Evening of August 18, 2023

beer garden

I plant myself

at the bar

~Paul David Mena

the hiss of light years between us

~David C. Kopaska-Merkel

trapped in your ribcage I rattle the bars

~David C. Kopaska-Merkel

picking up the fly swatter

I compose

another death poem

~Paul David Mena

He promised her

Moonlit beach strolls.

He promised her

caviar and champagne.

He promised her

he’d steal her heart.

He stole her wallet

instead.

~Nolcha Fox

Woodstock anniversary

woman listens to

the concert LP

in her room at

the nursing home

~John J. Dunphy

Less

 

I took the one less

I took the one

I took the

I took

~Noah Berlatsky

Sing Gone

You’re the rooster

cackling off-key

through a megaphone.

You won’t hear me singing

when I pack my bags

and leave.

~Nolcha Fox

have

you

seen her

the poster

asks from a phone pole

photograph of an empty room

~David C. Kopaska-Merkel

rising inflation—

the increased cost

of lottery tickets

~Joseph P. Wechselberger

burning sage

my dreams

go up in smoke

~Paul David Mena

Just launched (and sold at amazon):

 

Kelly Moyer’s latest book, Hushpuppy (Nun Prophet Press)

Afternoon of August 18, 2023

 

summer shedding

about to sweep up

half a cat

~Eavonka Ettinger

heatwave

backyard tree

rains a squirrel

~tom blessing

itchy indictment . . .

accepting a flea deal

~Roberta Beach Jacobson

chorus frogs

waiting in the wings

for their big break

~Eavonka Ettinger

nothing profound

in her words

yet she continues

~Roberta Beach Jacobson

insured elder

riddled with ailments

the perfect patient

~Christa Pandey

she told me

i need to get my butt

out of my head

years later i am still

working on that

~tom blessing

summer outhouse

most unfortunate

mosquito bite

~Eavonka Ettinger

winter quilt our patchwork of state laws

~Roberta Beach Jacobson

Who would have thought

the telephone would disappear

before the telephone pole?

~Noah Berlatsky

Afternoon of August 15, 2023

empty canteen

the buzzards

circle

~Jenn Ryan-Jauregui

disturbing my slumber friends in the volcano

~Roberta Beach Jacobson

lone golfer

his hole-in-one witnessed by

a squirrel

~John J. Dunphy

Thoughts on Art

Everyone likes to share theirs

with the world.

How it's not like it used to be,

how most of it isn't real,

how it's all mainstream now,

and nobody even knows

what any of it means.

But I'd prefer to be making art

instead of just talking about it.

~Gabriel Bates

drought the stream never reaches my soul

~Roberta Beach Jacobson

for the always was and always will be   press 1

 

for faces seen in the cassia tree   press 2

for baby-lip burbling   press 3

for transcendental walks around the block   press 4

for those who let well enough alone   press 5

for the epiphanies in an ordinary day   press 6

for decisive encounters with the fabric of destiny   press 7

for grandmom's repetitious wisdom   press 8

for placing yourself in the custody of a dream   press 9

to speak to a customer service representative   don't press your luck

~Patrick Sweeney