Synkroniciti is thrilled to welcome back Kansan poet Robert L. Dean, Jr. with two pieces paired with photos from Jason Baldinger. Poetry contest finalist “Full Immersion,” paired with Baldinger’s Fredonia, NY, is a satirical tribute to evangelical Christianity, which appeals to both the desire to be a part of a winning team–“rah-rah-sis-boom-bah”– and to a world weariness that longs to be separated from hard times, even if that means failing to care for those in need as Jesus asked. “I’m weary of rummaging mortal garbage pails/ for heaven’s leavings, holding cardboard signs/ with sketchy pleas, kneading canned heat/into iced hands under crumbling bridges.” Dean walks a fine line between humor and acknowledging the salve this brand of religion can have for people and his observations are delivered without malice. “Breath of the Lord,” paired with Roadside NY, is a wistful memory of days gone by, evoking biblical imagery in contemplation of the passage of time and mortality. “No longer does a voice cry out/ in the wilderness. I have prepared/ the way, and when the door opens,// I flicker like candle’s breath/ across the face of the waters.”
Read Dean’s powerful poetry in Synkroniciti’s “Belonging” issue, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Robert L. Dean, Jr. is the author of Pulp (Finishing Line Press, 2022); The Aerialist Will not be Performing: ekphrastic poems and short fictions to the art of Steven Schroeder (Turning Plow Press, 2020); and At the Lake with Heisenberg (Spartan Press, 2018). A multiple Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, his work has appeared in or will be appearing in MockingHeart Review; October Hill Magazine; Flint Hills Review; Midwest Quarterly; I-70 Review; Chiron Review; The Ekphrastic Review; Sheila-Na-Gig online; Shot Glass; Illya’s Honey; Red River Review; KYSO Flash; MacQueen’s Quinterly; Thorny Locust; River City Poetry; Suisun Valley Review; Synkroniciti; and the Waco WordFest Anthology 2022.
Dean studied music composition with Dr. Walter Mays at Wichita State University before going on the road as a bass player, conductor, and arranger; he was a professional musician for 30 years, playing with acts such as Jesse Lopez, Bo Didley, Frank Sinatra Jr., Vic Damone, Jim Stafford, Kenny Rankin, B. W. Stevenson, and the Dallas Jazz Orchestra.
Dean is a member of The Writers Place and the Kansas Authors Club. He lives in Augusta, Kansas, midway between the Air Capital of the World and the Flint Hills.