Unlikely Stories Presents

J. D. NELSON didn't shoot J. R.

"In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter -- bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."
-- Stephen Crane, The Black Riders (1896)
"A closed mind is an empty mind."
-- Charles Emerson Winchester III

To the Unlikely Stories home pageViolent and vivid, the poems of J. D. Nelson have an immediacy that will not be denied. With startling imagery, J. D. approaches the topics of loss, loneliness and horror with an insight that will delight you. He explores his subjects with a tenacity and furiousness worthy of the rats that populate his poetry, and his poems may make you uncomfortable, but will surely delight you.

J. D. Nelson is a Pisces living and writing in Lafayette, Colorado. When he's not crafting his poetry, he lends his vocal and lyrical talents to DEMOC, an extremely loud band. He is a loyal fan of the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association.

J. D. says, "I received my B.F.A. with emphasis in Advertising Design from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1997. A trip to my ancestral homeland of Ireland later that year inspired me to dedicate my life to writing poetry.

"My influences include:

"Matsuo Basho: I admire his wise simplicity. I hope to be a hermit someday.

"Jim Morrison: creatures of the dark, the scent of blood.

"Charles Bukowski: (see Basho).

"Stephen Crane: terse & vivid. The above poem just might be my all-time favorite.

"Shel Silverstein: an early influence, especially his 'adult' poetry. His fantastic sense of humor and use of creative wordplay continue to inspire me.

"Jazz music, especially the work of saxophonist John Coltrane, has had a tremendous influence on my writing. Coltrane (especially in his later work) communicated through flurries of 'note clusters.' In my writing, I often work in terms of word clusters and thought clusters.

"Anthropomorphic characters, perhaps cousins of those who populate African and Native American folklore, figure prominently in my work.

"A lot of my finished work starts out as stream-of-consciousness freewriting. I'm most interested in exposing that which lies beneath the surface of obviousness.

"As I enter my fourth decade of life on this planet, I've begun to seek publication for my poetry. I've had an excellent and encouraging response to my work. My poems have been accepted by several web and print publications and will appear in early 2002. These include: Pogonip, Spent Angel Press, Dirty Pigeon Press, and Joey and the Black Boots.

"I love to hear from poets and lovers of poetry. Drop me a line at milehighstyle@yahoo.com." Or check out his web page at http://MadVerse.com.

J. D.'s works here at Unlikely Stories are:


2003:
big nice nasty What It Is
amazing pace packaged meat
laundry list for x-ray clowns (version)

2002:
bone marrow brownies the red fish goat mask
moonshine nightmare psychedelic viking helmet
re-creation of the self police teeth
time bone / time bomb theme for a dog
Daze Inn there I was w/ a 2-for-1 taco coupon
stone face, tongue of dust we're born wet
adventure team try-outs tomorrow deserted isle
rat salad