Nocturne: Poems of Love, Distance, and the Night, a callous and disinterested lover

by Phil Slattery

Nocturne: Poems of Love, Distance, and the Night, a callous and disinterested lover is a collection of my poetry written from the mid-80’s to mid-90s, a turbulent, fluid time in my life in many ways, but especially romantically. I have taken many of the poems he wrote during those years and compiled them into a dark narrative capturing the emotional turmoil of that time as a narrator, who descends from romantic love for a woman into a lonely world of alcohol and night clubs, where his only love is the night that envelopes him psychologically, emotionally, and physically.

Genres: Poetry

92 pages, ebook

First published February 4, 2018

About the author

As of February 2023, I am frequently busy with the two magazines/websites I publish (thechambergmagazine.com and ruralfictionmagazine.wordpress.com), I still find some time to focus on my own writing and am trying to finish two novels and a novella at this point. Visit my personal blog (its posts are repeated in the blog section below and a link to it is provided) for more details on my writing progress and philosophy.

The magazines are going great guns and I am receiving a lot of contributions and praise on each. Please visit at least one if you have the chance.

Currently, I have three short fiction anthologies, a poetry anthology, and two novelettes available on Kindle and one short story collection (A Tale of Hell and Other Works of Horror) available through print on demand from most, if not all, major book retailers. Many of my short stories and a few poems (and some photographs) can be found scattered around the Internet.

Originally from Kentucky, I have traveled to 24 countries, many states, and now live in New Mexico. I have a B.A. in German and Russian from Eastern Kentucky University, where I learned to love literature. I started writing poetry while in the Navy from the mid-80's to the mid-90's, but eventually turned to writing short fiction.

Reviews

[Aakanksha Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nocturne by Phil Slattery is a beautiful collection of poems based on love, distance, and the dark night. The verses were written from about 1985 to 1993. I like the simplicity of the cover page. This is my first read from this author.

The author portrays his feelings very well. The emotional, geographical, and romantic change in the author's life is shown in his writing. I read this book in one go. Every word penned down by Phil Slattery shows his thoughtfulness. The verses are straight forward which makes it easy to read. It reflects the author's raw emotions. The collection of his work shows a specific journey and the image of a lover.

The poem is not in chronological order, and only a few of them have a title. The language is simple and easily understandable, but this book needs serious formatting. The book is self-published, and the author uses different pictures to supplement his message. I recommend this one.

Read more about this book here - https://www.bookscharming.com/2019/05...

[Jason Muckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nocturne: Poems of Love, Distance, and the Night, a callous and disinterested lover by Phil Slattery is a deep and raw "picture" of experiencing love and lovers of varying type, capturing the moments of ecstasy and pain in a most beautiful way.

Slattery speaks with one voice as his words and pictures depict the full range of human love and loss that both tempts the soul to engage and urges the heart to resist. His opening quote by Augustine of Hippo captures this work perfectly: "I was not yet in love, yet I loved to love…I sought what I might love, in love with loving."  --Augustine of Hippo

The poems are mostly untitled and written in free verse form. The reader meanders through the past relationships as they ebb and flow through varying stages. The introduction poem tells of the types of poem you will soon encounter:

nights of love
full of life and laughter
as empty as an empty
bottle

The poem closes:
Bring me to that ultimate pleasure
in your all-consuming eyes.
Let us become one
and share the horrors of this
world

All in all, Nocturne, is a beautiful but sad read that speaks to the reality of love and holds nothing back. It engages the mind and the heart longing for lasting, meaningful love that always seems just outside of its reach.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this author's poems which have a great feel to them. The book is about love but a lot more is included inside the pages. I like the photos the author included to enhance the poetry. A few of the poems held descriptive words about nature and I enjoyed the way the picture author paints in the readers mind is also displayed in the photographs that correspond with the words.

[L.S. Popovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection does not pretend to be anything more than it claims, but sometimes all you need are straightforward poems to pass the time. They are like deep meditations, in the vein of Saint Augustine - who is quoted at the beginning. These poems happen to be about love, and all of the attendant moments in life appended to that deep feeling, which though transitory, run though our lives like a current. I would not hesitate to call them deep or poignant, but they possess a brooding sense of vanishing happiness, of lost sensations.

In a way this is one of the quietest collections I've read. The words evoke the ordinary elegance of everyday things, the certainty and uncertainty of magical moments in day-to-day life, they bring to mind summer, youth, exuberance, and melancholia.

The poems flow into one another, can be read quickly or be savored, and many images stand out as memorable set-pieces upon the pages. The rhythm of the lines are very readable, and they are not bogged down by rhyme and meter. Distinguishing between poetry and prose in this context has to do with layout and punctuation, which are both in the form of free verse. They are easy on the eyes and soft on the heart. Affecting, at times breathtaking, simple, ageless and as clear and brisk as the air on an early morning in a mountain town.