March They sit at their usual table, in their usual spots. They practice habit; habit keeps it together. Fred orders the black bean soup and the Caesar salad. It is lunch. If it was dinner, he’d order the seafood stew, but it’s always lunch. They only meet for lunch. Marie orders the salmon wrap. She has ordered this before. She likes the squeeze of lemon … Continue reading A Pairing by Nathan Leslie
It seems fitting—poetic, really—that Beverly Cleary’s death should occur as the throes of the pandemic and its effects continue to rage on (despite what the “officials” might try to declare with their attempts at “rosy” depictions; people will say anything to keep the wheels of capitalism turning, after all). For this is the generation of children slated, arguably, to be the most “fucked up”—or at … Continue reading The Experiences of Ramona Quimby Belong to the Twentieth Century
For starters, the organizers miscalculated the general interest among vampires for collectively addressing the avoidable self-annihilation of their preferred food source. The three hundred known nests across the globe sent a total of twenty-eight delegates. The meeting was held in New York, over the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. They were unable to secure a room in the United Nations, as initially planned, due to … Continue reading Eat All the Politicians by D. S. G. Burke
after Federico García Lorca, An Unfaithful Housewife Translated from the Spanish by Conor O’Callaghan When I led Haroldto my rock by the pondI wondered if he was a virginthough he would soon be my husband. Would he guess that I was not?It took me so long to answer for myself—what does it mean to be a virgin?The peepers were chirping their lullaby. Was it the … Continue reading A Faithful Housewife by Dale Champlin
I ask, just to pass the time. Today for the first timein a long string of days,Old Shoe is lucid. “He died in an avalanche.No, it was a house firewhile I was on vacation. A car crash,” she said,“No wait, he was deliveringthe mail and a semi flattenedhis cart. He was a lumberjackand a widow-maker got him. Hewas cut in two by a freight train.He was … Continue reading How Did Harold Die? by Dale Champlin
We are getting old Our blood is thick and gravelly Pumped up noisily through traffic jam Veins passing abandoned arteries along the way We are told in unison That at our age breathing is important But we talk, and quickly come to the conclusion That less is more So we hold hands and breath and memories Squeezing tighter As days creak by Together we imagine a lightning purge And two smoldering wheelchairs Drifting … Continue reading Old by Christoffer Felix Wahlberg
A spiderlanded somehow in mybathroom trash basket,dancing frantically among tissues.I told her in a singsong voiceI wanted freedom for her,lowering a short glass with folded paperangling to evacuate. She found corners in the bag insideand skittered to climb the crinkling plasticexhausted then retreating to a fold.I urged her on a minute longer and then scoffedsome creatures might just rather die—maybe more prefer a death they … Continue reading Spider by Sarah LaRue
I love youAnd i want to hug youUntil i feel your ribs breakingUnder my fingertipsWith that sand filling in my hollow wellsSo that no one else can drink from themWhen you are gone I love youAnd i want to live on your tongueIn itIn meIn us I love youSo much i want to surrenderTo those heavenly watersIn the blue of your eyesAdmitting my every sinAnd … Continue reading Sand by Nadia Telenchuk
The night before the moon was roundI saw two familiar strangers in the streetThe air was late and tipsyAnd magnificentScentFull of sound I saw two familiar strangersSharing a moment of truthTheir black suitsSuiting the deep-dark clothOf the nightWhich screamed to be young White collars were hidingThe little secretsUnder their collarbonesMoving slowly up and down and up and downIn the slightest attemptsNot to breathe I saw … Continue reading Familiar Strangers by Nadia Telenchuk
(CNN) – [Pope Emeritus] Benedict also wrote that he believes celibacy carries “great significance” and is “truly essential” as a priest’s path to God becomes the foundation of his life. “The call to follow Jesus is not possible without this sign of freedom and of renunciation of all commitments,” he wrote. “Celibacy must penetrate, with its requirements, all of the attitudes of existence.” Retired Pope … Continue reading Papal Ejaculations by Joe McAvoy
