Transgressions in Transubstantiation: The Mantras of Jameson Bayles

The Apparition Juxtaposition Poetry began last year, and it was my understanding that the intent of the series was to highlight authors published by Ghosts For Valhalla Press. I was added onto the tour last year as a special guest.

This year, the press sent out a request for published readers from Ghosts For Valhalla for The Apparition Juxtaposition Poetry Tour in support of Annegret Bucher’s “Leftovers at Joe’s Garage”. After looking at the proposed tour schedule and checking my own commitments for 2024, I went ahead and signed aboard.

The vibe of The Apparition Juxtaposition Poetry Tour is different than The Mesenchymal Reprisal Poetry Tour; Apparition is more of your stand-up poetry reading whereas Mesenchymal is more of an overall production. There is less stress on me personally with Apparition because I just have to show up and read. I don’t have to be concerned with the other elements of the tour.

Relying heavily on the house show poetry network, The Apparition Juxtaposition Poetry Tour ventured thru New Jersey, Vermont and Virginia. Everything went off without a hitch, no real hiccups along the way. I didn’t spend a lot of time attending the afterparties while on tour, but I haven’t attended a lot of parties this year. Just feeling my age all of sudden in 2024.

Before the reading at Virginia Beach, VA a bet was made between myself and my fellow author in which I lost. At the moment, I can’t remember what the bet was, but I remember the terms. Loser had to do their set in the Atlantic Ocean. The Virginia Beach host was more than willing to watch me suffer, so the location was outside onto the beach. I fulfilled my terms of the bet, but I wasn’t going to submerge myself in 54-degree water.

No mic stand, so I had to project my voice over the sound of the waves. When the waves hit, and they did indeed crash into me, the cold ocean water really jolts the old system.

The Atlantic Ocean won, but the ocean always wins.

Another nice element of this tour was that my wife and Chase, our Jack Russell Terrier were able to make it out to the Virginia Beach reading. Kim hasn’t been able to make it to a lot of the readings due to her work schedule. Chase is rarely out of the house. There are a few other readings this year in which my family will also be able to attend.

‘Till next time America.