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    Coffee Stains
    Coffee Stains
    Coffee Stains
    Ebook144 pages29 minutes

    Coffee Stains

    By Kevin J. O'Conner

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Starting out as a chapbook, Coffee Stains is the sixth collection of poems by Kevin J. O'Conner.

    The title fits the contemplative nature of much of O'Conner's work, particularly since coffee time is often a chance to slow down and contemplate, make notes in a journal, or perhaps sit and read for a bit.

    The collection itself is divided into six sections, plus a prelude and postscript:

    Observations
    Everyday observations, from annoying plot twists to the changing of the seasons to the nature of humankind.

    Autobiography Is Hard
    Self-reflection and personal experiences.

    Romantical Feelings and Such
    Poems about love and romance, in truth and fantasy.

    Reading and Writing
    Looking for the perfect words.

    Commentary
    Observations about things happening in the world.

    Short Forms
    Poems no longer than six or seven lines—a little bit of everything.

    Many of the poems originally appeared on O'Conner's blog, Ordinary Average Thoughts; others appear for the first time.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKevin J. O'Conner
    Release dateJan 5, 2016
    ISBN9781311272539
    Coffee Stains
    Author

    Kevin J. O'Conner

    Kevin J. O’Conner (56) is not your typical poet. After 30 years of writing only sporadically, Kevin J. O’Conner returned to poetry in 2013—first as a creative exercise, then for the therapeutic benefits. Since 2015, he writes every day, exploring the craft of poetry through monthly writing challenges—‘my ongoing effort to write something that doesn’t sound like something I would write’, he says. Kevin’s poems explore isolation, memory, life’s small moments, and the experience of starting over at ‘a certain age’—always with an emphasis on straightforward expression. As of Spring 2019, Kevin has published eleven collections of poems, the latest of which is WISHES SOMETIMES HAVE CONSEQUENCES, plus four volumes of ‘love notes’ to the days of the week. His poems have also appeared in Raven Chronicles, Spindrift, The CDC Poetry Project, Lament for the Dead, and the anthology VOICES THAT MATTER, and as part of the Clay? VI (2016) exhibit at Kirkland Arts Center. When not writing poetry, Kevin can be found copy-editing documents from far-flung places, attending open-mic readings, designing books, and contemplating what to cook now that he is tired of soup. He lives in Bellingham with his mom's neurotic cat, Cleo III. (updated 28 October 2019)

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      Book preview

      Coffee Stains - Kevin J. O'Conner

      Frontispiece

      1

      Stretched out beyond

      the Capricorn tunic

      lit by the lantern’s glow

      History’s marks

      bind us together

      as they tear us asunder

      Quizzical looks

      mask hurt feelings

      False verses

      Spanish chains

      Split type

      stacked demands

      contained herein

      to consecrate ambiguity

      for the sake of the calling

      Escape cannot be defined

      by mere wishes

      2

      Shapes seen by the witness

      will morph to blanch the darkness

      observing time

      The hollow

      will swell beyond proportion

      before squeezing shut

      the palm that holds

      the metamorphosis at bay

      Leaves wrinkle

      in autumn dark

      the extrapolate

      a convincing hartoum

      between thin green stripes

      In abandon

      gates shall open

      so that we may

      enter alight

      (top)

      Vanilla and coffee at dawn

      Awake at five-thirty

      Darkness blankets the room

      guarding the pre-dawn silence

      The scent of vanilla candles

      and the mere mention of clovers

      are enough to spur random associations

      that disappear in seconds

      The candles flicker

      Vanilla and coffee

      fill the air

      The Inescapable Self, Part VII

      The disguise is not helpful

      It may allow the man

      to escape the situation

      the construct he has built

      the shell that protects his skin

      but he cannot escape

      the man within

      Act of Hope

      Creation

      is an act of hope

      It is believing

      in the possibility

      that an act of creativity

      can make a difference

      in this world

      however great or small

      Breakage

      Call it crazy if you want

      that’s how it is sometimes

      The subtle touch

      doesn’t make a dent

      in atmosphere

      laid thick with angst and cliché

      What’s left but to smash right through

      leaving nothing behind

      but shattered glass

      and ringing ears

      Gravitas

      The picture repeats

      row after row

      a wall of identical expressions

      But the stares have no meaning

      without the sounds

      coming from the depths of the ether

      While a piano plays

      in the adjacent room

      silence bows its head

      petitioning for redemption

      Man

      Engineered to kill

      but lusting for life

      the predator moves about the world

      always searching

      Pretending to be brave

      but frightened inside

      the warrior charges through the battlefield

      always fighting

      Conquering the world

      leaving nothing behind

      captains of industry sow seeds of destruction

      always plundering

      The faintest of lights

      still brightens a small corner

      No chance is too great

      no hope too small

      The struggle is constant and unending

      Succession

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