By Ahmad Al-khatat Back then, when we were teenagers Fifteen years ago when we thought Nothing would separate our friendship To divide it with a positive sorrow My neighbor is now alcoholic Tears fall when I smell her cigarette She used to be smokey looking Attractive to my olden delusions Inside of me, I’m trying … Continue reading Wish You Were Here
A rose and waste picker
By Sunil Sharma A rose blooms on a dump in Delhi It sways in the morning wind the way drunk girls sway and swear on the predatory Indian streets and restricted cultural zones to express happiness and freedom from stifling familial and patriarchal constraints In Mumbai and other metros on long Saturday nights. The morning light plays on the petals and … Continue reading A rose and waste picker
I Close My Eyes
By Ahmad Al-khatat I close my eyes when I died in your arrival more than twice waiting for the sunshine to taste one hard candy A few bitter sips melting & dripping rare honey my mind takes me to the other side of silence where a lips kiss is a thicker bite on the tongue … Continue reading I Close My Eyes
The Other Side of Namelessness
By Peter Magliocco Neon signs don't color any young brothers on the Strip tonight sweltering nearby electric pods a flesh currency multiplies in seized numbers of identity as hell's jackpot awaits. Always the wandering detritus populating the streets in trashy voluminous splendor tarnished by life's imprint, we sidle across it all to reach the … Continue reading The Other Side of Namelessness
Gone But Not Forgotten
By: Kelli J Gavin She has asked me. Asked me to bring her with me. To bring her somewhere new. Somewhere important. Important and meaningful. Meaningful because I love it. Love it because of memories. Memories of days gone by. Gone by not forgotten. Never able to forget. Only able to cherish. Cherish … Continue reading Gone But Not Forgotten
Poems Rizwan Saleem
The island of shattered dreams The ebbs and flows Cold winter winds blow Across the oceanic world No land to see, nor harbors to call The loud silence of doomed souls Black gulls take to air Round and round they fly in evil circumambulations No sound through truculent clouds Of promised rain and … Continue reading Poems Rizwan Saleem
Summer Contest Honorable Mentions
"Days of the Dragonfly" by Feby Joseph, "Summertime" by Rie Sheridan Rose, and "Boardwalk, Estival Solstice" by Gary Glauber. Boardwalk, Estival Solstice Gary Glauber Fragrant silence of lily of the valley’s luster caught in lambent light of dying sunset signals certitude of seasonal change. Summer arrives, all sullen vigor descending, eager to vent shirtless … Continue reading Summer Contest Honorable Mentions
Summer Contest Poetry 3rd Place
Summer’s End; Autumn Prelude Alisdair L R I Hodgson What should be a scent on the breeze is nothing but a bluebottle on the wing; a moment of abstract connection in an otherwise secluded surrounding with that breeze surrounding me, my skin, hairs on end, drawing out the bumps and chasing the dying heat to … Continue reading Summer Contest Poetry 3rd Place
Summer Contest Poetry 2nd Place
South Carolina Apollo By Kelli Allen We know for certain that cobblestones accept heat whether we gallop toward the hut or not. Loving a woman means dying every day, too, and one season begs another to wait just long enough for us to feast ahead of any funeral. When the Chinese man asks where … Continue reading Summer Contest Poetry 2nd Place
Summer Contest Fiction 2nd Place
The Summer Moon By Debjani Mukherjee It is a warm summer evening. Mrinal is busy with her kitchen chores. Her hair is tied up in a untidy bun allowing few forelocks dangling on her round slim face with high cheekbones. Her tall thin body is wrapped with an emerald cotton night gown perfectly complementing her … Continue reading Summer Contest Fiction 2nd Place
Academy of the Heart And Mind 