I have written poetry slightly less time than I’ve written stories, but I can still remember how it felt when I started experimenting with the play of imagery and rhythm that fascinated me. From nursery rhymes to song lyrics to the discovery of classic poets and their impassioned words, I was enraptured with the idea of expressing oneself in such a way, and I felt a natural affinity with it.
I went from simple rhymes to more free-flowing styles, and started to explore my emotions and experiences by writing about them in freeform style. Eventually I started to find my poetic voice and began to submit poetry to various small press ‘zines, mostly in the goth and horror scenes. I put together my own, too, a vehicle for both my own poems and short stories as well as other writers that I’d met. I also began writing lyrics for my band, a natural extension of what I’d already been doing. Truthfully, I’d been writing lyrics for a while, but The Violet Dawning was my first real outlet [besides the punk band I’d been in when I was 18] where my words combined with music in a way that fit perfectly and conveyed everything my heart was trying to say.
After publishing three different runs of ‘zines and eventually breaking up the band because of circumstances out of my control, I only published my poems on my personal blog for the longest time. And then recently I was contacted by my friend Hyacinthe – “Would you be interested in contributing to an anthology of poetry inspired by corvids?”
Why yes I would, thank you!
That simple inquiry led me to submitting a series of three poems to CAW, Poetry by a Murder of Writers, edited by Stasha Strange and Hyacinthe L. Raven. The book was released on October 3rd 2024 and features a bevy of talent. Each writer explored the themes of birth, life, and death with dark imagery and the weight of experience. I don’t usually write from themes that other people have set, but this premise intrigued me, and my poems flowed out like my lifeblood.
I am here
Do not forget me
Once, I lived
Do not forget meCarve those words upon your heart
One day, they will be yours— excerpt from Death, a Song
For those who revel in the works of Poe, the Brontës, and other masters of the macabre, CAW: Poetry by a Murder of Writers promises to captivate and enchant. Surrender to its spell, and let the poems transport you to a place where every heartbeat echoes with the mysteries of the night, and every word is a step deeper into the hauntingly beautiful unknown.
CAW: Poetry by a Murder of Writers is currently available through Amazon. I’d be honored if you gave it a chance.
