By Diane Gillespie Newly married, my husband Mike and I drove along Boskeydell Road through the hills of Southern Illinois on our way to a small farm. It was a warm summer day in 1970. Car windows open, our breaths became deeper and our bodies more relaxed as we observed the countryside, its woods and … Continue reading Sliced Tomatoes
Yellow
By Bluford Birdsong Originally published in Literary Yard Jill shuts down the treadmill after running three eight minute miles, proud of herself and thankful for a couple of hours alone. Still panting, she opens the stainless steel door of the new fridge and grabs a blue shaker bottle of branch-chain amino acids. The Tahitian Punch … Continue reading Yellow
House of Gold and Nothing But Smiles Over Here
By Sekani Johnson House of Gold So ashamed am I of being such an intolerable guest in people’s (now stranger’s?) lives Burrowing into portraits of fatigued specters cold vapors swaying like cacti hovering over chimneys buried in the loamy earth of a dark warren Their bodies shed the lighter gemini and shy into bramble patches … Continue reading House of Gold and Nothing But Smiles Over Here
Septic Shock and Other Poems
By Marie Menta Septic Shock Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, your trembling hand in mine. Your pounding heart is quickening. blood pressure dropping. Septic shock. Again. I gently stroke your 13 years-old cheek, that nestled in my breast before becoming sick. Body weak. The chemo that destroyed the cancer in your blood, … Continue reading Septic Shock and Other Poems
Morning
By Mike Turner Dark night slowly lifts towards dawn Jet black skies shade to deep blue Gently, morning’s coming on Fleecy clouds reflect sun’s hue Sweet dew lies upon the grass Birdsong fills expanding air Sunlight grows as shadows pass Leaves rustle in breezes fair And as awakening from a dream You sense the world … Continue reading Morning
The Blues and Other Poems
By Aminath Neena The Blues I met my eyes last night in a dream and I saw it liquefied and streaming with blue tears “Stop! Please stop right now” I urged. “How can I? It’s your heart that provokes me. said my eyes, with downcast wet lashes. “Don’t you blame me now!” “How am I … Continue reading The Blues and Other Poems
The Wall
By Jim Woessner There was a loud, sharp crack from outside. The elderly woman sat up, sucked in her breath, and turned to the boy who was heating water on the one-burner stove. “What was that, Unuk?” she asked, using the Serbian word for “grandson.” “Not to worry, Baba,” the boy said. “Just a car. … Continue reading The Wall
Identity
By Oladasu Michael Emerald In his early twenties, Oladosu Michael Emerald writes from Ogun State, Nigeria. He is a poet, an artist, an actor and a worshipper of music , who gathers muse from personal experiences, happenings in society and nature. He has a silvery voice that etches in the heart of his audience. Say hi … Continue reading Identity
Four Emptied Soles and Other Poems
By Stephen Kingsnorth Four Emptied Soles Wailing, she nestles four shoes, then lays them on poor brown earth, witness to total loss, for these the only graves for three. Rearranging the order, as if seeking for a match, but only one pair present - even shoes sustained a loss. A cloth scrap drapes unmoving, limp-hangs … Continue reading Four Emptied Soles and Other Poems
Sun Dancer
By Joe Sonnenblick I never picked a ripe piece of fruit in my life,Always biting into sour dreamscape.The greatest moments of us, fleetingThe vivid nature of the memory, dulled.I want to know why you were who you were?Fourteen years on,No prediction or summationsGentle hush over the arborsThen sirens blare,Breaking the autumn gazeStaring out into the … Continue reading Sun Dancer
Academy of the Heart And Mind 