Blending spiritual awakening with punk rock ethics

Rosey at Repeat Fanzine has reviewed Sam Marsh’s new book, ‘A Poke in the Third Eye’…

"Writing poetry reviews isn't like reviewing a record. You can't just let it play in the background until a chorus hooks you, then either pay it some proper attention and add inspired words of wisdom, or perhaps absent-mindedly swoop in with big cliches and half-baked thoughts. Poetry demands full attention—a head-on collision of focus from the very first line."

"The new collection from Sam Marsh — aka The Punk Buddha — demands your full attention, but in a rather different way. The almost-oxymoronic title, A Poke in the Third Eye, captures the book’s surprising and powerful essence. Blending spiritual awakening with punk rock ethics, and pairing satire with sensitivity, these poems feel like the squeezing of a poetic zit until it bursts into a raw third eye — one that sees straight through the surface to the uncomfortable truths beneath the pimply surface.

So, you don’t read this book. You get blindsided by it. Sam Marsh follows up his debut 'The Wisdom of the Punk Buddha' with a tighter, tenser and more pressing poetic punch to the spiritual solar plexus.

The title A Poke in the Third Eye says it all really – a spiritual awakening via a sharp jab, not a gentle chant. Think enlightenment via stage dive, not silent retreat. This is poetry that meditates with one eye open and a clenched fist."

"What you get here are short, deceptively simple pieces that slide in easy but echo long. Read them fast if you want, but they’ll boomerang back at 3am, asking better questions than your newsfeed ever does. Sam juggles contradiction like it’s second nature – sacred and profane, funny and gut-wrenching, tender and brutally on point. He’s got a scalpel for a pen and a big warm heart behind it.

Subjects? Everything from YouTube unboxing vacuity to the tragedy of domestic abuse, from the absurdity of the algorithm to police inhumanity to the aching beauty of fleeting moments in the modern mess. There’s an urgency here that wasn’t so pronounced in his previous collection (reviewed here) – less cosmic giggle, more cosmic scream. But still, always, a glimmer of compassion for those “not enlightened… yet.”

The streets are littered, the soul is bruised, and Sam’s watching it all with a punk's snarl and a monk’s stillness. He slices through the digital fog to find fragments of grace and gives them to you, raw and burning but still smiling.

I could try and say something smarter, but honestly, Thoughts Words Action nailed it already here:

“It’s a manifesto, a confession, a laugh in the face of despair… a punk rocker turned monk whispering (and occasionally shouting) truths into the whirlwind of daily life… it agitates, inspires, and it stays with you.”

Exactly. This isn’t just a poetry book – it’s a call to keep all three eyes open . Even when it hurts.

Buy A Poke in the Third Eye here"

Rosey R*E*P*E*A*T

Read Sam's poem donated to R*E*P*E*A*T's 30th anniversary here

As 'a humble Buddhist Punk', Sam won't like me mentioning the genius of his musical creations, but they really are extraordinary; worth sharing and enjoying.

There's a brilliant article on Jacob's Mouse here and a lot of their work can be heard on Spotify and other streaming stealing stations.You can also buy selected Jacob's Mouse, The Machismo's and related sounds digitally from Bandcamp here https://sturmunddrangrecordings.bandcamp.com/

And we have very small quantities of Jacob's Mouse and The Machismo's vinyls and CDs here sold in aid of Love Music Hate Racism, best to check stock before ordering!

https://www.repeatfanzine.co.uk/page20.html