Category Archives: Poems

Poem: Gunfight In Manhattan

I’m a little slow in announcing this, but my poem “Gunfight In Manhattan” has been published in the online journal My Favorite Bullet.
The poem is a part of my upcoming collection Rumsfeld’s Sandbox and follows the publication of other poems in the collection. Those poems include:

“Battlefield Confession”
“Cigar”
“Life”
“Love And War”
“Old Goth”
“20 Acres”
“Nocturne: Battlefield Sonnet”
“The Armor Dims”
“Carcass”
“Siege”
and [...]

Read the full article »

Zukofsky’s Ballade

Yesterday I announced I was reading Louis Zukofsky’s “A”. The poem is decidedly written in the mode of free verse – most parts of it anyway. But imagine my surprise when, at the end of Part 8, I’m reading along and happen upon a Ballade. Right in the middle of the poem.
Zukofsky was a Modernist. [...]

Read the full article »

"Howl": Because No One Reads It Like Allen Ginsberg

This needs no introduction. Enjoy a “Howl”:

Read the full article »

How To Write A Twitter Poem

As National Poetry Month draws nearer, I am planning an experiment that I predict will catch on en masse. I won’t be the first person to do this, but I will be (as far as I know) the first person to codify principles for doing it. The “it” I’m talking about is writing and publishing [...]

Read the full article »

Edgar Allan Poe Enters The 21st Century (And WCP Video Annals)

If you’re a fan of Edgar Allan Poe as I am then you might appreciate poetry videos based on his poems. I’ve uploaded four videos based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, and derivative work by Alan Parsons Project, at World Class Poetry. Feel free to check them out.
If you were around in the [...]

Read the full article »

From The Trenches: WCP Adds Social Networking Features

Thanks to reader Gary Fitzgerald for pointing me to a website called It’s JUST War. Read poems, watch videos, and hang out a while. Be sure to read Gary’s four poems on the Vietnam War posted on September 2, 2008. Powerful stuff.
On another note, I’m testing some new social features at World Class Poetry, this [...]

Read the full article »

decomP Publication Credit

If you’re in the mood for macabre, try The Armor Dims, my latest publication credit. This is a post-Iraq poem for me, but fits in with the theme that I’ve been working with in a work-in-progress, Rumsfeld’s Sandbox.
The bio that appears at the bottom of the poem:
Allen Taylor spent 2005 stationed in Iraq, dreaming of [...]

Read the full article »

My First Twitter Poem

As an homage to the school of Flarf, I decided I’d write a Twitter poem. Ridiculous I know, but I just wanted to try something a little different.
Before I share the poem with you I’d like to tell you what a Twitter poem is or may be. But first, what is Twitter?
Twitter: The Who, What, [...]

Read the full article »

I've Been Accepted

I’ve written about rejection before – here, here, and here. But tonight I’d like to mention an acceptance.
I opened up my inbox to filter out all the spam – because I have to do that on occasion – and while there I decided to read some of my very important e-mail. That’s when I discovered [...]

Read the full article »

Life: The Poetics Of Breaking Through Walls

It’s been one hell of a week. I’ve been trying to find the time to make a post now for three days. Between Cub Scout meetings, finishing up the final touches on a website update, the business, and household chores, I’ve barely had time to take care of necessary bodily functions. Caring for three small [...]

Read the full article »