my husband holds my hand because i may drift away & be lost forever in the vortex of a crowded store

by John Compton

my husband holds my hand because i may drift away & be lost forever in the vortex of a crowded store by john compton is, among other things, a clear-eyed examination of the body, its hungers, desires, shames, and pains. It’s a book of desires fulfilled, thwarted, and manipulated. The poems explore “my body,” “his body,” “your body,” and “her stone body.” Bodies that are “mercy,” “burning,” “rakish,” and “dampened.” They are manuscripts in which life is engraved, or poems spilled out of autopsy with stories that “carved poetry into my back.” There are “dirty boys” and “sadistic cum stains.” For compton, sex is both burden and gift, its fluids and actions work like spells that transform the speakers’ wounds into incantations of survival. A “new body . . . instead of stretch marks, / . . . has a multitude of hieroglyphics / scratched across its walls.” In love with the language his body has held and both born and borne, compton’s poems resonate with a deep pulse of the indomitable life force of a survivor: “the naked body a rosary / bead tucked in each wound.”

--Subhaga Crystal Bacon, author of Transitory, shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award

108 pages, Paperback

Published December 27, 2024

About the author

john compton is a gay poet in kentucky who lives with his husband josh and their dogs and cats. his newest full length is "the castration of a minor god" from ghost city press. his latest chapbooks are "i saw god cooking children/paint their bones" from blood pudding press; "the scalpel calms the grief" from the grindstone; and "to wash all the pretty things off your skin" from ethel zine and micro press.

Reviews

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible read. My favorites were "lifeline" and "my dirty language" I won't call it "homosexual poetry" because I don't believe that's a thing. But if you are a homosexual, you will resonate with this book.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poetry takes you on an exhilarating journey, exploring a broad variety of themes upbringing, love, marriage, religion. John's style of writing doesn’t give it all away, it allows the reader space to build on his poems. A fantastic read from beginning to end, I highly recommend!

[Sabne Raznik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit graphic in the middle. And there is one poem where the romantic conquest is compared to fishing (I kid you not). Got a fantastic laugh out of that. But often dripping with that trademark surprising turn of phrase this poet is so good at.

[Sameen Shakya · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Compton's new collection of poems is a testament to the power of patheticness. His poems ooze with a sense of urgency, pathos and pure putrid malaise that are window dressing for the true power of his poems: recognizing that sometimes being, wanting, and wailing is, as aforementioned, pathetic, but within that patheticness there is a beauty that those who stay in their shells can never even taste.

Compton's poems are a masterclass in getting to the meat of the matter we called living. His words don't shy away from how fucking lame life is, but his verses are anything but lame. What they lack in force they make up for in slyness. What they lack in power they make up for in rhythm. These aren't poems anyone will sing, but these are poems that will grip the readers eyes open and make them understand the beauty that banality has, and in this way, become unforgettable.

I deeply enjoyed John's poems, and I recommend this book to anyone who wants a taste of contemporary poetry that isn't pretty, but is a damn good read.

[Dakota Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book there were so many great things about it I loved the imagery. the connections made felt like I was in the poems I recommend this book to everyone even if you're not into poetry there are so many different ways to connect to the poems