What if Narcissus

by Hannah Storm What if Narcissus had been a father and not a lover What if Echo had been your child and not your vaunted lover,would you still have been doomed to sit by that pond,reflect your wrongs, your own face, or would you only see your Mini-me? Sweet child of yours, when God mademan in his own image, he Read More

Your Hometown Is an Apocalypse

by Justin Karcher Buzzfeed tells methat the world is endingjust as it’s always beenand they’re probably right the night sky where I grew upalways felt like a run-on sentencetoo many dashed dreamscompeting for spacethey all blended togetheryou could never tell the narrativejust that it was a desperate onethe stars were apostrophes that didn’t really belongbut we put them in there Read More

Between Wakeful Stillness and Bothered Slumber

by Sophie Kearing “Hello?” I croak. “Oh… did I wake you? It’s nine a.m.” “I know, Mom. I had a rough night. Cara had another… episode.” A judgmental pause, and then: “An episode, Margaret?” I shift under my bedding, which seems to be imbued with the very essence of sleeplessness. I spent last night watching over my daughter, who’d suffered Read More

Ludicrocity

by Guy Elston A child is prostrate, head on the grass,wailing in an all-consumed fury.His parents stand over him at the edgeof the public golf course wheredogs get walked, his dad holding a knotted plastic bag lump, his Mum a Gucci handbag.They make no attempt to halt his cacophony.Other walkers titter at the sightof the hysterics and the silent resignation.I Read More

Blueberry Waffles & A Side of Poignancy

by Neel Trivedi Chip Taylor opened his eyes as a shrieking sound pierced through his ears and painfully made its way to his head. He cursed himself for setting the sound so loud as he reached over and turned the alarm off his phone. As he checked his messages, he looked at the day. It’s Sunday, he thought. He paused Read More

Hibernation

by William Falo With gear packed and a rifle strapped to my back, I headed to mountain lion country in the snow-covered hills. It wasn’t long before my muscles ached. Dark clouds formed on the horizon after I huffed and puffed up the first hill. The approaching storm looked worse than they predicted. At the summit of the hill, I Read More

Uncle

by Ross Jeffery The carpet’s rough. Its bristly nibs bite into my skin. Can’t breathe, my father splayed out on top of me, his full weight baring down, choking the oxygen from my lungs. Muscles burn, cramp throttles my calf, a snake coiling around a tree trunk. But still he pushes me to the carpet. Sweat covers us. We are Read More

Hole in Chest with Arrow

by Elisabeth Horan 1937 Life is something I had with youIt doesn’t matter which ulcer                          you choose Her or meMe or herLove or agonyMy body becomesa trash yard Pero mírala – Floreciendo como una mujerMás hermosa – más útil – para ti Yet look at her – Blossoming like a womanmore lovely – more useful – for you She Read More

keep your eye

by Mia Wright (Uses excerpts from the song “Anticipate” by Ani DiFranco.) 1.“we don’t say everything that we couldso that we can say later, ‘oh, you misunderstood’”in the story I heard,someone else played the role of villain,though my mother never revealedtheir evil deed.she just said it, like slidinga note underneath the door.When my mother doesn’t giveexplanations willingly,don’t even bother asking. Read More

Paragraphiti On The Cusp Of Living With Olives

by Gerard Sarnat You walk into the room With your pencil in your hand You see somebody naked And you say, “Who is that man?” You try so hard But you don’t understand Just what you’ll say When you get home.– Bob Dylan, Ballad Of A Thin Man i. I don’t remember when The Pilgrim’spork pie hat & suit bobbed Read More