October 15, 2016 – Chester, NY
October 20, 2016 – New London, CT @ The Telegraph
FEATURING:
Tom Weigel
Richard Martin
Heather Rae Patterson
Bruce McDermott
Jake St. John
Frederick-Douglass Knowles II
What a great weekend! What wonderful time spent at this lovely whaling port in Massachusetts!
I’d like to thank Steve Froias and co. for organizing such a wonderful event and giving an outlet for the small presses to shine and feel validated for all our hard work.
Much love to Groundwork! for providing such a vibrant space to host the event as well.
The following are some pics from the event and yours truly promoting Good Cop’s family of poets.
– Daniel S. Boroughs
– Daniel S. Boroughs
for Tom Weigel
the jazz
of your poems
still echo
on city corners
and bounce
off battered
buildings
they race
down streets
on skateboards
and spill out
in conversations
at coffee shops
and taverns
they crawl
across yards
like the neighbor’s cat
leaving footprints
in the snow
and they sing
like little birds
in the trees
whose leaves
have fluttered
in the wind
like your words
and I sit here
east of the sun
reading your books
and listening
to the rain
rattle the gutters
like your typewriter
rattling the night
as your poems
float out
onto the sidewalk
and sprout
like flowers
in the moonlight
-Jake St. John
My helpless body pleads for power
Mixed in a bag are teeth and sustenance
They keep my smile full and well-fed
Self-fulfillment and safety
Limp-wristed I cannot check the pulse
Check the time
This devil in me a dog in the sun
I hear the hours echo
Throughout my chest cavity
As if every moment counts by quaking within
I cannot settle like my fellow man
Running out of breath is not an option
I counsel myself in these near-death moments
As if to preserve the boy in me
Preserve the echo of memory
Preserve any strength that can be passed down
Onto family and into a sun setting peacefully
In the throat of a child
Now ready to care for others
The ridges of her yellowed skin felt youth through and through
The gesture to restore longevity to the fallen
A gentle hand through hair
Change for some coffee
The memories echo by
The shuffling feet at the edge of frozen waters
Car rides spanning the length of winter
This is the time of year the elements tire out
And sprawl over the ground exhausted
I plead, laid out for a niche to lift me off the ground
There will always be one in the dust at my fingertips
I catch a sound in the distance, a rally behind me
They come to covet my body
To search for the gentle soul within
And pull it by the jaw and neck
Into an abyss of loathing and repudiation
I need to teach me before they erase me
By the season’s end I am at the final sunset
Before leaves hatch open
And her swansong is performed
Thanks to you I am bold as ever
I am power, through and through.
– Daniel S. Boroughs
Father Dougal Maguire
Holding on to a friend
Who is the protector of his own heart
No fear in each other’s eyes
What we have earned in each other
The respect, the trust, the companionship
I hold close
He snarls at those who do not understand
The freedom, the gallop, the neighborhood
He floats into night
He floats into the darkest evening he’s ever faced
He does not turn back from it, he cannot
When he sits waiting for me
The day breaks through the window
He is eager, he is insistent that I take notice
He needs to pee
I honor his wishes as quickly as I can
We jog through the front door into the cold
We are working stiffs and we are friends
Taking charge on the land
I am happy that he is happy
And it is done
The deep courage to survive
Does not yield in him
He designs his own fate
Like no other animal could
He can get grumpy
He can snatch food
He is a bubby
This is me
Holding onto a friend
Like I never could before
I gather him close
He does not yield
He will never yield.
Sending my warmest regards and thank you’s to the people of New London County and friends and family who came out to support the Good Cop / Bad Cop Press Fundraiser last night. I am truly indebted to the sheer power of everyone’s generosity and grateful for the artists who were able to share themselves either musically and poetically behind the powerful vessel called the microphone. Let the honest word spread and move communities!
Special Thanks to:
Richard L. Martin, Seth Howard, Heather Rae Patterson, Brian Gore, Brian Patrick Smith, Sgott Mackenzie, David Freeburg, John Kofol, Karrie Bulger.
Without the collaborative efforts of any one of these individuals, the event would not have been possible.
And finally, a thank you to our local artists for donating wonderful pieces of art that are still up for silent auction at The Telegraph throughout the holiday season.
sincerely and warmest regards for the holiday season,
Daniel S. Boroughs
GOOD COP / BAD COP PRESS presents a chapbook launch party to celebrate the release of “Lucy” by Paul Belbusti.
Featuring readings by the author and poets from New London, New Haven. Music, refreshments, and more!
Join us as we celebrate the release of Paul’s first chapbook and enjoy some fine music and poetry.
PLEASE VISIT THE FACEBOOK PAGE FOR EVENT DETAILS:
I am proud to add to the Good Cop / Bad Cop roster, Mr. Paul Belbusti from Guilford, Connecticut and the publication of his chapbook, “Lucy.”
A few words about Paul and “Lucy”:
Mr. Belbusti ensnares the reader by the sharpest point of a question on their puzzled faces and dares them to examine the irrelevance of it all. “Lucy” is a devious book in that lures the reader in with a thread that was never there to begin with. It’s simplicity is not simple. It’s complexity is not complex. It’s not dog or cat. It’s hyena. It is thievery with a smile. “Lucy” is one of many symptoms on this heart we call the human condition that will not be cured. Instead, its query will prevail as a testament to our own mortality. Thank you Paul, “Lucy” reigns free within me skipping from dream to nightmare as I give a gritty grin of utter satisfaction.
good cop / bad cop press 