By: George Freek THE IMPONDERABLES (After Mei Yao Chen) In this mountain hideaway,the sun shines invitingly.A calm breeze hardlystirs the river’s water.Drunk, I stand in my doorway.I hear the cry of an unknown bird,and watch young squirrels runin their mindless…

By: DS Maolalai Black pool something sickly stumblesand shambles from the sea,splasheslike black pools,rippledthrough black water. somethingwhich grows wartsand lank grey feathers,clucks and callsitself Dublin (dubh linn)and spreads itself outsouthward to Brayand brays up Louthand soundly,spins out houseslike fish on…

By: Amrita Valan The Day (The Music Died?) An adult year crampsEasily intoOne childish day. Between each sunriseAnd sunsetA lifetime garners,entropy from ennui. BoredomCreative idleness,Childhood’s idyllicParadiseEnters the mazeThe buzzkillThe monotonous daily grindPeels the tender rindsOf sanity.Orange is the new blackTo…

By: Strider Marcus Jones I KNOW YOUR NOTES sat with you,reflections bondover the pondof summer solstice, and Mr Blueskywith eggy eyesubliminally sends Otis into ribbons and ripplesof hair and faces,through sensual tricklesin hidden places that glances bringon summer wind.i know…

By: J. D. Nelson marbles to lake a lake the wheel of the barren worldthe marching pow is the fangèd danger the galactic name of the forkthe brain of the knuckles the floral eyebrowthe scum radio the name of he…

By: Christine Naprava Canine Litmus I’ve owned dogs that have lasted longer than you and I.Dogs with nervous guts and singing skin,dogs with weight and dogs with ribs visible,dogs with teeth bared and dogs with teeth drowning in decay.Dogs born…

By: Bruce Levine Friday was only three days away, but to James Letang, it seemed like an eternity. Actually, to almost any nine-year-old, three days can seem like an eternity when they’re waiting for something to happen. In James’ case…

By: Christian Ward Cinema The first film I sawat the cinema was Mastersof the Universe with DolphLundgren and Frank Langella.I was seven and bored,wanting the minutesto scurry like mice. I startedpicturing a western insteadof the drab ‘80s movie:Saguaro cactuses intimidatinglike…

By Harrison Abbott I was in home economics class in high school and there was this scary, chronically angry teacher called Mrs Grierson whom we all had to respect, for some reason, despite her shouty aggressive ways. I was bad…

By: Karoline Wimmer “How do you identify? Do you feel more Austrian or more Indian?” my grandfather asked me last week during our family lunch. I had not anticipated this and was silent for a minute as I contemplated my…