2 POEMS by Amy Marques

Grave What I’m Talking About When I Talk About Home The neighbor’s water sprinklers go off synched to my bladder at four am and I muscle memory my uncounted steps from four- blanket cocoon to streetlamp-lit bathroom  as mattress-groans signal my partner turns in preparation anticipation expectation to pull me in when I sink back […]

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Storm Ainsely ~ REAL HAIR

Real Hair The black man who stopped, said “Forgive me, but you have real hair I don’t see that often & it’s beautiful” I had it up in twin tails, how I learned to wear my mask, so the loops would go over my hair & not my ears didn’t say it till he saw it from the […]

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FEELZ TRIP ~ Tim Staley

Feelz Trip I got tired of pushing sublime at my students. William Cowper, Lord Byron, James Thomson,  Samuel Rogers?! Let’s just say those old boys  weren’t hitting under the busted-up ceiling panels  and flickering fluorescent lights of my classroom.  My students were squirming in the hard plastic cells of their desks, so I decided to […]

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Matt Thomas ~ COW CREEK

Cow Creek What we called a crick,no wider than a standing leapone side to the other,a rat snake stretched in pasture sun,kinks shear as paper cuts wherethe water fought to go straight.We flipped cow pattieswith pocket knivesfor worms that writhedon hooks bouncedwith a neat underhandfrom grass into the waterupstream from a bend, floatedto where we […]

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5 POEMS ~ DIANE WEBSTER

FEATHER LIGHT A feather lieslighton its reflectionon the pond;conjoined twinsfloatingin unison. ~ ROYAL FOREST On forest meadowautumn leavesfallenlike royal subjectsbowingbefore kingand queen. ~ DESCENDING VERTIGO Fog and pondconsumedescendingfence postsin a silentfloodof grayvertigo. ~ CLOVER RHYTHM Patrons at a concert —clover heads bobin rhythm with the musicvibrating from the radiountil the song ends…They continuein mute appreciationof […]

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POETRY: LET THE GROUND BREATHE WITH YOU – Jennifer Lothrigel

Let The Ground Breathe With You

Let the ground breathe with you,
not in opposition.

On my morning run
I pass by two elderly women
walking with their canes.
Scent of timeless roses.

Let the ground breathe with you,
not in opposition.

Dew drops line the center of aloe leaves,
the sweat on my unwashed morning skin,
has collected in the center of my chest−
still heavy with last night’s dreams;
I searched all night through alternative realities
for my drunk husband.Let the ground breathe with you.
not in opposition.

A man walks by with his dog,
pants under his breath
“It’s harder uphill, isn’t it.”

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