Many medieval theologians considered poetry indistinguishable from magecraft, and sought to have both offenses punishable by death. Without suggesting that Mark Hartenbach wears a pointy hat or waves a magic wand, his work does seem to support the connection. His poems are metaphysical, often depressing, and ultimately very rebellious, tools for cutting a path through the bullshit that so often surrounds religion and spirituality. They epitomize the idea that art should be used for seeking the truth.
Mark Hartenbach lives in East Liverpool, Ohio where he continuously aspires to transcend. He has studied under the Zen masters Yuk Fu and Hung Way Lo and has come to the conclusion you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it bark up the right tree.
Mark has seen extensive print publication. His chapbooks include giants, windmills & snake eyes from Smiling Dog Press, god monster machine from Samsara Press, and a dozen self-published titles from non compos mentis press. His poems have been published in Chiron Review, Black Moon, Fuel, Rio Grande Review, Bullhead, Wormwood Review, and Kiosk. You can find more of his poetry at his web sites, More Prayers of an Infidel and Original Synchronicity, or e-mail him at markhart@webtv.net.
Mark's works here at Unlikely Stories are:
July 1998 - July 1999:
absolom blues
schizophrenia
let's not talk about suffering
confirmation day
taoist head on a stick
right now
i cannot hear america trying to sing
prayer wheels, hoops of fire & big fat zeros
the thirteenth passion
pentecostal thud
even the sparrows are calling for my head