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Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy
A poetry chapbook from The Junk Talk Poet that levitates above modern society with a keen and observational eye. The poems extract the dark and the light from the images in which it creates giving in exchange verse of a unique and experimental nature. Based around the belief that all who enter this earth, adopting human form, do so upon paper boats facing the tumultuous waves of reality as we each find ourselves Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy
34 pages, Paperback
Published January 29, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 16, 2016
Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy is a short collection of poems about the subtle and usually unknown horrors of today’s society. It is a short read, really. But the poems and what they imply will stick to you for a while and push you to actually see things from a different angle. The collection of poems does not actually contain the horror genre per se, but it is when I see the situation from the poet’s point of view that I can see the hidden terror.
In certain poems, it is obvious what factories and machines are doing to our lives, we learn that in schools, we get to know the disadvantages on the long run. But the way the poet depicts it, it becomes scarier, darker, thus prompting us to try to think in depth. Most, if not all, of the poems in Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy are quite dark and a little sinister. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy reading such genres and those who are searching for something to give them a glimpse of the real world.
When I started to read the collection of poems, my first impression was that the poems had a fantastical and nightmarish sort of feeling to them. But as I concentrated on each poem, I realize that between the lines, I could see what is going on in the world amidst all the talk of wealth and power. Homeless people, beggars and soldiers, although not stated explicitly in the poems, are painted into the poems.
There are times too, where I found it hard to understand certain parts of the poems, but somehow, the vagueness adds to the obscurity of the collection. I certainly hope to be able to unravel the hidden secrets of the poems the next time I read the poems. Perhaps I would be able to see past the nightmare into the truth.
In certain poems, it is obvious what factories and machines are doing to our lives, we learn that in schools, we get to know the disadvantages on the long run. But the way the poet depicts it, it becomes scarier, darker, thus prompting us to try to think in depth. Most, if not all, of the poems in Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy are quite dark and a little sinister. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy reading such genres and those who are searching for something to give them a glimpse of the real world.
When I started to read the collection of poems, my first impression was that the poems had a fantastical and nightmarish sort of feeling to them. But as I concentrated on each poem, I realize that between the lines, I could see what is going on in the world amidst all the talk of wealth and power. Homeless people, beggars and soldiers, although not stated explicitly in the poems, are painted into the poems.
There are times too, where I found it hard to understand certain parts of the poems, but somehow, the vagueness adds to the obscurity of the collection. I certainly hope to be able to unravel the hidden secrets of the poems the next time I read the poems. Perhaps I would be able to see past the nightmare into the truth.
February 5, 2016
I’m cautious about reviewing poetry: it’s an esoteric art form with some echoes of the world of the contemporary arts. In other words, a field full of the pretentious attempting to bamboozle the unwary, and too often succeeding. It differs from the world of visual art in the amount of cash thrown at it, of course, as well as in the larger proportion of real artists as opposed to con artists.
The poet of this slim volume (poetry is singularly fitted for the slim volume, since its density requires the reader to thoroughly immerse himself in the words in search of true meaning) came to me via my website. I’m often invited to review books by strangers. My default position is refusal, which may seem cruel, but it’s a necessary stance for a writer. I’d otherwise spend all my time reading and then writing reviews, which would prevent me creating my own works with words.
This book, however, engaged my imagination from the start. I’ve tried my hand at poetry from time to time; still do. I’ve even published a verse in a low circulation print collection put out by a writing group I belonged to way back in the 1970s. In common with many writers, I admire the skills of the poet. They offer dexterities with words that can often be imported into narrative with great effect. It is the ability of the poet to say so much using so few words that most impresses those of us who deal in prose.
The Junk Talk Poet says a good deal, very powerfully, about the ills of our society. These are the words of someone who cares, someone with a passionate view of the ills, evils and injustices of our world. And, in that view, I find a fellow traveller. As is inevitably the case with a volume of poetry, there are stanzas and poems which defy my abilities to deconstruct them: these few remain as enigmas awaiting my enlightenment. But most of the verse here is accessible, even to a reader with as little experience of the art as I possess.
The overarching mood of the poems here is one of pragmatic sadness at the folly and inequality of a way of life that deals so many a poor hand. I think my favourite is ‘The Meeting’, with its closing lines so full of what this book is really about. But there are many others that found me nodding in agreement, occasionally smiling with grim recognition of the dark humour.
This is not a book to relax with before bed, unless you prefer to follow the title and spend your night in the grip of bad dreams. But it is a considered and thoughtful comment on modern life in a world ruled by money, merchants and greed. The work will long live with me and I shall seek new writing by this poet.
This reviewer has taken the True Review Pledge.
The poet of this slim volume (poetry is singularly fitted for the slim volume, since its density requires the reader to thoroughly immerse himself in the words in search of true meaning) came to me via my website. I’m often invited to review books by strangers. My default position is refusal, which may seem cruel, but it’s a necessary stance for a writer. I’d otherwise spend all my time reading and then writing reviews, which would prevent me creating my own works with words.
This book, however, engaged my imagination from the start. I’ve tried my hand at poetry from time to time; still do. I’ve even published a verse in a low circulation print collection put out by a writing group I belonged to way back in the 1970s. In common with many writers, I admire the skills of the poet. They offer dexterities with words that can often be imported into narrative with great effect. It is the ability of the poet to say so much using so few words that most impresses those of us who deal in prose.
The Junk Talk Poet says a good deal, very powerfully, about the ills of our society. These are the words of someone who cares, someone with a passionate view of the ills, evils and injustices of our world. And, in that view, I find a fellow traveller. As is inevitably the case with a volume of poetry, there are stanzas and poems which defy my abilities to deconstruct them: these few remain as enigmas awaiting my enlightenment. But most of the verse here is accessible, even to a reader with as little experience of the art as I possess.
The overarching mood of the poems here is one of pragmatic sadness at the folly and inequality of a way of life that deals so many a poor hand. I think my favourite is ‘The Meeting’, with its closing lines so full of what this book is really about. But there are many others that found me nodding in agreement, occasionally smiling with grim recognition of the dark humour.
This is not a book to relax with before bed, unless you prefer to follow the title and spend your night in the grip of bad dreams. But it is a considered and thoughtful comment on modern life in a world ruled by money, merchants and greed. The work will long live with me and I shall seek new writing by this poet.
This reviewer has taken the True Review Pledge.
November 14, 2016
I find it hard to review poetry. The first I ever reviewed was Rupi Kaur, but to me that flowed easily as the poems were about women and the pain of women.
This is something different and out of my field of depth.
There's a certain level of emotion the writer has when forming their poetry, to an extent that it is personal to them. It's a level that the reader can not fully denote, only assume. Being a writer myself, and putting myself in the voyeur seat, was hard.
Personally, I struggled to understand some of these poems. It wasn't like understanding Shakespeare, but more of understanding what the poet was trying to convey. With a fair bit of concentration (and a twice read over), the most I got from this set of poetry was that it was mostly about the themes of people and time. It's very much the epitome of our "nightmare" society.
Although I personally did not connect with the poetry, I can see that a lot of hard work and raw emotion went into each and every one. However, I can't knock it because one: It got my imagination going and two: the poems I did understand, I resonated with.
This is something different and out of my field of depth.
There's a certain level of emotion the writer has when forming their poetry, to an extent that it is personal to them. It's a level that the reader can not fully denote, only assume. Being a writer myself, and putting myself in the voyeur seat, was hard.
Personally, I struggled to understand some of these poems. It wasn't like understanding Shakespeare, but more of understanding what the poet was trying to convey. With a fair bit of concentration (and a twice read over), the most I got from this set of poetry was that it was mostly about the themes of people and time. It's very much the epitome of our "nightmare" society.
Although I personally did not connect with the poetry, I can see that a lot of hard work and raw emotion went into each and every one. However, I can't knock it because one: It got my imagination going and two: the poems I did understand, I resonated with.
May 21, 2017
A really remarkable collection of poems that all revolve around modern life, society and people; short pieces with powerful imagery and a masterly use of words make us realise what is going on around us, what is wrong with this world – and what is wrong with us.
Sometimes it’s monsters and phantoms haunting us, but mostly it’s the very real and ugly face of modern society; and the author has got something to say about every single aspect of it: pollution, wars, social injustice, the lack of education for our children, and the worst thing of all, the heartlessness, the egoism, and the lack of communication and understanding.
But then, there are also the good things in life – nature, a calm and quiet idyll by the sea, memories from childhood… Things that seem to be vanishing in our time, but they’re still there, and we mustn’t overlook them in those hectic times. A brilliant analysis of modern-day life, put into most beautiful pieces of poetry!
Sometimes it’s monsters and phantoms haunting us, but mostly it’s the very real and ugly face of modern society; and the author has got something to say about every single aspect of it: pollution, wars, social injustice, the lack of education for our children, and the worst thing of all, the heartlessness, the egoism, and the lack of communication and understanding.
But then, there are also the good things in life – nature, a calm and quiet idyll by the sea, memories from childhood… Things that seem to be vanishing in our time, but they’re still there, and we mustn’t overlook them in those hectic times. A brilliant analysis of modern-day life, put into most beautiful pieces of poetry!
February 2, 2016
A brilliant collection from such a talented guy. Impossible to pick just one favourite as the collection works so well together. You can feel the realism in the words in a way that says everything and more in just a few lines. Amongst my faves “Gaps in the Trees”, it’s the description of a perfect painting. Definitely one of the best, you read it and you see it. The Junk Talk Poet has such a talent for highlighting the beauty in the little things and describing natural scenes in a way that makes them seem real and in high definition. “The Busker and the Cuckoo” touches on some key sociological factors too in a way that shows real life problems in a poetic light. Your work is great! It makes you fall in love with the words on the page and the pictures in your mind.
January 18, 2017
Whilst I don't consider myself adequately qualified to 'rate' Junk Talk Poet's poetry collection, I am inclined to respond having reading them. Initially apprehensive due to my distinct lack of experience of reading poetry, I was pleased that my trepidation quickly vanished. Immersed into a dark, but honest reflection of contemporary society, Junk Talk Poet provides a critique of the daily injustices humanity faces. My particular favourite is "The Meeting", captivating the greed of our capitalist society. A thought-provoking collection from start to finish. Sharp, poignant writing with natural flair. Thoroughly enjoyed this read.
November 2, 2016
Navigating Nightmares Ecstasy is a chapbook that may require for you to think outside your usual box. Although the poet and I live in different societies, the imagery and the narratives challenge me to think if the same things happen to my own. There are also pieces that are introspective, forcing me to ask myself if I have decayed the same way.
You may not be able to relate to all the pieces but as a writer, seeing a new perspective, sometimes a bit obscure adds to the appeal of the chapbook.
I highly recommend that you browse it and you'll soon find yourself completing it.
You may not be able to relate to all the pieces but as a writer, seeing a new perspective, sometimes a bit obscure adds to the appeal of the chapbook.
I highly recommend that you browse it and you'll soon find yourself completing it.
February 2, 2016
These poems look at life from the perspective of 21st century urban young people. As one would expect, they are often bleak, but there are also flashes of dark humour. The Junk Talk Poet plays with words and ideas in an interesting way. I look forward very much to seeing where his work goes from here. Recommended.
February 8, 2016
A truly inspirational and creative book of poetry penned by The Junk Talk Poet. portrays current social issues and real life experiences as seen through the eyes of our young generation. a must to read what a talent.....
October 6, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book about the views on the world as far as what's going on in everyday life and in politics. It is very different from what I am use to reading but because of this I like it and what the words had to offer me.
February 1, 2016
A truly inspired book of poetry that is a pleasure to read!
June 25, 2016
A fantastic collection of poetry. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
August 11, 2018
Calibna J. Kerr is a fine young poet who is clearly not afraid to dwell in those dark, uncomfortable places in our minds and souls where fear and sadness and even madness reside. He has a voice that absolutely deserves to be heard, and he will only continue to get better.
I would absolutely recommend that you read “Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy.” There are about 35 poems in the book and they will keep you busy for a while if you give them the attention they deserve.
I like a lot of the poems in the book more each time I read them. Here are a few reactions or impressions--
In “The Lungs,” he creates a compelling, horrifying character in “the beast.”
“Particle” is short and concise but powerfully portrays the pathetic way in which most mortal humans deal or cope with time.
“The Octopus Box” is so bizarre that -- like some of the other poems in the collection -- I am absolutely compelled to read them over and over.
“Childhood’s Ghost” is another opportunity for the poet to engage with the forces of time and memory.
I love “Birds to Bread,” which seems to have a profound sense of things passing, of things ending. It has a amazing image or metaphor in the first stanza.
“Land of the Sun” seems to stroke a more hopeful or transcendent note: “We’ll take to the sky/
And live in the land of the sun.”
I’m drawn back to “Venom” over and over, too. “Wittling away the wonders of this world/ So terrifyingly real, we head/Towards the unexplainable.”
I’m still trying to figure out what I think “The Bucket Shallow” means, but the images are bizarre. I love the first two stanzas especially,
I would absolutely recommend that you read “Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy.” There are about 35 poems in the book and they will keep you busy for a while if you give them the attention they deserve.
I like a lot of the poems in the book more each time I read them. Here are a few reactions or impressions--
In “The Lungs,” he creates a compelling, horrifying character in “the beast.”
“Particle” is short and concise but powerfully portrays the pathetic way in which most mortal humans deal or cope with time.
“The Octopus Box” is so bizarre that -- like some of the other poems in the collection -- I am absolutely compelled to read them over and over.
“Childhood’s Ghost” is another opportunity for the poet to engage with the forces of time and memory.
I love “Birds to Bread,” which seems to have a profound sense of things passing, of things ending. It has a amazing image or metaphor in the first stanza.
“Land of the Sun” seems to stroke a more hopeful or transcendent note: “We’ll take to the sky/
And live in the land of the sun.”
I’m drawn back to “Venom” over and over, too. “Wittling away the wonders of this world/ So terrifyingly real, we head/Towards the unexplainable.”
I’m still trying to figure out what I think “The Bucket Shallow” means, but the images are bizarre. I love the first two stanzas especially,
December 18, 2016
A chapbook covering ageing, social justice issues, time...this is a dark collection, playing on the fringes, in the shadows attempting to convert “a generation that doesn’t understand poetry”. I wish him well with his ventures: Here’s a few lines from “The Meeting”
As he searches his usual beat,
For a friendly donation to buy cotton for his back,
Glass for his eyes and leather for his feet.
But the little boy refused him of a meal
And frightened set into the night.
Explaining his copper must be put toward warfare
Taxes and the human rights he has to pay for.
Follow him at Twitter for bonus free reads and access to chapbooks @JunkTalkPoet
As he searches his usual beat,
For a friendly donation to buy cotton for his back,
Glass for his eyes and leather for his feet.
But the little boy refused him of a meal
And frightened set into the night.
Explaining his copper must be put toward warfare
Taxes and the human rights he has to pay for.
Follow him at Twitter for bonus free reads and access to chapbooks @JunkTalkPoet
November 15, 2016
This lyrical journey is a timely work with no fear of commenting on the darkness of the current human condition and state of social decay. Intermingled inside the nightmare are pieces that rest in beauty and touch upon the ecstasy that is inside all of this madness - their touch rendered more powerful and full of light because of the surrounding heavy imagery, reminding us of the light to be found in the dark.
November 6, 2016
The lyrically written poems fantastically articulate modern life's timeless struggles. These writings vary from euphemistic, subtle undertones of social consciousness to blatant honesty and unavoidable wisdom. Simply put, I loved it.
July 14, 2018
Dark and gritty, paeans to the pain and hope in life. I grew up in a blue-collar town, a mill town. Then the mill died and the jobs left -- but the people remained. If my hometown could sing, these poems are the songs it would croon.
April 14, 2021
I am an avid poetry reader and writer and this did not do anything for me. Sorry i guess some poetry is more complex and sometimes too complex for me. Reminded me of a poet i didn't like in college that everyone thought was good.
March 1, 2017
This chapbook Is about small towns and small minds, a poetry book about men and women who could be your neighbours, friends, lovers. Junk Talk Poet likes to write about humanity, politics, the cruelty of the world. He also describes his own demons and how he feels in this new world. His poetry observes farms, slaughterhouses, the chemicals, the air we breathe, the taxes we pay, the homeless we neglect; JTP is a true poet observing his surroundings and writing about the everyday business of mankind as well as how he views it through the eyes of a poet. He brings up war and boy soldiers "carrying a false send of duty."
He describes them walking through his town with a keen eye and broken heart.
I was delightfully surprised that once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. I highly recommend it.
November 12, 2016
As a writer and poet, I sometimes find it difficult to review works by others; I know the intimacy and importance of their words; Offering them to the world can feel like we are offering our beloved children to the hungry packs; The opinions and interpretations of the reader can be frightening as well as rewarding. Nothing makes you feel as sunken as when your words fall flat and are not embraced or understood, and nothing feels better than to have your words understood and praised.
That is why I am here. I don't do many reviews; As a matter of fact, I believe this is my first review on GoodReads. But after reading Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy, I wanted to recommend to others the brilliant voice of Junk Talk Poet.
Beginning with the title, it's apparent that he has a way with words. Just saying the title aloud feels good, stimulates the tongue and the lips in a pleasantly provocative way.
I'm a humble student of the two mightiest word-weavers, Vladimir Nabokov and Henry Miller. Very different, yet both masterfully feeding you the words and images they are creating. When I read something, I need to not only visualize it but also feel it and to taste it.
This is why I love this book and Junk Talk Poet's voice; The world is cold, gray and rainy. The words he is speaking are sometimes brutal truths. From the stark honesty of The Offender, where he shows me a stripped, raw world I personally find all too familiar and yet also captivated by, to the darkness of Venom, which feels uneasy and foreboding, like the blacker than pitch shadows we sometimes see in our dark room on sleepless nights, his words are powerful, and they offer you the opportunity to use those words to build the worlds that you see when reading them.
You need to read his words and build those dark worlds, believe me.
That is why I am here. I don't do many reviews; As a matter of fact, I believe this is my first review on GoodReads. But after reading Navigating Nightmare Ecstasy, I wanted to recommend to others the brilliant voice of Junk Talk Poet.
Beginning with the title, it's apparent that he has a way with words. Just saying the title aloud feels good, stimulates the tongue and the lips in a pleasantly provocative way.
I'm a humble student of the two mightiest word-weavers, Vladimir Nabokov and Henry Miller. Very different, yet both masterfully feeding you the words and images they are creating. When I read something, I need to not only visualize it but also feel it and to taste it.
This is why I love this book and Junk Talk Poet's voice; The world is cold, gray and rainy. The words he is speaking are sometimes brutal truths. From the stark honesty of The Offender, where he shows me a stripped, raw world I personally find all too familiar and yet also captivated by, to the darkness of Venom, which feels uneasy and foreboding, like the blacker than pitch shadows we sometimes see in our dark room on sleepless nights, his words are powerful, and they offer you the opportunity to use those words to build the worlds that you see when reading them.
You need to read his words and build those dark worlds, believe me.
April 18, 2016
I love reading collections of poetry. They are all unique reflections of the world of the poet. This chapbook offers a fascinating collection of concise, contemporary poetry containing dramatic images of twenty-first-century living with its violence, beauty, broken love affairs, pollution, and inequality. These topics are all described with a sensitivity and fragility of language which turns each poem into a snapshot of someone's life, which jumps out at you as you turn each page. I particularly liked the repeated use of the elephant analogy... this is clever, sensitive poetry.
I would highly recommend this chapbook for lovers of quality, contemporary poetry.
I would highly recommend this chapbook for lovers of quality, contemporary poetry.
October 23, 2016
"Navigating Nightmare Ecstacy" is but a short chapbook of short poems, but in content, is so much more. This book offers a unique insight into the 21st century, and revolves around current issues we deal with on a daily basis. Each poem packs a punch, as they are both relatable and distant at the same time. The Junk Talk Poet writes in such a way that is elegant and experimental at the same time, and is almost Poe-like in tone. This brilliant little book is able to get across a variety of ideas in but a few short poems, and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, wanting to know more the whole way through.
February 6, 2017
It was amazing! I automatically fell in love with every poem that I read and fell even more in love with it as it went on. Definitely recommend this book to everyone everywhere!!!
February 24, 2016
very interesting, good use of words.
November 18, 2016
This intelligent and clearly gifted young poet writes with immense talent and ability.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews