Some children are born fearing death.
They skip the I-Am-Immortal
phases of immaturity,
embrace instead the surety
that death will not abandon them.
POETRYPresidential TearsKai CogginWriter of the Month
Every time
I type gun violence
on my new iPhone,
the autocorrect changes it
to fun violence,
because in 2016 there is
an autocorrect to our thoughts
that tries to stray us away from the truth
POETRYAn Open Letter to My Arm FlapsKai CogginWriter of the Month
Dear fleshy flaps of hanging fat under my arms,
Hey, you two.
How’s it hanging?
Listen, I know we’ve had our differences,
and I really only loved you
when you disappeared for that year,
after I lost 100 pounds …
but don’t worry, I found it again!
POETRYCreature From the Black LagoonCharles Joseph
She liked them
thick and black
like roots
Charles Joseph's "Creature From the Black Lagoon" isn't quite what it appears to be.
POETRYNosferatuCharles Joseph
When I was a kid
my mother would stand
in the dark beside my bed
while I slept
like a vampire
Charles Joseph on the intersection of love and fear in his poem, "Nosferatu".
POETRYIn the Event of a DecompressionGabrielle Sorge
... you thrusted your shame
into me like a child thrusts toys
under the bed to keep their mess
controlled and secret.
A biting break-up ode from Gabrielle Sorge, "In the event of a Decompression".
POETRYOK CorralJohn Stupp
When
my father
was a boy
in the 1920’s
Wyatt Earp
was still alive
riding back lots
in Hollywood
POETRYTrue StoryScott Stoller
"huddled and
frozen together,
boy and beast"
Scott Stoller with a moving portrait of real life, in his poem "True Story".
POETRYMona Lisa, A StudyKai CogginWriter of the Month
Oh, Mona Lisa,
tell me your secrets.
POETRYMeteor Shower/Meeting-Her ShowerKai CogginWriter of the Month
This is the first time
we really made an effort
to watch the meteor showers
that are promised to be
quite a magnificent spectacle tonight.