Kevin M. Hibschman & John Patrick Robbins - The Mirror Masks Nothing - Book Review

Hi All

Kevin M. Hibschman is among my favorite poets. He is a highly talented writer and we've become friends. He has been a Featured Guest on my page and website and his poetry is within my anthology, "Spotlight". Kevin's work is unique, well-written and always interesting.

A month ago Kevin and poet John Patrick Robbins released a new collection of poetry, "The Mirror Masks Nothing" - and it is outstanding.

Kevin wrote the first half of the book and John wrote the second half and, even though there are two separate authors within this single volume, the poetry flows perfectly throughout.

"The Mirror Masks Nothing" is a fitting title for verse that reveals so much. It is raw, dangerous, unfiltered, and beautiful.

If you enjoy my writing - you'll love, "The Mirror Masks Nothing". It sits upon the top shelf of my bookcase at home - because that is where it belongs.

Poems reproduced with permission. ______________

Kid Sinister

You were a manic, frantic polyglot. A sure shot in the parking lot. Making sure the cops were not within earshot as the deals went down.

You were a hundred-watt bulb in a forty-watt socket. You were the vapor trail fading from a hastily-launched rocket. An alchemical explosion when lava meets the ocean with that bigger than life sizzle going skyward.

We loved your unhinged ways, The smoke you caused and those sudden flames. The passionate action of earlier days when you held a match to the stick of dynamite that threatened to blow us all away forever.

Kevin M. Hibschman. From "The Mirror Masks Nothing", 2022 ______________

Sunshine Boys 7th Avenue

Turning tricks and just trying to survive, it's all an act unless you can pay enough for it not to be.

Needle tracks and cigarette burns. Broken springs and fragmented logic.

When tomorrow is uncertain the moment can seem like an eternity.

A release, a paradise worth having at whatever the cost.

Two to share a moment as one must clearly chase that never- ending fix.

Junkies are promised ghosts of tomorrow's future. As the true freaks mask their fantasies.

Lean back, keep a look out and enjoy. Isn't it grand to explode within something just as empty as you?

John Patrick Robbins. From "The Mirror Masks Nothing", 2022 ______________

"The Mirror Masks Nothing" - available through Amazon worldwide. And - in the United States - it's $7.00 (paperback).

Photo: Jimmy Broccoli (in a very wrinkled shirt) holding a copy of "The Mirror Masks Nothing".