Coffee Stains
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About this ebook
Starting out as a chapbook, Coffee Stains is the sixth collection of poems by Kevin J. O'Conner.
The title fits the contemplative nature of much of O'Conner's work, particularly since coffee time is often a chance to slow down and contemplate, make notes in a journal, or perhaps sit and read for a bit.
The collection itself is divided into six sections, plus a prelude and postscript:
Observations
Everyday observations, from annoying plot twists to the changing of the seasons to the nature of humankind.
Autobiography Is Hard
Self-reflection and personal experiences.
Romantical Feelings and Such
Poems about love and romance, in truth and fantasy.
Reading and Writing
Looking for the perfect words.
Commentary
Observations about things happening in the world.
Short Forms
Poems no longer than six or seven lines—a little bit of everything.
Many of the poems originally appeared on O'Conner's blog, Ordinary Average Thoughts; others appear for the first time.
Kevin J. O'Conner
Kevin J. O’Conner (56) is not your typical poet. After 30 years of writing only sporadically, Kevin J. O’Conner returned to poetry in 2013—first as a creative exercise, then for the therapeutic benefits. Since 2015, he writes every day, exploring the craft of poetry through monthly writing challenges—‘my ongoing effort to write something that doesn’t sound like something I would write’, he says. Kevin’s poems explore isolation, memory, life’s small moments, and the experience of starting over at ‘a certain age’—always with an emphasis on straightforward expression. As of Spring 2019, Kevin has published eleven collections of poems, the latest of which is WISHES SOMETIMES HAVE CONSEQUENCES, plus four volumes of ‘love notes’ to the days of the week. His poems have also appeared in Raven Chronicles, Spindrift, The CDC Poetry Project, Lament for the Dead, and the anthology VOICES THAT MATTER, and as part of the Clay? VI (2016) exhibit at Kirkland Arts Center. When not writing poetry, Kevin can be found copy-editing documents from far-flung places, attending open-mic readings, designing books, and contemplating what to cook now that he is tired of soup. He lives in Bellingham with his mom's neurotic cat, Cleo III. (updated 28 October 2019)
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Book preview
Coffee Stains - Kevin J. O'Conner
Frontispiece
1
Stretched out beyond
the Capricorn tunic
lit by the lantern’s glow
History’s marks
bind us together
as they tear us asunder
Quizzical looks
mask hurt feelings
False verses
Spanish chains
Split type
stacked demands
contained herein
to consecrate ambiguity
for the sake of the calling
Escape cannot be defined
by mere wishes
2
Shapes seen by the witness
will morph to blanch the darkness
observing time
The hollow
will swell beyond proportion
before squeezing shut
the palm that holds
the metamorphosis at bay
Leaves wrinkle
in autumn dark
the extrapolate
a convincing hartoum
between thin green stripes
In abandon
gates shall open
so that we may
enter alight
(top)
Vanilla and coffee at dawn
Awake at five-thirty
Darkness blankets the room
guarding the pre-dawn silence
The scent of vanilla candles
and the mere mention of clovers
are enough to spur random associations
that disappear in seconds
The candles flicker
Vanilla and coffee
fill the air
The Inescapable Self, Part VII
The disguise is not helpful
It may allow the man
to escape the situation
the construct he has built
the shell that protects his skin
but he cannot escape
the man within
Act of Hope
Creation
is an act of hope
It is believing
in the possibility
that an act of creativity
can make a difference
in this world
however great or small
Breakage
Call it crazy if you want
that’s how it is sometimes
The subtle touch
doesn’t make a dent
in atmosphere
laid thick with angst and cliché
What’s left but to smash right through
leaving nothing behind
but shattered glass
and ringing ears
Gravitas
The picture repeats
row after row
a wall of identical expressions
But the stares have no meaning
without the sounds
coming from the depths of the ether
While a piano plays
in the adjacent room
silence bows its head
petitioning for redemption
Man
Engineered to kill
but lusting for life
the predator moves about the world
always searching
Pretending to be brave
but frightened inside
the warrior charges through the battlefield
always fighting
Conquering the world
leaving nothing behind
captains of industry sow seeds of destruction
always plundering
The faintest of lights
still brightens a small corner
No chance is too great
no hope too small
The struggle is constant and unending