and now the conclusion of my shameless book promotion time for my 2021 collection ‘from my front steps.’

how far does the string stretch..?

‘from my front steps’ is available on amazon for your reading pleasure. if you enjoy it, please indulge me the favor of a review.

today’s selection is:

‘when will we be us’

you can’t share my drink

but we can share the sky

do you gaze as i do

alone atop front steps

filling spaces with question marks

while the breeze exclaims

touch atop skin

and i am dumbstruck

and i am in awe

the further you draw 

the closer you come in

you had me the moment

god made this world spin;

indoor living stifles the senses

but outdoors universe reminds:

we are tethered.

still hopeful the string shortens

lengthening our mythos.

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

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on we go with my shameless book promotion time! continuing with my 2021 collection ‘from my front steps.’

can you ever have what you truly want? i lose my appetite thinking about it…

‘from my front steps’ is available on amazon for your reading pleasure. if you enjoy it, please indulge me the favor of a review.

today’s selection is:

‘not hungry anymore’

seems as though everyone’s inside

chilling skin and protecting themselves

barriers come in cloth now

as if words did not infect enough

i sunburn my eyes

so i can’t see what i’m thinking 

my verse fuels visions and 

in this heat paragraphs and booze

do not dispel reality so easily

dinner seems a welcome thought to fill me

so too, once, the thought of you and i

you made it clear you couldn’t stomach that

and force-fed i had no choice but digest.

these days i am hardened but liquid

spilling quietly from the seams

and i can’t smell what the neighbors are cooking

or tell you you’ve ripped out my guts

when i was quite content with the way

you stole my heart.

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

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more of my shameless book promotion time! continuing with my 2021 collection ‘from my front steps.’

at the time of its writing, i was struggling with the effects of spinal stenosis, masking the pain with copious amounts of booze and unwilling to lean into self-healing even while i still readily helped others. i had to learn that healers have their own process, and timeline, before accepting and stepping into what they already own.

‘from my front steps’ is available on amazon. if you enjoy it, please indulge me the favor of a review.

today’s selection is:

‘chronic pain’

it’s borrowed time sitting atop my front steps

no longer can my spine withstand the compression

i grit teeth and knock the amber down my throat

disconnecting anguish from reality

month by month bowing just a bit more

in my head i am still who i can no longer be

come stare into my eyes before they dull over

there before you the illusion i’ve married—

i am whole; i am whole—

but i am nothing. and i am tired. and i am worn;

the humidity rolling down my ribs

a reprieve to the fire rolling

thru my core.

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

subscribe to the ‘Joseph Pinto, the barflypoet’ YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/y2stm5ms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

more of my shameless book promotion time! continuing with my 2021 collection ‘from my front steps.’

covid-19 was a helluva time, wasn’t it? it began to expose the ugly divide in our country. the selfishness. it only made you wonder if reality was truly a fabrication, & how dependent we are on crutches to see ourselves through…

‘from my front steps’ is available on amazon. if you enjoy it, please indulge me the favor of a review.

today’s selection is:

‘the forgotten phase’

the country closed tight

though like an old whore

some parts insist on parting open

accepting the dime but not the dollar

common sense priceless and drying in jars

moonshine gone the way of lemonade

and the sober guzzle it

while the drunks measure the fingers

clinging inside the glass

laughing cause they get it—

the hard stuff lends the buzz

but reality is what’ll get ya—

with swimming heads they toast the drowning

knowing thru abandoned hearts

they trained for the marathon

not the race. 

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

subscribe to the ‘Joseph Pinto, the barflypoet’ YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/y2stm5ms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

moving along on my shameless book promotion time, another excerpt from my 2021 collection ‘from my front steps.’

my daughter is on the spectrum & it’s been a tough journey for all involved. everything is a challenge, right down to making friends. it’s broken my heart, even while her own knows no bounds. 

‘from my front steps’ is available on amazon. if you enjoy it, please indulge me the favor of a review.

today’s selection is:

‘if i’m okay’

she’s having her first sleepover 

i can feel her glow from down the block

she’s found a friend who accepts her as she is

it’s all i could ever ask for

a lesson i pray she learns

without my constant reminding

it’s hard being a father

trading football jersey for dolls

a stern tongue for princess voices

and i’d be a liar if i said i wasn’t a bit sad

and i’d be a liar if i said i won’t consult 

the stuffed animals lining her bed tonight

hoping they’ll ask in inflections i impersonate

if i’m okay. 

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

subscribe to the ‘Joseph Pinto, the barflypoet’ YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/y2stm5ms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

it’s shameless book promotion time! i’ve already shared poetry from my collections ‘a distilled spirit’ and ‘scotch & scars.’ now we move along to my 3rd collection from 2021, ‘from my front steps.’

unlike the books preceding it, where my poetry was selected to make a collection, this was my first attempt at actually writing for a collection. it became a breakthrough of sorts for me.

while covid-19 shut life down during the summer of 2020, i decided on a challenge: in only a few days and while sitting atop my front steps, i would write a small collection to whatever i was witnessing or feeling. what came through were the first tellings of my newfound spirituality, my trademark ruminations and a tale of unrequited love.

‘from my front steps’ is available on amazon. if you enjoy it, please indulge me the favor of a review.

today’s selection is:

‘prophecies and promises’

my tarot spoke of a storm coming

but the weatherman didn’t warn me

so i poured a bourbon and a beer

and took to my front steps hoping

to divine what the fine lines of 

my uni-ball pen conjured

within a one subject notebook

lacking the muscle to support

the entirety of my complexity 

something i have endured thru this

the celtic cross spread of my life

while atop the horizon goliaths gathered

churning in tease of prophecies and promises

i have waited for in unwavering faith

tortured by sutured lips of spirit

whose grand notebook far dwarfs

my own.

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

subscribe to the ‘Joseph Pinto, the barflypoet’ YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/y2stm5ms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

i am nothing but misplaced hope.

‘where gone summer’

firecracker mouth thinks it’s july

the heat, one syllabic melt

and the bleat, bang bang

misplaced hope in a waffle cone

crumbled into a tree that died

rolled a joint i can’t smoke

fell out the window on east 54th

now like a litterbug dropping christmas lights

joy comes tangled and unplugged

but sants loves me more than jesus

one delivers one don’t

snowman inflatables depreciate under eyes

if mistletoe hung kiss me there

i’m told i taste of sulfur and silence

confession my feet never soaked summer’s salt

holidays roll faster year by year

no fucks given wrapped ribbonly

should i hear before the sleigh

my roof’s collapsing

under weight adults say

is imaginary. 

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

subscribe to the ‘Joseph Pinto, the barflypoet’ YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/y2stm5ms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

a winning hand.

‘casino 1:46 am’

i’ve drunk myself

into an oblivion

the kind of which

that spins the world

while you stumble

standing still. 

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

subscribe to the ‘Joseph Pinto, the barflypoet’ YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/y2stm5ms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

after awhile you don’t feel the blows…

‘when i get home’

dreaming of uttered exclamations
joyful breaths across my neck 
instead i hear your baptized insistence
volley from an old war 
echoing across the knoll.
the chest no longer blooms
though alive with booted movement

solemn unacceptabilities marching 
in a cadence led straight to slaughter;
and in another breath like a lifetime
i find beneath my lids 
an indefinable shame 
i’ve clutched for far too long.

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

subscribe to the ‘Joseph Pinto, the barflypoet’ YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/y2stm5ms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

in need of an anchor, i found what sunk me…

‘the dubious monster’

a few points raised by the unhappy mistress

as her blue eyes shone

so cerebral in their collapse:

it’s a shameful ruin,

the dubious monster,

whose death escapes 

within its very arms.

gently i reached into my pocket

and between silence and dream

chose a purpled palm of light.

so i see.

returning the same

as you gave.

a vast nothing. 

her tongue fixed on the faithful echo

of what she wished to be,

but wasn’t.

circumstance is like a stream,

carrying you away

into a larger body, waiting.

no expression betrayed us;

we are who we are.

there is something so degrading

to be found in darkness

but like water, it cleanses.

her hand like bleeding silk

dismissed me

and with considerable effort

i pulled what remained of me

back between my arms. 

*

#barflypoet

#josephapinto

© Joseph A. Pinto

*

'Dead Bird,' 'From My Front Steps,' 'Scotch and Scars' and 'A Distilled Spirit' poetry collections available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

*

instagram at joseph_a_pinto

*

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosephPinto

 *

subscribe to the ‘Joseph Pinto, the barflypoet’ YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/y2stm5ms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠