Only now, as what I treasure about Thanksgivingis no longer possible,only now do I realize that the important aspect of celebratingthis holiday has always been changing,year after year, decade after decade.As a child, it was to have playtime with my cousins.Then as a teenager in love, it was to spend time with mysweetheart and her … Continue reading November “The Thursdays” Contest: Gold Winner: “We Gather Together” by Clarence Heller
November “The Thursdays” Contest: Silver Winner: “The Long November” by Ken Gosse
Dontcha just hate when Thanksgiving is latebecause Friday the First means the calendar’s cursedbut you’re so hurly-burly you start a week earlythen sit at the table and wait, wait, wait, wait! Ken Gosse usually writes short, rhymed verse using whimsy and humor with traditional meters. First published in First Literary Review–East in November 2016, his … Continue reading November “The Thursdays” Contest: Silver Winner: “The Long November” by Ken Gosse
November “The Thursdays” Contest: Bronze Winner: “Pets” by Oleg Daugovish
The camp fire dies down, and so does the conversation. The darkness blacks out the imperfections of the dusty Californian chaparral. Under the Big Tree, four slumped silhouettes sit, dissolving the week’s worries with cold brews. “Woof, woof, woof!” cry chops the stillness, urgency increasing with every bark. “Where’s that dog’s owner?” Maura’s logic becomes … Continue reading November “The Thursdays” Contest: Bronze Winner: “Pets” by Oleg Daugovish
Winners of the November Contest
Here are the winners of our eleventh 2025 Contest! The dates next to their names will be the day their work will be posted to our website. 28: Bronze Winner: Oleg Daugovish 29: Silver Winner: Ken Gosse 30: Gold Winner: Clarence Heller Thank you to everyone who entered into our contest!
Feathery Hope
By Manoela Torres This silly little heartBeats and breaks for youNever learning when to stop Forever figuring what to doWhether you go Whether you stay This heart will grow wideDay after dayLoving and losing Was never the gameA heart doesn't survive on loveIt's feathery hopeThat has us jump off the cliff Flying then fallingAgain and … Continue reading Feathery Hope
“Dear Imposter”
By Luisa Mays I blame youFor the dreams that always sleptAnd for the story never told.I blame you. For the lesson never learned,And the space never filledYouI blame.For the busted something that I never fixed.The memories I never switched.The cobwebs I never cleaned And the hours of sleep I missed.I blame youFor the plans that … Continue reading “Dear Imposter”
Five Fall Colors Haiku
By Jim Bates Sumac leaves changingShades of orange and burgundyColors of pure joy.Gunmetal grey skyBlazing red maples stand proudFall’s splendorous show.Autumn wind blowingGolden leaves racing madlyTrees becoming bare.Along the lakeshoreTrees fiery orange and redAutumnal delight.Man with cameraBlue aster and honeybeeCaptured for all time. Jim lives in a small-town twenty miles west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His … Continue reading Five Fall Colors Haiku
Blue Heron Lake
By John Ziegler I woke at dawn.Still beneath the musty quiltI cranked the tall window open,smelled the moist air coming off the lake.I stretched and stepped from the bed,put on sneakers and jeans,the green flannel shirt over his white tee shirtand crept down the stairs to avoid waking the adults.I grabbed a muffin and an … Continue reading Blue Heron Lake
July on the Calendar
By Mehtab Singh The house smelled the same as it had when he left it four years ago. He tried to recall his memories there, but all he could remember was his restricted childhood behind those walls. He did not cry when he buried his parents; he thought it was freedom for him. He entered … Continue reading July on the Calendar
The Burden of Integrity, The Cost of Its Absence
By Cora Tate Robyn’s older sister, Elizabeth, lay dying half a world away, in the regional hospital in Sweden where both were born. A tearful telephone conversation ten days earlier told Beth’s sibling doctors estimated Beth had five weeks to live. Despite sibling arguments and rivalry as children, the sisters enjoyed a close relationship from … Continue reading The Burden of Integrity, The Cost of Its Absence
Academy of the Heart And Mind 