by Jonathan Cooper The ferry washed low in the baywater swirled the piles,gurgled the barnacles. I saw her from the deck facing away,stone stillon the salt-shimmered bow. Horn blast! I bolted for the hatchfumbled for keys, looked back— black wingsetched againstthe pale, blue sky.
by George Freek I hardly recognize in this pileof rotting flesh and bones,that blithe lark, ascending,as he strained to reach the sun.I tried and lost, his carcassseems to say.What was he hoping for?Was he simply young?Did he dream of thosemiraculous clouds in the sky?Then learned they were vaporand vanished like…
by Karen Dybner The night was warm and sticky, much like the sultry July day it had been, but now at least there was the dark sky’s respite from the blistering sun. Inside, with the central air humming, it felt cool and comfortable. The kids had been asleep for at…
by Emily Eddins Do you know what it is To miss the soft touch of rain Stroking your roof Like the calm reassuring hand Of your dead mother On your fevered brow Holding a cool glass of water To your parched lips Hard and cracking like Drought-packed dirt Hugging defeated…
by Mark Howard In 2017, I left being a successful financial business owner to become a fifty-seven-year-old, first-year high school English teacher. I made that change because I wanted to. Now, countless thousands are being faced with a career change because of the pandemic. In my little town, there are…
by Shellie Richards Harold Epstein sat on the edge of the examining table at the podiatrist’s office but he may as well have been sitting on the edge of a canyon. In his mind, he could hear the ominous cry of the predatory hawk as it circled around. His career…
by Gonzalinho da Costa Democracy is power, Power of the people, The people exercising majority rule, Majority rule in defense and support of human rights, including minority rights, Rights upheld and protected by the rule of law, Rule of law ensuring free and fair elections, Free and fair—and sufficiently frequent—elections…
by Gil Hoy They all thought he was famous. But the truth was, he was not. Perhaps it was the long, gray mane that flowed from his head, coupled with his good looks and charm. Perhaps it was the way Gary Wellington could speak beautiful words. Or his intelligence. Perhaps…
by Brian Reickert We rode out from Denver,Cherokee in towand you pretty worse for wear,across the receding foothillsand into the creased canvasof eastern Colorado. Hard winds against the trailer,endless cigarettesand some edibles,but no weed because ofinterstate paranoia. And wouldn’t you know,in Nebraska we’re stoppedand searched, but we could laugh(the pills…
by George Freek Swallows rise in the air as softly as feathers, but they go nowhere, then disappear, as if they’d never been here. I feel the heaviness of my fate, as if some God was once in this room, but is now gone away, to leave it a sterile…