Humpty Dumpty was a girl.Her parents’ marriage was a swirl.Her mommy always called her “Humpty”Her daddy always called her “Dumpty”One day when she crossed the streetWhile only looking at her feet—“Watch out, Humpty!” yelled her mother;“Look out, Dumpty!” screamed her father.And before the car could hit her(she was hit first by the fact that she had been so confused throughout her entire life by this … Continue reading Humpty Dumpty by Raluca Nechita
The only thing dead is my right arm—limp as a stunned mackerel washed up by the surf.I can see the fish is still attached to my shoulder.How weird is that? I can’t grasp the word for stroke. Nothing makes sense. I forget about breakfast,forget I should be hungry but don’t forgetto apply lipstick and sunblock. I’m not close to dead.Not even dying. In the ambulance, … Continue reading After the Stroke by Dale Champlin
“Sharks are as primordial as fear itself.”-Willow Defebaugh The megalodon was a massive shark, with six-foot jaws and triangular teeth up to seven inches long. Such a creature serves as a fitting emblem of Donna Dallas’ latest book, named in the extinct beast’s honor. In her title poem, Dallas explores her metaphorical relationship to this massive, shadowy creature that lurks beside her. Megalodon represents the destructive evil … Continue reading Fathoming the Abyss: Donna Dallas’ Megalodon by J. Khan
A new reality, my poet’s communitydeparts Kaprielian Hall, displaced home, sweet homelogs-on Lenovo/Apple/HP/Dell laptops, Zoom.My comfort regarding familiar screen faces voices, support, a vaccine, & fortress we’ve builtagainst the Trumprona-45 virus.COVID-19 pneumonia kills like shit stinksa spawning virus, fluid-filled lungs inflame bleed, drown—when Liberty can’t breatheU.S.N.S. Comfort sails N.Y.C. subways.Trumprona-45 contagion smothers reasonmines fear’s depth, we backstroke toxic swamps of lies Donald J. Trump’s hiss … Continue reading T-45 Contagion by Ron L. Dowell
Winter holds the sunransom behind a thick white sky,an infinite, opaque blanket of cloudsclutched in the armsof the extortionist. If you knew what you had to doto set the sun free;to shine furiously on all of us—would you do it? Continue reading Pledge by Sara Altman
I saw Seamus Heaney onceat Grolier’s Bookstorein Harvard Square, which carriedonly poetry. He waslifting and looking at booksjust like I was. I knew whohe was, but had not readhis poetry. It crossedmy mind to ask him ifI could buy a beer for him. He saw me see him, smiledsaid nothing, just went on looking. I think he left not long after andI forget if I … Continue reading Grolier’s Bookstore by Frank Freeman
Skin, blue,like mistletoe berriesunder her midnight sun,she sways and humsto the tune of firefliesin flightand whispers upon the windthrough bare branches.Night’s chill rests, warm,upon bare shouldersin want of cover, butthe animaand bloodare numb to Winter’s sting.So, she dances,the wreath of Spring,long fallen away,beyond crystalline graspsof icy fingertips(or loving hands).Fallingsilent and still—a night heron frozen, mid-flight—she turns, slowly,to meand the offending glowof yellow lamplighton bedroom walls … Continue reading Frozen Charlotte by David Estringel
As I sat on the couch,she tended to the photographof the man in Army-issue uniform.Her husband had died. As details emerged,a hero rose up in the roomdefying gravity and death.More time elapsed. Emboldenedby several beers, I wrapped an arm around her.But she had to go and tell me his rank.And how many of the enemy he wastedbefore a lucky shot took him out.I didn’t think … Continue reading The Blind Date and the Soldier by John Grey
Catch the scent, hackles rise.Thinks I don’t see. Stay low. Stay secret.Meat memory. Salivating. Meat memory, salt-slick skin.Snarling, froth and spittle.I like to crunch the bones, suck the marrow.Panting. Replete.Calcite deposits collect on canines.Rattling breath; white pain of incisors.Replete. Sink in sleep. Continue reading Hunt by Megan Cartwright
We were safely sleeping in our roomswhen my brother was awakened by the foul breath of a stormthat violently rattled his windowand ominously groaned. As he was checking on inmates and locks,alarmed by the raging sea that not very distantly foamed,the floor shook beneath his feetand the walls began to move to and fro. I heard him call my namein a loud but shaky tone.I left my … Continue reading The Earthquake of 6 Feb 2023 by Susie Gharib
