We are delighted to be part of Steve Denehan's blog tour for his brand new poetry collection, The Streets Like Flowers, Come Alive in the Rain!
This is available from Potter's Grove Press (official release date April 6th) and online international book retailers. ($3.99 – $15.99)
I rarely sit down to write a poem. I generally just wait for them to come along. The majority of these poems came together quickly and were often written in batches. In saying that, I hope there is variety here. The usual things are covered: love, hate, spite, rage, hope, the wonder of small things, the passing of time, how reggae is the worst type of music, but hopefully they are considered and written about in unusual and interesting ways. Either way, they are honest, from the heart, and maybe, more importantly, the stomach.
~ Steve Denehan
Sample Poems -
REINCARNATION
She came up with the theory of reincarnation
by herself
she is seven-years-old
I listened to her calmly tell me
that maybe when we die
we leave ourselves
to come again as a lizard or a bird
or even a tree
as trees are living, breathing things too
it made sense to her
and halfway, to me
so, I let her keep it
didn’t contradict her
because, after all
what do I know?
later that evening
while she wriggled to sleep in her bed
I thought of religion
I considered how
if their foundations can be born
in the mind of a seven-year-old
well, they absolutely must be wrong
or right
She can't tell the time
not yet
I have tried to teach her
but my heart was not in it
I'm not sure she needs to know
not yet
time
the most human of constructs
can do what it does best
hide in shadowed doorways
sit on frozen sunrays
lie underneath the lawn
sleep beyond the dawn
time
can wait
We hope you have enjoyed these poems! Pick up a copy of Steve's poetry collection and follow the rest of the tour for personality-filled reviews!