By Mohit Saini They told you to be small—to erode politely,to apologize for your weather,to let the clouds decide your silhouette.But rock remembers its volcanic tongue.Peel back your skin of topsoil:beneath lies a spine that refused the glacier,a throat that still hums with magma.Height is not arrogance.It’s the act of remainingwhile the wind tries to … Continue reading The Mountain’s Promise
a divine dinner tune
By Grace Lee when we gathered around the kitchen table,holding hands as my mother said grace,the clatter of plates rang like beating drumswhile the dumplings cracked like fireworkson the frying pan. our voices were keys of apiano. every conversation played in myears as a melodic tune. blinded by risingsteam and golden, glimmering sunlightpeeking through the … Continue reading a divine dinner tune
mercurial reverie
By Leonardo Chung in the blackened abyss i hear a voice: a harlequined peacock a fiery blaze of sequinsin echoes of notes like stars an orchestra ofsupernovas a sculptor of soundscapesa singer of requiems of rhapsodies now hold on to that cosmic tie and ignite the tail of that chameleon let’s soar on wings of … Continue reading mercurial reverie
Gathering Embers
By Langutani n'wa Vahlengwe I collect pieces left behind, in eerie walls where shadows alignA dim glow guides me through the darkI collect debris of shattered dreams, what’s been lostIlluminate the faint fallacies that haunt us stillIn far-off lands, where frozen hearts and minds clutch tightThe weight of war and legacy of painI gather and … Continue reading Gathering Embers
Afternoon Thoughts in Katoomba
By Rizwan Sahib Bodies flatline on the heat wave,and that’s the good. The bad: after the argument, I flung my broad-brimmed hat into the back seat,and left it there. Now I feel like I’ve been whacked on the head by a cricket bat. Someone says to sit in the shade. If only we could trade … Continue reading Afternoon Thoughts in Katoomba
Dora Marr
By Antonia Hildebrand Women are suffering machines, Picasso said.And then he did everything he could to make it true.Poor Dora loved him.She was an artist herself,but he immortalized her as The Weeping Woman,without ever admitting, he was the onewho made her weep.Dark haired, beautiful, gifted and intense,she fell for him.Her photography was innovative and radical.So … Continue reading Dora Marr
Reflections on a day with my mother
By Grace Fisher Dance I pick through my day with youAdding up every moment spent apartIn the bathroom, on my phone, or at the barEach second feels like something I have lost Then, I draw out every moment when I was impatient, or upset, or didn’t encourage you to buy an ugly beach bagThis, too, … Continue reading Reflections on a day with my mother
Whatever I torture this history, it does not yield
By Mohsen Hosseinkhani Translated by Tahere Forsat Safaei Whatever I torture this history,It does not yield.In the body of that black,How many broken ribs of his father are suffering?In the chest of this red,How many bulletsHave killed the name of his tribe?The throat of NishapurIs still in the claws of Genghis,And we stillEat breadFrom that … Continue reading Whatever I torture this history, it does not yield
Ear Apprentice
By Daniel de Culla Photo by Isabel G. de Diego In the park, next to his houseGrandpa, tiredHas sat down on the wooden bench.The little boyPrettier than the sunHas seized the momentTo put some cream on his earSo the sun doesn't burn itAnd then he goes complainingTo Grandma.-Grandpa I don't want the sun to burn … Continue reading Ear Apprentice
Sunbathing in the front room
By Edmund Rottworth When I was little I would sunbathIn the little square of golden light That fell inFrom the big picture window Onto the orange rug In my front room.Propped up on my elbows and Feet kicked up almost to the back of my headI would watchStrings and stands of sunlightIlluminated in the dustAnd … Continue reading Sunbathing in the front room
Academy of the Heart And Mind 