Cerberus began as an experiment in Vulcan’s forge

by Caroline Streff and Ray Ball Not content to dabble in golden fobs and adamantine chains,The hobbler stole his uncle’s notebookFrom its hiding place in the hollow of a tree.It barely held its shape, like a pillowcase all stuffed with dreams.He chose at random from the chapter of the Horrible.He sculpted the monster’s trunk from clayAnd crowned it with five Read More

class: aves; kind: unknown

by Ahimaz Rajessh the bird that swoops downtearing through noxious clouds,being no bird of prey, lives onlyon chemical, nuclear wastes. the beats of its wings, they say, changethe course of impending cyclones.its beak digs through containers shippedfrom global north, buried in global south. its breath lights up spying glo-geodrones & electromagnetic spectrum.the whiff of its feather, they say,brings to mind 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

A Darker Place

by Kenneth L. A. Lineberger A blast of air hurled Kim to the ground. Sound and sand pelted her as she tucked her head. When the din quieted she rolled to her knees and brushed long, black hair out of her face. The collapsed cave entrance stood in ruins before her, rocks and boulders strewn in every direction. A large Read More