Martyrs of a Certain Belief

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The debut poetry collection by Anthony Desmond, Martyrs of a Certain Belief wraps the self at the stake and blows the flames asunder. Prominent, melancholic, and colorfully despondent, this collection wants to be loved, even when the last page is burned from existence.

“Devil horns on the head of a black sheep.
Blood of an orange, visceral as a
puckered asshole in heat.
Reducing myself to metaphor, though
these words can’t bleed for me.”

ISBN-13: 978-1-7345158-4-8

84 pp.

Cover design by Josh Dale

The debut poetry collection by Anthony Desmond, Martyrs of a Certain Belief wraps the self at the stake and blows the flames asunder. Prominent, melancholic, and colorfully despondent, this collection wants to be loved, even when the last page is burned from existence.

“Devil horns on the head of a black sheep.
Blood of an orange, visceral as a
puckered asshole in heat.
Reducing myself to metaphor, though
these words can’t bleed for me.”

ISBN-13: 978-1-7345158-4-8

84 pp.

Cover design by Josh Dale

About the Author

Anthony Desmond is a writer, author of the chapbook, 25th Prelude (The Black Spring Press Group, 2018), and gamer (#TeamXbox). His poetry is honest, unadulterated and breaches the norms of the expected. Bold statement pieces that are often dark, granular observations of the world he inhabits. Desmond's work can be found in many anthologies and journals, including What is Inspiration: Thoughts on Life Series Vol. 1, Poetic Interviews, Boston Poetry Magazine’s Recipes for Hemlock, Signal from Static: A Collection of Modern Poetry & The d'Verse Anthology: Voices of Contemporary World Poetry.

Reviews

Anthony Desmond’s poetry is filled with scenes from another world; raw and lyrical heaviness with a personal sting that can be felt while wandering through his words. Martyrs of a Certain Belief is the first full-length collection of this opaque, yet succinctly penned vivid imagination. These poems deal with heavy questions; brushing elbows with God and the Devil alike. They wander off into surreal landscapes of hurt, loss, and becoming. There is quite a variety of languages here in this book. Some poems will have you reaching for the dictionary and others are as simple as daily speech. No matter how you intake the written word; whether you long for a clear answer or are ok with quietly existing in the space created within, you will find something to stimulate your curiosity in these pages.

—Ryan King, author of Visitor