By Anne McPherson Arthurs On a hot Saturday in mid-September, Roger stood near the only shade tree in the backyard, loosely gripping a beer while meat sizzled on the grill. The sky above was a deep, restless blue, cut with shards of thin grey clouds that lingered but offered no relief from the heat. A … Continue reading Stung
Cassandra’s Portrait
By Jordan Miller CW: Self-Harm Deborah’s heart felt a warm pang of pride watching her daughter enter their new house. The house was beautiful, with a red brick roof, white panel walls, and a blonde awning delicately dangling over the gray wooden porch. The walls had large white windows with green outer trims. An array … Continue reading Cassandra’s Portrait
Give Love
By Heidi Larsen Give love with meMake it slow and strong.Hold my face in your handsPassionately long.Carry me, touch meEmbrace me in your heat.Cuddle me, spoil me,Sweep me off my feet.Cushion my back.I deserve more than floor.Think of me firstAnd hold my door.When you think of love,Think of me.Brag your love to all You see.Secretly … Continue reading Give Love
The Sound of Silence
By Mounashree No sound I’ve heardcomes closeto the sound of silence—All the voices, internal or external,vanishes away.As it feels like guidance.The only soundthat instantly calms my racing mindThis stillness provides nothing but kindnessWhen I sit in an open field,under a tree,and drown myselfin the beauty of being,I notice the leavesgossiping about me—probably laughingat how silly … Continue reading The Sound of Silence
The Groundhog
By Keith W. Norris One week old fallen snowLooks like a layer of StyrofoamCrunches with each stepLike a bed of DoritosAnd the groundhog saw his shadow.Newly formed potholeBig enough to be a submarine hatchFilled with muddy waterSplashed on me by a BuickAnd the groundhog saw his shadow.Black ice-covered sidewalkSprinkled with rock saltThat doesn’t work below … Continue reading The Groundhog
Beach storm
By James Aitchison I watch — captive —as the storm rolls inacross the bay,and the sea suckslight from the sky.The world ends atthe lashing rain,nothing exists beyond the punctured waves,the sand heaves beneathevery lightning strike,and old palms surrendertheir branches. And after the rage — the calm, deep and majestic,and the world holdsits breath. James Aitchison … Continue reading Beach storm
They’ve Fired All the Meteorologists
By Ken Damerow Another storm north of Hope,others past Denver &Kawkawlin, pushing into the lake,boiling fresh water. At the lip of the demon’s anvil,balanced on the upper tower,we scan radar alertsno longer matching the rising pressures.The bear cage, dangerously building, pushes us, franticfor solace, towardsthe pod-cast people,certain in themselves. Ken Damerow is a poet based … Continue reading They’ve Fired All the Meteorologists
Home
By Umera Riyaz In the fields, I held my hands.The echoes of your voice;plays reels of the past.Numbness shrinks my hunger,kissing the wounds of yesterday.My knees ache;my cracked heels are swollenfrom the weight of my thoughts.Barefoot, I walk like a lost sovereign.To the mainland I must return,But my feet remain still on concrete.A burnt bridge … Continue reading Home
The Apartment Window
By Summer Kim My brother and I sit on the apartment balcony,Knees pulled in, the busy city humming below usAcross the street, a woman stands at her window,Phone pressed to her ear, pacing in slow circles My brother says she’s waiting for someone,That every step is a promise she hasn't broken yetHe points out how … Continue reading The Apartment Window
Old Libraries
By Donna M. Davis Conservators know the aromas of old books and the matter that forms them, the rate at which paper decomposes, the glue and the lignin, the stiff cardboard jackets or tooled leather covers.Cellulose dissolves slowly, melds invisibly with the air, fills your nostrils with hints of earth and vanilla. Forest mushrooms pop … Continue reading Old Libraries
Academy of the Heart And Mind 