sprovence
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J. Simms, On Becoming a Great Auk
Jess Simms On Becoming a Great Auk You were king, once. Before strangers invaded, you ruled benevolent, a giant in small lands, so secure in your belonging, you lost the knowledge of flight. Once upon a time, your bones were seen as holy, your feathers magic. And they were, once. When you needed for nothing.…
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A. Tillmans, New Year’s Eve
Andrea Tillmanns New Year’s Eve At first, we only saw the exploding lights, as we do every year. But when they were supposed to go out, they refused, seeking a common shape instead.Just as scales enveloped a fish and defined its shape, scaly lights shifted until they enveloped an air-filled body in the air and…
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L. H. Ayers, Gratitude for What Is Seen & Unseen
Lana Hechtman Ayers Gratitude for What Is Seen & Unseen a haibunSudden moonlight slipping out of night sky’s sleeve of clouds. I want to name it foolhardy, but isn’t it something else? The mirror that holds your beloved’s breath after they’ve gone. The ladybug circling the glass of a sealed window. Lonely frog singing his…
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D. Brookshire, Rising Water Villanette
Dustin Brookshire & Kerry Trautman Rising Water Villanelle A contoured villanelle using “Little L.A. Villanelle” by Carol Muske-DukesWithout the threat of flood, I could learn to love the rain.Last fall, our neighborhood pond overflowed—rising, receding, and rising in seasonal refrain.We waded in water six inches deep, a pain-wicking cold up my shins. Cars sped past…
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J.K. Hare, Night Music
J Kramer Hare Night Music Our dishwasher is water tumbling over stone: a laminar, clear column, water smoothly breaksand clings to stone, polishing and polishing. Our dishwasher is a beehive near the waterfall:ever industrious, the laborers sing their labor’sdroning harmony, chorusing and chorusing.The waterfall and beehive (which together arethe dishwasher) hide around the corner fromour…
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K.D. Carter, What Helps
Karen DeGroot Carter What Helps With many thanks to Andrea GibsonCommunal grief. And wonder.Moments you’ve given yourself by heading out on that new path and spotting two deer, buck leading, doe lengths behind but intent,both beelining to a hidden thicketof comfort and care. I’ve seen many lately on hikes, I forgot or failedor just had…
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E. Murphy, Between Symptom
Erin Murphy Between Symptom and Diagnosis Landscape of chronic fog and mist,ellipses linking what was and what is. Miners straining to hear a rescue team,tan line from a wedding ring. A baton mid-toss, an arrhythmic dance, a song bleeding from a prison cell. How when you try not to think of something, you think of…
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M. Eleftherion, Wanderer
Melissa Eleftherion Wanderer of the Wasteland Melissa Eleftherion (she/they) is a writer, a librarian, & a visual artist. Born & raised in Brooklyn, they are the author of three poetry collections including gutter rainbows (Querencia Press, 2024) & 12 chapbooks. Melissa lives in Northern California where she served as Poet Laureate for the City of…
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M. Carr, Silence is
Melissa Eleftherion Silence is a Girl Shaped Melissa Eleftherion (she/they) is a writer, a librarian, & a visual artist. Born & raised in Brooklyn, they are the author of three poetry collections including gutter rainbows (Querencia Press, 2024) & 12 chapbooks. Melissa lives in Northern California where she served as Poet Laureate for the City…
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M. Michelle Bovée Stange, Exercises
Michelle Bovée Stange Exercises for living i.Look at the moonFold the distance between you like a fanHold her gently and give her to someone you loveRemember the feeling of her cratersii.Breathe in the shape of a circleSmooth it into a stoneSkip it over the water and watch it sinkInhaleiii.Fold your heart into a paper airplaneThrow…