Heaven and Home

By Paige Adams Heaven Inside my heart is a longing for home beyond this world where spirits reside between gates of fire a path paved with gold. My soul longs— to the place where eternal love was endless. Home Moments ago, I saw your face. Now I see myself far away. I lie in bed, …

To Earth and Other Poems

By Claire O'Brien To Earth What more can you give me? Only the soft squeak of your sands on my feet, your sea’s sparkle and glint, your sky’s blue and white cotton dress. What more can you give up to me? Only rustling forests with tiny flitting life, ancient stones. I have gleaned all I …

Seen

By Soumya Doralli The dam-water brimmed and splashed, on the periphery of the steel-grey reservoir, a frothy bubbling roaring mass, sealing minds and opening hearts, chock-full of buzzing mouths, I pay no heed to the busybodies, to the arms-in-arms, to the tippy taps, eerie funeral songs for the cadaver, unbridled passion to wake the dead, …

A Water Song

By Helen Lemus The ocean calls With a song, A piece Of eternity In a lullaby Soothing me to sleep. Cold, clean water, Salty, Slaps my cheeks, And morning Laughs at me Sleeping While there are so many Seeds To plant. Beneath Warm suns, A sonata Props up My sore soul Straight from the ocean's …

In-Law

By Elizabeth Allison She brought the orchid to the house when I miscarried the second time to let it speak of loss. Her loss. Scarlet droplets spotting pale yellow petals said “You are my chance.” Fat leaves curling into themselves cried “I’ve only one child. I’ve only one shot.” Wide purple lips, open to prey, …

Bitter Experience and Other Poems

By Katherine Orfinger Bitter Experience (for Oates and Chekhov) and I understand now why Anna held herself to a godly standard and why she needed to make those little lines, their lives seeping together my head, a dim bathroom: she paces. my own soul peers through a speckled mirror a forgotten piece of metal glints …

Don’t Feed the Ghosts

By Bryan Thomas Woods In the parking lot of the Saint Labre Cemetery, Officer Carter stood underneath the only working streetlight. He scribbled into a notepad as the pages flailed in the winter winds. “Can I see some ID?” Officer Carter asked. He shined his flashlight on a man sitting in the darkness. “Don’t have …

Old McWilliams Had a Dog and Other Poems

By Ken Gosse Old McWilliams Had a Dog a Mixed-Melody Sing-Along Sing the verses to “Old MacDonald” and the alternate refrains to “Bingo Was a Dog” Old McWilliams bought a farm and brought his wife along. They had some children and a dog and loved to sing this song: B–I–N–G–O, E–I–E–I–O, Sing it fast or …

Thieves by Day

By Loretta Biggs Being robbed in Rio is as common as a Brazil Nut allergy. Vanessa has been robbed three times, and she is only twenty-four. The first time, at eleven years old, some barefoot child with a rock made her remove her classy Nikes and custom-made clothes and left her crying on the street …

Folder and Veteran

By James Patrick Folder Here, take these, read them, keep them, burn them. I put them by, kept in a folder the verses you passed to me wrapped in a note with instructions trying out your woman’s voice on a man you chose to trust knew from the first I’d need to keep them with …