Notes on this Issue:

This issue of Verses is different from our regular, monthly release in that there’s a central theme between every piece inside—each piece is either a form of lyrical poetry, song lyrics or is otherwise produced by writers that primarily work in music. 

About a year ago, my band and I were performing for a ballroom, poetry-reading event down in Jacksonville, Florida. Up until then, we’d typically play in cafes or dive bars with a few of our friends for a couple of free drinks and (if we were lucky) a $20 payout. But, at this gig, we were gifted with endless beer, wine, charcuterie and a $400 check for a 30-minute set of sulky, slowcore tunes. When it came time for us to play, one of the attendees asked if we were reading poetry that night. I replied as a joke, ‘Nope, we’re the band. We’re the cheap poets.’

I was only joking, but it’s not a joke that a large amount of ‘strict poets’ consider song lyrics and the likes to be ‘cheap’ poetry. Personally, I think this value classification has merit on a case-by-case basis, but not generally. While reading this issue I invite you all to ask yourselves—do you think song lyrics are ‘cheap’ poetry? What does it mean for something to be ‘cheap’? Is ‘cheapness’ a bad thing, or can it be good? I believe that cheapness can be good. I once bought a leather jacket in Asheville, NC for $2. I wear it almost every day, but I’m not certain my jacket is the same type of ‘cheap.’

- W.B.