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    Refusal to Remain Invisible
    Refusal to Remain Invisible
    Refusal to Remain Invisible
    Ebook109 pages21 minutes

    Refusal to Remain Invisible

    By Kevin J. O'Conner

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    About this ebook

    REFUSAL TO REMAIN INVISIBLE is the fifth collection of poems by Kevin J. O'Conner, following 2014's SEPARATION ANXIETY and JOURNALISM, 2015's THE IMPERFECT DOCUMENT and QUIET ON THE OUTSIDE..., and the experimental journal 'DEAR MONDAY...' LOVE NOTES TO THE DAYS OF THE WEEK.

    A recurring theme in this collection is the struggle to be seen and heard when the world renders people invisible—something we are seeing a lot of in 2015. The individual poems address personal struggles of identity, current events, small moments in everyday life, and observations about memory, time, and mortality. There are also references to pop culture, the pleasures of vinho verde, and coffee—and one cat poem.

    With this book, O'Conner continues in his quest to apply a straightforward approach to poetry: “Conveying emotion,” he says, “is more important to me than strict adherence to form, using more obviously ‘poetic’ language or meter, or playing with visual presentation. I prefer simplicity and economy, using only the words needed to express the thought.” The aim is to make an emotional connection with the reader: “It is that connection that lets us know that we are not alone, that other people feel as we do. It also gives what we do any lasting value it may have.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKevin J. O'Conner
    Release dateSep 26, 2015
    ISBN9781310408717
    Refusal to Remain Invisible
    Author

    Kevin J. O'Conner

    Kevin J. O’Conner (56) is not your typical poet. After 30 years of writing only sporadically, Kevin J. O’Conner returned to poetry in 2013—first as a creative exercise, then for the therapeutic benefits. Since 2015, he writes every day, exploring the craft of poetry through monthly writing challenges—‘my ongoing effort to write something that doesn’t sound like something I would write’, he says. Kevin’s poems explore isolation, memory, life’s small moments, and the experience of starting over at ‘a certain age’—always with an emphasis on straightforward expression. As of Spring 2019, Kevin has published eleven collections of poems, the latest of which is WISHES SOMETIMES HAVE CONSEQUENCES, plus four volumes of ‘love notes’ to the days of the week. His poems have also appeared in Raven Chronicles, Spindrift, The CDC Poetry Project, Lament for the Dead, and the anthology VOICES THAT MATTER, and as part of the Clay? VI (2016) exhibit at Kirkland Arts Center. When not writing poetry, Kevin can be found copy-editing documents from far-flung places, attending open-mic readings, designing books, and contemplating what to cook now that he is tired of soup. He lives in Bellingham with his mom's neurotic cat, Cleo III. (updated 28 October 2019)

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      Book preview

      Refusal to Remain Invisible - Kevin J. O'Conner

      For years now

      I have been

      climbing

      clawing

      scratching

      to make my way into the light

      to that place

      where I will be

      seen

      heard

      acknowledged

      recognized

      for all that makes me who I am

      Because

      nobody else has

      what I have to offer

      From here on out

      I refuse

      to remain invisible

      A word from our sponsor

      Say good night to expectations

      dreams will be taking over for a while

      Tonight’s programing will be something

      you have never seen before

      Whether you participate or just take notes

      is entirely up to you

      Your regularly scheduled delusions

      will resume in the morning

      The universe, off-center

      Just outside the eye of the storm

      the winds whip me around

      in an ever-widening circle

      —centrifugal force run amuck

      Where will they put me down

      when they’re done tossing me around?

      There’s no clear ground that I can see

      just the violence of weather

      and chunks of debris

      Somewhere the ground is ready

      waiting for me to fall

      when the winds tire of fighting gravity

      and centrifugal force says, ‘Ah, what the hell?’

      and lets go

      Very relentless

      I was touched by the spinning blades

      now permanently marked with my DNA

      Wherever I go, the blades will find me

      Whether they are whole or in pieces

      their pursuit will be relentless

      It’s as though they have a mind of their own

      a singular determination

      autonomous and automated

      in perpetual motion

      Their pursuit will be relentless

      Dream space

      The slippery copper plate

      jerks back and forth in spasms

      sending objects everywhere

      hovering within a two-inch radius

      —a stunning display of chaos theory stunted

      The cement-and-tile enclosure

      erupts in watery echoes

      of indistinct sound and

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