Saved Rounds

"As a social worker I have a deep interest in Matt Borczon's work. I hope it helped him, and know that it assists others who don't possess his writing skills. From Saved Rounds which allowed me to know that social workers and those in the field of psychology have been far too slow to grasp the concept Matt spills out right from the start. In "Afghanistan 2010" we get a glimpse of the stoic mindset of those who serve our country. For, "The Last Poem" Matt rips the curtains back and allows those blinds to snap up to the ceiling, to show everyone how war has affected his beloved wife and family. It was in "Riding An Imaginary Horse", that I received the gut punch or a pretty pink nightmare, compared to the memories and dreams that still sit on that saddle. No one can tell these stories so necessary for understanding our veterans, better than Matt. His gift is the ability to knock us down and drag us through the ravages of war. The poem "The War" made me tear up and then lose my battle on the last stanza. I moved on to "Veterans Day" and had to seriously stop and make myself breathe. This book couldn't stick to the speed limit and never gave you a break as it raced right on through."


-Thasia Ann, author of Pam's Jacket, Guerilla
Genisis Press


"In Saved Rounds Matt Borczon leads us through the night-
mare of what is PTSD. This book is full of power packed
poems that lets the reader feel the pain and the determination
of countless amputees, the screams and cries of the Afghan
children and a Navy nurse and his family trying to heal. Do
not thank him for his service or for being a hero but instead
thank him for these poems, the blood he left on these pages
and for being a voice for those who can't."


-Scot Young, author of Brautigan Meets Bukowski,
All Around Cowboy and publisher at
the Rusty Truck and Deuce Coupe.


"I've long been envious of the heartbreaking devastation
of Matt Borczon's poetry, though perhaps not of the
experiences that led him to write it. Matt has complained
that many editors don't care for his spare vertical style, but
in the case of poems about war, let us remember what outlaw
poet Todd Moore said about poems that "hang down the
page like long black fuses..." These are poems waiting for
you to light them."


-Brian Rihlmann




"This book is a punch to the gut. It hits you where you live.
Borczon wastes no words in describing the visible and the
unseen scars that war inflicts upon its survivors. The poems
are tight, intense snapshots of the poet's experience while
serving in Afghanistan. Brutal but not sensationalistic, the
power of these poems is undeniable. Once you begin reading,
you won't be able to stop. This should be required reading
in our turbulent times."


-Kevin M. Hibshman, editor, FEARLESS poetry zine