Surface Tension

by David Peak

Amputation of person, amputation of limb, amputation of smaller and smaller shapes of cells. Into his sentences David Peak fits deleted frames from wonderful films we saw once half-asleep, that time asleep on the sofa in that room we would have paid more attention to if we'd known we weren't going to be back there these years later. A warm familiar butting hard up against a terror that fills sofa pillows and cabinets right there, rarely opened. A new kind of hair. A sublime and everpresent surface tension, most definitely, in all best things, of which this book called Surface Tension is certainly, magnificently, one.

— Blake Butler

Surface Tension is a latticework of wizardry, a nuanced intuitive system that reveals itself in glimpses, keeps the ravenous returning to uncover more of the puzzle. With a rare economy of language and taut balance between fucked cataclysm and stark beauty, between somber and irreverent, Surface Tension speaks mute volumes, spans infinite distance, hits like some infernal ghost train trailing goosebumped comet vapour. David Peak’s language channels handshakes of Burroughs, though is itself a new intoxicating element, something volatile and revolutionary unleashed. There are origins, there is being, there are endings, there is decomposition, there are phoenix blooms. There is the butterfly effect in between, all possible point intersections. Each word is a masterful, impressionistic stroke to be reckoned with, then from which to step back, electrified, and marvel at the whole brahmanic panorama upon which you have stumbled.

— Audri Sousa


Peak's poems percolate, brewing grounds grown and harvested from the Earth, the aroma wafting through the empty rooms of our heads, spaces in which "our distractions" are "so focused." And when we spill some on our shirts, drinking cup after cup, we might not even notice the stain, the mark these poems leave, one we'll carry with us for a long time."

— Eric Beeny


david peak, surely, has proven hear that he will be working at arby's one day and his hand will just fall off. and, ha, we know when it hits the ground david will just stare at it, his manager soon doing the same. 'i can't work here anymore,' david will say, his manager nodding, nodding.

— Sam Pink



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David Peak is the author of a novel, The Rocket's Red Glare (Leucrota Press) and a chapbook, Museum of Fucked (Warm Milk Press). His writing has appeared in elimae, Annalemma, Pank, and many others. He lives in New York City and blogs at davidpeak.blogspot.com.

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 29, 2009

About the author

David Peak is the author of The World Below (Apocalypse Party), Eyes in the Dust and Other Stories (Trepidatio Publishing), Corpsepaint (Word Horde), and The Spectacle of the Void (Schism). He lives in Chicago, where he is working on his next novel.

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me, this collection of poems was a visual experience. I could see as well as feel how each piece was meticulously rendered. The words were precise within abstract settings, the colors bright against watercolor greytones. I detected a fine sense of space and longing, and finally, a bit of blood. The author shows us how we fit together and fall apart, and the distance between us and the stars.

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really need to read more poetry. The last two books of contemporary poetry (which happens to be the two I've read), I really liked. This one is dark and almost forces you to do a full stop for contemplation after every single line. I'm sure this will stay with me for a long time (and I'm sure I'll read it again if and when the images starts to fade). I like most of the pieces and parts, but it's hard not to mention "Red Blinds", an amazing story told in very few words over 23 short parts and still so vivid and playing like a movie for your inner eye.

Anyway, you should read Janie's review, she said it better than I could ever hope to.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ethereal poetry written with a deft hand, the words speak beyond reading them, planting themselves in your mind to be thought upon and pondered. I see myself coming back to this book as poetry like this is made to be re-read and slowly digested.

[Rodney · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some moments of magic here, but overall it didn't connect with or engage me as much as I had hoped. That said, I look forward to reading the longer works from the author.