sprovence
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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.…
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S. Mead, Marble Sky
Stephen Mead Marble Sky These cut squares, these street blocks, a sea of them& feet on that ice, the gray wisps of hard streaks,reflections in a sheep’s eye, the clear, the occluded,how it spreads, the expanse, how it may lift—–Lines in such space, clock hands, dagger arrowsagainst the blue, the cloud-white, & everywheretightropes with balancing…
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Corso-Maddox, Bolt of Enlightenment
Marjorie Maddox Bolt After the photograph Bolt of Enlightenment by Paola J. CorsoEach bolt unbolts the brain that’s trainedonly to see one dimension. Angle your mind toward what’s perpendicular and parallel.Let thought splinter where it will.Shadows refuse nails, but each bolt’s opening fits perfectly your wide-alive eye.On the other side, imaginationwaits with telescopic sight: kaleidoscope…
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K. Bodrie, Where Do Trees Go after They Die?
Kat Bodrie Where Do Trees Go After They Die? I wake to hear a fresh craaack outside, a thud. The house hasn’t trembled but I don slippers and sweatshirt anyway, make sure we don’t need to get flashlights ready. Beyondsideways sleet and rain, pastthe wooden light pole, a hemlockfrom the public parkhas fallen into the…
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J. Jules, What Did Widows Do Before the Internet?
Jacqueline Jules What Did Widows Do Before the Internet? Alone in the house, late at night,the toilet flushes with a whistle,followed by a squealing sound,like tires skidding on black ice. Is it urgent? Worth the extra priceof an after-hours plumber?Alone in the house, late at night,there is no one to ask except Google,who thinks I…
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M. Griffiths, Moon Rocks
Mary Anne Griffiths Moon Rocks My mother is in the turquoise sewing room, trapped with her hate of mending and thread, stitches, needles, and scissors, all things that cut and bind. I walk in, crying and crying, unable to remember why. But it’s all upheaval, an out-of-control thing I can’t possibly rein in with my…