Gutter Sludge: Poems from Your Scary Ex

by Bethany Ebert

A short collection of dark free-verse poetry on such themes as homicide, missing-persons cases, guilt, abuse, blame, estrangement, dead family pets, classic cinema, violence in the media, anger, sex, and mental health. With a feminist eye, the poet deeply probes the most concerning aspects of modern society, dismantling the comforting and idyllic in favor of a more unsettling truth. Often, when a wave of crime occurs, the media will sugarcoat a bad situation and exploit it, instead of digging deep to find a solution. Fans of true crime and horror will enjoy this harsh social commentary. The poems also examine gender relations, commenting on society's pressure to engage in reckless sexual behavior instead of holding out for love. Prudency is punished, but then so is passion. This double-edged sword is the conflict at the heart of Gutter Sludge: Poems from Your Scary Ex. By turning the reader's mind to the hidden aspects of abuse and rape culture, the poet hopes that it will cause the reader to reflect on their own actions, and where they might improve, in order to secure a more peaceful and safe world everywhere.

ebook

Published June 9, 2016

About the author

Bethany Ebert was raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. She moved to Duluth, Minnesota in 2006 for college, where she studied Cultural Anthropology, Studio Art, and English Literature. She currently works as a custodian. In her spare time, Ms. Ebert enjoys drawing, singing, and hiking. She is a Buddhist.

Reviews

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently reviewed another poetry book by this author titled "The Moon is Always Bisexual" and each short bursts of these poems were just as philosophical and deeply rooted in truth as the poems in the previous poetry book mentioned. I like the unflinching raw truth and it disappoint. I laughed at a few of them because what was said in them was true it was comical. The rawness of truth can be comical at times even in its darkness. A phenomenal read.