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Lotus & The Apocalypse
How would you feel if today was your last day on Earth? Lotus is the part of yourself you're afraid and ashamed by, all the bad thoughts you shove inside the back closet in an empty room in the darkest corner of your brain. This 18-poem literary/visual arts collection explores themes such as death, sex, drugs, drinking, honesty, and the after-life. With rock 'n' roll flare and an appreciation for nature, Austin Davis unravels everything from teenage degeneracy to the cosmos in under 50 pages.
- GenresPoetry
52 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 1, 2022
Lotus and the Apocalypse was my first read of 2022 and a bar set extremely high for any subsequent read as it is borders on perfection.
In this short and beautifully illustrated collection, Austin Davies describe the heart wrenching quotidian of a love and life tainted, sometimes stampeded, by depression and anxiety, brought on by the cruelty of the world around and the desire to shield from it by either not getting up or medicating.
The author disheartenment is what comes across, a grieving deprived of anger, but full of sadness, a disappointment void of judgment. And a love seeping through every word, is what prevails, in all its glorious mess and imperfection, stronger than the collapsing world all around.
Simply stunning.
In this short and beautifully illustrated collection, Austin Davies describe the heart wrenching quotidian of a love and life tainted, sometimes stampeded, by depression and anxiety, brought on by the cruelty of the world around and the desire to shield from it by either not getting up or medicating.
The author disheartenment is what comes across, a grieving deprived of anger, but full of sadness, a disappointment void of judgment. And a love seeping through every word, is what prevails, in all its glorious mess and imperfection, stronger than the collapsing world all around.
Simply stunning.
March 5, 2022
Man, this is one of those holy shit books where you'll find yourself muttering that to yourself every page or so at the brilliance of some of the lines and verses within.
The author bio says Davis doesn't know who Lotus is, but I thought he was a stand in for Davis in some way initially. Alas, it's maybe not as autobiographical as it seemed, but it hits home with depictions of depression and love peppered with hallucinatory metaphors and absurd similies.
I am jealous of this guy's youth and poetry, but in a nice way. Can't wait to see more from him in the future.
The author bio says Davis doesn't know who Lotus is, but I thought he was a stand in for Davis in some way initially. Alas, it's maybe not as autobiographical as it seemed, but it hits home with depictions of depression and love peppered with hallucinatory metaphors and absurd similies.
I am jealous of this guy's youth and poetry, but in a nice way. Can't wait to see more from him in the future.
September 6, 2022
Austin Davis stands out in this generation of young American poets. His poems tell stories that could very well have happened in one way or another, and his lyrical persona tells them to himself in a natural way: A breath per line, a thought per stanza.
*
Lotus & Sex: A poem on a moment encompassing as much as depressing ennui, gentle horniness, and cheerful desperation. The sheer honesty makes it all appear as if one was reading intimate thoughts rather than published lines.
*
Lotus & Another Day is a portrait of a memory, the sight of an old photograph, which leads to a sensation of longing and an emotion of feared disappointment. With a structure of various line lengths and stanza depths a wonderful web of timelines is created in which contrasting tones match complimentary moods.
*
Lotus & Booze: Drunk, the protagonist thinks about last night, what kind of excuses he could invent, how he ended up where he is, and how he gets up. Usually such a perspective becomes a forgotten or rather faint memory and not a poem, which is why it hits right where it hurts.
*
Overall, Lotus & The Apocalypse offers a variation of wild poems, surprisingly fresh pieces, and different cocktails of emotions. With about 50 pages in total, Davis’ collection is rather short, yet neither too short nor too long. Not a single piece seems unfit for its place. One or two delve into hallucinations and realms incomprehensible to the sober mind, but they’re far from mere gibberish.
A noteworthy collection of poetry. An exceptional voice in states of tainted happiness and cosy misery.
*
Lotus & Sex: A poem on a moment encompassing as much as depressing ennui, gentle horniness, and cheerful desperation. The sheer honesty makes it all appear as if one was reading intimate thoughts rather than published lines.
*
Lotus & Another Day is a portrait of a memory, the sight of an old photograph, which leads to a sensation of longing and an emotion of feared disappointment. With a structure of various line lengths and stanza depths a wonderful web of timelines is created in which contrasting tones match complimentary moods.
*
Lotus & Booze: Drunk, the protagonist thinks about last night, what kind of excuses he could invent, how he ended up where he is, and how he gets up. Usually such a perspective becomes a forgotten or rather faint memory and not a poem, which is why it hits right where it hurts.
*
Overall, Lotus & The Apocalypse offers a variation of wild poems, surprisingly fresh pieces, and different cocktails of emotions. With about 50 pages in total, Davis’ collection is rather short, yet neither too short nor too long. Not a single piece seems unfit for its place. One or two delve into hallucinations and realms incomprehensible to the sober mind, but they’re far from mere gibberish.
A noteworthy collection of poetry. An exceptional voice in states of tainted happiness and cosy misery.
November 8, 2022
Initially I wasn't sure what kind of relatable insight I could glean from a poetry book about the apocalypse, but this was the kind of book that I felt increasingly connected to with each page. The poems tackle topics of mental illness, substance abuse, and anxiety over relationships, and does so while maintaining a coherent narrative concerning the world's end. Poetry is a genre I'm still trying to find my footing in writing, and this is the kind of book I want to strive to be able to write. I recommend it heavily, especially if you are new to poetry like I am.
July 20, 2022
Short poetry work in which the character Lotus battles against dark depression via the usage of drugs, alcohol and a romantic relationship.
“you have no idea
that getting to hear about your day for 32 and a half minutes
every night is what makes me okay with waking up in the morning.”
“god is churning us in his hands like wet clay hoping his universe will resemble something of a vase after it leaves the kiln”
“you have no idea
that getting to hear about your day for 32 and a half minutes
every night is what makes me okay with waking up in the morning.”
“god is churning us in his hands like wet clay hoping his universe will resemble something of a vase after it leaves the kiln”
June 15, 2022
I’ll start out by saying the artwork throughout this collection was a delightful surprise. Little palate cleansers that simply popped in the mind, sparked curiosity and imagination.
My younger self would not have understood the deep tendrils reaching out from this poetry collection. Heartbreak will crack you wide open, especially the disappointment in oneself. Having finally been accepted fully for who I am by another, every aching word of this collection made me yearn for them. I became the narrator crumbling to the floor. Their screensaver transposed with mine.
The amount of times I’ve thought to myself one healthy habit is better than none over the past few months has surprised even me. I felt seen in this collection, someone who wants to do better. Madly. But whose feet are cemented in concrete.
I’ll be on the lookout for more by this artist.
My younger self would not have understood the deep tendrils reaching out from this poetry collection. Heartbreak will crack you wide open, especially the disappointment in oneself. Having finally been accepted fully for who I am by another, every aching word of this collection made me yearn for them. I became the narrator crumbling to the floor. Their screensaver transposed with mine.
The amount of times I’ve thought to myself one healthy habit is better than none over the past few months has surprised even me. I felt seen in this collection, someone who wants to do better. Madly. But whose feet are cemented in concrete.
I’ll be on the lookout for more by this artist.
June 13, 2022
Watch my interview with the author here: https://youtu.be/HS9g1IUT6_M
'Lotus & The Apocalypse' is a novella poetry piece about many themes which relate to us all in our lives such as love, depression, and hope. It's a book that you will finish quickly but most likely ponder for a while afterwards. Austin's words hit right to the core with his passionate prose and sombre but paradoxically uplifting themes that make this piece a must-read.
'Lotus & The Apocalypse' is a novella poetry piece about many themes which relate to us all in our lives such as love, depression, and hope. It's a book that you will finish quickly but most likely ponder for a while afterwards. Austin's words hit right to the core with his passionate prose and sombre but paradoxically uplifting themes that make this piece a must-read.
April 18, 2023
Some very imaginative poetry coupled with bonus artwork.
November 22, 2022
Excellent poetry collection with some staggering scenes as the character navigates life amid perpetual anxiety, depression, love, loss, and other days. We follow the character as they explore pain and hope in existential realism and surrealism, all weaved through personal memoir and philosophy with such potency and economy. The detailing of the subjects is not showy, not repetitive, not judgmental. Simply honest, confessional, exploratory, and uncompromising with one's own depiction. Numerous lines hit home for me. Each poem is a scene or a sequence of a life lived, life living--not a moment without human tissue stretching along the page. The sketches by Myla K. Smart, too, are stellar. As is the cover and design by Cody Sexton and Paige Johnson. Recommendskees!
June 7, 2022
Davis provides a page turning collection of poetry in an authentic and cutting voice. The book approaches topics like anxiety, relationships, drugs, aging, depression, self abuse and self love. It's aparent through the collection that Austin is writing from the heart and that provides the collection with that much more power. Pick this one up and I'm sure you won't be setting it down until the end.
September 22, 2022
Started and finished on June 27th 2022
Received this e-book from outcast press
Very tender quick read about 50 pages
You’ll tear through it fast but be warned it might inflict pain just as quick with unexpected sharp emotional lines that cut deep. The prose of these 18 poems play out like the nostalgic stream of conscious of a mid-20s depressive deep in reflection. Full of unbelievably specific details to life that creates a universal empathy that is hard to nail. Very grounded and down to earth with moments that break open those confines giving it a larger than life cosmic context to the suffering
Works as something you can read several times a year whenever the mood strikes you and something that will take on new meaning the more you return to it.
All of the poems were great and had a nice flow and consistent feeling that connected them all and kept you engaged.
The ones I connected to the most were:
Lotus and Hallucinations
Lotus and the Crash
Lotus and Loss
Received this e-book from outcast press
Very tender quick read about 50 pages
You’ll tear through it fast but be warned it might inflict pain just as quick with unexpected sharp emotional lines that cut deep. The prose of these 18 poems play out like the nostalgic stream of conscious of a mid-20s depressive deep in reflection. Full of unbelievably specific details to life that creates a universal empathy that is hard to nail. Very grounded and down to earth with moments that break open those confines giving it a larger than life cosmic context to the suffering
Works as something you can read several times a year whenever the mood strikes you and something that will take on new meaning the more you return to it.
All of the poems were great and had a nice flow and consistent feeling that connected them all and kept you engaged.
The ones I connected to the most were:
Lotus and Hallucinations
Lotus and the Crash
Lotus and Loss
April 3, 2022
"How would you feel if today was your last day on Earth?" Austin Davis asks before taking the reader on the journey of Lotus through a personal apocalypse. A poetic novella of love, depression, and existential reckoning, Lotus & the Apocalypse masterfully portrays the struggles many of us go through during our short time on this planet.
-Tim Heerdink, author of Welcome Home, Andromeda
-Tim Heerdink, author of Welcome Home, Andromeda
December 26, 2023
This book of deeply introspective poems reached into my heart. It was thought-provoking and strongly experiential. The best poetry leaves me a little bit beaten up and exposed to the elements, but with a feeling of gratitude for the insights about my world and myself. That is how I feel, reading Lotus and the Apocalypse.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews