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The Road and Other Liars is a collection of poems and vignettes, some like whispers, others like bruises, all orbiting the themes of wandering, memory, aging, and the aching hope for meaning. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?
I did not begin with the idea of compiling a poetry collection. All the poems began as single line or an undeveloped thought that seemed to promise a vein of ore worth mining. These notions were all hastily scratched into notepads and developed later into poems.
How did you decide on the themes that run throughout your poetry book?
I did not intend to focus on a narrow theme. A poetry book devoted to one specific topic or theme would, for me, become tiresome and I assumed it would be so for many other readers. As I gathered and reviewed my poems, I realized the title for my poem “The Road and Other Liars” served well as the title for this collection as it hints at the varied and often unexpected events, destinations, and experiences of life.
Do you think there is a particular mindset or environment that a reader should be in to fully appreciate your work?
I think my poetry would most appeal to readers who possess a broad interest in life and are naturally curious about the significance of what may at first seem insignificant. Pop culture has blunted this ability in so many of us. Some people never seem to have possessed this ability, many others have allowed it to fall dormant within them, but it can be resurrected by tuning out the devolving modern culture and nourishing your mind with the same devotion as you nourish your body to keep it strong and whole.
How has this poetry book changed you as a writer, or what did you learn about yourself through writing it?
I don’t think it changed me as writer except perhaps by forcing me to exercise and strengthen my underdeveloped self-discipline muscles. One thing of value I learned was that even on days when the words don’t come easily and much time is spent with little to show for it, progress is cumulative. Do what you can do during each session and you’ll get there.
Author Link: Amazon | GoodReads
What some readers have said:
“Very lovely poems (personal favorite was Hello). Quite a few of them felt sentimental for days gone by, and for days not yet seen.”
Gavin Janes (Goodreads)
“Very relatable and well written poems. You can tell there was many hours, and much thought put into this…“
Evie (Goodreads)
“Throughly enjoyed this book”
Mary (Goodreads)
“As the title may cause you to assume, many of the pieces are reminiscent of a road trip through words, expressing feelings of travel or bringing up images of unique places and experiences. But just as often, they are more like snippets of a life, where the setting doesn’t matter quite as must as the voice and its feelings…”
The Road And Other Liars
The Road and Other Liars is a collection of poems and vignettes, some like whispers, others like bruises, all orbiting the themes of wandering, memory, aging, and the aching hope for meaning. It’s not organized by topic, and that’s part of the magic. It reads like a life itself: fragmented, lyrical, surprising, sometimes funny, sometimes devastating. Miller doesn’t tell you how to feel; he just opens little doors into moments and lets you step inside.
I thought I’d be reading some quiet little poems about trees and dirt roads. Instead, I found myself slowing down, re-reading lines, and sitting in silence after certain pieces. There’s one about the moment a man realizes he’s outlived the kind of dog he could own again. That wrecked me. And the one where he imagines talking to someone, just one person, who could really, truly hear him without judgment? I’ve thought about that every day since. His writing is sparse but packed. No fluff. No pretense. Just raw, thoughtful truths wrapped in poetic stillness. Sometimes the poems feel like they were written in a dusty motel room at 3 a.m. after the kind of day that doesn’t let you sleep.
This isn’t a feel-good collection. It’s heavy in places. It’s a little haunted. But there’s also a weird comfort in how honest it all is. It’s like the book gave me permission to mourn things I didn’t know I’d been carrying around. There’s something deeply kind in the way Miller writes, even when the subject matter is brutal. He doesn’t lecture. He observes. He remembers. He wonders.
One poem that really stuck with me was “Squirrels.” It’s quiet and simple on the surface, a man watching squirrels from his window, but it hit me hard. There’s this quiet loneliness in it, the kind that sneaks up on you. He wants a connection, something to care for, but he’s also come to terms with the fact that what he really wants, a dog, a companion, doesn’t fit into his life anymore. The squirrels aren’t pets, they’re not friends, but they’re there. It says so much with so little.
If you’ve ever felt lost, or old before your time, or nostalgic for things that never quite were, this book might be for you. If you’ve loved someone and lost them, or wished for a quiet place to just be for a moment, you’ll find some of yourself in these pages. Not every poem hits with the same force, some drift by more quietly, but even the quieter ones add to the atmosphere of reflection and bittersweet honesty. It’s the kind of book you don’t just read, you sort of live with it for a while. It can be emotionally heavy, and you have to be in the right headspace for it. But when you are, it’s great.
Pages: 74 | ASIN : B086PFWWMQ
LITERARY TITAN 