By Pansy Alakayak Thank you snow, evolving is your presence, You and Mother Earth – what an essence. Snowflake and Snowshoe, wholly and true Hoarfrost on elders heads, oh yes they grew. Ancient dog musher and snowmachines too, What would they do without you! Climate change ravage, affecting all of you. Please don’t leave us, forever be true! Snow forever, you are pure and white. Please continue to come in your time. You are amazing and beautiful, In your everlasting time.
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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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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…
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My Hidden Love
By Colleen Bayas When I’m exhausted and worn out, you share your strength My love for you jumps over the fence. When my life seems to be in chaos, you share your peace My love for you never decreased. When everyone seems to be my enemy, you are my friend My love for you has no end. When I’m lost and confused, you are my guide My love for you is strong inside. I must have gotten it from you the way love is Whenever you don’t show affection, I can feel it. It must have been the old ways that restricted us From letting our feelings turn into words.…
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On Mountains: A Reflection of Danger, Pain, and Frog Water
Thinking Back, 2002 – Spring 2022 By Laura Ditto Growing up around people who look at mountains like something they might attain for an afternoon snack leaves one with an odd sort of connection to nature. I’ve been raised with the stories of these people; who they are, their incredible feats, but also too often who they were. Early death, as it turns out, comes a little too easy for the adventurous spirits. That’s where the close, safe-feeling connection with nature becomes an oxymoron. Being who I am—somewhat cautious all the time but also clumsy—I tend to tread carefully when I’m walking in the woods. It leads me to think…
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The Heaviest I’ve Ever Been
By Zoe This is a story about weight loss. At one point in my life, I weighed a ton. And when I say a ton, I mean thousands of pounds. There was a point in my life I was so heavy I didn’t think I would get back up. I lived in a field of white flowers. This was my life garden. The land of fresh, green stalks with white flowers on their tops rolled for miles. The breeze traveled through the leaves like it was playing the stalks as strings on a guitar. The white petals swayed to the beat in perfect harmony. I tended to my flowers every…
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This Life
By Corey Zeedar I look across the lake. I see the green trees, blooming with life. I hear the birds chirping In the distance a mother bear hunting for salmon to feed to her nearby cub’s. I see an eagle overhead, scouting over the land. all is right in this world; everything has its way of life. Though, just ahead of this beautiful idealistic world, in this world of ours. There is pain, death, loss of beautiful full-grown trees. This world has been burned and charred. There are no trees. There is no vegetation. There is no wildlife. There is no life. I see smoke, charred carcasses I see smoldering…
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You Old Dog
By Miles Dennis You were born, one among many, and from the very start You were never alone Your mother and your siblings were all you knew A dune of moving fur to roll on and wrestle with Though you hurt each other On needle-teeth Bites and scratches Your orange coats never showed red Because it was all play, your children’s games And one day they were gone They picked you up and Carried you away and They were frightening and You missed mother and All your brethren and yet The ones who took you Loved you all the same They held you and Sat for hours in that warm…
