By Ramiro Valdes My hairs break through the jungle of my scalp and retreat immediately. I find them dead in the palm of my hand— executed by a razor you once gave me. Oh, I can’t forget you. You were a sponge enveloping its body on mine, but you died from excessive use. My sorrows … Continue reading Hairs
Fierce Mountain Majesty
By Douglas J. Lanzo Golden brown eyesas fierce as the glaciered mountainsscan steep valleysdescending into storm-tossed seaspiercing through crystals streamed by hurricane-force winds released by fisted clouds obliterating all traces of sunlight.Driven by meows of hungerfrom kittens intensifiedby echoes of frozen rock,she suffers the elements, her tawny fur silvering in the blistering mountain storm.Tracking movement, … Continue reading Fierce Mountain Majesty
Lipstick
By Cithara Patra In the dark, I knocked overA couple of things you left behindThe year-old perfume you never sprayedThe tweezers still trapped in plastic casingBlush, foundation, mascara, eyeshadowBought but never used once in your life It’s all new, everything you bought that dayExcept for the tube of red lipstickYou smeared a little bit of … Continue reading Lipstick
Everything
By Craig Kirchner I’ve got a lot of things,stuff I haven’t looked at in years,jewelry, which I never wear,and with a few exceptions, can’t identify.Navy blue leather chair, great chair,doesn’t face the TV, never gets sat in.Marble top chest, heirloom armoire, it’s all just furniture.3 overcoats, 4 jackets, no winter in Florida.In the corner of … Continue reading Everything
Tupelo Press 30/30 Poetry Marathon Commentary Days 11-15
By Thomas Page For the month of January, I will be writing one poem in a "poetry marathon." The poems will be posted here: https://tupelopress.org/the-3030-project You may also find out more about the poets and their fundraising campaigns here: https://tupelopress.org/the-3030-poets As part of the marathon, I will be providing commentary on each of the poems … Continue reading Tupelo Press 30/30 Poetry Marathon Commentary Days 11-15
Urban Wonder
By Alex Andy Phuong When it comes to the identity Of an urban society,There is much to sayOn any given day,And even if smoke and fogWithin a valley of ashesWere to obscure sunlight from the sky,People could still do so much moreThrough the willingness to try,And being forgivenCan create the opportunity To a newfound way … Continue reading Urban Wonder
A Door Below
By Elijah Christopher Lying down there like the debris of our past.Down there, we find ourselves.Left for the dead by our flawsand failures. Separated from what made us whole but still moving like a headlesszombie. Wondering of what to do with what is left of us.Oh, we have hit rock bottom.And now, we only want … Continue reading A Door Below
Light Footed
By Glenn Marchand If a person could explain life in totality, one might dare to embark upon such a journey. Pieces and parcels, passions and karmas. And such a soothing exaggeration of sails, gods and goddesses, seas and souls. If a person could dispel all mysteries, one would suffer those discoveries. Whereto, science has enveloped … Continue reading Light Footed
Con te Partirò
By Kathleen Chamberlin In the cold January winters, when the darkness comes early And the nights last forever, I find myself another year older And I reflect on all that I once was, And all that I am, And all that I will never be. My thoughts linger on those I have loved,Yearning to once … Continue reading Con te Partirò
My nan as a butoh ghost.
By Matthew T Phillips Nan at 95White hairWhite faceRosacea cheeksPerpetually falling asleepUnable to finish a counter meal Emptying herself outAs if practicing for deathHer head gently tremoringAs if wearing an imaginary crownMade of tortoiseshell and precious stonesThat she is delicately shifting the weight ofPeople already speaking of herIn the third person, while she is still … Continue reading My nan as a butoh ghost.
Academy of the Heart And Mind 