Z.M. Wise
The Tomes (My Books)
Released with well-known musician A.J. Kaufmann, we collaborated to bring a mixture of poetry and traditional songs in an album called 'Ch'ulel'. 'Ch'ulel' means 'being linked to the soul'. We wanted to think of a word that had no direct English translation, and with more indigenous words such as that, it could not even be translated into Spanish. The symbiotic relationship between a creator and their creation is indescribable. One can detach and dissociate time and again, but to be one with the soul is an achievement that one could never put into words, music, or visual art.
For various reasons, an individual might say that their particular homeland is the greatest location on the planet. For Z.M. Wise, his home state of Illinois is just that and much more. How did he reach this realization? Ironically, through Texas pride. Upon moving to the Lone Star State with his family in 2001, his connection and longing for his home state grew as each year passed. Each time he visited, he felt a spiritual bond with his home. Raised in various Northern suburbs of Chicago (as well as being exposed to the city a great number of times), Wise documents his journey through verse, as well as showing other areas of the state equal attention. In this collection, some pieces have been culled from historical research, while others rely on his personal philosophies, confessions, and poetic observations. The main message that he conveys is that no matter where on Earth your origins lie (unless you feel your homeland is traumatic or horrific), be proud of where you were birthed and raised. Your soul will thank you in the bittersweet end. (Cherry House Press, 2020)
NEW BY
Z.M. WISE
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In his latest poetic descent into cranial madness, Z.M. Wise explores the vast, boundless illusions and verisimilitudes of what occurs during our nocturnal absence (excluding the guilty pleasures known as reveries). Composed in the form of a nonlinear epic, The Pleasant Dreamers sways like an indecisive palm tree under the influence of villainous wind, from narrative and lyrical verse to free-form, tangential dreamscapes and morbidly grotesque tribulations. It embodies the multitude of unconscious inspirations that often turns reality into a game of chance. It answers the questions that haunt our cognitive thought processes. It celebrates the welcoming of cinematic escapism of living inside one's mind, as well as the deep-seated concern of being consumed by such fantasies. In the bittersweet end, only you can determine the significance of this volume.
Conceived from a saga of grotesque events during the author’s slumberous hours, this brief volume of work elaborates on the inner workings of the psyche through hypnagogia, sequential nightmares, a session of sleep paralysis, and something more sinister. For eons, we have developed our own theories and hypotheses on the studies of the aforementioned events. The Nightmare Mask reinvigorates the ambiguous sense of purpose from the depths within one’s subconscious. (Weasel Press, 2022)
Written out of passionate frustration, Bottles of Emerald for the Demon Queen , an 'alternative courtroom drama', deals with one of the most perplexing drunk driving accidents known to humanity: the premature and gruesome death of Robin West. A legal showdown ensues between Ana Fernandez, the defendant, and Marcus Stewart, the plaintiff, as well as their attorneys. Whose side will the face of justice lean towards in the end? How will the jury members find the most ethical conclusion and vote together as one? Will this particular case make a speck of difference in the outcome of future reckless automotive drivers' decisions? Find the answers to these questions and many more within the pages of this text. (Transcendent Zero Press, 2019)
From a loose amalgamation of mythology, demonology, music, art, allegory, fable, and trauma comes the byproduct of spiritual purging and a creative exorcism. In Z.M. Wise's latest manifestation, you will be taken on a surreal journey into the unknown and back again in a twisted fashion. This sequence of poems and poems-turned-songs will make you question the very existence of love and its teasing shadows that take form on occasion. Will love triumph over despair and sorrow? Only you hold that power, Dear Reader. (Weasel Press, 2018)
The journey of D.B. Santos is not one to be taken lightly. In this confessional poem, you will see his life unfurl before your very eyes. Witness love incarnate and embrace the chaos through his heart, which goes through such a metamorphosis that causes him to make a peculiar vow. Some would take this vow and view it as cynical or brash, whereas he feels it is the only way to lead a joyous life. Will you agree with him by the last stanza? The choice is yours. It has been from the very beginning. (Red Ferret Press, 2015)
All is calm in the utopian forest of Gaia. Father Lycaonius and the pack that reside there want nothing but peace, tranquility, and camaraderie. When word has it that the cougars of the mountains nearby plan to ambush the pack and eradicate everything in sight, those dreams result in a rude awakening. The question is, will the pack fight as one to defend their Mother Earth, or will they cower before the cats and face a bestial genocide? The author's spirit animal bares all teeth in this epic, along with ten other wolf/werewolf-themed poems. As always, Mr. Wise proudly proclaims, "POETRY LIVES!!" (Weasel Press, 2015)
Jack DeFeo is the wandering poet. In this collection, Z.M. Wise explores his sense of self through the character of Jack DeFeo whose mission is to spread the message that poetry lives all over the globe. He brings out the inner honesty of his comrades and seeks the golden clime of selfhood where the traveler's journey will be done. Cover graphic is the design work of Cheyanne Henslee. (Transcendent Zero Press, 2014)
Take Me Back, Kingswood Clock! is reminiscent of a street known as Kingswood Lane, a small neighborhood in Wheeling, Illinois, where author Z.M. Wise lived until he moved to Houston at the ripe and confusing age of 11. Within his poems, experience the power of love and the power of life, the obscure and the morbid, the sanguine and the cynical, the sexual and uncertain, and everything in between. (MavLit Press, 2013) (Limited copies on Amazon, temporarily out of print...contact me for more info...I shall mail thee a copy one way or another.)