By Maria Capezio Crookes Day 1 Mother stopped the car in front of the house, where the fence paused to give space to the pathway to the front door. She turned the car off and put her head on the wheel. The rest of the family looked out the car window and stared at the new house. Built in the 1960’s, the house looked and felt old, but with a strange modern touch; it reminded Mother of the house from I dream of Jeannie. The two trees in the front yard lined the pathway, creating the illusion of a tunnel of leaves and low branches; there were rose bushes under…
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Might as well
By Maria Capezio Crookes I- The Chair Last Saturday, an ordinary one, I was in the living room, sitting on my favorite chair facing the window, letting the silence of the snow falling accompany me, with a blanket on my lap, my book, and my coffee. Taking a deep breath, I looked around and saw that the stack of Christmas cards we received was still sitting on the shelf where I left them in January. I shrugged, and thought, “I might as well do it, otherwise it’s not getting done.” I grabbed the cards and couldn’t help looking through them. Pictures of babies and dogs, letters of aunties with detailed…
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The Mighty Wrangler Sue
By Laura Ditto I’m sure you must have heard of many cowboy men— Billy the Kid and Buffalo Bill— but this ain’t about all them. See, I doubt you know that among the plains, a mighty girl once roamed with skill about the reins. In fiesty herds of cattle she always stood her ground and fired a blazing pistol with a deafening sound. Yes, it is she— who rangers never slew— the fearsome, frightening, fighting: the Mighty Wrangler Sue. They say she could mend clothes, while riding cross the range, yodeling into the night so folks all called her strange. She liked to walk in trousers, and…
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Love
By Kenneth A Hughes It’s wave after crashing wave Over the walls and spreading wetting Filling every space and bursting past Rippling with vibrations Pulsating emanating generating pumping out Overwhelming all encompassing Reverberating releasing relays Splashing forth and ever present Nothing but this is important to remember Always will and will be Captivated appreciated celebrated Flowing edges onward pouring Steadily gaining maintaining the volume Breathe it in and breathe it out It’s all we are and all we need As is the way of the stars Grow like a flower Share this Love Love eternally Love
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Cutting your tongue on the words you speak
By Kenneth A. Hughes Walking through the values you entered unto the world/ Fraught with nought nary a faerie, “Not Fair He!” These globs of stops are concluding a protruding confusing intrusive elusive notion current on the currents in motion on the Bering Sea portion of the Pacific Ocean/ Land meets man, meats man & plans stands for days in ways that’s it’s laid out like gout, stout as a shout/ This gory “Glory & hallelujah” in collusion to Illusion; losing to a lost paradise parable parked between antiquated ideas flayed and displayed in an intricate array The main rage on the stage is parading cascading triumvirate hues/ Stoned and…
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Ceiling Spiders
By Miles Dennis I crushed my fingers stacking wood. Cut my fingers on parking-lot glass. Broken arms, been snapped by ropes, and burned by countless careless touches of the stove. I cursed and cried each as I waited for them to fade. It is different now, I can’t find it now. It is everywhere, except when I look for it, when it is nowhere. The half-dead trees outside are wrong, they won’t bear leaves this spring. The half-melted streets are wrong too, they will never melt out, and I think it’s inside somewhere. I can’t find it. The East is wrong too, the sun won’t come up in the morning.…
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That’s What They Want You to Think
By Marty Grumblis 0: Contact Established You, yes you, stop whatever you’re doing right now. I need to make sure you’re ready to listen to what I’m about to say. You’ve been living in a dream world, a world of lies and deception and mind control to keep the masses complacent. No, don’t act surprised when you read this, act as normal as possible. You wouldn’t want them to notice, would you? Good, yes, act totally natural, you’re just reading a normal article from the mainstream media, you’re just getting your daily dose of misinformation. Except, this time, you’re getting the truth. The truth that they’ve been hiding from you. …
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I Am the Villain, and I Will Never Win
By Jordan Hales I am the villain, and I will never win. My words are laced with venom. My ambition stings. I am never wrong, nor am I right. Vanity is worn on my iron sleeve. Viridian is my color. Black is my heart. Silver are the swords that stay at my side. I am the villain, and when you fall, I triumph. I taunt. I tear. I am only a reflection. I burn, you blunder. Betrayal is a given—by you, by me. I will love you. I will leave you, and you will watch me walk away. The ground burns in my footprints. Power blazes within me, but not…
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Transformation of Self
By Kenneth A Hughes Show me, show me what you see A scared little boy in a circle of uncertainty Whispers in the dark trees unknown He comes in to surrender, Alone Lies and sin fall from his lips The boulder he carries falls and splits Suffering and hell he sees Promises of Growth gossips the trees His head is full of confusion and doubt He’s cold when the stars and fire Go out Blazing high in the sky Sun ray falls Mercy from the sand he cries he calls Like all things in life this too shall end With the rain his soul begins to mend Gratitude washes over…
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Remember your meds. Remember you’re on meds.
By Margo Gillis Good morning my dear, how do you feel Be cautious with your thoughts, they’re rarely real Please remember to take your meds before you start to wane I promise they’ll do their best to keep you sane But when you’ve made it through, be patient with your brain Please remember you’re on meds, your thoughts may refrain From making any sense, due to the chemical imbalance Oh, and don’t forget, when you chide yourself for being numb Remind yourself of the time you nearly bit off your thumb Trying to pull your mind away from the war raging inside By forcing your body to set its survival…