By Luchang Zhu Are there two identical clouds in the sky?If not,why does this one feel familiar, like a cloud from my hometown returning unannounced?Are there two identical people on the planet?If not,why does your presence stir something in me, like B cells recognizing a second encounter?Are there two identical days in a life?If not,why … Continue reading Memory Cells
How You Know I’m Goofing Off and Not Around
By James Croal Jackson Because I’ll be standing on a stackof tasks, procrastinatingunder the banana moongrabbing the confetti tailof sun in one hand, and in the otherpetting the catof my dreams, the one stillwith wings, purringas it falls to sleep. James Croal Jackson is a Filipino-American poet working in film production. His latest chapbook is A … Continue reading How You Know I’m Goofing Off and Not Around
Mom’s Magic Carpet
By Tim Law "Mom's Magic Carpet" was originally published in the Journeys IV anthology I close my eyes and I feel her near. I know that this must be a dream, but I wish with all my heart that it wasn’t. “Hi, Mom,” I whisper to the night. The sound of familiar, but far off … Continue reading Mom’s Magic Carpet
A World Where Men Never Die
By Ha-rin She arrived in their world dressed in white, like a question no one had asked. Everything there felt too beautiful, too still—trees shimmered as if they had never known decay, waterfalls poured endlessly without losing force, and sunlight rested on the land as though time itself had stopped to admire it. The people … Continue reading A World Where Men Never Die
While He Waits
By K.F. Black “Patience is virtrue.” “What?” “Patience is virtrue!” Wally said again, louder this time. Papa had told him to collect smiles while he was gone, and Wally was very good at following directions. “Papa says so!” The man barely looked at him. He just turned back to the receptionist and slapped a hand … Continue reading While He Waits
The Drift
By Dhaanvi Jaipuriar The tide isn’t coming in; it’s a slow hemorrhageleaking through the floorboards, a salt-crustcalcifying the mahogany until the room is a reefof everything you’ve tried to bury.You navigate a hallway of doors that openinto more hallways, each one tapering,smelling of damp cedar and the ozone-stinkof a storm that refuses to break.A sturgeon … Continue reading The Drift
Sunday Night
By Julia Vaughan Pizza or ThaiIndian or ChineseI don’t feel like cookingThe end ofA winter weekendLazyThe fire’s onBeach walked this morningWith beanies onA bracing bitter windSunday’s rugby’s on TVWatching the Newcastle KnightsFiercely defending against the Auckland WarriorsHot fresh popcorn for startersDeliciously coatedBaz’s recipe of TabascoCashew nut butter and hoisin saucePizza wins tonightAnd Woolies’ naughtyLoaded lemon-poppyseed … Continue reading Sunday Night
Between Heaven and Presence
By Earl Smith Roger Steris reached the gate at LaGuardia airport with the brisk stride of a man who believed that purpose was a form of armor. His backpack - Yale Divinity School patch carefully stitched on - thumped lightly as he walked. He was twenty-eight, newly degreed, bound for what he imagined would be … Continue reading Between Heaven and Presence
Before the Sea
By Muskan Singh A dark night,the edge of the sea—there sits a girl,drowned in a deep calm.Gazing at the open sky,with a quiet smileresting in her eyes.There is no fear of losing,no longing to gain—only a patiencelike the waves of the seashimmering within her.Even in the darkest nights,she continues to shinewith a lightof her own.
I’m lying down but I can’t sleep.
By Luca Zani It’s one thirty-eight in the morning. In your sleep, you shift your knee to a position that looks like the night terrors of a chiropractor. You’re blocking the tv, but I was only listening to the audio anyway. I refuse to believe this is comfortable for you. In your sleep, you smile … Continue reading I’m lying down but I can’t sleep.
