What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mad Ramblings of a Joker
Poet Brandon Dillon makes his debut with "The Mad Ramblings of a Joker," a brutally honest collection, full of metaphor and vibrant imagery. His work covers topics such as PTSD, depression, and heartbreak, and softer moments of hope and reflective peace. His poetry is deep and unforgettable, a beacon for a dark world that needs a friend to say, "I've been there. I understand."
- GenresPoetry
151 pages, Paperback
Published January 24, 2021
About the author
Brandon Dillon
1 book4 followersBrandon Dillon is an award-winning poet who writes from the soul about his life as a child born into poverty, his travels around the world as a U.S. Marine, love won and love lost, and the trauma that life brings. He lives in Houston, Texas and has performed by invitation, reading his poetry at various live events. If you ask him his biggest accomplishments thus far, he will tell you they are the laughter and tears of the audience as he reads his words on the stage for them. He is amazed when people feel his emotion and in turn show him their emotion. When he is not working or taking care of his two sons, Brandon frequents open mic readings for poetry and all genres of writing with the group Writespace and performs at open mic and slam poetry events with the group Write About Now, at times reading something he just wrote that day. He is never far from his notebook, fitting his writing in between shifts at work, kids and homework, and sleeping.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 22, 2021
I had a mission when I picked up The Mad Ramblings of a Joker by Brandon Dillon. I have an online friend who is suffering from PTSD, and I wanted to get more insight on what she is experiencing. I didn’t expect to relate to anything within the slim book of poetry, but so much resonated with me. And I think that anyone, man or woman, ex-military or lifelong civilian, can relate to Dillon’s inner thoughts that he so graciously shares on the page.
You would be hard pressed to find someone who has never said one thing when they meant something completely different. A person who doesn’t deliberately hide their feelings because they know that the other person couldn’t handle them, would maybe sit through them uncomfortably, but then sneak away and never return. I think we have all, at one time or another, wondered about the point of this life and wished for something better, to be a better person.
For someone who rambles, Dillon has a delightful symmetry to his writing. Many of his poems have an opening that is echoed, either exactly or slightly altered, in the last stanza. Or a short line is repeated throughout with a different response - sort of like the congregational response part of a church service (but in reverse). Sometimes the poetry is more free form - whole paragraphs of ideas that are too large to be confined by stanzas. And although he flits between time and place, there is a flow from each poem to the next. It made me wonder if Dillon curated his collection before publishing or if this was the natural order they were written in whatever notebook he might have jotted them down in.
I like how open and honest the poems are. Not a shred of pretentiousness that I often detect in collections of poetry. Like the writer remembered all the rules of poetry from school and deliberately applied them while overusing a thesaurus at the same time. Dillon does none of those things and it is a breath of fresh air.
As someone who grew up Christian but now identifies more as a spiritual person who still has questions, I very much identified with the poem “Pointless.” This line in particular hit me hard, “What if I do not want to live forever; what if I do not want to be reborn?” The other poem that I felt a particularly strong connection with was “New Year, New Me.” The message that we shouldn’t make false promises to ourselves but “Instead, look back honestly on your year and build upon the success you have had, and learn from the mistakes you have made…”
While on the topic of mistakes, there were typos in this book that I feel like could have been avoided with some editing. I acknowledge that rambling might break the conventions of punctuation, but the typos and misspellings that are scattered throughout the pages were distracting. (The publisher has a revised version in the works now.)
I don’t keep much poetry on my bookshelf, but this book will definitely have a place in my collection. I have bookmarked several poems that I plan to share with my friend and other poems that I plan to reread and meditate on later. This is the sort of book that I know I will reference later for different seasons in my life or to share with someone else.
You would be hard pressed to find someone who has never said one thing when they meant something completely different. A person who doesn’t deliberately hide their feelings because they know that the other person couldn’t handle them, would maybe sit through them uncomfortably, but then sneak away and never return. I think we have all, at one time or another, wondered about the point of this life and wished for something better, to be a better person.
For someone who rambles, Dillon has a delightful symmetry to his writing. Many of his poems have an opening that is echoed, either exactly or slightly altered, in the last stanza. Or a short line is repeated throughout with a different response - sort of like the congregational response part of a church service (but in reverse). Sometimes the poetry is more free form - whole paragraphs of ideas that are too large to be confined by stanzas. And although he flits between time and place, there is a flow from each poem to the next. It made me wonder if Dillon curated his collection before publishing or if this was the natural order they were written in whatever notebook he might have jotted them down in.
I like how open and honest the poems are. Not a shred of pretentiousness that I often detect in collections of poetry. Like the writer remembered all the rules of poetry from school and deliberately applied them while overusing a thesaurus at the same time. Dillon does none of those things and it is a breath of fresh air.
As someone who grew up Christian but now identifies more as a spiritual person who still has questions, I very much identified with the poem “Pointless.” This line in particular hit me hard, “What if I do not want to live forever; what if I do not want to be reborn?” The other poem that I felt a particularly strong connection with was “New Year, New Me.” The message that we shouldn’t make false promises to ourselves but “Instead, look back honestly on your year and build upon the success you have had, and learn from the mistakes you have made…”
While on the topic of mistakes, there were typos in this book that I feel like could have been avoided with some editing. I acknowledge that rambling might break the conventions of punctuation, but the typos and misspellings that are scattered throughout the pages were distracting. (The publisher has a revised version in the works now.)
I don’t keep much poetry on my bookshelf, but this book will definitely have a place in my collection. I have bookmarked several poems that I plan to share with my friend and other poems that I plan to reread and meditate on later. This is the sort of book that I know I will reference later for different seasons in my life or to share with someone else.
April 23, 2021
Poetry feeds the mind and enriches the soul.
I don’t know if someone more celebrated than I am coined that phrase, but it came to mind as I finished reading this collection of poems from Brandon Dillon.
A single poem can take the reader on a journey from the beginning that poses a question or introduces the subject, then leaves them with something significant to think about. A perfect example of that in this book is the poem Daydreaming. It begins, “Daydreaming, do you ever get lost in thought? I mean really lost, lost in a state where hours pass in a blink?”
Following that opening, Brandon ( Since he bared his soul to me on the pages of this book, I think we can be on first-name basis 🙂 ) shares in several lines what he thinks about when he’s daydreaming. The last two lines are, “Thoughts of the past, the future, the now, and the never.” Still posing somewhat of a question for the reader, before ending the poem with: “Thoughts bring upon a never-ending, ever-changing, and always bittersweet story.”
In a way, this entire collection is a bittersweet story of Brandon’s emotional and mental highs and lows as he deals with PTSD and all the other difficult challenges he’s faced in his life. It is often said that a poet is a tortured soul, and that’s what I thought of as I read this collection. But I also see him as a hopeful soul.
While the subject matter is often rather dark, the poems flow with an easy grace and rhythm and can be enjoyed for the craft, as well as for the thoughts that they provoke in us as we read. And there are moments of lightness in the poems. Like in "Grateful," a poem where Brandon reminds himself to be grateful for the good things he’s had in his life, with a repeat of “I need to remember to be grateful.” That’s a reminder many of us need.
In "Close My Eyes," Brandon shares the joy and beauty he sees when he stops looking at the world and look inward. Sometimes we need to do that, too. Step away from the chaos and violence and go within, to a place of peace. A place of self-comfort. It’s okay to be there for a little while. It can be so healing.
A poem starts with the poet, but it always ends with the reader.
That's another truism about poetry that may have already been said before, but I’d like to claim it as mine for the purpose of this review. These poems mean so much more when they touch someone’s heart and mind, and I encourage you to be touched. You won’t be sorry.
I don’t know if someone more celebrated than I am coined that phrase, but it came to mind as I finished reading this collection of poems from Brandon Dillon.
A single poem can take the reader on a journey from the beginning that poses a question or introduces the subject, then leaves them with something significant to think about. A perfect example of that in this book is the poem Daydreaming. It begins, “Daydreaming, do you ever get lost in thought? I mean really lost, lost in a state where hours pass in a blink?”
Following that opening, Brandon ( Since he bared his soul to me on the pages of this book, I think we can be on first-name basis 🙂 ) shares in several lines what he thinks about when he’s daydreaming. The last two lines are, “Thoughts of the past, the future, the now, and the never.” Still posing somewhat of a question for the reader, before ending the poem with: “Thoughts bring upon a never-ending, ever-changing, and always bittersweet story.”
In a way, this entire collection is a bittersweet story of Brandon’s emotional and mental highs and lows as he deals with PTSD and all the other difficult challenges he’s faced in his life. It is often said that a poet is a tortured soul, and that’s what I thought of as I read this collection. But I also see him as a hopeful soul.
While the subject matter is often rather dark, the poems flow with an easy grace and rhythm and can be enjoyed for the craft, as well as for the thoughts that they provoke in us as we read. And there are moments of lightness in the poems. Like in "Grateful," a poem where Brandon reminds himself to be grateful for the good things he’s had in his life, with a repeat of “I need to remember to be grateful.” That’s a reminder many of us need.
In "Close My Eyes," Brandon shares the joy and beauty he sees when he stops looking at the world and look inward. Sometimes we need to do that, too. Step away from the chaos and violence and go within, to a place of peace. A place of self-comfort. It’s okay to be there for a little while. It can be so healing.
A poem starts with the poet, but it always ends with the reader.
That's another truism about poetry that may have already been said before, but I’d like to claim it as mine for the purpose of this review. These poems mean so much more when they touch someone’s heart and mind, and I encourage you to be touched. You won’t be sorry.
April 23, 2021
“I am a survivor.
Since my start, just a survivor.”
In The Mad Ramblings of a Joker, the raw beauty of Brandon Dillon’s poetry is staggering. With PTSD as the basis for many of the poems, the natural expectation is dark, but the reality is even darker because the poems are filled with honest feelings and yet are encouraging as well. Encouraging? Yes, encouraging because these poems show the importance of working through the darkness using artistic measures and then sharing the result with the world. That takes courage on the author’s part and compassion and sympathy/empathy on the reader’s part. Poetry is a unique collaboration between the author and the reader, and Brandon Dillon gives the reader plenty to ponder.
Some of the poems border on prose, but the overall structure of this entire collection is pure poetry, filled with grit, truth, vulnerability, sadness, and hope. The author has clearly been enduring insecurities and anger and heartache for many years and often dons the persona of a clown or a joker to keep people at a distance while still yearning for love, acceptance, and authentic relationships.
As a poet who not only writes poems but reads them aloud to an audience, Brandon is brave because through his work, he gifts the reader with a glimpse into his heart and soul. A heart that has been broken and patched and broken again and again. Brandon’s poetry will no doubt leave a mark because it invites us to perform our own deep dive into emotions that will cut and sting if we don't keep them pushed down, festering until they are finally given air. Most of Brandon’s poems are quick but may take a little while to absorb because of the fierce emotional impact. As a word of warning, many thoughts and topics, such as rage and suicide, might be difficult to read about because of the harsh expression of jagged pain hidden in plain sight. But that is real. The pain is real. As you sojourn through these insightful poems, prepare to be quite moved. How can you not be moved when this baring of the soul to complete strangers may very well bring enlightenment and perhaps even a bit of healing for us all?
“You ask me why I am angry? And I ask why are you not?”
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Since my start, just a survivor.”
In The Mad Ramblings of a Joker, the raw beauty of Brandon Dillon’s poetry is staggering. With PTSD as the basis for many of the poems, the natural expectation is dark, but the reality is even darker because the poems are filled with honest feelings and yet are encouraging as well. Encouraging? Yes, encouraging because these poems show the importance of working through the darkness using artistic measures and then sharing the result with the world. That takes courage on the author’s part and compassion and sympathy/empathy on the reader’s part. Poetry is a unique collaboration between the author and the reader, and Brandon Dillon gives the reader plenty to ponder.
Some of the poems border on prose, but the overall structure of this entire collection is pure poetry, filled with grit, truth, vulnerability, sadness, and hope. The author has clearly been enduring insecurities and anger and heartache for many years and often dons the persona of a clown or a joker to keep people at a distance while still yearning for love, acceptance, and authentic relationships.
As a poet who not only writes poems but reads them aloud to an audience, Brandon is brave because through his work, he gifts the reader with a glimpse into his heart and soul. A heart that has been broken and patched and broken again and again. Brandon’s poetry will no doubt leave a mark because it invites us to perform our own deep dive into emotions that will cut and sting if we don't keep them pushed down, festering until they are finally given air. Most of Brandon’s poems are quick but may take a little while to absorb because of the fierce emotional impact. As a word of warning, many thoughts and topics, such as rage and suicide, might be difficult to read about because of the harsh expression of jagged pain hidden in plain sight. But that is real. The pain is real. As you sojourn through these insightful poems, prepare to be quite moved. How can you not be moved when this baring of the soul to complete strangers may very well bring enlightenment and perhaps even a bit of healing for us all?
“You ask me why I am angry? And I ask why are you not?”
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
November 12, 2021
This is my first ever review for a poetry book, written by Male perspective. The book is full of sad realities and bitter truths about a human being, simply yet beautifully described. And you won't regret reading it. :)
April 24, 2021
Brandon Dillon has perfected his precisely written words that bring home many thoughts that I know I have felt about life in general, especially what is the point of all of our lives or remembering our first kiss. While the title of his book is The Mad Ramblings of a Joker, he’s no joker. These are real and true to life, deeply touching ramblings that hit the core of life with many of them hitting quite close to home for me.
While it was noted there were triggers in these poems, those triggers were not a concern to me. Why? The triggers of abuse, violence, suicide are honest words that Dillon crafted to share how he was feeling at the time the poem was written. I related empathetically to this whole volume of poems and none of those words triggered bad thoughts or feelings. A very good example of this can be found within the short words of “End” because in the end, all our lives matter. Those four words are quite volatile at the moment.
“Pointless,” “Raven,” and “Amnesia” were my favorite poems from Dillon’s book. I have had some of same those exact thoughts from each poem. For example, after reading “Amnesia”, I reflected upon my childhood friend who was from Venezuela who is now a ghost to me. We climbed trees and played hard together going home dirty from our day’s adventures. I have often wondered how well she lived life after moving back to her home country.
The poems are not in any order, so any reader can pick up this book and read any poem out of order and not be lost.
Poignantly written, these poems unmistakably come from Dillon’s heart. If you are a lover of the poetry genre, then give Dillon’s book a chance. You will not be disappointed.
While it was noted there were triggers in these poems, those triggers were not a concern to me. Why? The triggers of abuse, violence, suicide are honest words that Dillon crafted to share how he was feeling at the time the poem was written. I related empathetically to this whole volume of poems and none of those words triggered bad thoughts or feelings. A very good example of this can be found within the short words of “End” because in the end, all our lives matter. Those four words are quite volatile at the moment.
“Pointless,” “Raven,” and “Amnesia” were my favorite poems from Dillon’s book. I have had some of same those exact thoughts from each poem. For example, after reading “Amnesia”, I reflected upon my childhood friend who was from Venezuela who is now a ghost to me. We climbed trees and played hard together going home dirty from our day’s adventures. I have often wondered how well she lived life after moving back to her home country.
The poems are not in any order, so any reader can pick up this book and read any poem out of order and not be lost.
Poignantly written, these poems unmistakably come from Dillon’s heart. If you are a lover of the poetry genre, then give Dillon’s book a chance. You will not be disappointed.
April 25, 2021
Featured on Lone Star Book Blog Tours. Lone Star Blogger Team average rating: 4.8 stars.
December 17, 2023
Brandon presents his poetry with so much emotion it’s a fantastic book
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews