NEW POETRY
(Lincoln’s funeral caisson)
it was
a funeral,
solemn.
everyone
in black
& white.
the person
who died,
a writer.
minorly
famous.
said
to have
worn
his heart
on his page.
how did
he die?
choked on
his words.
Kenneth Kakareka‘s new publication, Bullshit, is now available at Amazon.
NEW POETRY
(photo c/o ancientpages.com)
The pages of sages
Down through the ages
Are plucked ripe with luck and Logos by mages
Who then hand unfair fistfuls of gifts to readers most unusually unsquare,
Containing uncanny answers for listening listeners who dare:
Answers dressed in pinstriped ribbons and gild-paper wrapping
That (once ripped open) tap into a kind of magical (but muddled) time travel
Full of hap, riddles, and knots to unravel
By those lost in the love of farming
Fresh vines grown from wild languages
Amid all uncertainties, tangles, and anguishes,
Farmed there where the weather marks the least of all changes.
Christopher Landrum’s story “The Age of Insomnia” was featured at our main site. He lives in Austin, Texas and writes about what he reads at Bookbread.com.
NEW POETRY
(c/o diningtokitchendotcom)
inclusivity
has fucked up
a lot of shit.
everyone’s
a comedian
now.
i bet
that doesn’t
fair well
with the greats
who’ve worked
20 yrs.
to earn
their stakes.
soon,
everyone
will be
a poet.
can you
imagine?
it takes
a specific type
to be
a poet.
you have
to be
a true loner
at heart.
you have to
wrestle with
your soul
& drink
everything
under
& beyond
the sun.
you have to
wage war
with Life
& Death
not to
end up
in between.
Ken Kakareka’s latest novel is Summer of Irresponsibility (Alien Buddha Press, 2023). His words have appeared or are on their way in numerous rags including Gargoyle Magazine, The Gorko Gazette, and A Thin Slice of Anxiety. A list of selected publications can be found at kenkakareka.com.
NEW POETRY
all the balloons were sent back
living God in front of the bomb
the strawberry rotates like a peak
at the end of an agreement
I want to talk about the wisdom of the tree
angel branch
efforts to incur God
now we are surprised at the link
back to the driver’s head in high grass
I will believe in heaven in the apocalypse
in war with understanding
is a falling nuclear bomb.
(photo from health.usnews)
James Croal Jackson edits The Mantle Poetry from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (jamescroaljackson.com) This is his fifth appearance at Fast Pop Lit.
NEW POETRY
(photo c/o lasvegas.co.tz)
My head is an avalanche
and you are the sparrow
(sorrow) at the foot
of the bed. I’m sorry
for bringing the casino
to work & developing
that further. Slots slots
slots slots slots. If
your heart’s a roulette
may I have another
spin? Another evening
aiming a slingshot
into green glass bottles
on my sister’s balanced
head. No one said
this was a good idea,
but I keep clinking
coins into slots
beneath heavy
constellations
of lights. I
declare the world
my next-of-kin.
This is his fourth appearance at Fast Pop Lit, with another poem soon to come.
HEMINGWAY FESTIVAL 2024
(photo c/o National Book Critics Circle)
they say
that writers
don’t play,
that’s why
they make
such great
observers.
like the
impotent
jake barnes
in the sun
also rises.
well
let me
tell you
something.
writers play.
i’ve stuck
my beak
in depths of
squishy kiwi
and tasted
the sweet,
the sour,
the ripened
and
the bitter.
i’ve snorted,
drank,
and fucked
everything
west of
the sun
and
sat with
the lamest
of ducks
at dead
wine bars
listening to
drowning
conversations,
and i’ve
walked
the walk
at old joints
in new orleans
where what
barflies say
jumps off
the walls
like frogs
off lilies.
so i can
tell you
that writers
play more
than anyone.
don’t believe
the critics –
they’re
the ones
who don’t
play.
See also Ken Kakareka’s other feature in this year’s Hemingway Festival, “Old Bull.”
NEW POETRY
HEMINGWAY FESTIVAL 2024
(photo c/o thinkstock)
the sun
also rises
was always
my favorite
book.
in the spirit
of going
to paris
at the end
of summer
i decided
to read it
again.
halfway thru
i slapped
the book
shut
and roared
all the way
back
to the 20s.
but it wasn’t
hemingway’s wit
that made me
laugh.
up until
now
his writing
seemed
intangibly
majestic.
for the
first time
i felt like
i could hang
in the ring
with him
punch
for punch.
maybe
not win,
but hang.
he was 26
when he wrote
the sun…
i’m 36.
but an
old bull
has just
as much
fervor
and perhaps
more danger
than a
young bull
when he’s
raring to go.
Ken Kakareka’s latest novel is Summer of Irresponsibility (Alien Buddha Press, 2023). His words have appeared or are on their way in numerous rags including Gargoyle Magazine, The Gorko Gazette, and A Thin Slice of Anxiety. A list of selected publications can be found at kenkakareka.com.
NEW POETRY
(c/o thespruce.com)
i was
sitting
underneath
a great
big
avocado tree
throwing a
pity party,
drinkin
& thinkin
what’s the
point?
when one
dropped
& clunk me
square on
the noggin.
i looked
around
startled:
who else
saw that?
no one!
it was
a sign
from god.
then
a sexy woman
and her
beautiful dog
walked by
smiling
at me.
my god!
another
sign –
how quickly
the tide
can turn!
Ken Kakareka’s latest novel is Summer of Irresponsibility (Alien Buddha Press, 2023). His words have appeared or are on their way in numerous rags including Gargoyle Magazine, The Gorko Gazette, and A Thin Slice of Anxiety. A list of selected publications can be found at kenkakareka.com.
NEW POETRY
(photo c/o ctvnews.ca)
If you’re reading this poem, be sure to use the promo code: Percy
Shelley, which entitles you to a free lunch at the prestigious
Rainbow Room, high atop Rockefeller Center. Be sure to tip the
Russian-speaking maître d’ with a crisp green Andrew Jackson.
From your table hob-nob with the mega yacht captains who list
and lean to the right of you. If you haven’t yet, please note this
poem’s lack of slant and internal rhyme, the lack of line breaks,
and the small print—alcoholic beverages not included. But
foremost, please alert your server to any allergies, particularly to
the mixing of politics, religion, and art.
XXX
Brian Pilling has been published in The Main Street Rag, The Berkshire Review, Down In The Dirt, The Droplet Journal, Missive Magazine, and other literary journals. His chapbook The Poet’s Struggle is published by Bottlecap Press. Brian is a recent winner in The Cape Cod Times poetry contest. His previous appearance at Fast Pop Lit was here.
And now we hang the jestors wreath
When peace doth dwell throughout the land
And beast will eat from mortals hand
All oceans will merge into the sands
And death and life will merge as one
All black will darken the brightest sun
Blood in veins no longer run
The Spectors work is finally done
XXX
“The Spector Wept” and another poem by James Lee are COMING SOON— to New Pop Lit!
