2017, Port Press
A letterpress edition of poems by Peter E. Murphy with wood engravings by Michael McGarvey.
This first edition of Atlantic City Lives is limited to one hundred copies, numbered and signed by Peter E. Murphy and Michael McGarvey. It was designed and printed at the Port Press with the assistance of Yujin Song and Cody Alexander. The type is hand-set ATF Garamond. The paper is Arches Book, printed damp on a Hoe Washington iron hand press. The edition is hand-bound by the Campbell-Logan Bindery Inc., Minnesota.
40pp. Seven poems, three two-color and two black and white wood engravings. Publisher’s price $250 Sale $175
Jackpot: Atlantic City
The man who exposed himself stood like daybreak
in the hotel window overlooking the Boardwalk.
He had lost everything in the grand casino before his arrest.
The dealer warned him not to touch the cards,
but the man persisted, rubbed the tips
of his fingers over the laminated queen,
the reluctant deuce, one last chance to beat the house.
The man who exposed himself doubled down,
blew his hand and was broke. He tossed his last chip
to the dealer, left the gaming hall for his room
where he removed his clothes and pressed himself
against the cold glass.
As the sun rose, the man who exposed himself
touched its ruby crown, shuffled his deck and dealt himself
a winning hand, a hand so full, the cop who came
to pick him up muttered to his partner, Jesus!
He must have been holding it in for years.