70 Comments
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Marcia Abboud's avatar

Epic collection. I love the narration! The more I listen, the more I think we should all narrate our stories and poems. 🖤

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

OMG I’d love to listen to a narration of the story about your mother’s last words.

I could be her?!

“C’mon Marce, you know how it is, once an addict always an addict. You can’t help him. You’ll be right, love”

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Marcia Abboud's avatar

Haha! I can’t stand my voice, darling. You should do it for me 🤭 I know everyone feels weird about listening to their own voice so I really should get over it! 😆

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Jill Eng's avatar

I am making my way through these unbelievable poems. All of you incredible. Thank you for the striking, powerful, raw chronicles wrapped inside pure beauty.

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Elena's avatar

I have such a hard time to find an all-encompassing comment catering to everyone so I’m gonna say: the kettle has never been hotter!!

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Ann Marie Steele's avatar

Thank you to all for responding to my piece about Brandon! Also, I love each and every poem here. It's so hard to respond to everything, but do know that I savored every word.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

What an honour to be among so many talented poets and artists!! I will be pinching myself for a while, finding my people means the world to me. So many heart warming and wrenching memory flavoured poems here. I've been reading and rereading since we published it.

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E.R. Davis's avatar

There was melancholia and acceptance and forgiveness and redemption and regret. Everything contained in a memory has a place here but I have to say, Ann Marie killed me. That poem is engraved in my brain, it will be one that I think back on for a long time.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Ann's poem is so heartbreaking.

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Maggie McCombs's avatar

I’m not a crier at all, which is funny considering I write poetry — but I shed some tears at Ann Marie’s poem. Gorgeous and utterly heartbreaking. I’m so sorry for your loss.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

I be crying.

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Ann Marie Steele's avatar

Thanks…I appreciate it.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

You poem made me well up, but more so made me made me feel an emptiness as I reread it. You did a nice job of bringing some kind of beauty to it, but I am sorry for your loss Ann. You honour him greatly though. Thanks for sharing with us. One Love.

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Ann Marie Steele's avatar

I think that you've hit the nail on the head about the "emptiness" Jozef. I did write a few more pieces on Brandon on Medium, one more positive, one more poetic. I may post them to my page soon.

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tita bunny's avatar

Simply magnificent !!!

The line which kicked me in my stomach - "schisms of schizophrenic sadism". Wonderful words, perfect poetry.

In particular the formatting of Jozef's poem got my attention and left me reeling, riled up.

Zivah's poem was also a favourite - it really rang true for me and I loved her use of brackets !!!

All beautiful poems, all with their own distinctive voice and direction. I enjoyed this post so much !!!! Looking forward to reading more 💞🌼

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Thanks for the shoutout tita! Happy you found us here at Black Coffee Poetry.

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Zivah Avraham's avatar

Thank you so much!

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Bless you, this is one of the kindest comments ever!! 🥹🥹🙏🙏🌪🌪💛

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Robert Gowty's avatar

Strewth!

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

Bloody bewdiful

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

Ann Marie, your words made me weep. You carry the heaviest memory a parent could, but should never have to. You have immense strength in your soul. Thank you for sharing a part of it. ❤️

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Ann Marie Steele's avatar

Thanks for your kind words! It is definitely the worst thing that can happen to a parent (or child).

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Nancy Santos's avatar

My old lady eyes count 15 scribes. Here we go:

Julie: “the fog fills every corner of my brain. i hear the birds caw in agony.” 💜

Edward: “Bridled blood + nails brittle, deranged deeds” an ominous jackhammer of a line! I encourage everyone to read “Mother mother-STOP-breaking asunder” in their best Norman Bates voice. 🖤

H.R.: “their numb grey coat clouds and contains all the same, clear cracks show from lies told” 🖤

Dystopian Debdutta: “scripting a viral sitcom with contracted upliftment and grating laugh tracks” 🖤

Pixel: “The quiet surface tension, the shimmering skirt—what stirred below desired to be disturbed” 🖤 Bonus points for Lucy!

Jozef: killer opening stanza with a “piss soaked cock” 🖤

J. Kayla: “We are prey of an emotionless blaze, reduced to objects of rage.” 🔥

Linda: the closing stanza and final line “At last, the dance is complete” 🖤

Melanie: “Each hour felt like the Snap! of a leg when you did not return” 🖤🦀

Puget Sound? Bonus points to you, fellow Washingtonian. If you’d like to offload any king crab legs, I’m 5 miles south of the fairgrounds.

Ann Marie: The entirety of your poem 💔 is a devastation no parent should ever know. I’m so sorry you experienced such tragedy.

Silva: “Consent not required, sins in tally.”🖤

Ute: “The house smelled like foul flesh full of maggots” I did not want to smell this line, but I did. Glad you rescued the animals. 💜

Oli: “We are different from who we were then, but I still remember how you feel” Those closing lines linger like the memories you captured.

Zivah Allan Poe: “yesterday’s news of the saints and the screws READ ALL ABOUT IT! salivate and drool”

Zivah will strip you of your clothes with a knife, then stab someone else in the throat with the same blade!

Existential World: “But those waters would never baptize me” and “The anthrax incubus I’ll just stick to shit” 🖤

So many closing line mic drops this week! Edward, I’ll send you a bill for my carpal tunnel. 🤣

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Ann Marie Steele's avatar

What an amazing compilation of comments!

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Jozef Cain's avatar

I love how you pick your favourite line from everyone's work. Haha, thank you Nance!!

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

My eyes need checking, you are correct.

MOTHER - this is your fault! 💔⚡️

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Just Kayla's avatar

So happy to be included with this talented group of baristas. I know how much work percolating this dark brew is. Forever grateful for my supply. Each of these touched me. Let the coffee ☕️ flow freely and may it always be black.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

You're a key supplier at this point. I echo Hazza, that we are lucky you refuse to be small! Thank you.

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

You brought serious heat to the pot, J. How lucky we are you refuse to stay small!

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

Thank you, dearest.

May it flow as black as Nescafe instant 4 eva 🖤🖤🖤

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Just Kayla's avatar

Travesty!!! Your work is much more refined than NesCafe (although you make it look that easy!)

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

A brewing summer storm (which I love). I think we took poetic sorcery to another level.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

That we did, dear Deb. That we did!!

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

You are the builder of fantasy universes, Debdutta. What a beautiful storm we have all conjured together.

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

We are black mages of the cause, dear Debdutta.

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Silva Mirovics's avatar

Thank you so much Edward. You are heaven-sent. Thank you to all the poets for such incredible work.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Thank you for joining us here at BCP Silva! You might be heaven sent too, just don't remember from where you came! Haha. One Love.

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Oli Trollgora's avatar

Thank you for including me in this wonderful collection. So many wonderful and heartfelt poems.

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Jozef Cain's avatar

Thank you for send your work Oli. Every one played a role in making this a strong brew! One Love.

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

Thank you for adding some heartfelt spice to the mix!

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

What a gallery of talent this piece holds. Dark, black poetry, powerful voices, and striking imagery. A collection I’m going to read and reread, until each poet is branded into my memory.

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

I’m branding your brain with a hot poker as we speak, chanting “Remember” over and again ^_^.

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

Perfect, I'll find a good corner to rock back and forth in.

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