John Paul Davis

Poetry

I've been writing poetry for most of my life. Check out my poem-a-day project. My first book, Crown Prince Of Rabbits, was published in December 2016. Check out the Books page for more about it. Or, peruse below to read poems I've had published in online literary magazines.

Crown Prince Of Rabbits

cover of Crown Prince Of Rabbits

In Crown Prince Of Rabbits, John Paul Davis’s first full-length collection of poetry, Davis writes compellingly about the aftermath of “this American heartbreak” and the heart’s journey toward healing and wholeness. Set against the backdrop of his own history, current events, pop culture and an intimate landscape cluttered with electronic devices, Davis turns his keen eye on his own shortcomings, “every lame joke, missed connection, fumbled kiss, too-late comeback”, while raising his voice in celebration of the many blessings inside suffering and loneliness.

Davis maps a trail through both divorce’s deeply personal grief and the invasive and atomizing politics in an incresingly-divided America. Taking refuge in music and private tiny moments of the spirit, Davis approaches his subject with curiosity, wonder and openness in the face of sorrow and alienation, celebrating risk and the chance for love to heal love’s own wounds. “Rise up, dead man, / there is heartbreak & there’s music. So dance.”

Published by Great Weather For Media, Crown Prince Of Rabbits was published in 2017. (Check out the book’s page on Great Weather For Media’s site or check out the microsite for the book.)

Publications

  1. "Dark Mode" published in Quaranzine Club
  2. "Quarantine Days" published in Quaranzine Club (scroll down)
  3. "Ode To The Sink Full Of Dirty Dishes At 6AM" published in Quaranzine Club (scroll down)
  4. "Smaller & Smaller" published in Quaranzine Club (scroll down)
  5. "Quarantine Voices" published in Quaranzine Club (scroll down)
  6. "Poem To Be Recited While Washing My Hands" published in Quaranzine Club (scroll down)
  7. "Headphones" published in Another Chicago Magazine
  8. "Elexxxion" published in Rattle
  9. "Selfie" published in Salamander
  10. "Stain" published in COG
  11. "Emergency" published in COG
  12. "Smartphone" published in COG
  13. "Merger" published in No, Dear
  14. "Idle" published in No, Dear
  15. "Robot" published in Blue Earth Review
  16. "Gender" published in Matador Review
  17. "Animals" published in Matador Review
  18. "Trying" published in Calamus Journal
  19. "Self" published in Apricity
  20. "Sound" published in Apricity
  21. "Fuel" published in 45th Parallel
  22. "Body" published in Drunk In A Midnight Choir
  23. "American Funeral" published in Word Riot
  24. "Advice To A Young Writer" published in FreezeRay Poetry
  25. "Emperor Of Drones" published in Radius
  26. "Love Song With Drones & Wiretaps" published in Radius
  27. "John Woolman's 21st Century Blues" published in Radius
  28. "Bicycling Home At Dusk I Closed My Eyes & Let Go & Saw The Rabbits" published in Four Way Review
  29. "The Blank Yorke" published in Jet Fuel Review
  30. "A Geology" published in Wherewithal
  31. "Winter Compline" published in Denver Syntax
  32. "Ode To The Bite Mark You Left On My Right Shoulder" published in The Legendary
  33. "Outside Of Poetry" published in The Legendary
  34. "10-9" published in Drunk In A Midnight Choir
  35. "The Legislature Unanimously Voted My Beard State Beard" published in Drunk In A Midnight Choir
  36. "Year Of The Game Face" published in Drunk In A Midnight Choir
  37. "Toasts To David Byrne" published in The Museum Of Americana
  38. "Beard" published in The Journal
  39. "Passwords" published in deComp
  40. "Self-Portrait As A Husband" published in Bat City Review
  41. "Lazy Eye" published in Sentinel Quarterly
  42. "Exit, Pursued By A Bear" published in Sentinel Quarterly
  43. "My Father's Record Player" published in Beech Street Review