U R WHAT'S NEW

a poetry collection

ZACH ODENTHAL
UR
WHAT'S
NEW
ZACH ODENTHAL
 Introduction

U R WHAT'S NEW
U R What’s New is a mirror of
relationships tarnished by the sun,
and those left glowing by the moon.
This collection of poetry hands you
an invitation into the astrological
atmosphere of my wanderings about
old friends, past lovers, and new
sparks. Whether you believe in fate
or not, the Universe surely has
melted itself through my fingertips
and into the words you are reading.
From my heart to your hands, I give
you the past, the present, and the
future all burned together in a
shooting star that has unveiled its
origin in my constellation. I hope
you find comfort in my words, and
most of all, I hope you learn to love
the happenings of this Universe.
One day you too shall see its
glorious plan for you and your
connection to every human you
encounter.

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 Table of Contents

U R WHAT'S NEW

CONTENT PAGE

Introduction 3
A Hue of Transportation 5
You Were 7
You 8
After, After, After-- 9
U R What's New pt. 2 10
Extras 11
Class Connection 13

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 • U R WHAT'S NEW •

A HUE OF
TRANSPORTATION
My freezer-burned screen mirrors

snow specks on a bluejay

SUV. Shut in the trunk, knees

in Jake’s vertebra, the moon

winks -- a sign I thought you gave me.

One two six trips on Captain Morgan’s ship--

steer the fake-carot helm married

to my left wrist, an SOS to insecurities.

Yellow moon flirts a half

eye: a new ours to pin

daffodil sprinkles above

brick comfort walls-- we become

rubber bands wielded by a home.

5
 • ZACH ODENTHAL •

A HUE OF
TRANSPORTATION continued

A yellow knit blanket of I will stay

cozies me up for the total eclipse ahead.

String back the black velvet curtain & glue

our pins into the wooden cork board

of the sky. I board a new

canary hued ship-- a new height.

A voyage from my ocean eyes to the yellow landing docks

hidden in your grey life vests. They safely

carry my words to the yellow sticky notes

hidden in your desk, where warmth tickles my fingertips

And I write: I love you I love you I love you

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 • U R WHAT'S NEW •

YOU
WERE
Inferior flames rattle &

Ur ashes shed chilly

rhythms of aging pretences--

Knees bruise to evolve beyond-- U

U “good boy” people with two-faced fraudulence,

mirror cackles
& mock kisses

Knees on a pew to evolve beyond-- U

nip n nip n nip at people inferior to U

You. Were my first-text-after-class friend,

but U kept nipping&gnawing&nipping&gnawing&fuck

You. Were my b eas t friend.

Where did that You go?

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 • ZACH ODENTHAL•

She was an outline of the sun on the sidewalk,

tingling heat you could never have.

You thought her clothes came from new shopping bags everyday
& now notice every piece of clothing you’ve washed
& now know what shade of lipstick is smeared on your upper lip
& now feel her light shine in the night [a moon at its peak, aglow]

You are a hard one to please, but she’s done it. Oh, she’s done it.
Planes & cradles & lips & rings &
It's all a travesty called beauty--
A new shade of lipstick on your cheek,
A new shirt missing from your closet.
A new ladder to climb to the moon with.
A new--
A new

- YOU

8
 • U R WHAT'S NEW •

AFTER,
AFTER,
AFTER--
She calls them sausage legs

cause they pair a cup of coffee

and spread sunshine before noon.

She buys pants with ample fabric

around her waist, but they still

snake around her thighs like

rattlesnakes her uncle raises wish

they could do to her neck. She

would have told them to do it.

I was another fold in the sky,

an anti-pretentious act of divination.

A camouflage constellation waiting

to glow: day after day after night. After --

waiting. For that one cup of morning coffee after noon.

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 • ZACH ODENTHAL•

yoU bring me comfort:

a ring of a dissonant choRd

always complete with a resolution.

a mattress outside a windoW:

with gravel that carved indents in our bodies

and turn time Hearts solidify into vessels.

a memory of frozen cheesecAke

& moscaTo sangria

& vanilla wafts soaked into your Skin

& blaNket harmony

lyrics of thE neW and everlasting

a chapel of our feelings

a cross of a t

the said and unsaid exposed

- U R WHAT'S
NEW PT. 2
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 Class Connection

U R WHAT'S NEW
The creation of a chapbook has been a new
experience to me. I have been writing
poetry for a few years now, but this year I
have dug into the craft to work on my
skills in a specific manner. Focusing on
imagery, sound, line, mystery, switch/turn,
and revision have amped my writing
abilities over the course of a semester. I did
not anticipate to grow so much as a writer,
but I truly have and am very proud of my
newly developed skills.

My biggest growth has been in revision,

which truthfully did not spark until I began
editing for this chapbook. Participating in
a small group round of editing really set me
on the right path. We dug through the
leading title poem, “U R What’s New pt. 2,”
together and looked at cliches, abstrations,
compression, verbs, and risk. By having a
few other people offer suggestions it made
me comfortable enough to change my work.
Change has the wrong connotation; I prefer
grow my work. I’ve learned that the
revision process is growth, not the idea of
“changing” and “cutting.”

The selection process was a fun experience

for this chapbook. I have many poems, but I
had noticed a clump of themes forming
throughout my poetry over this semester:
Hence came U R What’s New.
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