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
Dreams Within Dreams
By Earl Smith Dreams Within DreamsEarl Smith It was a sunny wintery morning. The air was crisp and bracing. At the edge of a forest clearing, Wolverine sat atop a moss-covered log, his sharp gaze fixed on the open meadow beyond the tree line. Just above him a sleek, inky-black Raven perched on a low-hanging … Continue reading Dreams Within Dreams
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
The Random Draw
By Doctor Lynn Reaching into the drawer, I pulled out a pack of pens. One pen was missing from the package. I love these pens because they write so smoothly and are so cheap. I get them at the dollar store. Eight pens for $1.25 – that’s a great deal! I am a note and … Continue reading The Random Draw
Plastic Flowers
By Charmaine Arjoonlal Vanity of vanity Vanity of vanity... All is vanity. Ecclesiastes 1:14 Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto I DODGED THROUGH the din and smells and shoppers to purchase another pair of pants. I wanted her to find me beautiful. I wanted her to love me. I’d finally have a place. In front of a … Continue reading Plastic Flowers
The Good Goodbye
By Tracie Adams I’m positive the assistant manager of the ice-skating rink was not expecting the response he got. He puffed out his argyle sweater-clad chest and squared off his petite, round shoulders as if trying to scare off a bear. His animated behavior only served to heighten the humor of the scene, so my … Continue reading The Good Goodbye
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
Academy of the Heart And Mind 