sprovence
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E.A. Walker, How Lost Words Haunt Like Wings Behind Glass
Elinor Ann Walker How Lost Words Haunt Like Wings Behind Glass Elinor Ann Walker holds a Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill and is on the poetry staff at River Heron Review. Recent poems appear in AGNI, Nimrod, Plant-Human Quarterly, Plume, Poet Lore, The Southern Review, Terrain, and elsewhere. Her debut chapbook, Fugitive but Gorgeous (forthcoming), won…
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J.K. Hare, Torchlight
J. Kramer Hare Torchlight Paths are blurred and boundariessoft in this landscape of cobwebs,smoke suffused. A scentI savor cautiously: to catchthat spice in a forest signalseither other people’s presence orimmediate danger. Sometimes both.To set a fire here—(noteI don’t say light)—to seta fire here may showmomentarily the glintof onyx of the spider’s orbed back,eight pinpoints markingeight…
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E. Gentle, What was it
Eirene Gentle What Was It Another heatwave. Don’t go out, they warn. Bolt doors, lock windows. Slam cracked lips on all that smoke and wind. It’ll pass. They say. Maybe. Until then, cage dry teeth. Snap when pressed. Crawl in the spice rack. Boil until flesh is white and flakes easily. Before this ash-tongue, before…
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A. Marcusa, The Last Pair of High Heels
Andrea Marcusa The Last Pair of High Heels While cleaning our basement, I found a pair of three-inch patent-leather heels resting under papers in a file cabinet. Elegant. Expensive. Forbidden. My hands shook. I could be arrested. No questions asked. Ten years ago, heels were banned. Men and women in blue-jean uniforms with Golden Age…
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J. Roberts, The Shape of a Leaf
Jeannie E. Roberts The Shape of a Leaf Jeannie E. Roberts’ artwork is highly stylized and inspired by the organic forms, shapes, and design elements found outdoors. She is also an author and serves as a poetry editor for the online literary magazine Halfway Down the Stairs. For artistic samples, please visit: https://jrcreative.biz/art.htm. Back to…
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J. Roberts, Oak, Your Quiet Strength
Jeannie E. Roberts Oak, Your Quiet Strength Jeannie E. Roberts’ artwork is highly stylized and inspired by the organic forms, shapes, and design elements found outdoors. She is also an author and serves as a poetry editor for the online literary magazine Halfway Down the Stairs. For artistic samples, please visit: https://jrcreative.biz/art.htm. Back to Issue
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M. Chester, Layers
Meredith Chester Layers An early fall morning finds me rocking on my wooden porch, redolent with foliage and the aroma of coffee. My robe radiates rich, warm base notes of paper perfume fragrance strips. Meredith Chester studied creative writing at Florida State University. She now writes from beautiful Chattanooga, TN, with the support of the…
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W. Doreski, Flags in the Breeze
William Doreski Flag in the Breeze Stiff in gray air, a flag accentsa slab of industrial landscape.Dull windowless metal-sidedwarehouse capped with ventilators.Who works in such a bland setting?I lasted two weeks in HallmarkCards’ facility in Enfield,sorting greetings for shipment,unloading boxcars arrivingfrom Kansas, where steam pressesspewed thousands of glitzy cardsfor birthdays, graduations, griefs.I couldn’t take all…
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W. Doreski, Snowy Morning Near Cleveland
William Doreski Snowy Morning Near Cleveland Seen from the train, the slurof wooden houses muddledwith snow looks like disaster.The snow-slur is on the window,though, an ethereal avatarthat doesn’t damage anything.I’m glad. These square Ohiohouses look homey enoughto linger in the memory of thosereared here and gone awayto Chicago, LA, New Yorkwhere money flirts for real.Maybe…
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M. Dube, Reopen the Broken Glass Cafererias
Matt Dube Reopen the Broken Glass Cafeterias Nothing is too off-the-wall for a brand in crisis, so when it came to me, I shouted it out: Reopen the broken glass cafeterias. We’ll have media coverage and all the different flavors: leaded and double pane, auto, and even stained glass, at least for the grand opening.…