Synopsis
3 a.m. Blues is a reflection on a relationship
gone wrong in all the right ways.
From denial and bitterness to acceptance and forgiveness, it is a journey of great heartache that turned into tremendous personal growth.
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A sincere, honest and personal reflection in the guise of a poetry collection.
3 a.m. Blues is a reflection on a relationship
gone wrong in all the right ways.
From denial and bitterness to acceptance and forgiveness, it is a journey of great heartache that turned into tremendous personal growth.
3a.m. Blues is the second poetry collection from Fulkerson - The Glenmore Sessions being a tremendous debut.
The approach in 3a.m. Blues is very different to The Glenmore Sessions; divided into three sections - Denial & Bitterness, Acceptance & Forgiveness, and New Beginnings. Fulkerson's focus this time is on the linear journey through and out of heartache, with each section beginning with a glimpse into the speaker's inner monologue.
"My body carries the bruises of our love"
This book is a sincere, honest and personal reflection in the guise of a poetry collection. Pieces like 'I'm Nowhere', 'More' and 'I Used to Want to Sail the World' are stunning poems which throb with the bitterness and sadness muddling beneath the surface once love is lost.
The middle section, Acceptance & Forgiveness, is not as strong in regards to the talent Fulkerson displays elsewhere and most notably in his first collection. But, the two opening poems 'Face It' and 'Dust' succinctly explore certain inalienable truths.
Whilst the final poem, 'The Girl from Hendersonville' brings the journey to a hopeful end.
"You are
the world that can't be spoken of
inside me."
Although, in my opinion, 3a.m. Blues does not match the triumph of The Glenmore Sessions, it is clear Fulkerson was creating something new here. I admire his poetic courage and his ability to play with the written word and how a journey can be presented to the reader. It is a book I would recommend reading by lamplight in the early hours of the morning - because many of the pieces reflect the thoughts which appear and disappear at 3a.m.
I am an English teacher and a writer. I published my first poetry collection, Between the Trees, in May 2019. I read widely and avidly and review through Reedsy Discovery, Amazon Vine and individual review requests. All reviews are published on Amazon, Goodreads and my blog - My Screaming Twenties.
3 a.m. Blues is a reflection on a relationship
gone wrong in all the right ways.
From denial and bitterness to acceptance and forgiveness, it is a journey of great heartache that turned into tremendous personal growth.
Coagulated
It's surprising the things you find
out about yourself at 3 o'clock
in the morning,
lying on the living room floor
head spinning with drink,
mind racing with regret,
wanting so desperately to send
that message, yet knowing it’s
inviting the devil back in,
granting the succubus access
to my vital organs once more,
like the drag of the needle
tracing silhouettes of angels
wings down my arm, veins
clouding with the junk of us.
More
Are we ever really happy?
That gnawing, clawing,
insatiable, teeth gnashing
feeling that there's more;
more to experience,
more to explore,
to love
to fuck up
to lose.
The feeling you're just scratching
the surface of life.
That there's not enough
hours, minutes, or seconds
in the day to discover,
pursue and accomplish
those things that were
strategically placed
just out of our reach
in the deepest recesses of our soul
inexplicably linked to the very fabric
of who we are.
There's always more.
There has to be.
I Used to Want to Sail the World
I used to want to sail the world,
now it hurts to say your name aloud.
We swore we would tell each other
when we fell out of love, that we
wouldn't waste one another’s time,
but it came suddenly and
without warning.
I can count on one hand
maybe two, the times I dialed
your number thinking just a whisper
is all I needed.
just one word
followed by silence,
*69
and the imagined shock of
realization across your face.
That's enough excitement for tonight.
When you walk away from eternity
does that exempt you from heaven
and hell?
I just need to know if it's too late
to hedge my bets.
I hear reincarnation is nice.
I could come back as a raven
or maybe a silkworm,
and weave my failures
into a nice sized duvet.
I used to want to sail the world,
but now I can't be in the same room
as you without losing the ability
to conjugate vowels.
It was always vowels with us,
our arguments always ending in I-O-U.
Not to say the times in-between weren't
the best we ever had, just that the edges
were sharp and the cuts were deep.
I used to want to sail the world,
nowadays I just want to right the ship,
keep it safely tucked into the harbor
and moored to the shore,
far from the uncertainties of what lie
beneath the surface of the deep.
Joseph Fulkerson was born in 1979 in Owensboro, Ky. He lives and works there with his wife, kids, and two crazy dogs. He is a writer of poetry and haiku. He currently works as an electrician. view profile
Published on October 14, 2019
2000 words
Contains explicit content ⚠️
Genre: Poetry