She bled crimson lust
with dragon breath
when the fire came
to wash my soul
to hell and back
with a one night pass
to fever dream city
as Satan moaned
at every touch of flesh
and hiss from fangs
that poured ecstatic venom
She laughed long and hard
with eyes lit up
as the sky wept down
in bullet point rain
straight to the vein
with mercury overload
singeing the chaos
of a symphony choir
in love with the siren
that remains a liar
but still gets the meal in the end
My poem “Manifestations of Heat” appeared recently in the latest issue of Clockwise Cat. This is a piece I wrote back during a period in late 2009 when I was attending open mics for the first time. The chemical cocktail dosage flowing through the veins was at a fever pitch. I don’t play those games these days, but that doesn’t mean I have any regrets. Hell, it was madness, but it was glorious. I understand that a lot of people use drugs as a way of escaping the world or dealing with depression (in fact, in my early twenties I used them in just such a way), but, for the most part, whenever I’ve dabbled (or gone all in) with various substances it has always been in an effort to reach altered states of consciousness and bring about new rhythms of creative expression. Again, there are zero regrets. We all make our choices. I stand behind mine. This particular poem was one of around thirty stream of consciousness pieces that poured forth during a session that took place in the early morning hours over a few day period that Winter. I called it “Gurus in the Streets.” The title came about after having deep conversations with homeless poets outside bars in Atlanta. I’ve always had an affinity toward the homeless, and have probably over romanticized the lifestyle in my own mind at certain phases when it was actually something I thought would be enjoyable. Alas, it wasn’t to be for me in this life (so far). Karma tells me that I probably slept under a few bridges in a past one though. Anyway, this issue of Clockwise Cat is full of great writers, from the featured poet Sarah Frances Moran, to my good friend Heath Brougher, to fellow members of the Southern Collective Experience Holly Holt and Felino A. Soriano, to seasoned veteran Alan Britt, to the editor herself Alison Ross…it’s chock full of killer content. Read it. Devour it. Love it. Digest it. Then write some verse of your own from the inspiration that you won’t be able to hold at bay.
I also have three poems out in this month’s issue of Writing Raw. Many thanks to editor Weeb Heinrich for allowing me to contribute at his site once again. Anyone interested in checking them out can do so at this link: Time’s Up; Under the Sign; and Backseat Driver.
I’ve been focusing my attention more heavily this past week on submitting chapbooks. I feel that 2015 has been fairly successful in getting my words out into different publications, having had over 500 poems appear in around 130 various venues, so a subtle shift in energy and intention is necessary at this point to start putting more effort toward the process of getting chapbooks and full length compilations published. With that in mind, I’ve been staying up and burning the candle at both ends for the past couple of weeks (that could actually be said for the entirety of the past year, but who’s counting?) while whittling down the 1,000 pages of final draft poems from 2015 into several different collections. I already had seven chapbooks ready to go, and now I’m in the process of compiling four more along with (what I feel to be) the best of my material into a full length. These things are, of course, quite subjective. But it’s my name on the work at the end of the day, so I’ll live with the choices that are made.
I’m serious about starting to shop some of these books around, so if there are any editors and/or publishers who enjoy my work and might happen to be reading this, if you’re interested in possibly working together, please contact me. Or, if you dig my work but logistics are such that a collaboration isn’t possible at this point in time, if you have any suggestions on where I might send out manuscripts, please let me know that as well. Friends and fellow poets that are reading this who might have suggestions…hit me up, let me know. I’m in full sale’s pitch mode right now. I’m seeking advice if you have it. I’m reaching out my hand. Reach back. I love you. Thank you.
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar
P.S.
Dustin Pickering at Transcendent Zero Press recently sent me the cover design for “Songs of A Dissident” which is scheduled for an early 2016 release. To say I’m excited about what he’s done with it would be an understatement. I’m not just whistling Dixie when I run my mouth about the Phoenix all the damn time.
“…let it burn…”
17Numa 