Morning of October 12, 2024

Ick

a

bod

psalm

o

dissed

~dan smith

last night

the moon was full

the neighbor’s dogs

howled a bit

any werewolves

were silent

~Tom Blessing

student lunches

even i don’t know what

the gray brown mush

inside the wrap is

but I ate it

and still don’t know

~Tom Blessing

no guns dream

no shooters

nothing to see

~Mark Gilbert

national security

we have never had this

conversation

~Mark Gilbert

yeah not so much

a social construct

algal bloom

~Mark Gilbert

playing an imposter

maintaining

that separation

~Mark Gilbert

one-hundred-trillion

neutrinos per second

the porosity of "I"

~M. R. Pelletier

dawn again

1.6 million miles

nearer the sun

~M. R. Pelletier

rhythmic blinking

of internet router signals

the conversing planets

~Tejendra Sherchan

a girl snaps

in the crowded bus

summer’s heat

~Tejendra Sherchan

man-made idol

dripping water —

clogged toilet drainage

~Tuyet Van Do

persnickety

bane of my existence

HOA

~Jennifer Gurney

 

 

 

Halloween candy

once the bag is opened

it’s only one serving…

~Jennifer Gurney

one more month

of political ads

as if anyone is undecided…

~Jennifer Gurney

golden hour—

the last of the summer figs

oozing

~B. L. Bruce

Dining Diva

putting on airs

and a lobster bib

tuna fish sandwich

~John H. Dromey

Answer Awaited with Bated Breath

wormholes are portals

do they lead to outer space

or a fishing trip

~John H. Dromey

crumpled receipts the city’s heartbeat on pause

~C.X. Turner

her body releases its temporary gods part by part

~Vijay Prasad

Vacuum gives birth to a mother

~Partha Sarkar

a smudge in mascara time rewrites itself

~C.X. Turner

October

I wear my mask

24/7

~Jennifer Gurney

 

 

 

Evening of October 9, 2024

 

Skin off—hundreds of bones.

Skin on—millions of faces.

~Carol-Versannie

Teach a kangaroo rat to swim

As asking you to love me

Oh darling, a moth would rather die in fire

~Carol-Versannie

red hood down

she is running

with the pack

~Melissa Dennison

liberated

he lets his inner werewolf

run free

~Melissa Dennison

frozen in terror

eight legs dangling

just above her bed

~Melissa Dennison

soothed by Renoir and a mango slushy

~Patrick Sweeney

the very corner where Kafka bowed to the blind man

~Patrick Sweeney

messing with her ETA, the distances to the outer planets

~Patrick Sweeney

hornet washing her skinny feet in the dew

~Patrick Sweeney

waiting for a candidate to hold up a lotus flower

~Patrick Sweeney

on the path, it's a leaf not a visitor

~Patrick Sweeney

Singularity Delayed

confidence builder

a robot with training wheels

not our equal yet

~John H. Dromey

A STILL IS  STILL

A STILL       IF IT

REMAINS STILL

IN   THE   STILL

OF  THE NIGHT

~Charles A. Perrone

mother tongue interference

how i fit

nowhere

~Jahnavi Gogoi

moving on

her initials on

his arm

~Jahnavi Gogoi

midnight cravings

i unblock a forbidden

number

~Jahnavi Gogoi

motion and direction imposed upon a wanderer

~Vijay Prasad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five Fleas Merch

Afternoon of October 5, 2024

 

plague doctor on call

                              of

                                  the

                                   void

~John Hawkhead

lone headlight

my shadow walks

the woods

~Mariel Herbert

 

death becoming a mere shadow of myself

~John Hawkhead

You know the meaning

Voter.

Dyslexia.

Democracy.

Sunset.

Leftism.

Hmm…

Justice.

Rotten procrastination.

Fascism.

Fetid gob.

Revolution.

Cul-de-sac.

~Partha Sarkar

 

swept away

by witch’s broom

my fairy tale

~Roberta Beach Jacobson

autumn equinox

my neighbor's earth flag

at half staff

~John J. Dunphy

darkened city street

the glow of a porch light

in an oil slick

~Joseph P. Wechselberger

 

meeting

at the moon

skinny-dippers

~Joseph P. Wechselberger

small town

a biker guns his engine

at the lone stop sign

~Joseph P. Wechselberger

 

the costume

that makes her scream

work uniform

~Roberta Beach Jacobson

full clouds

forgetting expired milk

in the fridge

~Mariel Herbert

 

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Darkly Beautiful is a dark, gothly, witchy print publication celebrating witches, nature, the

magical and ethereal (a special edition by Magique Publishing, so it will happen only

once)! Send in your submissions by October 10.

Link for guidelines (Note: primarily mentioning sister magazine)