By Pauline Olthof-Youn A sliver of hope that there can be change, And holding out an olive branch to you, Wrapped up in an apology, like a dumpling, Loud cries of joy and relief are emitted Like the sound a bookshelf makes when it clatters and shakes On an eve when we are playing vinyl … Continue reading Forgiveness
Who’m I If Not Me?
By Ken Gosse If I write yours, then I am you.If you write mine, then I am two.That’s surely not what we should dofor I’m sure I’d obscure the viewintended; you might be offendedand your readers seek amendedpoetry from you, not me,that’s written how it’s s’posed to be;but otherhanded, should you chooseattempts to write while … Continue reading Who’m I If Not Me?
13 Days of Halloween: All Hallows’ Eve by Nina Dinan
When russet leaves begin to fall,When light retreats and west winds blow,When shaken coals begin to glowAnd play with shadows on the wall,Sliced apples bubble in a pot,The wind relays the scent of smoke,The sticks and bellows blow and poke,And hearth flames catch a dimming spot. They say a veil of gossamerHangs just beyond the … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: All Hallows’ Eve by Nina Dinan
13 Days of Halloween: Hallows’ Eve by Elanur Williams
Within, a haunted life - shadows and hidden rooms loom against the full moon'ssilver glow, inviting in winged spirits of the night. Elanur Williams is an educator based in New York City, where she lives with her husband and daughter. Her work has previously been published in Eunoia Review, 3Elements, The Ekphrastic Review, Feminism and Religion, … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: Hallows’ Eve by Elanur Williams
13 Days of Halloween: His Coffin’s Last Tale by Ken Gosse
On his next and last voyage he would pay the full fare.As a passenger now, he found he didn’t careto chase whales or kowtow to a ship tyrant’s ordersor bunk with the crew down below in close quarters,nor climb up the mast like he’d done far too often—the ship far below looking like a small … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: His Coffin’s Last Tale by Ken Gosse
13 Days of Halloween: November 1st 6:03 am by Laura Dennis
The night beforedancing with the darkdry ice smokeand heartbeat musicflashing lightsa haze of alcoholand drugsThe morning aftera car barely stopsat the cornerhis vampire make upsmudged and sadstruggling to get homebefore dawnsafe for another year Laura Dennis is inspired by people, moments and sunrises. She has been published in various anthologies and online.
13 Days of Halloween: The Language Between by Carrie Farrar
I. Ursula, Who Heard Me DifferentlyYou didn’t flinch when I spoke in patternfingers drumming the table’s edge,the air shimmering between syllables.You heard the meaning inside the rhythm,not the mess of words around it.Your gaze was a small cathedralwhere my noise found room to breathe.Even silence widened for us,its wings brushing the walls of your patience.You … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: The Language Between by Carrie Farrar
A Huntress Who Locks in
By Douglas J. Lanzo Flashing ambered orange, her eyespierce tall savannah grass,spotting shadows of horned beastsgrazing contentedly under mattedshade of acacia trees,as she tracks on padded pawsthrough yellow-seeded grass.Downwind of the herdthe undetected hunterflexes her spine and accelerates, pulsing with each clawed bound gripping sun-scorched earthas she powers quickening strides,turning in tight arc toward the … Continue reading A Huntress Who Locks in
The Gravity of Human Hands
By Mohit Saini \We are the species that names the stars,then counts their worth in coin and scars.We build our homes with borrowed stone,and call the dust beneath us "own."The same hand carving sacred artwill sign the orders, tear apart.The voice that rocks a child to sleepwill chant for war when passions leap.Yet in the … Continue reading The Gravity of Human Hands
Turnips in Southern Tennessee Still
By Michael Lee Johnson The full moon illuminates a dense coniferous forest and a path winding between the trunks of tall pines. The moonlight is divided into rays, covered by the tops of pine trees In Tennessee, the shadows of the southernwooden structures stalled off the narrowhighway and came to an abrupt end.Lost in the … Continue reading Turnips in Southern Tennessee Still
Academy of the Heart And Mind 