Chris Bodor, lives in St. Augustine, Florida and has been writing poetry consistently since 1993, when he started a job in the Film Department at an art college in New York City. He traveled to and from work each day for three hour round trip. He soon became know as the "Train of Though Commuter" because of the volumes of poetry he hand wrote into spiral notebooks during his back and forth ride. In 2003, he derailed and moved to Florida with his family and his wife's parents. After a seven year torturous dry spell, Chris set up a PA speaker and a microphone at a local coffee chop and invited the community to share their spoken words. Under Chris' direction, the Ancient City Poets Open Mic has been running consistently on the last Sunday of every month since August 2009. During the global pandemic they migrated to an online gathering. A YouTube channel was created to document the St. Augustine poetry scene.
During the early days of lockdown in April of 2020, Chris was contacted by a local musician named Ryan Bozeman. AKA brotherwell, Ryan has been writing and recording music for the past twenty-five years and has been involved in numerous musical projects. Ryan views songwriting as a type of therapy and spends several hours a night writing and recording. Key influences include The Beatles, Radiohead, Frightened Rabbit, and Sigur Ros, as well as 90s grunge and alternative rock.
Ryan asked Chris if he would help round up a dozen poets to collaborate on a series of songs about recovery. Why recovery? “Landing on the theme of recovery can be seen as a sign of the times." said Ryan. "Whether it’s the trauma of COVID-19, the exhaustive forced hibernation of quarantine, the corrosive nature of our current political state, or any of the battle scars from lives well-lived, it seems as though we are all in some state of recovery." Ryan is in his own state of recovery and realized that collaboration with other poets and artists was a healthy way to come out of his shell.
Chris can certainly write about the subject of recovery. “My last drink was in October of 2008." said Chris "My life had become unmanageable, and I asked for help. I got the help I need from a group of friends who were also seeking recovery. During COVID-19 insolation, Ryan turned one of my poems into a song. I was blown away with what he was able to do with my words. This project is very cathartic, and I think it speaks to many.”
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Check out the brotherwell collaboration with Chris Bodor:
Present Moment Bliss
Words and spoken words by Chris Bodor
Music and additional sung lyrics by brotherwell
Check out all of the songs from the re:cover project.
A collaborative project that blends words of poets with the music of indie/alternative musician brotherwell from St. Augustine, Florida. All proceeds of this project will be donated to recovery-based charities.
Present Moment Bliss
Never a worry
of how hours were spent
when days were young
and quite innocent.
Heartbreak burned life
down to the ground
a broken timepiece
tightly overwound.
I want to know
if the custodian cares
about the accumulation
of unanswered prayers.
Trapped in a cage
wasting countless hours
traveling down the same road
speeding past the wildflowers.
Barricades were built
consumed by shame and guilt
suddenly I smile like an adopted dog
sunlight blasting through the fog.
A giddy show of teeth
instantaneous and brief
present moment bliss
an invitation not to miss.
To reach freedom
I had to admit my wrong.
I discovered the solution
it was inside me all along.
The Boy Who Blocked Out the Sun
There must be a way
to block the sun
that is blinding my eyes
on the morning drive to work.
Grow a taller tree
Build a higher building.
Squinting on the drive to work,
I fantasize about constructing a wall
to block out the infuriating,
interfering sunshine.
and if my plan comes true
then I will have won
this self-manufactured contest of life.
Printed out on colored paper
a certificate stating:
“Congratulations:
to the boy who blocked out the sun.”
