Matt Borczon’s writing has grace. If I see a Borczon poem anywhere, I immediately know it is his just by looking at the form. The idiosyncratic line that he has developed for his unique voice is both superb and bold. Every word belongs. Every simile fits. He never misspeaks.
The poetry flows down the page and the speed of the lines can lull you into a false sense of comfort, but only for so long. I know that there is almost always a punch in the gut, or three or four coming soon. Truth bombs. Unequivocal, relatable, and sometimes downright dirty. Every poem has at least one and every bomb resonates throughout the rest of the book. He expertly weaves his musings on the rough sides of life with the delicate skeletons of his past.
Favorite themes in this work include: the strength of nature, feeling like you are one against the world, getting lucky, dogged determination, music, and loves both lost and lingering.
Best of all, at the end of the work is an interview with Scott Thomas Outlar which provides a wonderful cap of information about Matt’s start in writing, and his inspirations.
I would recommend TODAY IS A MICHIGAN GHOST TOWN for anyone looking to dig a little deeper. For those gnarled punk rock souls who love the stew. For hard-fighting dogs. For hard-drinking youths who need communion. This is for all of them, and you.
Southern gothic
Beneath
unblinking stars
blind cats
bump along
the alley
and nobody
begs change
on the
street corners
of this
dead city
ghosts haunt
the doorways
and the
diners as
lost children
call home
and leave
messages
on ancient
answering machines
in the
hum of
the tape
noise they
tell their
parents
they are
ok still
alive still
moving like
sharks swimming
across the
deep south
where they
listen to
thunder
without lightning
and know
it is only
the devil
setting the
table
they know
this because
the devil
is the
only one
who doesn’t
have to
wait for
the rain.
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