The Ragtime of Modern Living

Book Details

Author: Bill Campana
Published: 2015
Publisher: Brick Cave Books
Pages (Paperback): 118
Genre: Poetry
Reading Level: Adult
Paperback ISBN-13: 9781938190261
Copyright ID: TX0008403298

Official Description

Bill Campana continues tearing up convention with his second collection of thought provoking verse. Following Said Beauty to the Blues, The Ragtime of Mordern Living is peppered with Bill’s performance poetry and seasoned with his aggressive unapologetic style.

Excerpt

the ragtime of modern living
hyperbole pushes pathos
in front of a moving bus
resulting in onomatopoeia

toupees gather curbside
to mock the roadkill…
taps is played on car horns

a cloned bull gores
a genetic engineer while
he is holding a petri dish

i saw a man wearing a bear suit
i laughed until he was
shot to death by a sportsman

i saw a poorly drawn
chalk outline of planet earth…
never again will i go into space

the glass is half full
of poison…i’m afraid
i’m not a very good optimist

what about yourself
are you as large as life?

can you locate humanity
on a map of clear cellophane?
are there treasures under the Xs?

do you feel like moses
when you part the curtains
and walk your vision
through the sea of thin glass?

are there lifeboats in your teardrops
paddling frantically from the
blood source of rage?

can the message in your bottle
be answered by the tiny piece
of paper inside your cookie?

am i asking too many questions?

Misc. Haiku

your love sifts through my
fingers like the sands of time
or a fake rolex

god bless atheists
who have their theology
down to a science

Additional details

The book is the second book in the informally named 'Plain Paper Series'
This was Bill's third published book, following Poems From Deep South Scottsdale

Cover Art

The cover art (scanned cover of a notebook from Bill's childhood as background) was composed by designer Bob Nelson. Bob would go on to create the cover art for the additional books in the series:

Availability

The book is no longer in print from Brick Cave.
The Book's Listing on Goodreads