“I love you, but I can’t see you right now,”she turned away from him, “it’s too dark.” Owls are nocturnal and hunt in the dark.Like panthers that prefer their blackness. The sun’s corona lent its name,and blackness spread pandemically, Turning her away. Absenting her from him.Like black is the absence of light. Nocturnal love is … Continue reading It’s Too Dark, April, 2020 by Edward Pontacoloni
Questions & Answers: Tanka, Ryuka, Sedoka, Sijo & Zuihitsu by Jacob Kobin Ayiah Mensah
ιWho’s filled the ward so that his large body can hardy squeeze its way down to the dark corridor? A child cries softly in the bed next to him. Spring mistιA mother on death row list looks fine in front of Buddha’s hidden smile this morningιCOVID-19 has taken over the skin of New York City … Continue reading Questions & Answers: Tanka, Ryuka, Sedoka, Sijo & Zuihitsu by Jacob Kobin Ayiah Mensah
Allegory by Christopher Locke
--April 14, 2020 A blackbird’s trapped inside my bedroom,popping the bright window like a child’sgloved hand. Golden eyes eerie with pupils—all of him nerve-wracked & wired & furiouslymute. I want what he wants, so I bend & creepto the other window, grit-toothed & pillowshielded, alive with Hitchcockian terrors I stillimagine, even at this age. I … Continue reading Allegory by Christopher Locke
Gatherings by James Lesperance
“Uncle Bill’s a real pisser.” Your father’s eyes glaze over in remembrance, sitting on his bed. We haven’t seen Crazy Uncle Bill in years. Last you heard from him, he was somewhere out west. Big Joe is hoping to see him again at the reunion. It is more of a pot-luck gathering of the sprawling … Continue reading Gatherings by James Lesperance
Hoarding in a Time of Crisis by Joyce Hunt
I have always considered myself a purger. I throw out anything that is not nailed down. Clutter does not accumulate on my counters and my closets are tidy. Trash pick-up day is my favorite day of the week and I consider carefully when I make any purchase. Do I really need this? Is there room … Continue reading Hoarding in a Time of Crisis by Joyce Hunt
The Care Bears are Crying and It’s Covid-19’s Fault by Heather Haag
Recently, (during pandemic insomnia) you may have tried calculating how often you gave or received hugs before the pandemic. Are you the type of person who can’t, simply because there are too many to count? Maybe instead you savor hugs, leaving them to intimate moments with important people. What kind of hugs are you imagining? … Continue reading The Care Bears are Crying and It’s Covid-19’s Fault by Heather Haag
Joebells and Canaries in the Coal Mine by Pat Garber
When I moved to Ocracoke, part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, in 1985,one of the things I loved was the presence of joebells, lovely red and yellow flowers that grew wild on the island. I loved the story folks told about a heartbroken man named Joe Bell who lived there in the early … Continue reading Joebells and Canaries in the Coal Mine by Pat Garber
Fall 2020 (2 Poems) by Denis Foley
Fog Across the pond the reaper comesLock your door, close the windowsShut your gateBuild a great wallFog needs no key A soft rain falls everywhereFirst your neighbor, then your daughterWho will carry your coffin from the cottageWho is left to dig your grave. The Coffin Train Hear the whistle blow as it rambles thru the … Continue reading Fall 2020 (2 Poems) by Denis Foley
Seeking Justice by Yvona Fast
On McCauley Pondloons nest.Geese parade their babies.We are socially distanced.No virus lives in our woods.No riots invade this sanctuary. The world’s criesenter through our screenscalling for peace, not war;love, not hate,joy, not sorrow. Eight miles from herewe march with 500 othersseeking justicein an unjust world.
