ODE TO MADAM CURIE by Bray McDonald
ODE TO MADAM CURIEBy Bray McDonald
Ode to Madam Curie
Whyfinds no comfortin reason.
Shoutingdoesn’t help.Beggingbecomes a fierce round eggfree to ponder.
What whips the creamof knowledgeis a sacrificiallamb.
The Madonna of the Lilies (William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1899)
The pure white petals...
THE PERFECT POEM by JR Solonche
THE PERFECT POEMBy JR Solonche
SONNET X
X is the first letter of the fewest words, onereason why X is my favorite letter.X is a person, a thing, an agency, a factor,etc. of unknown identity. X...
LOVED LETTER by Thea Tomaini
LOVED LETTERBy Thea Tomaini
Loved Letter
A letter sent from a long-lost loverOpened with much hesitation trepidationUnfolding it in thirds and turning it overReveals the paper to be blank.
It mirrors the look on my face in...
SIMULTANEOUS WORLDS by Mark Hurtubise
SIMULTANEOUS WORLDSBy Mark Hurtubise
Momentary Tree Visit
Oak -
holder of leaf nations,passageway for squirrels,jay and crow scribe.
From its kiln, the sun exhalesafterlife upon you.
*
Stepping into your silhouette -a breathing . . . irreversible memoriesor prophecies from...
RESILIENCE by Andrew Hubbard
RESILIENCEBy Andrew Hubbard
My first name is MarybethMy last name changes about once a decade.
I bought this little log cabinWith a stone-fenced vegetable patchFor a backyard, and startedReading gardening books,Started getting my hands dirtyWith some...
RETICENCE by Rick Adams
RETICENCEBy Rick Adams
reticence
a heart shatteredlike a brokenmirror; the shardsof glass slitthe wrists ofa man’s desire
plagued with lonelinessand fear andhatred and distrust;happiness lost atrial and wassentenced to death
a soul abductedand held captiveby emotional scarringthat may...
RUBY THROAT by Jessica Sabo
RUBY THROATBy Jessica Sabo ruby throatsit down she saysmake yourself comfortableput the napkin in your lap / keep your hands folded / sit up straight she sayscross your ankleslift your chinact like you are interestedI...
HERE FOR THE FOOD by Tim Wenzell
HERE FOR THE FOODBy Tim Wenzell
Shoes (Global Warming Version)
A true woman evacuates with her shoesand makes certain that all of them,wrapped in garbage bags,fill the trunk so thathe will take the back seat with...
FIREHOUSE BABY by Austen Roye
FIREHOUSE BABYBy Austen Roye
1. hang in there
my springboard is a type ofsocial solitudepublicly isolated with head downin plain sight.managed two maybe threehours of sleep and here nowfar from homefoaming over ideas ofempty typewriter roomsa...
AFTER HIS TOUCH by Leanne Talavera
AFTER HIS TOUCHBy Leanne Talavera
After His Touch
That’s how they’ll get you, throughyour eyes. It’s your eyesthat will cradle flickering irises. Thatwill swim in white paranoia.It will ignore the faces in fearthey’ll meet another, and...