PoetryExistential Haircut by Timothy Pilgrim
Existential Haircut Not funeral home nor church, white sheet draped over me, mirrors repeat endless backs of my head into far distance. Each grows more wee till the faint version of myself…
Poetry
PoetryVacuuming Around the Dead by Timothy Pilgrim
Vacuuming Around the Dead Dirt finds a way to lie with remains — casket open, deceased propped up, lips purple, fine-lined, sewn tight, eyes gray, dust layered on face. Lights go bright,…
FictionFist. Pull. Foot. Push. by Samuel Cole
Fist. Pull. Foot. Push. Lanny tightened his fingers around the bottom rung of the silo’s ladder and pulled the weight of his body up, legs swimming the air for leverage, nose twitching,…
FictionAccentuating Circumstances by Steve Slavin
Accentuating Circumstances I grew up during the late 1940s in a Jewish working class neighborhood in Brooklyn. Because all our neighbors over the age of fifty were from Eastern Europe, nearly everyone’s…
FictionBrand New Man by Dakota James
Brand New Man Tony slicked back his hair with the comb he kept in his pocket, and smoldered at his reflection—hair was getting too long. Well, that wouldn’t do. Annie wouldn’t be…
FictionThings Go South by Steven Asch
A red letter day , thought Leland Hendy as his feet pounded the dirt streets of Mendocino City, Mendocino County, California. It was late and hot and September, 1933. “Seven years of…
FictionDoggie by Dakota James
Doggie There I was in Morningside Heights. Walking that damn doggie again. Third day in a row and I was already ready to tie that doggie’s leash to a Citi Bike and…
FictionMinstrel Cycle by Tabbitha A. Gordon
Minstrel Cycle The swift plucking of chords forcefully interrupted Arianna’s dreams. Groaning, she begrudgingly lifted herself off the bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As she squinted, she saw the figure…
FictionSteam Rooms, Silk Robes, and Sterilized Needles by Dakota James
Steam Rooms, Silk Robes, and Sterilized Needles Buck woke in what he thought was a steam room; he assumed the coat the doctor had on was a silk robe. It wasn’t. When…
FictionThe Darang Family and the Super Typhoon by Raymund P. Reyes
The Darang Family and the Super Typhoon The weather reports on TV declared it a super typhoon, the strongest that the region would ever witness. The news anchor said they even culled…
PoetryBone by Michael Griffith
Bone The bone exposed broken Too close to the surface Wound too deep. Fragments of white move in muscle, carried by blood. They will be removed then discarded. Once, part of me…
PoetryInjustice by Gary Beck
Injustice In the age old battle between guardians of the state and the disaffected, the hatred of the police by the poverty populace is a constant day by day, since government agents…
FictionPretty Good Tours, Ltd. Expands Its Base by Anita G. Gorman
Pretty Good Tours, Ltd. Expands Its Base The executive staff of Pretty Good Tours, Ltd. had assembled in the CEO’s office. CEO Francine Fillistin sipped her coffee as she waited for the…
FictionCatch by Scott Parson
Catch Candace hated playing catch with Doug. She was terrible at it, and felt bad they couldn’t get a decent rhythm going. She was always missing the ball as it sailed just…
PoetryThe New Peace by Joseph J. Kozma
(1945) Cold, like the basement Brought upstairs in the winter, Steaming a while, hiding its Treasures then using the Snow for a blanket, Was the world in 1945. The guns finished Their…
PoetryDaybreak in Manhattan by Joseph J. Kozma
Daybreak in Manhattan At daybreak, Cool and misty even in Manhattan, Garage doors open And the horns fill the air On 5th Avenue. More dense than bees on honey combs, Taxis say…
PoetryUntitled Cinquain by Cynthia Sharp
Untitled Cinquain moonlit cherry petals under fireflies and stars the love I still believe will come risen
PoetryMama Says by Katelyn Eden Long
Mama Says Hold this, mama says & I do; wads of lace with grass stains growing deep, dirty red-white anklets with holes at the heels, scuffed plastic white shoes. Soles worn out,…
FictionTransformer Wife by Edward Gauthier
Transformer Wife Last night, this husband fixed lunch for the next day. I thought I’d be nice. Admittedly, not a really complicated recipe–two ingredients, chicken and crock pot. That’s it. Place chicken…
PoetryUntitled by Ayaz Daryl Nielsen
Untitled let us have the light left within awaken lifted and renewed clear eyes sight-smoothed hands full of loved ones amidst a simplified day bringing into our homes the churning genesis of…