In black and white ink my father the rain coming down sideways umbrella overhead charcoal pissing the match as he tries to light the flame to cook our burgers while we huddle in a pop-up trailer bored with our luck A caricature of himself scotch-taped to the fridge for decades the man and his family […]
Issue 76
David Lehman: Poem in the Manner of Polonius
Neither a follower nor a leader be. Vote, but tell no one for whom you voted. Do not avoid jury duty. Avoid a fight, but if attacked, fight back with all your might, and don’t try to fuck a girl on your first date. Kiss her good night and call the next day. Memorize verse, […]
Roberto Gonzalez: The Mortician’s Bride Says I’m Yours
Mexico City The city of tremors and toxins can’t have enough parlors waiting patiently along the street like the bald-eyed scavengers who profit from the art of waste removal. How fortunate you are to be betrothed to the mortician’s protégé. On Thursday nights he drives up with the hearse, and while the dogs panic and […]
Amy Hosig: Morning Reading
Mornings I shake out the window shades and let in light. Tiny invisible dust particles moving through the air become visible, a living room galaxy, whirling in destructive orbit paths, then slowly settling. If they are light enough and not too near the wind path of a door, the tiny matter suspend and maybe rise […]
Marcia Aldrich: The Missing Husband
If your husband never returned From a trip to buy milk Would you slip in the date He vanished While admiring A neighbor’s petunias? If they asked had you noticed A change, would you say How does one register Change on a blank slate? There were disappointments, You’d admit kicking The black tar of the […]
Nellie Bridge: It’s Like Riding on a Train
The one certain thing is the destination, the human voice that sounds automated pronouncing the name of the end of the line in the local accent. You’re on the right train. The smell of the plastic seats, the same for generations. No need to be in a hurry. No need to engage the people nearby. […]