It conjurors up an image of a bullet wound that has become self-aware and has started mocking the owner of said bullet wound, urging them to take another hit to “finish the job”. A bizarre and somewhat amusing image. But one that fits this 65-page collection of poetry perfectly.
Described as an “…artist, poet, and author from Michigan…currently working on a lot of projects that may never get finished and spending time with his cats”, Benzo Monroe’s new collection nails the self-absorbed and deadpan monotone that often accompanies depressive thoughts and aggravates those who do their best to be sympathetic. As an example, some poems are only two lines long, implying that the narrator is at the end of his tether and found it taxing to hammer these demons to the page.
Take the following as an example:
“Suffocating/In this hole I dug/I’ll never be able to crawl out/The worms and maggots don’t bother me/They’re just doing what they do/Still though/I’m disgusted/ I let myself fall in.”
Because of this, some will find this a maudlin read. However, Monroe deserves credit for not shying away from such aspects of human nature and how they trap the narrator in a vicious circle, becoming a condescending wound, if you will.
One note sure, but who cares when it’s delivered with such honesty?
Benzo Monroe, 2025, A Condescending Wound. Creative Destruction Press. ISBN-13: 979-8315089704
⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist and is the author of A Vortex of Securocrats and “dethrone god”.
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