Excerpts from Smalls Books books

Heartfelt Imposter

I used to have the coolest dark blue mechanic shirt
From a thrift store that died into a florist on believe it or not
Main Street
It had “Mr. Valentine” in script, over the front pocket
and I wore it out
and girls would ask
‘And are you Mr. Valentine?’
And I’d say no, do you know him?
and they’d laugh, ‘no why?’
I am a just a fake mechanic then
with a blue valentine lie
dressed in lovely used rags . . .
honest

--Lee Kostrinsky, from WHY PAT COOKS



from "At Last"

I don’t know about her life
on the verge of surrender
to a young bed
or old easy chair.

Porgy and Bess-like in Brooklyn,
she stops me dead on the street,
takes my hand to ask,
What are we doing?

I don’t know.

I consult the runes of Etta James,
in love with a married man
when she sang,
my lonely days are over
and life is just
a poem, shorter than it seems,
her melody, a spogliarello,
a strip tease baring the bloody heart

--George Guida, from NEW YORK AND OTHER LOVERS

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Smalls Books Exists

To the world.

Smalls Books is operational. We publish poetry and prose, much but not all of which will have a New York focus. But don't let that focus limit you. We will be publishing great books with all kinds of subject matter. If you have such a book in manuscript, consider polishing and sending it to us. We read all year long, and will be putting out calls for our upcoming book contest and several planned anthologies.

In the meantime, check out our first two titles, available shortly through most on-line book outlets, including Amazon and BarnesandNoble.


WHY PAT COOKS: Poems, by Lee Kostrinsky (ISBN 10: 0-9801916-0-2, ISBN 13: 978-0-9801916-0-8)

NEW YORK AND OTHER LOVERS: Poems, by George Guida (ISBN 10: 0-9801916-1-0, ISBN 13: 978-0-9801916-1-5)