By Doug Stoiber He rode a crooked path across the plains, and started youngFifteen years old, he robbed a widow with a stolen gunHe rustled cattle, hijacked trains, kidnapped a banker’s childHe killed a missionary priest and left his church defiledThere weren’t laws enough that he could say he hadn’t brokenWith fear and anger, people … Continue reading The Devil With A Gun
Wet Work
By Robert Beveridge So many contracts,and lawyers to enforce them.Time is nothing—no, less.All that mattersis the position, the last kiss,a good scrub of the handswhen done. Surgeonsare better paid in coin,but derive less satisfaction. Robert Beveridge (he/him) makes noise (xterminal.bandcamp.com) and writes poetry on unceded Mingo land (Akron, OH). He published his first poem in … Continue reading Wet Work
A Beautiful Haunting
By Brent Yergensen He sees her in everything--a mother, a wife.To give him life, she took to strife.Does he see what she did in friendship abound?For all his life he'll feel her ghost round.Who is the haunter that he later understood?She saw all things he one day could.Whatever her effort for his behalf,Was her beautiful … Continue reading A Beautiful Haunting
A Winter Poem
By James G. Piatt A haunting silence, and the emptiness of longing, pierce through the winter night mist as I sit in the library listening to voices in my mind. They are trudging through long-forgotten memories, and are mere black smudges of forgotten memories. I hear black-feathered crows cawing in the distance, complaining about the … Continue reading A Winter Poem
Blank Slate
By Christine Leoni I walk down the broken steps onto the cracked path.It leads to an irregular dirt road winding underneath a canopy of trees.The holes in the sky blind my sight momentarily and warm me from within. The tips of the pines sway sending a chill of air across my face.My cheeks flush, and … Continue reading Blank Slate
Jonathan Edwards
By Rip Underwood No death, no fracture, issued the dayour House’s joists, riven by frost,knuckled off their notches, droppedupon many a balcony’s full weight.I called it a rebuke, a mercy, for nothinghappens without a great Consent.The ecstasies came and went; foxglovefell to winter, and all the coloniesfelt of it, asking, “Pastor, what has comeupon Boston, … Continue reading Jonathan Edwards
Song of the Coffee Pot and Old Apartments
By Spencer Keene Song of the Coffee Pot The fluorescent bulbs flick onas you stumble into the kitchen,your eyes swollen with sleep.From my perch atop the counterI watch your clumsy movements,anticipate the immanent warmth.The cupboard creaks and revealsits stores to you; boxes, tins, cansand a collection of odds and ends.You palm the big blue cannister,lift … Continue reading Song of the Coffee Pot and Old Apartments
Who is that, that Stands Against the Wall?
By Jack Strayer Who is that, that stands against the wall?Is there even anyone at all?A stalwart face with empty lipsAnd furtive eyes, I cannot tell, of wine or gris.His arms rise and fall to a silent museWhile his legs stumble as if in a fugue.His skin is as transparent as a pallor fog,But as … Continue reading Who is that, that Stands Against the Wall?
Feeding The Gulls
By Richard Weaver They surround us with wingswild for popcorn and bread,even a day-old granola bar.We toss them upwards to airas they hover in the wind above;we scatter them with a dozen tossesStill they stay with us,still they come each morningwitness to what we offer. Richard Weaver volunteers with the Maryland Book Bank, CityLights, and … Continue reading Feeding The Gulls
Garden of Healing
By Kelly Doheney A garden lies in the center of my soul.Once dead, it is becoming alive.A place where a survivor’s story unfolds.A place where dreams and hopes thrive.The sun shines bright; the sky is blue.Nourishing the healing of a broken heart.The soil, once barren, is now fertile and new.For new beauty from ashes begins … Continue reading Garden of Healing
Academy of the Heart And Mind 