by Alec Montalvo There used to be a mulch mound here. From out my kitchen window, I’d see teens coming into the clearing, emerging from the brushes, carrying snowboards under one arm, brown paper bagged bottles of booze in the opposite hand, smack in the middle of summertime. They’d get…
by Marc Livanos Everybody knows everyone. When you do something, the telephone lines light up like a Friday night football field. It is early spring, so most trains just pass this town on their way to Chicago. Old men sit on benches catching-up on bushels of corn, sorghum and winter…
by Juanita Jones Hey kid Why don’t you slide on over Sit on down And tell me a story Your road’s been long With fear and hate On the grounds of a school War waged Without any end Except maybe yours Hey kid Why don’t you slide on over Sit…
by John Grey At this roadside attraction, a mountain lion in a cage is the main draw. Even behind bars, his ferocity dwarfs mine. I stare in big eyes, wonder what they want. The tempered growl, on the other hand, can only mean one thing. It’s not a prisoner’s grumble….
by Marc Livanos On comfy lounges I sit observing the panoramic view of the green valley below. Clouds blanket the horizon but here and there bits of blue peek through. Live oak’s shimmering leaves mingle with the evergreens towards the far-off skyline. Chattering bluebirds fill the air with chirps longingly…
by DS Maolalai doing my aunt a favour; pulling wildflowers from her prize-winning beds. I’m careful – when I can I save the stem and some root, piling them on the pavement and pushing the dirt down around her petunias. my aunt’s front garden is filled with red flowers, like…
by Sarah Marquez Dear, you are a fuzzy image on surveillance cameras, in a black skullcap, a hollow-mask. We stand close in clogged checkout aisles, suck hot air. You pay cash, rub a flat silver clip, coins jingle & jangle in your pocket. I want to be them, tucked away….
by Khristy L. Knudtson Willfully strong-willed, your hair is a field; stalks of tangled straw you force from your head freeing the strands from your fingersover and over and over. They eclipse the tile floor of the juvie centeryou’ve lost it, your center. You are a lit match—tossed.An apocalyptic comet of…
by DS Maolalai we were waiting for a train, under a shatterproof shelter. I was going into town and she to meet her godmother at the airport. both hungover; the sky in a rotten mood. the train-track and the station were suspended – up here you could see rooftops go…
by Amy Covel Asleep at night, the darkness comes like a nightmare. I see it all again— chains around my wrists, a faceless phantom holding a bloody knife. Awake, I spring, ready to kill. But I see your face stained with tears. Last time it was stained with blood. What…