March 2025 Poet of the Month Chris Bodor

Biography

Chris Bodor is a first generation American. He was born in Connecticut to an English mother and a Hungarian father. During the past three decades, his poems have appeared in many independent, small, and micro-press publications, such as the Lummox Journal, Live Nude Poems, and New Generation Beats-2022 Anthology. He is currently serving a two-year term as the Florida State Beat Poem Laureate (2023-2025) and he is the Coordinator of the St. Augustine PoetFest. Bodor is the Editor-In-Chief of the international literary journal A.C. PAPA, which stands for Ancient City Poets, Authors, Photographers, and Artists.

Backstory:

This poem is about receiving bad news and getting through it. Feeling the emotion of sudden situations and examining heartache. My wife and I were visiting family for the holidays. We offered to stay in a hotel. On Christmas Eve, we got news that our daughter and her husband were going to move six hours away for job promotions. They had just had their first baby, and we were excited to be first-time grandparents. We sat there all depressed looking over the breakfast menu on Christmas morning. The news of them moving far away was a shock, but we digested it and made the best of the situation by not holding them back.

Christmas Morning: Eating Fear for Breakfast

Lying in bed at the hotel
on Christmas morning
conducting inventory:
When has fear been my guide,
and when have I been guided by love?

The complimentary breakfast begins serving at six
with make-your-own misery waffles
and humility smoked sausages
smothered with regret, resentment, and remorse.
Don’t forget to get a plate of
eggs over-not-so-easy.

Fear of the unknown
hard, cold stone
alone is a crowd
silence hurts my ears
stuck in a hole
for days, and months, and years.

The wait is more than I can endure
I know the cure
cast off the weight
as heavy as a sewer grate.

Editor’s Note:

Chris is an exemplary poet and poetry arttrepreneur. He represents all that is good in humanity, and I cherish him and his work! LGJ

Below you will find Belinda’s excellent interview with him.