GODDESS OF THE GOLDEN PATH She follows the magic of red bumblebee and fruit tree. In her honor I conduct lightning rods over scrolls of ancient China. Like a dance gliding over ice on a sidewalk, she’ll swing to heal my soul. She’ll be cheering for me as I emerge from pools of old ghosts […]
Read more "CLIFFORD SAUNDERS – 2 POEMS"I Remember, Lance, the Last Time I Saw You Step by step the snowthrough the windowof your dad’s study. With empty spaceyou shake hands.I asked if I could touch you.Who was that meant to ease? Before I left, I spoke to your momin the breakfast nook.She told me what you told hera few weeks ago, […]
Read more "TIM STALEY – I REMEMBER, LANCE, THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU"The Unfair ground The heart sinks as if on the world’s oldest broken rollercoaster, The utter brutality of memory, memorialised in physical sensation. The destination disappointing the journey, always. And so I dream of the farce of fairground… Ghost trains scarier when strapped to seats in unending darkness. Tests of strength hell bent on you […]
Read more "THE UNFAIR GROUND – Algo Gourley"NIGHT GENTLE Stood in the doorway, framed in dim lighting, the night, gentle with Lester Young blowing like a stoned hummingbird, she stood, crying, quietly, not in sadness, she stood in the doorway and I wished that I was a painter or composer, she looked up, at me, her face wet with our kind of […]
Read more "3 POEMS – John D Robinson"Cables Like diplomatic cables, the black strings are tangled. They relay electricity and information, a lot of which is tangled. Through the stained glass of the separation I can see people moving about. Looking inside, They can only see human heads: idle, like heads of cabbage in the field. The three recycling bins in the […]
Read more "CABLES – Martin Anastasovski"this is a scientific lecture this is a scientific lectureready em up on the bareven em out my qualificationsup my ass the subject of today’s lecture is masksas in, why aren’t you wearing one?and, why are you wearing a mask? if I put my ass very close to your faceyou’ll notice that it has two […]
Read more "this is a scientific lecture – Robin Wyatt Dunn"Light Smoker A light smoker outside a luncheonette he stood, feathers of smoke coming up from the cigarette between his fingers, taking a break from taking carriages in to the Food Fair. Why not do it again? I asked. In a round-about way he said no. Do it meant get into the music business, being […]
Read more "LIGHT SMOKER – Peter Mladinic"Great-Aunt She got drunk, had sex, and got pregnant for the first time on one thunderclap of a night. One night, and it all began unfolding like a dark flower or the division of cancer cells. The bastard husband. The divorce. The troubled kids, in and out of jail. The lonely future in an empty […]
Read more "GREAT-AUNT – ROSALIE HENDON"The Reprieve Well half past midnightabout a quarter to threea grey rat nibbleson a stale block of brieHe would prefer a slight smidgenof a fire braised pigeonbut according to his religionhe can only drink peeSo he pissed in a cupand drank it right upand knelt at the altaron one bended kneeHe asked for a pardonbefore […]
Read more "THE REPRIEVE – TIM HILDEBRANDT"Excerpt from the epic poem WHEN I WALK THROUGH THAT DOOR, I AM …Ay Tonal, my despair is the saw-tooth chain that cuts through bone, its growl roars through my heart scattering bone-dust and what was once anger is reduced to a stump, cut down into sizes that fit my heart’s black-iron stove; I kneel […]
Read more "Excerpt from: WHEN I WALK THROUGH THAT DOOR, I AM – JIMMY SANTIAGO BACA"
Cacti Fur 