Tag: Poems

Dylan Turns 80 – A few words

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Hello Friends,

As I lie in this dark room, listening to the soft breathing of my children as they drift to sleep, staring at an endless swirl of red and white stars on the ceiling above, I feel in my bones that it would be a shame to allow this day to pass without a few words for Mr. Bob Dylan on this his 80th birthday.

To myself and so many others, Dylan represents a level of artistry and mystery that feels beyond the reach of mere mortals. A shapeshifting prophet. A boxcar hopping troubadour and supercharged rock ‘n roll icon. Perhaps most importantly, for myself at least, a poet.

Dylan made the language I’d spoken my entire life feel brand new and dangerous. He permitted young writers to create wild impressionistic tapestries with their lines and, by doing so, set free the minds and souls of so many.

Somewhere in the world, someone is doing a much better job than I of paying tribute to the man that so many of us owe so much, so I won’t ramble. Happy Birthday, Bob.

And thanks for everything.

-Brandon White

Real Big American Zen – Thoughts pt.2

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Hello Friends,

Greetings from a dark room. There’s a title if I’ve ever heard one. I hope this finds you healthy, happy, and ready for the challenges of the week ahead. I know that I feel completely unprepared for the chaos of another Monday morning, but it’s coming either way. My mind is saturated with orphan lines waiting for the spark that brings forth another poem, a home. I keep them close as I know their time will come.

It’s hard to believe that we’re so close to the release of my new book, Real Big American Zen. I’m so grateful for the kind messages and comments I’ve received from folks telling me they’re excited about its release – I’m hopeful the work will resonate and that you’ll find it worthy of your time.

I flipped through the book last night for the first time in a while, trying my best to see it with fresh eyes, and I’m proud to say that I feel strongly for this collection. These poems are as personal as anything I’ve committed to paper, and I believe they capture the spirit of the moment from which they were born. I know that most of us would prefer the shitshow of 2020 to fade from memory as quickly as possible, but there were beautiful moments, beautiful lines waiting to be noticed, and I’m hopeful that some were captured in these pages.

Anyway, I’m off to research new and exciting ways to spread the word. Wish me luck, and let’s talk again soon.

Love ya,

Brandon

Available 6/1/2021. Click here to order your copy!

Be – A Poem by Brandon White

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Be

It’s a wonderful life.

Though there’s sickness,
and death,
and bodies melting
like candles
in trailers outside
the mortuary.

It’s a wonderful life.

Though fear
and division threaten
the stability of our country,
and the house is rotting,
and I feel like a walking 
panic attack,

It’s a wonderful life.

The river rushes on. 
The cardinal watches 
through the window. 
The mystery remains.
The Kingdom
is here.
The above poem appears in Brandon’s latest collection of poetry, Real Big American Zen, available 6/1/2021 from Raw Earth Ink. Click the cover to order your copy today!

Real Big American Zen – First Copies Have Arrived!

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Hello Friends,

This evening I opened a box and pulled from it the first copies of my new poetry collection, Real Big American Zen.

It hit differently this time around. When I wrote The Year that Stole the Light Away, all I could think of was my grief. When I held the first copy, I felt pride in what I considered a worthy tribute to my Father. This time, I stare at the cover, into the darkness of my own eyes, and feel sure that I will inhabit this skin, this life, fully.

This week I was so wonderfully surprised to find Real Big American Zen on Amazon’s Hot New Releases chart in multiple categories, a result of the support from so many of you purchasing the book and being kind enough to help spread the word. You have my gratitude.

June 1st can’t arrive soon enough.

Talk soon,

Brandon

Real Big American Zen on Amazon’s Hot New Releases Chart!

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Friends,

Thanks to all of your help in spreading the word about the new release, Real Big American Zen is now #15 in the Family Poetry and #5 for Inspirational Poetry on the Amazon Hot New Releases Chart! Thank you all!

-Brandon

Real Big American Zen – Thoughts

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Hello Friends,

It’s the beginning of a new week, and as we’re drawing closer to the release of my new poetry collection, Real Big American Zen, I wanted to share some thoughts on the new book and how it came together.

The first poems began to reveal themselves in early April of 2020; I was gearing up for the release of The Year that Stole the Light Away and experienced a roller coaster of emotions revisiting the loss of my Father. Covid had only been considered a global pandemic for a few weeks, and while promoting my then-new collection, I was wondering where I’d go next? I intended to continue writing, creating, but now that my still present grief wasn’t fueling my every thought, I felt a bit directionless.

I knew early in the process that I wasn’t interested in writing pandemic poetry. We were all experiencing this together; we knew the stats, we saw the press conferences, we all had friends who were suddenly experts on infectious diseases. I’ve always found writing to headlines to be a dull and lazy way forward.

As the days passed and the world fell into lockdown, I became increasingly concerned about the effects these things would have on my family and mental health. I knew I would do everything in my power to keep them safe, but was it possible to protect them fully? How would I keep myself above water with depression always lurking just out of sight? What would become of the life we’d worked so hard to build?

These thoughts became the fuel for the poetry that would come in bursts over the next several months.

There are no political lines drawn in the book’s pages; there were/are enough of those everywhere I look.

I worked at these pieces to make sure there was room for you, that you could take and use them as needed, that they would continue to feel vital long after the pandemic had faded from memory.

I’m now trying my best to spread the word about the book and find it more and more challenging. Word-of-mouth means the world to a writer, so feel free to share these posts with your followers.

Talk soon,

Brandon

Real Big American Zen – Digital Pre-Order Available Now!

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“Throughout the poetry found in Brandon White’s second collection, Real Big American Zen, weave the themes of an ache established in isolation, the depths of soul-searching, and unexpected humor scratched out of dark places. He ponders raising young children in times of great uncertainty while digging into what it means to be an American during times of unprecedented political turmoil.

As such, White holds the unsteady mirror up for us all, making adjustments to a life in chaos and advancing over the uneasy path of a year swept in pandemic.”

Pre-Order the Kindle Edition Here!

Paperback Edition Available 6/1/2021!

New Book Announcement!

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Friends,

I’m excited to announce my second book of poetry, Real Big American Zen, will be released on June 1st by Raw Earth Ink.

I began writing this new collection in early 2020 as a way of responding to the tremendous uncertainty I felt in the early stages of the pandemic as a father of young children and attempting to make sense of a time of unprecedented political turmoil.

I began to wonder; what does it mean to be an American when the house seems irreparably divided?

How do I raise children to be loving, curious, and open-minded participants in our democracy without letting in the poison?

I’m very proud of the finished product, and I can’t wait to share it with you all.

Digital pre-order coming very soon.

All my love,

Brandon

Align – A Poem by Brandon White

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Hello Friends,

My apologies for the lack of contact. I’m working to realign myself with the muse and to refocus my heart.

Sometimes there’s too much noise, too many opinions, too much ugly in the world. The mind gets clogged up with it all.

Here is an attempt at confronting my writer’s block head-on to free myself.

A new free verse poem waits below.

Align:

When the grief lessened,
the pen, too, seemed to run dry

As if the mind
has no say in such things

As if it isn't enough
to want to create


While in alignment, 
the poems drip from every surface

When out, things
are what they seem and nothing more

The words struggle through 
thickets, ripping themselves open


trying
to find their way back

to the page


-Brandon White

The Last – A Poem by Brandon White

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Hello Friends,

A new free verse offering waits below. Enjoy.

The Last:

Become now the unwitting trigger,
the convenient symbol of a trauma
in which you had no part

Become now the beaten dog
at the mercy of validations cruel hand,
dodging kicks, begging for love

Become now the bitter taste
that floods the mouth
at the mention of a name

Become now the last of your kind,
screaming into the endless dark,
I'm still here

I'm still here


-Brandon White