I TRY TO DISTRACT MYSELF BUT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT LOVE SO EVERYTHING IS ABOUT DEATH

by Tyler Walter

when i was young my mother and i lived with my stepfather in london. they divorced when i was six. my mother and i moved to the country and my stepfather gifted us his taxidermy fox. there was no space for Monty in our new house so my mother left him on his pedestal outside in the back garden. we lived there for thirteen years and Monty rotted. this collection of poetry comes from the child in me who watched it happen.

this collection of poetry explores animalistic and familial love, and how beautiful death can be.

handmade, and published via instagram and etsy.

Genres: Poetry

Unknown Binding

Published October 18, 2020

Reviews

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really intense read from start to finish. It doesn’t hold back. Some of the most devastating poetry I’ve ever read in my life. The collection flows from one moment to another, very much like a stream of consciousness.

As the imagery was incredibly vivid, it would have benefitted from having trigger warnings at the start and throughout.

The collection discusses body horror, self-harm, death, and suicidal thoughts.

[River Snowdrop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is a masterpiece. Some of these poems are brutal and hard to swallow. But in the best way. I am in awe. I know I will come back to these pieces again and again.

[Lauren Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for fans of Richard Siken and Ocean Vuong, Tyler Walter's debut chapbook 'I TRY TO DISTRACT MYSELF BUT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT LOVE SO EVERYTHING IS ABOUT DEATH' is a restless, breathless collection guaranteed to stay with you long after you've finished reading. Walter boasts one of the most unique and unforgettable writing styles in poetry today. Each and every poem resonated with me in some way, and there are countless lines that are still on my mind several days after my first read. I cannot recommend this collection strongly enough, and I am so excited to see what Walter creates next.

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyler Walter is one of my favorite poets, and if you ask me why, the answer is this book. Walter's writing is raw, visceral, and breathless, almost as if he's word vomited each poem onto the page and left it as is. YET, each piece feels so intentional. There is nothing superfluous about them. Walter has an incredible talent for writing unrestrained emotion in the restraint of poetic form.

ITTDMBEIALSEIAD blurs the lines between love and death by showing them in their most animalistic forms. I love that the color red is laced throughout as a symbol for both (and I ADORE that the handmade collection is bound by red ribbon). You forget while reading this that the premise is a boy watching a taxidermy fox (Monty) rot over thirteen years, but Walter manages to bring us back to Monty seamlessly. While many of the poems carry the weight of Walter's pain and grief (sometimes stark, sometimes told through witnessed pain - like watching a childhood friend rip off a butterfly's wing), there are also moments of love and a softening/acceptance near the end.

Walter is a distinct voice in modern poetry, and I'm grateful to be witness to his work.

[Kristiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the opening poem, this collection is visceral, raw and quite honestly a masterpiece. It is wholly immersive in the way Walter uses poetic voice and narrative to sustain a collection myriad in its exploration yet seemingly focused on what it means to live in love, in pain, in your truth and in the presence of death. I took my time to savour it and found myself reading aloud and sharing pieces with my partner. Walter’s words resonate deeply and yet manage to transcend anything I have ever thought, felt or written before. Phenomenal work.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walter's poems are something I always find myself returning to-- be it when I need inspiration or when I simply need to feel something. His writing is full of life (and death) and demands your attention unabashedly.

ITTDMBEIALSEIAD is undoubtedly one of the best things I've ever purchased. *not an exaggeration*

[Lydia Palm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyler Walter is an excellent writer and poet. His poetry demands your attention and you find yourself returning to every poem again and again. I'm very excited to see where his journey will lead him.