Something like Birdsong, by Johnathan Riley

Poetry, chapbook, 16 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

The poets are tired of the moon and bad kissing, according to Johnathan Riley’s Something like Birdsong. In this collection, Riley takes on the universe in its largest and smallest elemental forms, sells the moon on Facebook Marketplace, picks a fight with the sun, then offers to drive the clouds back home after a night at the bar. These small apocalypses don’t stop the blooming environmental and existential dread, nor do they prevent Riley from having a good time— there’s a pile of garbage out there with his name on it, and he’s ready to dive in.

Something like Birdsong might be an ode to absurdity or a clever pitch for everyone to pool their money to buy a new moon. It’s hard to say. Readers looking past the catastrophizing in these pieces will find a sense of joy and sincere belonging that, for Riley, is what holds all of it together. So, grab your mopeds and loved ones and ride to the edge of the cliff to check out the sunrise, and get ready to dance through the crumbs.

Johnathan Riley is a writer from the coast of Maine. He has an undergraduate degree in creative writing from Florida State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from the University of New Hampshire where he taught poetry and composition courses. Riley is currently matriculated at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School completing a Master of Theological Studies degree program. In addition to his work as a theologian, he is an award- winning poet, journalist, and photographer.