Author: 17numa

April Recap…The Natural…New Interview…Chaos Songs

~ 17numa ~ 4 Comments
The Natural
 
“What should I write a poem about?”
I asked my niece
after she followed me outside
to the front porch
where I’d sat down to work.
 
“Cats and dogs and spiders
and Spider-Man and plants
and trees and berries and pinecones
and snakes and pine straw and seeds
and rocks and buttercups and sticks
and dirt and Band-Aids and butterflies
and tops of acorns and flyswatters and rubber bands
and plastic holders and cigarettes
and that’s all…
except one last idea…
Star Wars.”
 
I think Natalie is going to be
much better at this than me.
The poem above was written earlier this afternoon right before the sky fell with some serious intentions to soak the earth. The storm was not quite that of Biblical proportions…but this is a post about poetry so let’s take some creative license and just pretend it was nearing such a level. I must admit that it was the most enjoyable collaborative effort I’ve ever taken part of. She’s definitely a natural. I’ll have to start delegating my work more often.
 
I haven’t been posting here at 17Numa as much of late. After missing the monthly recap in March, I didn’t want to fall too far out of rhythm…so here’s an honest attempt to right the ship with a few thoughts about some of the goings-on from April.
 
First off, I’d like to say thank you to all the editors associated with these twenty venues for accepting and/or publishing my work in the past month:
 
Dissident Voice; Dead Snakes; Infernal Ink Magazine; Mad Swirl; UFO Gigolo; Duane’s PoeTree; Visual Verse; KNOT Magazine; Venus in Scorpio; Full of Crow; Torrid Literature Journal; The Piker Press; The Poeming Pigeon; Lunaris Review; Longsword Press; VerseWrights; Green Panda Press; Yellow Chair Review; Peeking Cat Poetry Magazine; and Whispers.
 
I finished up three interviews during April, two of which (Duane’s PoeTree and Nibstears) are scheduled to come out sometime in the not-too-distant future. The latest, however, was just released recently as part of the new interview series at Adam Levon Brown’s site. My ramblings can be read here. I usually take myself oh-so-seriously when spouting off at the mouth about my work…but this time around I tried to keep things light and fluffy with a side of pure, unmitigated fun.
 
The most exciting development during April involved a fortuitous online meeting with Tom Janikowski of the newly launched Longsword Press. We’ve been working together of late to whip my poetry collection “Chaos Songs” into shape. After going back and forth with drafts, the final version is nearly complete, and it is set to be published in May. Longsword also just released the debut Spring 2016 issue of its online publication. My poems “Painting Ourselves into Corners” and “The Passage” (both from the new book) are included. Check it out here.
 
I first started sending out submissions of my poetry in June of 2014. I just went back and read some of the emails I was sending out at that time to double check on the date. Sweet Jesus, I was a tad bit obnoxious and presumptuous in some of my early cover letters. But, hell, I guess it must have worked because it has led to some fairly positive results in the past 22 months. In fact, I recently hit a nice milestone back around the middle of this month when my 800th poem was published. I’ve definitely become more professional since that first poem appeared at Dissident Voice (for the most part). Even if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t necessarily change my approach. I regret nothing! Everyone acts like an ass now and then. Karma has certainly kicked me in mine enough times through the years to make sure the ledger always remains in balance. No need to get into specifics and boohoo about the past. I’ll just put it this way: it’s fair to say that I’ve paid my dues. Now my eyes are constantly set on the future. Everything remains in a perpetual state of calm. I’m always comfortable and content…but never complacent. On that note, it’s time to forward march into May…
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar
 
P.S.
 
Anyone who would like to connect with me can do so on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow this blog to stay abreast of upcoming announcements. I always dig meeting new people, so please feel free to drop me a line and say hello.

Reduce to Base

~ 17numa ~ 2 Comments
If I had to describe my style of poetry
I could call it: Arsonist
 
I’ve found that once one
starts playing with fire
it’s difficult to set down the matches
 
I could say my pen is an inferno
but that’s too poetic
so I’ll just say my tongue is a flame
 
This world is burning
but I came here to dance
 
I could talk about a rising Phoenix
but that’s old hat
so I’ll just talk about the dust and the ash
Truth is, I describe my style as being prose-fusion poetry. It’s a license to cheat…but not to steal. It’s a lesson…in something. Maybe.
 
I stay in the moment with eyes toward the future. Mostly.
My new poetry collection “Chaos Songs” will be released next month through Longsword Press. I’ve been working the past couple of weeks with Tom Janikowski (Founder/Editor/Publisher) to bring this project to life. The process has been beyond ideal. Tom and his crew at Longsword know what they’re doing. They provided excellent notes on the original manuscript which led me to construct a much better book. The cover photo, I believe, captures the essence of the work perfectly. It was taken by an Italian photographer by the name of Davide De Col. The full cover design is nearly complete, and I’m looking forward to sharing it soon. It’s good to work with good people.
 
Speaking of which, I’ll be seeing more good people from The Southern Collective Experience at a poetry reading later today. The last event I attended was a taping in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the WUTC/NPR station earlier this month. That show is set to be broadcast on May 29. Issue 3 of The Blue Mountain Review will also be released in May. Good people. Good art. Many more projects on the horizon. The SCE is ever evolving and expanding. Please feel free to swing by and check out our website.
 
My poems “The Swarm” and “Making It up as We Go” appear in the April issue of Full of Crow. The issue has been one of the better reads so far in 2016…it’s full of amazing poets. Elynn Alexander really put together a strong compilation.
 
I’ve had work appear in three print publications this month (Infernal Ink Magazine; Torrid Literature Journal; and The Poeming Pigeon). Links to all my published work from so far in April can be found on the Poems Page.
 
The state my mind occupies most of the time is one of thankfulness. Despite the fiery nature of my writing, I am an eternal optimist. I have a fierce love for the species of humanity and for consciousness itself. I have gratitude for God. My Creator. If you don’t understand what that means, I’m afraid I can’t help you. The future excites me. It’s going to be good.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Poems by Scott Thomas Outlar -Looking for a Cherry, Pulpit and Heart-Shaped Phoenix

~ 17numa ~ 4 Comments

Cheers and thank you to Jade Blackmore for featuring three of my poems at her site Venus in Scorpio this week…

vscorpiozine's avatarVscorpiozine's Blog

Looking for a Cherry

Vonnegut said,
so it goes.

So it did,
so it does,
so it ever will.

I suppose some truths
just can’t be topped.

 Pulpit

There are some people who preach love
but the message is hollow
because they do not first love themselves

There are others who preach love
and it is genuine
but they are naïve
and so it does not spread

I guess the point is:
If you want to change the world
shut up with all the preaching
and just start living it

Heart-Shaped Phoenix

Cobain quoted Young by writing,
it’s better to burn out
than to fade away.

I would suggest
that there is plenty
of gasoline to go around…
so we can dance
around these flames
for quite awhile
before our little hearts
have had their fill
of fiery fun.

Bio:

scottthomasoutlarScott Thomas Outlar hosts the site 17Numa.wordpress.com where links to…

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Two Poems…March Publications…Fair Warning

~ 17numa ~ 1 Comment
Simple Shuteye
 
Perfect peace
reigns
in a dream
where she dances
carefree
with a smile
shining
from here to eternity
and a gleam
in her eye
that promises
everything
will be just fine
upon the wake
A few weeks have passed since I last posted here at 17Numa. Deep breath.
 
March has been a month of much convergence. Alignment. Nuclear fission at the core of absolution. Eruption.
 
It is the role of the poet to show that chaos births order. That’s one hell of a millstone to carry around. I have a lot of friends who wear it with grace. It’s a good time to be alive in this day and age. Have faith and know that there is a light which will never be snuffed out.
 
Two reviews for “Songs of a Dissident” have been released in the past couple of weeks. Many thanks to Janine Pickett for writing very kindly about the chapbook at her site Indiana Voice Journal. Thank you also to Michael and Val Organ of Tuck Magazine for publishing Sunil Sharma’s humbling thoughts. The fire inside my soul is never near the threat of extinguishing, but when editors that I respect are generous toward my work it does feel as though more gasoline gets added. All I want to do is burn. Is that too much to ask?
 
Truthfully, I’d be happy with a flood just the same.
 
OK. Now the words are ready to start crawling from out my ruptured mind to bleed forth upon the page. Seeping from the dingy corridors of a decadent consciousness. Hell, I don’t always go dark and ugly but sometimes the urge is overwhelming. Then again, I can just as quickly turn off the spigot and get lighthearted. It’s all fun and games after all, except for the fact that it’s deadly serious. The world has been at war for a long time…just for the record. The intensity of a violent trajectory is ramping up as the proxy battles being fought overseas seem to now be ready to come home and roost. I am only an observer. I’m here to report what I find in the field. If I could stop the madness by magically snapping my fingers, then I’d immediately start to create a funky beat with the sound. But that more than likely won’t do the trick at this stage of the process. So all I can say at this point is: heads up, watch out, and get right with whatever God you love the most. If there were an alarm, I’d ring it. I’m simply suggesting that the storm has been brewing for years now and so when it finally hits it’s going to be a big one. Fair Warning.
 
With all the dire foreboding about the oncoming dystopia out of the way, I can now safely return my attention to some really cool news concerning my poetry. So far in the month of March my words have appeared in eight print publications, three of which are based out of the UK:
 
The Stray Branch Issue 17
Pittsburgh Poetry Houses Volume I
PUSH Issue 20
Tigershark Magazine Issue 9
Futures Trading: Anthology Three
Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze Anthology
The Seventh Quarry Issue 23
The Angry Manifesto Issue 4.0/5.0
 
Links to all these journals, along with other online publications from March, can be found on the Poetry Page. 
 
Thanks for swinging by. If you’d like to connect, please feel free to hit me up on Twitter and/or Facebook. I’m always stoked to meet new people.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar
 
Curses, Crosses, and Crucibles
 
One step
leads to the next
 
There is something
in the air today
making me question
everything
 
I am thankful
for such moments
that test my faith
 
Forward movement
is the blessing of God’s grace
 
The future is a promise
openly rewarded
to those with courage
 
Survival is embedded
in our activated DNA
 
There are people
in this world
who will hate you
for their own reasons
 
A simple smile
is a perfect reminder
that love will always
win in the end

Two Poems…etc.

~ 17numa ~ 2 Comments
Tao Division
 
There is more truth in every lie than we’d care to admit
 
Everything in this world is 87% unleaded bullshit
 
Everything is also Absolute Veritas
 
100 miles per hour
 
 
K-Y
 
A leads to B,
and C is a Castle
in the Distance
beyond all Equations
that’s going to get Fucked
with Gasoline
before Hell Ignites…
and further Jazz
will bring us Kicks
all the way to Z.
 
 
A sudden urge…to purge. The first poem was written moments ago with Midnight intentions. The second was born last month in early February. Those are the facts. For all they’re worth. Sold to the highest bidder. Stolen back come the hour of dawn.
Three of my poems came out this week at Dead Snakes. It’s always a pleasure to appear at Stephen Jarrell Williams’ site. He posts a tremendous amount of good poetry there month after month. That takes time and energy. It’s much appreciated.
 
Issue 11 of Five 2 One Magazine came out recently. Many thanks to Nathan Alan Schwartz for putting together a great collection of words from Heath Brougher, Matt Duggan, Alan Britt, Dustin Pickering, and a host of other dope writers. My poem “A Little Spot to Call One’s Own” is also included.
 
Thank you as well to R.L. Black for publishing “Seven Horns” in the new March/April issue of Unbroken Journal. Very cool to have work appear in this edition alongside that of Sarah Frances Moran…she is a hell of a good poet.
 
February was a blast. But there’s no time to stop and reminisce. As we all know, it’s a constant forward March into the future…
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Futurist Spring…The Blue Mountain Review…Kingdom of Chaos

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
Welcome to the blackout
lovely quiet in the dead space
Entropy has awakened
to bring us back in line with cold chill
 
Welcome to the gene swarm
single celled and pushing forward
Evolution has a life urge
flood the past with bombs and start anew
 
Welcome to the feast
King Ape up against the lion
Only one can rule the roost here
bet the farm that thumbs will win
 
Welcome to the crystal
diamond coded in the hardware
Plugging in to seal the merger
future born of flesh and wires
 
“Futurist Spring” originally appeared at Snapping Twig
 
It’s been a couple of weeks since I hammered out a post here at 17Numa so I thought I’d break out the nails early this morning and get back to work. All I need now is a cross and a bit of righteous indignation. No, wait, never mind, forget I said that. We’re all friends here. No need to stir up unnecessary trouble with that type of terrible gibberish.
 
There have been some exciting new publications recently to announce. The Southern Collective Experience put out issue 2 of The Blue Mountain Review last week. This edition is chock full of great poetry, prose, photographs, essays, and interviews from the likes of Cliff Brooks, Dan Veach, William Wright, Nancy Davenport, Genesis the Greykid, Michelle Roberts, Dee Thompson, Felino A. Soriano, and a host of other talented writers and artists. My two poems “Screaming with the Tide” and “Just Add Water” are also included.
 
I was awarded poem of the month for February at Nibstears with my piece “Kingdom of Chaos”. Thank you to the editors Akinwemimo Idris and Awwal Karrem for the honor, as well as to the other two top finalists, Awoniyi Olajide and Tola Ijalusi.
 
My poem “Steady in the Storm” has been the featured poem for the month of February at The Peregrine Muse. It will remain up on the homepage until March rolls around, but at that point it can still be read on my personal page at the site along with seven other poems. I’ve also begun helping out as an editor this year at The Peregrine Muse, and I posted a page earlier this week featuring the work of Phillip Matthew Roberts that I’d highly recommend checking out.
 
Janine Pickett at Indiana Voice Journal contacted me earlier this month and asked if I would like to contribute to a special issue she was putting together dedicated to the artwork of an emerging artist from Cape Town, South Africa, Shameeg van Schalkwyk. I’m always honored to have words appear at IVJ, and so I walked up to my favorite spot in the woods to write two ekphrastic poems in response to Shameeg’s work. The issue also includes poetry from Janine herself, my good friend Don Beukes, and several other writers.
 
Roxana Nastase at Scarlet Leaf Review included four of my poems at her site this month. Anyone who has the time to visit the page and give it a like and/or leave a comment would be doing me a favor because there is some sort of contest going on which involves such analytics. Winning is always fun. I’m just saying…
 
My friend Patrick Jordan who hosts the Facebook group Notes from the Edge published a nice handbound chapbook recently featuring the work of selected members. My contributor’s copy showed up in the mail not too long ago. I’m very appreciative of all the time, energy, and resources Patrick put into the project.
 
Links to other February publications can be found on the Poems Page located at the top of the site.
 
In other news, I’m continuing to work on the final edit of my full-length collection “Happy Hour Hallelujah” which will be out later this year through CTU Publishing. And, finally, this post wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory mention of my chapbook “Songs of a Dissident” which was released this past December through Transcendent Zero Press. If there is anyone who would like to order a copy, well, hot damn!, you’re in luck because it is now available at Amazon via this link. Any and all support of my work is greatly appreciated. If you’ve already ordered a copy, thank you. I promise from the bottom of my heart that I’m working to make this happen. As I often like to say, things are just getting started…
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar
 
 
1:22
 
Poetry is about connecting
the macro
with the micro
 
That’s all it is
 
The End

Interview (Originally appeared at Profiles in Poetry)

~ 17numa ~ 3 Comments
In October of 2015 I was asked by JD DeHart to give an interview for his site Profiles in Poetry. The site has since gone into a state of limbo, and I’m unsure whether or not it will be going back live at any point, so I thought it would make sense to republish our conversation here at 17Numa…
What drives you to write?
 
A source of (infinite and eternal) energy at my core that (constantly) seeks release. A desire to have my words appear in front of other sentient human beings’ eyes (androids and clones are cool, too). A belief that what I have to offer might be received well by my fellow writers and artists, and possibly even the wider general public (though I don’t hold my breath). An aching concern deep in the marrow of my bones that knows all too well that the institutions of this world (economic, educational, religious, military, governmental) have reached such epic levels of decadence and corruption that things are now far beyond the pale, and so such principalities of power must be pointed out, stood up to, and fought against with the mighty pen (so that the sword does not become necessary [though it’s nearly too late for that, I fear]).
 
I write to open portals and pathways which lead to God, Peace, Love, and Truth. I write to stir the politically correct pot and to provoke those people who don’t like such holy ideas and emotions. I write because there is just a hint of narcissism coursing through my veins that wants to bleed out upon the world with its righteous stain. I write because I threw all my cards on the table many a moon ago, and so the only option that I’ve left open is to keep doubling down on the bet by using blue and black ink to try and win this hand that I’ve been dealt. I write because I continue to believe (against all better judgment) that the words which splash upon the page are eventually going to lead me to the fifth ace that I’ve been searching after all my life.
 
 
How did you get started?
 
In a certain sense I suppose writing is in my blood. My Grandfather was a sports writer and editor for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for thirty years, retiring while I was still a young boy. I was an athlete who played baseball through high school (back in another life) because that is where my passion was, but when my heart turned cold to such pursuits an empty chest was left with a void which needed to be filled. It took a number of years to figure out what to do next with my life. Once I began keeping a daily journal and my writing style started to emerge, I knew I’d stumbled upon the one true path which I was destined for.
 
I kept hammering away at the notepad for the better part of the next decade, a hermit holed up in my home, putting in the hours and pouring forth the words that I now look back on as being stepping stones to bring me to this very point. It’s been a little over a year since I started seriously sending out my work and treating the writing process with the sense of decency and professionalism which it deserves. All that being said, I fully understand that there is still more to learn in this lifetime than I’ll ever be able to cram into this (sometimes stubborn) head. But I’m cool with all that because I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and I dig every step of the journey along this path toward wherever/whatever, however it may come.
 
 
Who are the best poets around right now?
 
Ye gods! There are so many I could rattle off, but I’m always weary about creating lists because I worry that I might offend someone by not including them. But I’ll summon forth a bit of courage and start off by saying this: there is a Blogs Page at my site 17Numa where I’ve taken the time to link websites, blogs, and archives of work to the names of around 100 contemporary writers and artists, so I’d definitely recommend checking it out. If there is anyone you know of and think should be added to the page, please feel free to get in touch and let me know.
 
Some of the more prolific poets on the scene that I dig these days are Sarah Frances Moran, A.J. Huffman, Felino A. Soriano, Allison Grayhurst, Steve Klepetar, and Laura M. Kaminski. One of the wonderful aspects of social media that I’ve discovered since hardwiring myself into the Beast System earlier this year is being able to connect with writers from across the world…with that in mind, I’ve been turned on recently to the work of Indian poets such as Chumki Sharma, Kushal Poddar, and Ananya S. Guha. A few other poets I’d recommend at the moment are Don Beukes, Heath Brougher, and Phillip Matthew Roberts.
 
 
Where are the best places to publish?
 
Thankfully, there is no shortage of online and print journals available to submit work to these days. There is a true underground Renaissance of poetry bubbling up beneath the surface of the haughty institutionalized snobbery of academia in the form of independent, small press literary publishers….and I, for one, LOVE IT!
 
Some of my highly recommended venues are The Blue Mountain Review, Harbinger Asylum, Yellow Chair Review, Section 8 Magazine, Tuck Magazine, and Dead Snakes. At the risk of sounding too self-serving, I’ll make one more plug for 17Numa here because the Links Page at the site has a list of over 200 journals, magazines, lit blogs, and zines that some readers/writers might find valuable as a resource.
 
 
What are you reading right now?
 
A poet whose work I greatly admire, Alan Britt, was kind enough to send me a couple of his books recently, and so I’m currently in the middle of “Alone with the Terrible Universe” with “Lost Among the Hours” waiting in the wings. I was also humbled and honored the other day by Charles Clifford Brooks III who sent me a final draft of his forthcoming second book “Athena Departs.” I’m digging the quick-paced, poignant, precise style of the poems so far and definitely encourage everyone to keep an eye out for when this fine piece of art hits stores sometime in the near future. Other than that, copies of anything written by Nietzsche, Hunter S. Thompson, and Henry Miller are never too far out of reach…and, of course, The Book of Revelation is always kept near at hand.
 
 
What advice would you give to other writers?
 
Believe in yourself. Enjoy what you do. Put passion into every word you write. Take one step at a time. Be able to accept good criticism with an open mind. Be able to laugh off poor critiques with mad howling laughter. Understand that rejection is an important part of the publishing process. Read other writers…constantly. Support your peers. Take time to research the venues where you send your work. Follow submission guidelines. Maintain a healthy balance between humility and confidence. Focus on the present moment while keeping future goals in sight. Trust your own unique voice. Trust the wellspring of truth from which your words flow forth. Steady as she goes. Flow and flux with the ever changing currents of the Tao River. Smile. Laugh. Burn hot.

Covering the Gamut…January Recap

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
Covering the Gamut
 
Poems about this –
Poems about that –
Poems, of course, about the other –
Poems about angels –
Poems about demons –
Poems about fire and brimstone –
Poems about pillars of salt –
Poems that burrow their way into your mind
where they chisel themselves upon neuron stones
to eternalize the scripture in an ecstatic flash dance –
Poems about black tar cancer –
Poems about honey maple molasses –
Poems about righteousness –
Poems about revolution –
Poems about renaissance –
Poems about the Phoenix –
Poems about the New Age
as Aquarius cycles through the spheres of heaven
with a wellspring of water
for those who have an insatiable thirst for knowledge –
Poems about Pisces in transit
as all the flayed fish
starve on the surface of earth –
Poems about gasping gills –
Poems about collapsing lungs –
Poems about Empire and its prophesied collapse –
Poems about lemmings that march
to the orders barked by dogs of war –
Poems about nuclear annihilation –
Poems about stardust and flaking ash –
Poems about entropy and evolution –
Poems about love and romance –
Poems about the yawning grave –
Poems about this –
Poems about that –
Poems, of course, about the other –
 
– This piece originally appeared at Dissident Voice where I am a weekly contributor to the Sunday Poetry Page. It was written around half a year ago after I’d attended a relative’s funeral. I was sitting outside the church atop a tall brick wall, smoking a cigarette, contemplating all the usual sorts of things that tend to scurry around inside my head.
OK, I meant to get a January recap posted earlier in the week, but, hey, sometimes it’s best to hold off until the mood is right instead of trying to force something.
 
Going into the New Year my plan was to cut back on the amount of submissions sent out to journals, and to concentrate my attention primarily on sending out chapbook and full-length manuscripts for consideration. I did slow my roll considerably, though I wound up still having over 50 poems published in January.
 
Some of the highlights from the past month included an interview that I did back in September of last year with Geosi Gyasi that found its way into the light of day at his site Geosi Reads.
 
I was excited to start helping out as an editor in January at both Walking Is Still Honest Press and The Peregrine Muse. It’s been a good learning experience so far working with the different platforms of these sites, and I look forward to getting even more involved as time goes on.
 
The high-water mark so far this year was the contract that I signed with Creative Talents Unleashed for my full-length poetry collection “Happy Hour Hallelujah” which will be released later in 2016. I’m in the process at the moment of doing a read through on the final draft sent over from Raja Williams at CTU to make sure there aren’t any subtle shifts of rhythm that need to be made. Of course, there could also be a typo hidden in there somewhere that I missed. I would like to think such a thing impossible, but it has been known to happen.
 
I’d like to say a big thank you to all the editors associated with these twenty-nine venues for accepting and/or publishing my work in January:
 
Unbroken Journal; Poems and Poetry; Dissident Voice; Dead Snakes; UFO Gigolo; Cavalcade of Stars; Poets International; Dark Matter Journal; Your One Phone Call; Duane’s PoeTree; High Coupe; Visual Verse; Eunoia Review; The Literary Nest; Peeking Cat Poetry Magazine; Inwood Indiana; Green Panda Press; Creative Talents Unleashed; Yellow Chair Review; Napalm and Novocain; Asian Signature; Fauna Quarterly; Tuck Magazine; Geosi Reads; Anti-Heroin Chic; Scarlet Leaf Review; The Poeming Pigeon; Pittsburgh Poetry Houses; and Slim Volume.
 
I’ve had poems come out in six venues so far in February, including a second place finish in Cultured Vultures’ weekly contest. Links to recent work, along with all my past online publications, can be found on the Poems Page here at 17Numa.
 
Finally, I’d be remiss not to also mention that my chapbook “Songs of a Dissident” was released back in December through Transcendent Zero Press. Having said that, I’d be a fool not to let everyone know that it is available on Amazon. If you have already ordered a copy, or if you decide to pick up one right this very moment, I offer a sincere thank you. For real. It means a lot.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar

Issue Two: Scott Thomas Outlar

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment

Cheers and thank you to Claudia Downs for publishing my poem “Sweet Explosion” in the second issue of Fauna Quarterly…

faunaquarterly's avatarFauna Quarterly

Sweet Explosion

Her veins are spiked with chlorella

aqua seafoam blue-green algae

with a drip of phytoplankton

pumping from the pores of velvet antler

Her eyes are carrot juice lasers

candy cucumber lids of alkaline salt

seeping in where the violet aura

surges with a fury of synchronistic flash

Her smile is a pearly white paradise

coated in celery crunch gene therapy

keeping calcification at bay

while smooth ships sail nearer to shore

Her tongue is laced in ghost pepper fetish

sweating out the lust of combustive flesh

sending shivers down the spine of kundalini

in white ignition pulse of pineapple explosion

Scott Thomas Outlar hosts the site 17Numa.wordpress.com where links to his published poetry and fiction can be found. His words have appeared recently in venues such as Straight Forward Poetry, The Peregrine Muse, Yellow Chair Review, and Creative Talents Unleashed. Scott’s chapbook “Songs of a Dissident” was released…

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Sweet Explosive Sunshine Song

~ 17numa ~ Leave a comment
Naked Dreams
 
Crimson nightmares
stain the neurons
of my inner eye
and I can sense
the emerging last refrain
as lust begins to sing
a twisted lullaby
of a dying passion
collapsing beneath the waves
we once stirred up
between these sheets
 
The carnage of the vision
is more than I can bear
but I keep
my peepers closed
for I know
all too well
that the truth
will be even worse
upon the wake
Yes, well, uh, you see, that is, like, you know?
 
The best thing that ever happened to me was when I detached from…everything (almost). Numbness is a virtue that cannot be snuffed out easily (if at all). It affords a shield for which there is no penetrable weapon (except love, which I’ll have none of at the moment). Thank you very much. I’ll be here all week…all month…all year…until the fire claims these bones…until ash becomes my name.
 
For anyone who doesn’t yet know this about me: I consider life to be a war. I’ve drawn my lines in the sand. I’m also very considerate in my basic communication skills, so perhaps the full intensity of my intentions doesn’t always come across. Of course, most of the people I deal with are friends and allies, so that helps. Trust me, with time, the scope will expand as everything becomes quite clear. After all, the game has only just begun.
 
On a lighter note, here are links to a few of the past week’s publications:
 
Sweet Explosion – Fauna Quarterly
Acidic Cycles/Meltdown Fever – Dissident Voice
To the Fascist Fundamentalist Editor – Yellow Chair Review
Oblivion on Display – Creative Talents Unleashed
Sunshine Song – Whispers
 
If you dig my work, you can help support my continued efforts by ordering a copy of “Songs of a Dissident” on Amazon. You can read more about the chapbook, which was released last month, in this interview I did recently with Angie Tibbs of Dissident Voice.
 
Selah,
Scott Thomas Outlar