By J.S. O’Keefe Missing in the murk;ambivalence boiling from the bog; the mind drifts through blurred ideas, chasing meaning and wondering if true faith remains. We were born in another town's shadow, shaped by the salt of hereabout tears; souls packed, pressed breathless, aching to burst free. We only count on ourselves; cheek by jowl, defiant, unyielding; no room for envy or hollow … Continue reading True Faith
A Carless Moment and Other Artwork
By Edward Michael Supranowicz Created with GIMP Edward Michael Supranowicz is the grandson of Irish and Lithuanian/Russian/Ukrainian immigrants. He grew up on a small farm in Appalachia. He has a grad background in painting and printmaking. Some of his artwork has recently or will soon appear in Fish Food, Streetlight, Another Chicago Magazine, Door Is A … Continue reading A Carless Moment and Other Artwork
Mesquite Flat Dunes
By Thomai Dunn Thomai Dunn was born in 2006 in Bakersfield, California. In 2026, she’ll graduate with a Studio Arts AAT along with 3 other degrees and 1 certificate. She was included in the student art galleries of Emerson Middle School, Bakersfield High School, and Bakersfield College. She was a member of the Bakersfield High … Continue reading Mesquite Flat Dunes
Four Springtime Haiku
By James Bates Fresh lilacs bloomingLily-of-the-valley tooSpringtime scent so sweet. Springtime misting rainTender garden shoots reachingThirstily drinking.Deep woods forest pathLeafy green canopy aboveSleepy shade below.Late day setting sunLast light filters through the treesBlanket of soft warmth. Jim lives in a small town twenty miles west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His stories have appeared online in CafeLit, The Writers' … Continue reading Four Springtime Haiku
Hive behind the left eye
By Jordan Corley Hive hums somewhere behind the left eye. Drip of gold down the neck —molten sugar rots in afternoon heat.Today reached 37 degrees A helmet of bees—no straps, just teeth.Frantic needles in a dance you didn’t learn.Buzz like loose wires chewing a lightbulb before the electric shockWaxface on backwards again.Chin too tight, lips … Continue reading Hive behind the left eye
Hurriyet
By Ritu Borah But I will pick up my eyes from the middle—or from where I left them— to see. Like a hydrant hot springtravelling deep indoors, something stirs and spills—to chill, to blend, to radiate. Little smokes outside,a wave rising from the shivering floor. Under their burn-belts, newly observant eyes—the sun, carrying its own … Continue reading Hurriyet
Desserts and Blossoms
By Grace Lee Deep, dark chocolate the shade of walnutswith a hard, shell exterior, when bitten down on, cold brushes the tongue—the chill of fresh, sweet strawberries.Frosting like a heart—pink and redatop a brown, foiled pastry, and adorned with sprinkles on each curve and the elevated center.Sprinkles like hearts, shades of red.Small, carmine sausages in … Continue reading Desserts and Blossoms
Human Bibliothèque
By Carolyn Gevinski You deserve so much more than a poem.The blue sky you crave, a moonlit seato envelop thee, that rushing midnight flood I can be.“Don’t fade, please don’t fade,”I pray—and I never pray.Sistine Chapel in rainbow,Bring me by high-speed rail, let me see,please?I’ll write you my kisses for a fleeting eternity. Carolyn Gevinski’s … Continue reading Human Bibliothèque
Exposition
By M. Benjamin Thorne I always feel sorryfor birds in the rain,suffering stoically thedrop-splatter on head,incessant drip offwicking feather vanes;But do they suffer? Oris it simply the isthat exists before thenext one, the leechingsun sucking back upthe already forgotten?Maybe. But still I seethrough the window,past my reflection,the huddled soaked crowshead-cocked, peeringin at me, my too-smallroom … Continue reading Exposition
Bolt Cutters
By Madeline Mulkerrins At the river’s edge, a group of whooping cranes leap in a circle, aiming their beaks up to the satellites. Google says it’s a bonding ritual. There are rules hung up where you can’t see them, behind the barbed wire. Everyone’s got bolt cutters now. You must crawl under the fence. So … Continue reading Bolt Cutters
Academy of the Heart And Mind 