110 Comments
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Sue Banerji's avatar

What an ensemble under BCP 's tutelage n provided theme♥️

Congrats to all the artists and to our dearest dearest host n curators of Black Coffee Poetry...and thanks to our readers!

~Let's enjoy slow savored sips sometimes slurps~

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Ha! Thank you for taking part, dear Sue.

It was an exhaustive effort to piece each poem in its place, I’m off to sleep for the next three days straight 😂🖤🌪🥹

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Sue Banerji's avatar

Thank you, thank you and thank you

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Sue Banerji's avatar

AND I will sing u lullaby ( i don't sing)..

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Jozef Cain's avatar

What a graceful way to start my dive into these comments. Thank you so much for being a part of our thing, dear Sue. One Love.

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Sue Banerji's avatar

a letter

bridged

the gap

between

ours and yours

all things

became

ours

river kept flowing

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

Thank you dearly, Sue, for your contribution and such kind words!

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Sue Banerji's avatar

H.. I so look fwd to bathe in poetry haven and contribute.....excited to be here. SS is a different ball game. Seems more free and spicy platform.

Still a lot to figure out...

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

Couldn’t agree more! I think there’s a lot of room to grow here :)

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Just Kayla's avatar

Curation. Presentation. It is its own art form.

Thank you: two words too fleetingly simple.

The images. Edward- you are a master elevator. Giving light to the shadowed halls of nineteen bender of words is an impressive feat. Matching each with provocative imagery for the purpose of enhancing art's consumption? That's priceless. Jedi mind master level skill.

I'm here for it. This collaboration that is a mountainous effort of love from the entire BCP team.

Every Wednesday.

Because if we can't all have love, we can have poetry. Served black. And scalding hot.

Bravo to all involved. ☕️🖤⚰️☕️

THIS WEEK ROCKED!!

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Comment of the year? Fucking oath!!

The Jedi movement thanks you for embracing the force 🥹🥹🖤

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Jozef Cain's avatar

You're fast becoming one of my favourite people I have met in this digital box.

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

Corr blimey, what a beaming light(saber?) of positivity this comment is!

Thank you, J, for your contribution and continued support of BCP. You are keeping the pot hot! 🔥

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Jill Eng's avatar

Looking forward to taking the time to ingest everyone's work here. An amazing venture bringing all these poets together!!

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

19 introspective poets take on trauma.

Honoured to be a part of the bunch. Congrats to all of you involved!

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

“my name? Vinita Rajapatani, and you’re watching, CNN.”

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

Thank you, Governor. Signing out, this is Vinita from CNN.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

The honourable Hazza. What a voice you have on you. That second stanza hit me in the heart and gave me chills when I heard you read it. One Love, my fellow senator.

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Edward Swafford's avatar

He’s the Governor of Missouri!

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

My brother in arms, thank you dearly. You always fill my heart with warmth. Big love to you.

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Congrats to all involved!!

Let the trauma flow 🌪🌪🌪

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Just Kayla's avatar

So much talent. Thank you for including me. 🖤

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Cheers Swaffy!!!

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Jill Eng's avatar

Thank you BCP for creating these ensembles and introducing me to these incredible poets. Such excellent work and heartfelt interesting poetry.

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A.J. Grant's avatar

19 beautiful poets and poems, along with amazing images in another masterpiece from BCP. Honored to be apart of this project!

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Jozef Cain's avatar

AJ... you're a powerhouse. Thank you for joining us at Black Coffee Poetry for this one. One Love.

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A.J. Grant's avatar

Thank you! One 💕

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Edward Swafford's avatar

🙏🙏🤘

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A. Njoto's avatar

I need to savour this sip by sip. Crazy how good this ensemble is 🐦‍🔥 let the storm perform 🌪️⛈️

.

Congrats to all involved all of yous deserve best things!

.

P.s. Jozef u picked the right image for me. love it!! Ty 🪶

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Glad you love the image, my man. Amazing poem, stream of consciousness style was on point and the audio is lit. One Love

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A. Njoto's avatar

One 💓✌️

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Sue Banerji's avatar

Adrian, just read your note here regarding our collective ‘Trauma’. Seems as though our thoughts were aligned when we posted our comments.

…It's like wearing similar clothes in a party…some get embarrassed, I celebrate the coincidence…

Superb piece♥️

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A. Njoto's avatar

It's funny how we're so different yet so the same 💓 You're a star Sue. If I spot someone with similar clothes I'd take a picture for sure!!!

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Edward Swafford's avatar

He did! It’s such a parfait pic.

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A. Njoto's avatar

Trop bonne!

Seems like you've mastered Substack collab skill by avoiding the dreaded email compression😊

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Annie Lure's avatar

The martyr poem by Chelsea is ecstatic. Dionysus transmogrified. The ruptured topography of the body. Excavated, segmented, and othered in a hospital.

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Chelsea Nelthropp's avatar

Thanks so much, Annie. It was inspired by my pregnancy. Little one just came earthside on 3/9!

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Just Kayla's avatar

Congratulations 🎈🎉

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Chelsea Nelthropp's avatar

Thanks so much!! ☺️

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Jill Eng's avatar

Oh my goodness!!! So muchhhh congratulations to you 🥰🥰

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Chelsea Nelthropp's avatar

Thanks, Jill! I’m soaking in all of the newborn cuddles ☺️

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Jill Eng's avatar

I'm so happy for you 🫠

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Jozef Cain's avatar

How amazing. This anthology has everything life can offer. Honoured to write something alongside you Chelsea. 🎉 So beautiful. One Love

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Chelsea Nelthropp's avatar

Thanks a million Jozef, and right back at you. I just read your poem (I’ve been digesting one or two of these a day when the babe gives me time!) I love the ending about being a shell no one wants to collect. The audio is amazing- ethereal and haunting, gives me Edgar Allan Poe vibes in the best way.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Surprisingly most of the entertainment I consume is comedic and feel-good stuff. But everything I write is haunting. Thank you for the kind words.

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Maggie McCombs's avatar

I’m the same way!

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

She’s possibly in labor right now, it’s going to be her first child!

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Chelsea Nelthropp's avatar

Update: she’s here!

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A. Njoto's avatar

Congrats for the bébé!! Speedy recovery for u and good health for her! Tell her Adrian said hi 😊😊

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Edward Swafford's avatar

👶👶👶👶👶 CONGRATS!!!

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

Congrats Chelsea!! That's truly beautiful. When I heard the news, your poem hit that much harder. Congrats again!! :D

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Annie Lure's avatar

Congrats! Happy to learn of it. Interestingly, the poem recalled my undergoing Ashura about 10 years ago. I was experimenting with various durational practices then.

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Chelsea Nelthropp's avatar

This is fascinating, Annie. I just Googled Ashura to learn more. It sounds like such a profound experience. Do you have any poetry related to your time during Ashura? If so, I’d love to read it.

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Annie Lure's avatar

And prose. I’ll be sure to post it. Thanks a lot, Chelsea!

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Maggie McCombs's avatar

Big congrats to Chelsea!!!

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Chelsea Nelthropp's avatar

Thanks so much, Maggie! ☺️

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Melanie Cole's avatar

Thank you, Edward, for including me. This is a topic I have never publicly written about. It feels good to be among such great company.

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Edward Swafford's avatar

It’s out, I hope it feels cathartic, I know there were probably some tears as you read it in format, in the present.

🙏🙏💛💛🥹

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Jozef Cain's avatar

❤️‍🩹

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Maisie Archer's avatar

The audio is so unnerving - Jozef gave me chills. Thank you again for inviting me to share another piece in BCP.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Sorry? Haha I listened to this song by NF called Hate Myself right before reading this which made me cry and gave it the dark aura which probably gave you chills, plus whatever production I put behind it... So many talented poets here and I feel my take on trauma was a bit inadequate stacked against all of you. I am so stoked to be writing along side you Maisie. One Love.

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Maisie Archer's avatar

You are too kind. It is always an honor. And yes, chills are a good thing. A spectacular thing.

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Thank you for playing an important role 🥹🖤.

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

I have three wishes:

1. Wipe my memory and experience it again

2. Stop time

3. Live inside these pictures

I'm sure they'll come true.

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

As long as your fourth wish isn’t making me re-format 18 poems into one post alongside 18 images again.

It sounded easy, yes. Twas not. At all. Even with Joziah and H. R. helping.

Yet, it was worth it. The balance of abstract and literal poetry in this collection is prime.

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Maggie McCombs's avatar

Thank you all so much for all your hard work putting this together. I get overwhelmed sometimes when formatting single poems -- I can't imagine 19.

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

It’s mostly the images. I just can’t rest until I match a striking picture with each poem.

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Maggie McCombs's avatar

You all did amazing choosing mine.

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Gorgeous model + she has a slightly unnerving quality, something in her eyes. The lighting and styling is interesting.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Your comments always brighten my day with how soulful they come across. One Love Deb.

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Tina, Ginger Ghost Poetry's avatar

Thank you for including me 🖤

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Pleasure! I hope you loved your image, it’s one of my favs from the bunch and I almost picked it as the overall preview image for the post! 🖤🥹

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Tina, Ginger Ghost Poetry's avatar

I love it, it’s a perfect fit for my poem .

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Thank you for your addition. Without you, this wouldn't be complete. One Lov,e Tina!!

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Ann Marie Steele's avatar

Thanks for including me in this amazing collection!

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Thank you for being you, vulnerability is power ⚡️⚡️⚡️

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Chelsea Nelthropp's avatar

Hi Ann, I just read your piece, and it truly moved me. It’s staggering how many women have experiences like yours. Sadly, it was so relatable. Thank you for sharing.

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Ann Marie Steele's avatar

I bet it's very common!

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Annie Lure's avatar

Was it the birth control one? Or 'Offensive Things'?

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Why not both? 💋

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Of course, we included you. You are such a strong person, Ann. Thank you for being you, indeed. Your vulnerability helps people; you are amazing. One Love.

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Maggie McCombs's avatar

Thank you a million times over. 🥺❤️❤️

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Thank you for taking part 🥹🖤🌪🙏

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Maggie!! Thanks, love the showcase of the treatment side of this all. Such a well rounded line up.

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Nancy Santos's avatar

I see your 19 poems and raise you 19 mini comments:

Right out of the gate, Chelsea, your poem’s a stunner. Congrats on your daughter!

Edward—her wound hole?! Excellent. Yes I can see it. All these images scream your name. If you ever get a book deal, you’re gonna be pissed if you can’t pick the cover.

J. Kayla—“a story that makes me sound just broken enough to shimmer” love that! Keep shining!

A.J.Grant—“I hear the barren fields whisper your name” love that!

Annie Lure—“A penis nudging a cross” Damn!

Laura Catanzano—“saw myself in the front pew at your funeral tumors growing” love that and the engine metaphors

Sue Banerji—Good to see you here! “Whether forced entry is love Or a requirement for the needy” 🖤

Melanie Cole—I choked up reading “Big Bird overalls and light-up shoes” 💔

Adrian Njoto—“mothering the fuck out of every sick twisted motherfuckers in their ungrateful existence” 🖤

H.R. Sinclair—“The fallen angel landing in his own consequences” love that

E.R. Davis/Meme magician—“just a freezer full of pain and cold organs to burn against hollow aches” 🖤

Clare Frances—“your face soaking in a puddle of vomit on the plank floor” 🖤

Maisie Archer—(the angels) “gnawing the inside of your eyelids” killer image!

Tina Leavitt—“rabid dogs fighting over scraps nothing is left within to give” 🖤

Ann Marie Steele— all those lingering details that don’t go away, a powerful read, making “Beat him in his own game” stand out. 🖤

Maarten Bleijerveld—“Rip the bandaid, let it sting, let the wound be seen” love that

Maggie McCombs—“taking a squeegee to the red marring your vision” and the mind’s windshield 🖤

Jill Eng—“emptiness mistook in gross disfigured trim, as a course that took a death with a rope around a throat” 🔥 Creepy picture!

And Mr Jozef Cain— I’m here for the torment, confused rambling and godforsaken angst! 🖤

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Thank you for commenting on ALL of them, you are a star ⭐️.

Every writer deserves equal kudos for this collection!!

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Thank you so much Nancy for being here for it. What an amazing comments thanks for including something for every piece. You are awesome!!!

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Maisie Archer's avatar

Thank you!

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Jill Eng's avatar

Nancy—your generosity astounds 🥳

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

WOW what a thoughtful comment. Or 19 thoughtful mini comments! :D Thank you, Nancy!

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A. Njoto's avatar

Aw thank u, that's very thoughtful of u Nancy u deserve 5 black hearts 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

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Sue Banerji's avatar

Nance...XOXO ❤️

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Just Kayla's avatar

Nancy, you seriously are a rock star 💫

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