by Marissa Glover fraidy cat, fraidy cat who’s been running home to mommy who’s been running fraidy, fraidy cat simon says you’ve been crying, simon says are those tears, cry baby baby, baby nanny nanny boo boo who’s been running who ring around the rosy pockets full of poesy stand still while we run Read More
Category: Rumbling Rhymes
Firm
by Agampreet Kalra They tell me To be an Elephant. “Elephants are graceful and quiet” They stride in a walk, Even when barks pin them – Lithesome even when them mutts follow. I look at them. They have darkness in the underskin of their eyes. Muggy, Torrid. Heads bowed. Resilient. They cry because they can’t shout. They have a reputation Read More
Homage to My Middle-Aged Black Body
by Christine Taylor Because most of the time I hate this body stiff hip flexors, cracking knees sore, cystic breasts rolls and stretch marks that appear in mirrored angles I marvel when on the sidewalk escorting at the women’s clinic I swell by how completely I love this body the brownness of it its animal-like awareness, its speed getting to Read More
Sex
by Marissa Glover Sex is a lonely word. Warning us we will not last, ex is part of the spelling. Ex-lovers, ex-friends, ex-together, sex is the punctuation at the end of our sentence – a question mark your exit answers, an exclamation point that shuts the book of our story. Sex should be misspelled. Marissa Glover is a teacher and Read More
Meditations
On the amount of prayer needed to maintain a pregnancy by Elisabeth Horan I never got down on my knees Begged forgiveness for my sin Never held the carpet close – Its fibers touching my chin. I should have begged specifically: God, let me keep this one inside Allow it haven in my womb – Not leave it for a Read More
Ele
by Agampreet Kalra An elephant clogged inside my skull Makes sound each time I breathe There I put my foot forth And here a trumpet rings out I sleep, I sleep at night. But an ant walks in through the cave – Stay wake-broiling, Bubbling, Cold stone blood, Itching the Ele. When I smile in the sunshine The purple bruised Read More
Occupational Poetry
by Michael McGill Enjoy this series of five short poems by Michael McGill that illuminate our everyday occupations. ‘Occupational Poetry’ will run first on Twitter (@AnElephantNever), and we will add each poem here as it runs. The chocolatier. Great chocolate should taste like climbing warm rocks, naked. Or returning home; a woollen throw on a wooden chair. The tobacconist. I Read More
Psalm with a Catholic Retreat (91)
by Shawn Anto 1 Mother asked God to save me from my wicked assimilation, unto him Almighty, I sacrifice. 2 I will say back to the Lord – “He is a confusion refuge and a mistaken fortress, my God, in whom I scatter remains for.” 3 Doubtful, he will save my hide from a broken future, in which, mother claims Read More
Congress of the Insomniacs
by Jennifer Wilson promethazine is bitter and makes dust on all things clouds on the hands and white around the fingers lines left white on the table tops and tastes of bitterness on the lips as they plume with wisps and spores like feathers plucked for a feast of public discourse and bald all the people gather in their nakedness Read More