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