By Matthew Holcomb

Worcester poet John Dervishian has released his second collection of poetry, You can’t get inside my head it’s already overcrowded, a year-long endeavor that marks a notable change in the poet’s style. Dervishian has taken a step away from the traditional poetics present in his last collection to embrace a gritty, terse frankness in his latest offering.

You can’t get inside my head wanders between barstools and booze soaked memories, through sudden eruptions of childhood violence and lingering recollections of past lovers and peculiar intimacies ~ all while maintaining a vivid sense of humor and an appreciation for the authentic.

“I was in a different place in my life when I wrote the first collection,” said Dervishian “I abandoned the deep poetics for a more direct and straight-forward style. I found something different in me and in my writing.”

This transformation in style and form quickly attracted a new host of readers to Dervishian’s work. “I notice I have captured an audience of people that don’t even read poetry,” said Dervishian. “This new collection seems easier to access for people who didn’t grow up on poetry and offers a breath of fresh air for those that have.”

Though dissimilar in technique, this collection shares a likeness to the last in that it remains a fierce purgation of Dervishian’s afflictions, passions, frustrations, and anxieties.  “Whenever I write I am reflecting on something personal,” said Dervishian “It is very therapeutic for me. Writing is still there for me and always will be.”

Dervishian’s blend of intimacy, humor, reflection, catharsis, and candor is well executed in his poem The Last Dance:

She advertises herself
on marble top
hoping
that someone
will catch
a glimpse of her
that within the
next 16 minutes
she will earn enough
to carry out her dream

Is she that
narcissistic
as she continues
to look fixedly
at herself
in  the mirror
or is this a way
to transfer the pain
to the person
who is looking
back at her

The perfume
permeates the air
to conceal the
heavy sweat
another glass
of whiskey
to accentuate
the illusions
that I create
as I am seated behind
those who provide
her with
the monetary incentive
to continue
I can’t help but think
how she made a decision
to exploit her innocence

her resume reads
“I can wear high heels,
I’m good with poles
and enjoy extracting
the moral virtue
from the soul”

Perhaps I am wrong
If this is the case
I awkwardly place
my donation
bid you goodnight
and walk off
to the desolate prospects
that surround me.

Dervishian’s latest collection has enticed and embraced a score of newly initiated poetry lovers, as well as rejuvenated the form for long time admirers – and will surely ensnare a great many more.

You can’t get inside my head it’s already overcrowded is available at Borders, Barnes & Nobles, and through authorhouse.com; John Dervishian can be reached at jdervishian@charter.net.

Cover art (above) by Peter DeSimone