By Jade Metrillo When Won’s brother calls to ask how he’s doing, he says he’s doing good. He talks about getting new glasses and contacts, about the stray cats in his neighborhood he sees on his walks, and the rains they’ve been having lately. He doesn’t tell him about the reason why he needed new … Continue reading aren’t you cold?
Hypothermic Dream
By Titoxz I In the void where shadows whisper,Where light refracts through fractured faith,A silent dialogue—dissonant, distant—Emerges between the echo of a godAnd the ghost of a penitent heart.Did I, in my spirals of doubt,Unravel the threads of our covenant,Or was it You, who, in the stillness,Withdrew the breath of divinity,Leaving me to suffocateIn the … Continue reading Hypothermic Dream
Dream on Dreamer
By Timothy Law Once upon a time, I used to dreamI would imagine finding a princess both fair and sweetI would make her my wife and love her foreverOur happily ever after, or so I thoughtNow I am older, I understandPrincesses don’t fall for guys like me, shy, reserved, quiet as can beBut, I have … Continue reading Dream on Dreamer
A Library’s Secrets
By Mattie Brown It was just another quiet night for Sam, the night guard at the Alderbrook Public Library. This being only his fourth day on the job, he is starting to become familiar with the twitching broken screen of the security camera computer and the eerie silence of the empty library. The only noise … Continue reading A Library’s Secrets
Caravaggio
By Matthew Lee And again, today, I look, a frenzy, wasted breaths that mouthed civilities and ersatz pastiches of backslapping to elevate the atomic consistency of the air, and remembering that to others, against the vitreous backdrop of the drawing room, we are simply caricatures laying out platitudes to Chet Baker, and Davis now, and … Continue reading Caravaggio
All Alone
By H. L. Dowless All alone, talking to myself. Alone, staring at the walls, ‘tis only me and nobody else. Alone, with my own mixed up thoughts. Alone, with my haunting terror dreams; hearing whispers all about, I must be going mad so it seems. It's only me, seeing what I want to see, reading … Continue reading All Alone
Schism
By Glenn Marchand We seem amiss, afield. I search for keys; in turn, to angle a piano. Something grand; something full of grace. A piano that speaks. I was like a sponge, collecting keys, pausing to whiff the breeze. An inrush of thoughts, feeling musicians—the art, vivacity, and velocity. Over ink spills, plums and pears, … Continue reading Schism
Crown of Madness
By Willow Isobel You say I am too much,A storm ripping through your calm,A flame too wild to tame —But my friends will dance in my fires,Praise the sparks that light the dark.I have no need to be understood,No craving for your approval.It’s a leash that chokes the breath,A weight that sinks the spirit.I am … Continue reading Crown of Madness
My Heart is Soft Again
By Charlotte Bartow Fuchs An old man plays the saxophone,his pruny fingers press on the golden buttonsas the music pulls me deeper into the train stationmy heels clicking on the white tilethe music swirling through my beingI see God when the curtains riseI am the first person up to give a standing ovationmy heart is … Continue reading My Heart is Soft Again
Strong at the broken places
By Matt Eidson When sleeping in WalMart parking lots got old, I started parking between semis at gas stations. Then one night a trucker with a beer belly and a MAGA hat knocked on my driver side window for five minutes straight. I quietly rolled out of the bunk in the back of the van, … Continue reading Strong at the broken places
Academy of the Heart And Mind 