues:
Who Knew
There are days
when we
will put on nothing but
Sonny Boy, The Wolf,
Mississippi John Hurt,
Muddy, Son House,
John Lee Hooker
And, of course,
Robert Johnson.
She will pick an album
then I will pick an album.
We will go through
breakfast, lunch
and dinner,
kissing in between,
laying in the grass
talking about clouds,
holding hands,
alternately putting
our heads into
each other’s lap.
In the background-
cotton fields, trains,
devils, jealous lovers
and broken hearts.
Who knew
the Blues
could make us
this happy?
(reprinted with the permission of the poet)
Asked about the good humour and levity in his writing, Todd Cirillo says, “First off, my overall life view is pretty optimistic. I love a good time and enjoy the lighter and more relaxed side of existence to be sure. Humour is a necessity for poetry because it is rare. I think that some poets tend to kill poetry mostly, especially at poetry readings. I say let the audience have a good time, give them a good time. We know horrific things exist in the world but sometimes it is good to just be reminded of the fun side too.”
As a public performer and poet Cirillo’s main purpose is to entertain his audience. His style is exceedingly clear and it is easy to understand his work upon first reading. This is a philosophy he has deliberately adopted with the influence of other West Coast poets, such as Bill Gainer, Will Staple, Julie Valin, Matt Amott and Annie Menebroker in the After-Hours Poetry movement which began as early as 2003 with the publication of the book ROXY (R.L. Crow Publications).
Cirillo continues this legacy. He says selflessly of his own commitment to bringing art to the masses:
“The philosophy remains, if the poet has to explain their poem to the audience then the poet has failed. This is poetry for truck-stops, bowling alleys and barrooms. We became known for not only the accessibility of our poetry but the shows we put on, which were rowdy and unpredictable (in the best way) and the support this group of poets have for one another. We also share a deep love for drinking, late-nights, craziness, barrooms, jukeboxes and Tom Waits.”
Cirillo says that the title poem “Burning the Evidence” was the last poem to be slotted into the collection and it is far more serious, and in some ways, more complex and powerful than the feel-good poems which crowd it. A couple of days ago, Cirillo explained the political context in which the poem was conceived:
“The poem was written in mid-October and I suppose the U.S. election was in my psyche in as much as I had a gross and twisted thought Trump would win. Maybe the underlying thought is, the rich stay rich, the poor stay poor and those with power like to hold onto that power at all costs. The last line really reflects that feeling; this election especially was a “filthy set up” but then again most of this life is as well; the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. People vote or act against their own interests for the sake of feeling right or powerful, politicians do not give a shit about main street, especially today. Politicians have zero integrity and even if individuals attempt to live with integrity and get away with even that little bit, some sonofabitch will slap us down in one form or another. When I wrote the poem, I felt we (this nation) was on the verge of a national disgrace and now I believe Trump validates that almost daily. It’s disgusting.”
It’s difficult to disagree with Cirillo no matter your political leanings. The poem “Burning the Evidence” is about 100 lines in length and is easily the longest in the collection. It is a lament in which Cirillo voices his concern, that despite all our efforts in trying to beat the system- “feeling that we are winning/ one step ahead”- that the “odds are stacked against us” and “the world comes out on top” and “it will take away/ all we have/ and all we ever want.”
Cirillo’s solution is surprisingly anarchistic, perhaps a melancholic slip of the cog. He more or less says in a moment of desperation to fuck it all, to burn the “whole filthy/ set up” down:
Those moments
when it feels as though
the odds are stacked against us,
our motorcycle hits loose gravel,
and we hear the hounds closing in.
Perhaps, our only option
is throw gasoline all around us,
flick the Zippo
high into the air,
burning the evidence
of ourselves
to become stars.
Let the world
make its perfect getaway
leaving us
with only the ashes
of what we thought
was a clever
and brilliant scheme-
forever shining down
on the whole filthy
set up.
Yet Todd Cirillo makes it clear in the following interview with BM that his overall intent is not political but personal– that we need to return to establishing connections between people:
“I am not a poet who believes that a poem will/can change the world any longer, that time has passed for poetry. Poetry was once the top of the creative mountain but has been replaced with expediency and other art forms. My thought/feeling is that poetry has to return to the beauty and necessity of an interpersonal connection between two people, transmitting a feeling or emotion and allowing the other person to take it with them and hopefully, if the poet is good, that individual did not begin as a poetry fan but they are now.”
In Cirillo’s insightful podcast with Marcia Epstein “Talk With Me” (December 2016), he compacts this salient idea, “I’m not big on political poetry. There is enough war and tragedy in the world, but as a poet, it has always been important for me to write from the heart- be it laughter or something sensual. You have to laugh to fall in love.”
Burning the Evidence is a highly accessible and enjoyable collection to read. You can read it countless times and continue to get more out of it and to change your list of favourite poems. Yet lurking at the back of our minds is Cirillo’s impulsive, crazy idea, as represented in the title poem, that life’s fucked, and perhaps in moments of existential crisis, there is always the temptation to flick the Zippo and incinerate ourselves.
Biography: Todd Cirillo loves good times and shiny moments. He lives in New Orleans so there are plenty of those to be found. His latest book is Burning the Evidence (Epic Rites Press). He can be found at afterhourspoetry.com
Further Resources:
Interview with Marcia Epstein “Talk With Me” (Kansas, 13 December 2016). The podcast is approximately one hour long: https://afterhourspoetry.com/2016/12/20/if-something-sucks-tell-the-poet/
Home of After Hours Poetry: https://afterhourspoetry.com
AN INTERVIEW WITH TODD CIRILLO 19 MAY 2017
When did you first develop an interest in poetry and in writing the stuff?
Poetry was something that strangely appeared one day as a teenager. I was feeling some type of way and the words went from pen to paper before I even knew it was a poem. I became more interested as I met teachers, professors, writers who began to take an interest in the words I was putting down and they helped me craft the words into poetry.
Do you have a regular routine in getting the word down? How do you usually go about crafting a poem- from its inception to its final draft? Do you do much re-writing?
I hold no regular writing routine except for carrying around a small notebook, placing myself onto the railroad tracks for inspiration or creativity to roll over me and having the guts or stupidity to write it down. I write when inspired, which usually takes the form of an image. Almost like a still polaroid that appears before me, could be an actual image or sound, a line someone says, or the way she stands, a simple shiny moment that I pick up. I also tend to write in bursts, especially if I have someone or something to focus on, the floodgates open and I’m putting down many poems in a short period. I just have to let it happen.
I revise as much as needed to convey the emotion or feeling of that moment/scene. I see revision as necessary to the craft of poetry. I think it is so easy now people to just spit something into their Iphone or blog, call it a poem and put it out there or get up onstage and read what they just wrote two minutes ago, that people forget poetry is a craft. I want my poems to be good enough to work both on the page and the stage. I love to perform. I like to have fun up on stage.
To what extent is your poetry confessional? Do you make stuff up?
Yes my poetry is confessional, based in some twisted truth, with a dash of sincerity, hope, desire and bullshit. Most of the time I get inspired from my own situations/relationships for good or ill and put down what I thought may have occurred. You know what they say, unlucky in love, jackpot in poetry.
You write a lot about women. What’s the attraction? Do you create composites or strictly individuals?
I do write about women often. I say that with pride. I create composites or become inspired by a single person who shines and offers me something extraordinary, whether they know it or not; strangers or significant others. I might add that I also write poems about males as well but females have always been my touchstones. Women can provide pure comfort or chaos, sometimes both and that’s wonderful for me. I tell people that everything I write is a love poem in some form or another and I believe that. I’m in this constant search for love and always hold the belief that it’s going to happen this time or….the next or…the next, no matter how bruised, broken or betrayed I get…I am a true sucker for punishment or possibility.
Your poem “Me, You, Bob Dylan and the Bottle” is written for the poet Bill Gainer. I loved his collection “Lipstick and Bullet Holes” (Epic Rites Press, 2014). What have you learnt from the man and his poetry?
I would answer your question this way…I would say that Bill has probably learned as much from me as I have learned from him. Bill and I have been close friends for 17 years now. I bet we each have at least a book’s worth of material about the other; creativity begets creativity. We tend to share a like-minded view of what poetry is/should be/can be and our creative and personal friendship has a genuine appreciation to it that I am grateful for and most of all we have fun together. We have both been called masters of the short poem, a track he put me on many moons ago. Bill taught me the importance of clarity in a poem, economy of language and to give the reader a complete story in a poem. I also learned to be a great editor through working with him. I like to think that I inspire him and he gives me direction or bail money. I would do the same for him. Together we are widely known to put on legendary performances and put out legendary books such as the acclaimed book ROXY (R.L. Crow Publications 2003) which was Bill, myself and Will Staple.
Your poetry sparkles with good humor and levity. How do you keep this up in a world of growing darkness?
First off, my overall life view is pretty optimistic, I love a good time and enjoy the lighter and more relaxed side of existence to be sure.
Humor is a necessity for poetry because it is rare. I think that some poets tend to kill poetry mostly, especially at poetry readings. I say let the audience have a good time, give them a good time. We know horrific things exist in the world but sometimes it is good to just be reminded of the fun side too. If you are going to write a heavy poem with a serious topic, I say, try to write it in a different way than what has been written before. Full disclosure, I am not a poet who believes that a poem will/can change the world any longer, that time has passed for poetry. Poetry was once the top of the creative mountain but has been replaced with expediency and other art forms. My thought/feeling is that poetry has to return to the beauty and necessity of an interpersonal connection between two people, transmitting a feeling or emotion and allowing the other person to take it with them and hopefully, if the poet is good, that individual did not begin as a poetry fan but they are now.
Turning to your book “Burning the Evidence”, can you briefly describe your dealings with Epic Rites Press and the process in getting the book published?
The process was exquisitely simple. Wolfgang Carstens, the publisher and mastermind of Epic Rites Press, commented on a poem of mine that someone posted on social media and we began to correspond and I am a believer in shameless self-promotion so I offered him more poems. He read those and requested more, published the chapbook, SEXY DEVILS, as part of his excellent punk chapbook series and offered a full book deal which became Burning the Evidence. I cannot thank him enough. Wolfgang Carstens/Epic Rites Press is publishing some of the best poetry that is being written today. As a promoter he is unbelievable and when one steps into the poetry ring, he is one of the best cornermen in the business.
I note the front cover was designed by your friend Julie Valin from a Matt Amott photo. Can you explain the background to the design and the choice of the title, considering the tone and political subject matter of the title poem is strikingly different to the rest of the collection?
The cover design of this book and most of my books is always a collaborative effort by the best in the business, Julie Valin and Matt Amott, both top-shelf poets themselves. I have worked with Julie and Matt for over 12 years. I usually come up with the titles, which I did with Burning the Evidence, Matt took a photo, and Julie provided the graphic design and then Robert Hansen completed the back cover. Again, I have a strong belief that, with the right people, creativity begets creativity. It means so much to me to create with these people. I encourage everyone to look these poets up online.
In “Burning the Evidence” you suggest that the “whole filthy set up” should be burnt down. What was the context in which you wrote the poem? How did you come to reach that stage?
As you pointed out, the title poem holds a different tone and subject matter than other poems in the collection. I wanted to write a title poem, which I did not have, in fact Burning the Evidence was the last poem to be written and added to the book. The original version of the poem went in a completely different direction than the final version. I followed the poem where it needed to go and after about 3-4 revisions the final version arrived.
The poem was written in mid-October and I suppose the U.S. election was in my psyche in as much as I had a gross and twisted thought Trump would win. Maybe the underlying thought is, the rich stay rich, the poor stay poor and those with power like to hold onto that power at all costs. The last line really reflects that feeling; this election especially was a “filthy set up” but then again most of this life is as well; the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. People vote or act against their own interests for the sake of feeling right or powerful, politicians do not give a shit about main street, especially today. Politicians have zero integrity and even if individuals attempt to live with integrity and get away with even that little bit, some sonofabitch will slap us down in one form or another. When I wrote the poem, I felt we (this nation) was on the verge of a national disgrace and now I believe Trump validates that almost daily. It’s disgusting.
Together with Julie Valin, you are one of the originators of the After-Hours Poetry movement and a co-founder and editor of Six Swells Press. Can you briefly outline your involvement in those projects and where they are headed?
The After-Hours Poetry movement really began with the publication of the book, ROXY (R.L. Crow Publications 2003) by myself, Bill Gainer, and Will Staple and the shows that we did all around. It was a style and support that hadn’t been seen before. It became a group of West Coast poets and writers like myself, Bill, Will, Julie Valin, Matt Amott, Annie Menebroker who was our poetic North star in a way and some others that really held a similar belief in what great poetry was and who it could be for. The philosophy remains, if the poet has to explain their poem to the audience then the poet has failed. This is poetry for truck-stops, bowling alleys and barrooms. We became known for not only the accessibility of our poetry but the shows we put on, which were rowdy and unpredictable (in the best way) and the support this group of poets have for one another. We also share a deep love for drinking, late-nights, craziness, barrooms, jukeboxes and Tom Waits.
I’ve been involved in every Six Ft. Swells project since we began in about 2007. Myself, Matt and Julie each have roles in the press that our talents lend to a project. Currently we are working on a couple beautiful poetic projects to be released later this year that will make the poetry world smile, whether it wants to or not. You can go to www.afterhourspoetry.com and sign up to get updates.
Have you recently stumbled upon some new authors you haven’t read before whom have impressed you?
I am having a wonderful time getting into some of the other Epic Rites authors. They are putting out top-shelf material and the support they give to myself and one another is really refreshing.
What are you working at the moment?
Poetically, I am helping some others with their manuscripts for publication by Six Ft. Swells Press or elsewhere and just editing poems for people, which I enjoy doing because it inspires me to write…most of the time. I am also working on my own next book, other poetry projects and saving up bail money for a weekend of readings I will do in July with Bill Gainer and Matt Amott in Dallas, Texas. Other than that, I am currently opening a beer, listening to Howlin Wolf and heading out to a crawfish boil.
Posted by BOLD MONKEY at 6:30 PM
Filed under break up, Drinking, lost love, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Writing
5 new poems by Todd Cirillo published at Bold Monkey! Poems for a great northerner, a beautiful Californian, the biggest loss of the New Year, and that force that keeps us trying. Enjoy. You can get Todd’s latest book, Burning the Evidence (Epic Rites Press, 2017) at Amazon.com
https://georgedanderson.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/featuring-todd-cirillo.html
Even at this moment,
Todd Cirillo loves good times and shiny moments. He lives in New Orleans so there are plenty of those to be found. His latest book is Burning the Evidence, (Epic Rites Press, 2017). He can be found at afterhourspoetry.com and youtube.
Filed under break up, Drinking, Giveaway, lost love, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Writing
Only a true fan of Todd Cirillo’s poetry could write this review (keep them coming):
Reading Todd Cirillo’ s Burning The Evidence feels sweaty, like a hot summer afternoon in the French Quarter. Slutty, like a stranger who opens her heart and legs to you for reasons she doesn’t even know. And drunken, Spoken in the moments between sober confusion and drunken clarity. Sweaty,slutty,and drunken. All things I like, A lot.–Anonymous Verified Amazon Purchase
French Quarter Happy Hour starts by clicking this link to order the Sazerac of poetry:
Filed under break up, Drinking, lost love, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Writer's Block, Writing
The incomparable Midnight Lane Boutique features Todd Cirillo and publishes three new poems. Click the link below and you can also order Todd’s new book Burning the Evidence (Epic Rites Press 2017) at the end of the article.
https://midnightlanegalleryii.wordpress.com/2017/03/11/feature-poet-todd-cirillo/
Todd Cirillo is co-founder and editor of Six Ft. Swells Press. His poems have appeared in numerous national and international literary journals, magazines and cocktail napkins everywhere. His books include ROXY (R.L. Crow Publications, 2003), Everybody Knows the Dice are Loaded (Rattlesnake Press, 2006), This Troubled Heart(Lummox Press, 2010), Sucker’s Paradise (Six Ft. Swells Press, 2012), and Sexy Devils (Epic Rites Press, 2016), among others. Todd lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, and can be found at afterhourspoetry.com or epicrites.org.
*
In Complete Agreement
She stood me up
on a Sunday.
On Monday
she sent me a text
saying she
ended up getting drunk
with an old boyfriend
but she was sorry
and it would never
happen again.
I looked at my phone
in complete agreement
with her
as I
hit
delete.
*
Nothing Wasted
I am using the last
of your shampoo.
I spent the .84 cents
left on the desk
where there once stood
a vase with yellow flowers.
I am playing
the Pink Floyd album
you forgot.
I gave the leftover
pack of cigarettes
to the first
homeless person
I saw.
Instead of throwing
it all away
I thought,
why waste it.
There has been enough
of that already.
*
Premonition
Everyone was dancing—
except you.
It was supposed
to be a good time.
You and I
and a thousand
other lovers
under the moon,
listening
to the Rebirth Brass Band
sing from the stage,
“I used to love her
but it’s all over now.”
I went and ordered
two more beers,
thinking
that might loosen
the evening.
You did not want another.
“Two for me then,”
I thought out loud,
and smiling
up at the white moon
felt the breeze
come off the river
and watched the girls’ dresses
rise as they twirled.
I continued to dance
and make friends
with those around us,
our space on the lawn
getting smaller and smaller.
You had no idea
what was coming,
but I sure did.
*
All Hail! Todd Cirillo’s latest collection, Burning the Evidence (2017), is available via Epic Rites Press.* Please, click on the cover image below to learn more . . .
*Cover photo by Matt Amott; cover design by Julie Valin.
Filed under break up, Drinking, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized
Looking for new poetry to read? Not really into poetry? Check out this review written by Matthew J. Hall of Screaming with Brevity of Burning with Brevity by Todd Cirillo and find a book that will make you love poetry or renew your faith in it!
http://www.screamingwithbrevity.com/review-burning-evidence-todd-cirillo/
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Todd Cirillo’s Burning the Evidence, published by Epic Rites Press, is one of those rare collections where the poetry begins before the first page is turned. The front cover’s photograph captures a darkened place, illuminated by a woman holding an un-capped and ignited Zippo. The flame only provides the slightest impression of this mysterious woman’s right breast, a partial yet clear right bicep in a short-sleeved and striped garment and three fingers holding the lighter, the index fingernail is varnished, electric pink. Had I not been given a review copy of this book I would have purchased it on the strength of its cover design alone. And I would have been right to do so. Much like the woman of mystery, the poems she represents are stripped of the details that rightly belong to the reader. Cirillo’s Zippo woman becomes my Zippo woman as I unintentionally begin to complete her features and personality. Like any meaningful relationship, the one between writer and reader is burdened by obstacle and compromise. The following poems are clearly the work of a well-practiced writer who has learnt how to massage his reader’s agenda into submission, making clear the path for his own. He is a poet who understands the intimate and somewhat tenuous bond between writer and reader; an author who not only recognises, but utilises, the wide range of memory, emotion and opinion a reader brings to a book.
In place of the back cover’s usual blurb and praise, there is a well-chosen poem from the book, which represents the overriding theme and the pared down style of the poems within.
Today’s Forecast
The day began –
it was sunny and warm,
blue sky and barbecues blazing.
Then the wind, rain and darkness fell.
Hail shattered windshields
leaving glass thrown
up and down the street,
pieces of trees were everywhere.
I stood and looked down the block –
it reminded me
of every great relationship
I’ve ever had.
(Today’s Forecast, quoted in full, from the back cover and p 58)
I audibly groan when I think back to all the time I wasted during my early literary efforts, reading all those bloody articles on various “writing” blogs, pertaining to good writing. Almost without exception, all of those articles lamented on the woes of writing about writing; a contradiction in terms by very definition and one that, thankfully, Cirillo defies as he writes about writing poetry, reading poetry, day-to-day poetry and indeed, the poetry that comes along once in a lifetime.
In the poem, I Fell In Love With A Poet, our narrator – as the title suggests – recalls his dalliance with a fellow poet.
…her words are so good
that I will end up
stealing them one day.
Not whole poems,
but a word or two,
a line she says
when we wake up
in the hungover morning
or as she reaches over me
for a cocktail napkin,
pen in one hand,
burning cigarette
in the other
without spilling her drink,
the coolest person
in the place.
(from I Fell In Love With a Poet, p 14)
A truly terrible combination; two poets together, an unholy union of hellish personality traits resulting in this beautiful poem which brings to mind words from T. S. Eliot, immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.
Cirillo’s women are, without exception, femme fatales. They drink, smoke, tend bar, hook up with weird and destructive types and on occasion, shoot a .357 Magnum with deadly precision.
Pretty Smile
It’s a strange moment
when the bartender
smiles at me
from the other end
of the bar.
I never know
if it’s because
she wants my money
or my number,
or because
she knows
she can get both.
(Pretty Smile, p 20)
True to the mystery of the front cover’s woman, this woman’s only definite is a pretty smile, allowing me, the reader, to fulfil my part of the deal by the completion of her particulars; she is a few inches proud of five foot, brunette, has a mischievous glint in her brown eyes and, like God, is capable of giving and taking away.
You would be misinformed if I were to describe this book as a collection of bar poems, but wherever you are in terms of page number, you are never too far away from one of Cirillo’s bars. They are the type of bars that no longer exist in my part of the world; visiting them in Burning the Evidence has been a wonderfully nostalgic affair. They are the taverns, pubs and bars that the heartless, money-hungry fucks have driven out of business. They are now in the hands of the greedy whose only concern is a profit margin. These are smoke free and classless. They are dressed up as family joints, which means that every time you leave your bar stool for a cigarette in the rain, you trip over a jittery seven-year old who’s running around, wired on processed junk and sugary drinks. They don’t even have a fucking jukebox!
Cirillo’s bars are where men and women go to smoke and drink in the company of like-minded people, and the bartender knows how to pour a drink and talk, or pour a drink and not talk, depending on the order of the day.
“Do you have a drink menu?”
she giggles to the bartender.
“No” the bartender responds.
“You don’t HAVE a drink menu?”
“No honey, we make it up as we go along.”
(from Shot and a Beer Joint, p 25)
While alcohol and romance are staples within this work, there is far more to this book than idle drinking and gratuitous sex.
She asked me,
“What do you write about?”
In a moment of total honesty,
I told her,
“Booze, broken hearts and blowjobs.”
(from Cash Ain’t Always King, p 56)
There are more broken hearts than blowjobs in this collection and while booze is a constant, it is never the sole focal point. In the poem, The Only Sound Tonight, the poet pays tribute to loneliness, acknowledges its sovereignty, its power to come and go, dominating as it pleases. In, Don’t Forget, friendship is 
celebrated; real friendship, of the type where knowing that you are sharing time and space, breathing in the same air as a particular person is compensation enough for all the dreary days gone and those yet to come. The poem, Who Knew, is as much a tribute to the ubiquitous she, as it is to the blues and its ability to heal. In the title poem, Burning the Evidence, a piece about the odds being stacked against the creative mind, we find an artist who knows that it is better to be killed by that which you love, than to live with all that you hate.
Perhaps, our only option
is throw gasoline all around us,
flick the Zippo
high into the air,
burning the evidence
of ourselves
to become stars.
(from Burning the Evidence, p 40)
Burning the Evidence is about intense moments of friendship. It is for those who need a little dysfunction in order to function. It is a platform for shared experience. It is made up of love poems, but the love here is a sickness, a drug, an addiction. And Todd Cirillo is one of those recovering addicts who always wants more. Not because he doesn’t know better; regardless of lessons learnt, he can’t help but open himself up to that hard-drinking poet, who has a cigarette clasped between her lips, an uncapped and ignited Zippo in her right hand and a .357 Magnum in her left.
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Title: Burning the Evidence
Author: Todd Cirillo
Publisher: Epic Rites Press
Publication Date: January 2017
Price: $10.00, paperback
Page count: 70
Filed under break up, Drinking, lost love, Poetry, Publishing, Small Press, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Writing
Todd Cirillo
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