More of Me Disappears

by John Amen, Mary Kerr Powers (Illustrator), SymbioticDesign.biz (Illustrator)

This is a poetry collection of pain, confusion, and ultimate triumph of a man who refuses to submit to the shattered nature of the modern experience.

Genres: Poetry

76 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

John Amen's poetry has appeared in numerous journals nationally and internationally and been translated into Spanish, French, Hungarian, Korean, and Hebrew. In addition, he has released two folk/folk rock CDs: All I’ll Never Need (Cool Midget 2004) and Ridiculous Empire (2008). He is also an artist, working primarily with acrylics on canvas. Amen travels widely giving readings, doing musical performances, and conducting workshops. He founded and continues to edit The Pedestal Magazine (www.thepedestalmagazine.com).

Reviews

[Chris - Quarter Press Editor]

A few of these, namely the "New York" poems are simply amazing.

However, with my gravitation towards those poems, I realized something with Amen's collection: My favorite poems are those with "story" elements.

That's not to say the rest of the collection isn't good or even brilliant; it just means that this isn't really my type of poetry. There are some beautiful lines and images, but they're too fragmented for my taste, too disparate--at least to me--to find the through line in a way that evoked a deeper emotion.

I tried to take the advice to simply "let the poem unfold and enjoy it for what it is." And that helped, but in the end, wonderful of lines as there might be here, Amen's poems just aren't for me.

[Max Ingram · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Amen has a very powerful, and personal voice. There's a good deal of variety in this collection of poems, and the majority were pieces that I greatly enjoyed. A few here and there were a bit more abstract than I care for, but even then they were well written pieces. I'd definitely recommend checking out this book.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Amen's More of Me Disappears is broken down into three separate sections and each poem in each section is accessible, vivid, and explosive. In a number of poems, Amen's musical and song writing talents permeate the lines. However, these are more than rhythmic dances, his work gradually moves toward a vanishing point.

From Verboten (Page 17)

"They are drinking wine and speaking
of French-U.S. relations when the long
sleeve on her arm falls down. Before
she can clutch it, I see the faded blue
tattoo on her flesh. "What are those
numbers?" I ask. A silence explodes
through the room like spores."

Each poem in this collection tells a story, reflects on a bright memory, and picks these events apart to reveal the truth beneath. There are times in this volume when the narrator is sure of his path and at other times ideas run contrary to one another. Some of my favorite lines will leave readers squirming or gritting their teeth.

From Walking Unsure of Myself (Page 65)

"The fortune teller is battling a migraine.
Wind has swallowed my itinerary.

A man in blue goggles is on his knees outside the bank.
The rape victim is scrubbing herself with a steel brush."

Readers will enjoy the music of these poems and how these poems pop off the pages, with an in your face quality. Subtlety is not a prevalent style in Amen's work, but readers will appreciate his frankness. From poems where the narrator takes an active role to poems to observances from a distance, Amen draws the reader in with immediate and concrete details. More of Me Disappears is one of the best collections I've read in 2009.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you took your uncensored imagination, flung it like a boomerang to the farthest corner of the universe, what would come back is Amen's images and metaphors.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm admittedly not a poetry kind of guy, especially when it does not rhyme. This was still an interesting read...and I read it through a few times.

[Timothy Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky and fun.