I had the opportunity to ask this year’s guest of the Writers Who Edit, Editors Who Write Series, Benjamin Grossberg. Supplement your experience of his reading with his answers, and read them alone – Ben is personable and passionate, and a truly unique voice in modern poetry. A Polish…
Day: February 7, 2016
Happy Chinese New Year by Steph Koo
The supermarket was packed yesterday. Today, Mom is preparing food. I select music for a playlist for tonight’s guests. We are complaining about cleaning the house. No, it is not because it is Superbowl Sunday. This year, overshadowed by an American pastime I never quite understood, Chinese New Year Eve…
“Wild Eyes” by Bryan Schreber (2009)
Gold shines; illuminated under the setting sun. Artificial lights flicker, giving birth to the night. Terrifying smiles giving life to inanimate faces. Wide, wild eyes staring. Creatures dancing; spiraling towards infinity. Children ensnared by dream fulfillment. Petite fingers clutching the faces of tiny monsters.
“Too Old” by Patricia Haggard (2009)
Fifteen is too old to ride a merry-go-round, too old for this twirling coffee-painted pony to take me back to last June, to the machine that spins dizzying circles, as I stand at the head of my friend’s hospital bed, holding her swollen, peeling hand. The whoosh of the machine…
“Summer Long Gone” by Linda Drake (2009)
We were sun-baked and freckled in our halter tops and shorts. Salty from swimming the day away. Full of energy after corn-on-the cob and BLT’s. Eager to ride the merry-go-round at Sound View. Joking about who would catch the unreachable golden ring. Giddy as Grandpa bought us glazed doughnuts for…
“Merry Go Round” by MaryLynn Haggard (2009)
I play on the merry-go-round as the fire on the round ball sets. It gleams and glows pink and red. It looks like a pretty rainbow. Thunder, my horse, is attached to the glowing Merry-go-Round. Through the clouds I see lots of diamonds. They are so sparkly and clear. The…
“Wrong Crowd” by Ethan Sheehan (2009)
Bradley had never wanted to get mixed in with that crowd. But it seemed beyond his control. His best friend, Alex, had started hanging out with them, so Bradley went along with it. It wasn’t that bad at first. Drinking or smoking; it didn’t hurt anybody. But then the crimes…
“Vive la Révolution” by Timothy Stobierski (2009)
II was born under the lion as he commingled with the snake, but conceived when the dragon pillaged the great scales of their gold. “Who am I?” were my first words; they passed by unanswered. III heard the words of God as a child, but He has grown silent. The…
“The Child of Shalott” by Katie Scibelli (2009)
This carnival rests in a field of flowers. Hear the innocent laughter Her song echoes through you. She waves her hand, Palms dive in and out of air currents. She is a fairy granting wishes. Her crimson hair falls on young shoulders Unkempt after a day of enjoyment. Slow horses…
“Penance” by Lillian R. Handleman (2009)
The paunching of Dan’s belly that once sported lean muscle exposed a doughy adipose mass protruding from just above his belt. One could say his belly was a monument to all the fallen heroes of love gone wrong—those weary soldiers adrift in marital limbo who seek comfort in swigs of…
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