By Kajetan Kwiatkowski Tricia leashed the gentle giant, combed the fur around his collar, and gave him a prolonged, bombastic kiss. She fought the instinct to sling on the delivery vest hanging from her back door, there was always extra…

By: Janet Brown                 I was standing by the entrance to the dining area of St. John’s Mission when an old disheveled guy came waltzing in slowly, with a “far away” look in his eyes, trance-like, smelling like old sweat…

By John Blair She’s gone and it’s all my fault. Loneliness is just a word, but it sure can choke you. A few steps out of the door and my sore eyes are treated to the neighbors’ well tended lawns….

By: Christopher Brooks Tequila I like a glass tequilawhen I sit to writea poemat night. The quiet in my roomis a delight,quitestill. The glass is thinits rim is finethe taste is sharp— piquant. ### Physics I tripped. And suddenly I…

By: Shukburgh Ashby Near-unknown writer, and an undiscovered giant of twentieth century literature A friend told me that Tom Wollaston died last week. He must’ve been in his nineties. I’d like to humbly propose (I haven’t read this theory elsewhere)…

By: Paul Jones The Emancipation of the Mermaid Tattoo The laser took her scale by scaleslowly moving from waist to tail.She had never been meant for him.He had led her out on a limb.He kept her there under his skinan…

By: Caroline Piermattei She heard the chirp, the squeak. Then the black blur scurried past her leg. He climbed the tree then ran, having what looked like fun. Black squirrels, She strained to remember…aggressive,  rabid? As a stand alone event,…

By: Harvey Huddleston He’d been there a few times before, the BARC shelter.  It stood for Brooklyn Animal, then whatever starts with an R and Center.  The R might be for relocation or reassignment or rehabilitation maybe.  He never liked…

By: T. Peer D. C. Damen entered his detective section beneath the proclamation, Our day begins when your day ends. Beyond a rather pragmatic occupational dictum the homicides, suicides, and accidents stuffed a macabre party pack with the hostility, futility,…

By: Dora Nicolic nebula The day the sky split open, a swirl of dust, gases, and atoms suffocated the horizon. And the sky, well, she inhaled and took in every ounce of the atoms. She was left to expand, and…