Monthly Archives: May 2021

by J.R. Manning, Sr. A two-family house stands alone,Abandoned, with broken windowsIn its urban Upstate setting.Today, we call it a tough neighborhood. Once a jaunty yellow with fancy trim,Faded now. The wooden porch askew,The doorway dark and nailed shut.White window … Continue reading →

by Michele Merges Martens  step into a hazy afternoon memory,trail walking a tenuous dirt path at the lake.no need for a map. your mind remembers the way.your heart still does not carethat there is no apparent beginning and no definite … Continue reading →

by Isaac Keener Is your light less beautifulRevealed to me through blankets of fogYour song turned lonely and sadYour eyes in distant landsStaring at dreams only you can seeIf I had the means I swear I’d blow awayThis haze that … Continue reading →

by Gina Forberg Her hand flat on the knifeshe thumps the blade, cracksthe clove, peels away the skin. She could design dishes the wayDaedalus created the labyrinth,the ship’s sail, the mast. She could thicken a gravy,butterfly a beef tenderloinflambé crème … Continue reading →

by Ivory Bennett An old man once told me about the American dream. He was barefoot and shucking white corn.His back was bent from years of hard work,and his fingers read of routine and war.  He told me about borders … Continue reading →

by Brandon McQuade I dream in the bed you were conceivedof the barn swallows outside our doortheir precarious nest-cup hanging from the cornera handful of mud and sticks in the beams. Inside, eggs are hatchingthe chicks are finding themselvestheir eyes … Continue reading →

By Robert Amenta I’ve grown attached to this good old treeThis was a good summer you seeWe spent many warm days with the sun so highAnd stunning nights under a starlit skyI was very green when I was not so … Continue reading →

by Bobby Myers she talks of losing her haironce the treatments begin,the inevitability of itmaybe, she says, it won’t be too bad,but neither of us really believethat’s how it’s going to beand we say so immediately.I try to reassure herthat … Continue reading →