4/12/2016

BC Poetry 2016: "Assdeep in Wonder" by Chris Gudgeon (Anvil Press)



Let’s start small, my darling...

Let’s start small, like elephants,
who never pass second base
on a first date.

We have whole lives ahead
of us, my darling, let’s pace
ourselves, measure

love out a teaspoon at a
time, ration it like water
on a lifeboat.

Don’t expect too much from that
first kiss, but hold on, other
kisses will come

in time, or not; we have just
this moment, expectation
will smother this

moment as surely as our
memories will carve it in soap,
the contemplation

of these two hearts as one – that’s
for children, old women and
elephants. We

must be harder on ourselves
start small, because great love stands
on tiny feet.


Who?

Chris Gudgeon is an author, poet, and screenwriter. He's contributed to dozens of periodicals—including Playboy, MAD, Geist, and The Malahat Review—and written seventeen books. Chris has more than 150 professional TV and film credits, and has worked a variety of jobs across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Gudgeon, who is bisexual, has been in an open relationship with author/self-help guru Jasper Vander Voorde since 2009. He divides his time between Los Angeles and Victoria, BC.


What?

Chris's debut collection of poetry, Assdeep in Wonder, explores the idea of identity in a myriad of context - personal, sexual, cultural, national, literary, and poetic. The poems are raw and immediate, exploring themes of addiction, sexuality, loss, love, and wonder in equal measures. Chris tackles tyrannical political leaders, the mystery of desire, the strictures of gender, and the absurdity of homophobia.


When?

Arrives May 2016.


Where?

Book Launches: TBD.

Purchases: At your local bookstore. $18.


How?

Stricture and mystery.



The copyrights of all poems included in the series remain with their authors, and are reprinted with the permission of the publishers.

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