December Contributors

Cynthia Atkins, Lydia Rae Bush, Mitch Christensen, Jesse Darnay, Angel T. Dionne, R.M. Engelhardt, Jones Erwin, James Henlon, John Jeffire, Ingrid Marie Jensen, Patrick Johnston, Justin Karcher, Craig Kirchner, Thomas McDade, Catfish McDaris, Frederick Pollack, Nick Power, henry 7. reneau, jr., Ron Riekki, Mykyta Ryzhykh, William Taylor, Jr., Rodrigo Toscano, James Fleet Underwood, Grady VanWright, Philip Venzke, Emma Wells, Von Wise

Poetry

December Highlights

dreaming of horses

by by Ingrid Marie Jensen
“…bright horses, bolting in from the blue / and I know that’s borderline / affirmations written on the mirror in lipstick…”
through the cubes

by Grady VanWise
“You blink and now she's dressed in shadow, / a shroud of midnight, / with flickers of neon red pulsing underneath, / veins of pure electricity…”
love poem

by Von Wise
“Off in the distance, the village pervert / watches us making love / in the afternoon heat. We regard him / as harmless, the way we'd regard a dog / or bird and continue with our wet return / into one another.”
her taco tasted like rain

by Catfish McDaris
“Her freckles were devil’s kisses / showering down from purgatory.”
homopteran pandernos/ : a sociopathy sequestered in place

by henry 7. reneau, jr.
“rage that plummets our bodies moan/hearted / to the intrusion of it all . the nihilistic poltergeist…”

David Estringel 8/14/25 David Estringel 8/14/25

five poems

by jms xuange

“The water shines./ She fills two Mason jars and carries them home / in the basket of her bicycle. Her mom lets her use / the refrigerator but the girl sleeps / on the porch for the rest of the summer.”

David Estringel 8/13/25 David Estringel 8/13/25

two poems

by Terry Trowbridge

“They promised never to forgive us / for the time we replaced / the communion wine with vinegar…”

David Estringel 8/12/25 David Estringel 8/12/25

four poems

by Gülen Çelik

“The tip of my youth and tongue. / Functional and elegant. / That’s what we are!”

David Estringel 8/11/25 David Estringel 8/11/25

unspilled milk

by Philip Venzke

“…because no one / with a failed nose / will dismantle those cartons. / I can change the past.”

David Estringel 8/10/25 David Estringel 8/10/25

drone strike

by John Jeffire

“…chest fails…surgeon cannot peel…child from her grasp”

David Estringel 8/9/25 David Estringel 8/9/25

the type

by John Jeffire

“His girlfriend at the time dug the type. College degree in something or other, sweaters he didn’t actually wear but tied around his neck—probably couldn’t throw a spiral or explain man coverage.”

David Estringel 8/8/25 David Estringel 8/8/25

when i check the time

by Grady VanWright

“In the mirror, a stranger with a hollow face / mumbles about markets--copper, salt, / the weight of words-- / but he falters at the syllables.”

David Estringel 8/7/25 David Estringel 8/7/25

five poems

by Blair Hamelink

“I hear a tickling from the bastardized voice / & the windmill of my rot / blows upon my hair / it seems, I’ve gone public / priest of the milkyway, Vincent: / I’m your man…”

David Estringel 8/6/25 David Estringel 8/6/25

true cross

by Michael Borth

“It is obvious in the aura of the green light of Honduras / Intersected by the wounds of the martyr, by the mother / Praying silver on the historical hill of the true cross…”