Dumpster Fire Press presents its fourth release for Poetry Month… SUNLIFE by Roz Washington…
“Roz Washington is a force of nature in terms of poetry, a blend of Hip-hop, mystic visions and voices seldom heard from various walks of life. Words meant to be read aloud invoke the mythic back into ordinary existence rendering our star dust rooted world back into cosmic consciousness in one’s daily contemplation of being. Sun Life isn’t just a collection of poetry, it’s a philosophy that will get you to reconsider the ground of all being.”
“Not only through himself but looking outside himself through the lens of himself via the personas Benny Butters and the Shrouded Gentleman already introduced in The Grind. You’re in for one hell of a read and hopefully a transcendent journey.”
“It’s been an honor not only knowing Roz but getting to collaborate first and foremost as a fellow wordsmith and finally as an editor and publisher to present to you his first complete poetry collection.
It didn’t just start out with DFP’s debut book THE GRIND which was a collaborative effort by WolfMan, Roz, Robert Ragan and myself.
One could say, this has been almost a decade in the making.
Probably even longer for the author himself.
Around 2013…I first encountered Roz at an open MIC at a local tavern downtown. He put on one hell of a show, fully engaged with his work and tossing sheets of paper all around as he ripped through his words and conveyed the emotional charge with an electric physicality.
I wrote about this show on an earlier blog back when I tried…whatever the hell I was doing at the time. He contacted me online, there were other shows and we corresponded over the years, once trying to get a book off the ground but life got in the way for the both of us but during some of those bleakest times, Roz would put a poem on facebook, tag me in and I’d respond to his verses with my own free-verses and those moments salvaged from the wreckage more often than not.
Always though Roz had a mantra that struck me throughout over the advancing years “Sunlife…” it stuck with me
Eventually, came THE GRIND…After Roz of course had left Michigan and somehow the prospect of starting a press fell into place.
Roz kept putting more poetry up, and I decided to publish him in the first installment of VOICES FROM THE FIRE which in turn flipped a switch , for there again was Roz out in Arizona and California chronicling his life with the famous tagline “SUNLIFE”
I pitched the book idea to him with said title and like a chain-reaction, things went off in all the right places. Months of taking blocks of texts from messenger and transcribing it into documents and proper line breaks to be approved by the author while also making damn certain Roz Washington retained his own unique voice.
It’s been a pleasure and sheer joy to bring this work to you and I hope you enjoy it and reconsider the road to existence you’re travelling upon and embrace life just as Roz Washington has…Sunlife, indeed. Looking forward to more collaborations and future solo projects with this guy.
Liquid Sun
From the heavenly sun, droplets of divine consciousness shower my Soul
daily empowerment of the warming light soothing my flesh simultaneously I’m viewing elongated leaves waiving from the weight of the falling water
these trees of a unique bark sparks a different matter to my perspective
petals pedaling serene thoughts
the openness of waking mornings to find yourself awakened
the Solar Body enticing me to inspire our mingling populous
the perfect positioning of this celestial power produces photosynthesis
inhaling this generous atmosphere reveres a humility so humble from what I’ve traveled from versus what I’ve discovered…
I’ve placed ideas upon the many open minds under this burning valley
giving my consciousness free-handed no cost to meld energies from other entities open palms to all who I encounter
I steer from morbid movements
sunny dayz beget dangerous actions in this desert
by my own behest I request fun under this Sun
we have it shining all seasons
with splashes of an ocean next door
that’s five hours of a drive
if you desire it
what an excursion to an open haven
grey sands the Falling Ball of Flickering Fire falling before my feet as I’m shoreside
I’ve been Floored by my experiences
Forgoing on Forward through the Forces of Life while Forging methods to Fortify my position in this plentiful place of wonderful opportunities
rare opportunities
of water reigning from the heavens
best to make the best of the hydrogen dioxide when the season is in
Christmas is once a year
Flammable temperatures for most the part of the year
I’m dwelling in the cradle of Flames
blended with a touch of Spills from the Clouds…
“Poetry is of everything you absorb with your senses, all your breathing moments…An expressive perception unique by every individual in how they visualize the patterns, inhale distinct scents, tasteful renditions, feel masses tangible, hear frequencies of rhythms, intuitions arouse exponentially…There are no boundaries of one’s way to exemplify this, for you are born free…to give back to the cosmos…”
–Roz
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