A hopeful, therapeutic, and introspective collection of poetry from the #1 Bestselling Author of The Night I Spent with Aubrey Fisher and Keep You.
I just hope, if nothing else, you’re not sad anymore.
Christopher M. Tantillo’s poetry collection, things we never got to share, is the third book in a trilogy that weaves personal narratives with professions about how we find ourselves in the many varied stages of falling in and out of love with others and ourselves. It paints a loose narrative as we navigate love, loss, grief, heartbreak, hope, betrayal, death, what it means to be a man expressing emotions, how we romanticize people and places and memories, and ultimately, healing. Like life ebbs and flows, the poems bounce from dismay to infatuation with the turn of a page.
Tantillo embraces you in a heart-wrenching confession of moving on and grieving after losing someone you loved. The collection invites the reader to reflect on the things they never got to share with the people they cared for before it was too late.
A hopeful, therapeutic, and introspective collection of poetry from the #1 Bestselling Author of The Night I Spent with Aubrey Fisher and Keep You.
I just hope, if nothing else, you’re not sad anymore.
Christopher M. Tantillo’s poetry collection, things we never got to share, is the third book in a trilogy that weaves personal narratives with professions about how we find ourselves in the many varied stages of falling in and out of love with others and ourselves. It paints a loose narrative as we navigate love, loss, grief, heartbreak, hope, betrayal, death, what it means to be a man expressing emotions, how we romanticize people and places and memories, and ultimately, healing. Like life ebbs and flows, the poems bounce from dismay to infatuation with the turn of a page.
Tantillo embraces you in a heart-wrenching confession of moving on and grieving after losing someone you loved. The collection invites the reader to reflect on the things they never got to share with the people they cared for before it was too late.
Obliterated
what have we done to us?
what have we done to us?
what have we done to us?
we’ve r
u
i
n
e
d
us
su regnol on era ew won
Act Like a Man, Part I
said you wanted a man
who wasn’t afraid to express
their emotions
when what you really meant
is a man who didn’t
challenge yours by
expressing their own
said to be a fucking man
and stop acting like a bitch
when all i asked was for
the same validation
you did
i am a man.
i am also a person with
feelings and emotions—
hear me and see me.
Observatory
you stargazed
in hopes
of finding purpose—
as if connecting
the dots would
give you revelations
i stargazed
in hopes
of finding you—
as if mapping
your freckles would
give me us
Lost
i hate myself when
i’m with you
changed
so many times
just to get your
attention
said and did things
i never normally would
because it made you happy
lost myself while
trying not to
lose you
you hated who
i was before—
but i no longer
know who i am now
Gothic
sometimes
i prefer the comfort
of your ghost
than the uncertainty
of their presence
Swimming Lessons
the ripples in the water
where your arms stroke
reflect the rainbow lights
on your alabaster skin
could look at you
in a million rainstorms
and never have to go
searching for a jackpot
ever again
stars freckle the sky
like your nose—
let me bead down
your lips,
and chin,
and chart a journey
to your navel
like the brisk
twilight air
chilling our shoulders,
your stare
takes away
breath
being with you
forever like
floating
in the lake
of your indigo eyes
just treading
Thoughts on Things I Wish Were Different
Profound revelations come from
prolonged silences—
gray eyes hold
sadness from
desperate acts
to cover
dead-end tracks.
Nicotine breath
and
tears that well for
boys who fell.
A stare is a declaration—
a hug a promise.
Pain accumulated from
collecting broken things—
loneliness a siren.
Longing happens when
love festers—
Silent is safe.
Forever an illusion.
Safety in comfort of
familiarity.
Desperation for wanting
while
unavailable things
swim in dreams.
Complications work out as complicated should.
Change a baby step—
who we really are.
Thought spirals that result—
not good enough
to be of value enough.
Friendships remain supreme.
Candles light darkened paths
to faraway pastures.
But sometimes boys
need to cry.
Loneliness serves purpose—
patterns revealed.
Unable to love yourself.
Want desperately to love
unavailable hers.
Character flaws for
disproven perfection.
Choices revealed as fact—
a door closes for now.
Night Sky
You left before
we ever had a chance
to be anything of
value
Left before things
could ever get better
in a life you
despised
Tried so long to
take away your pain
that it left me feeling
devoid
But that shouldn’t
be on you to be
anything other than
you
I’ve practiced empathy
more than I ever did
when we were
together
Hope that
wherever you are,
you’ve found your sense of
peace
I loved you
in all the ways I could,
even when you couldn’t
see
A bright star in the
night that sometimes
flickers but never
fades
Shining down to boys
on nights when
they, too, feel
lost
Always a reminder
when we look up
that you shined bright,
even on the days you felt
blind
Things we never got to share is the new poetry collection from seasoned author Christopher M. Tantillo. The collection is third in the "Things We Never Said" trilogy, following the successful release of things i never got to tell you and things you never got to hear.
Coming in at just over 200 pages, things we never got to share follows in a similar vein to its predecessors in length and composition, with the collection including a mix of poetic forms and extracts of prose over two distinct sections, "Rest" and "Recover". A list of triggers, including abandonment, abuse and body dysmorphia are included within an introductory author's note, alongside links to organisations who can support (note, these are specific to readers based in North America).
Personal favourites from this collection (be it at times a dark one) include "December 2009: the Moment It Changed", "In the Moonlight" and "things i never got to tell you". An additional special mention goes to the poem "I Wrote This in Three Minutes, Because That’s How Long You Cared", for providing a title that cuts right to the bone before a single word is spoken. Poems within this book are presented in varying forms, including left and right alignment and examples of concrete poetry (poems formatted to look like a particular shape).
There is no denying that this collection is both moody and bitter. The approach to poetry here appears to be that of Tantillo spitting out his anger to allow for the personal healing to commence. This is a sentiment that evident across every single page. To some readers the tone may feel a little too strong in this regard, something that is worth noting. Things we never got to share is certainly not a laugh a minute collection! The titles of each poem represent an informal, conversational, approach to storytelling, alongside the adopted use of lower case letters. As someone who prefers the use of "I" instead of "i", this is something I have had to look past! The formatting and cover design are beautiful, working in harmony with the other two titles in the trilogy.
The darkness exhibited in things we never got to share is superb for what it sets out to do. It is a prose/poetry memoir written to a high standard, showcasing the growth of Tantillo as he seeks to move on with his life. A bit intense at times, but for the fully prepared it is certainly a collection worth reading. A triumphant conclusion to a popular series.
AEB Reviews