Poetry: “Eldest daughter’s first solo trip to New Jersey,” by Z. Z.

In Newark, spring opens its mouth, yawns
across the Manhattan skyline, like a promise.
Yesterday, I asked what love was beyond
laughter skipping on broken vinyls, hands
on the steering wheel, beyond umbrellas. I

Poetry: “Idyll of the Sipsey Wilderness,” by J.R. Forman

a broken arrowhead—its tip
cut off—depressed beneath the clay
five hundred years emerges after

summer’s heavy rain—I rinse
it in the basin carved in limestone

Poetry: “SUBURBIA, ON ANY GIVEN DAY,” by John Grey

Steve is comforted by the fact that humans are top of the food-chain.
His sister Keri’s greatest wish is for some cute guy
to stand beneath her window and sing Harry Styles songs to her.
If it’s the actual Harry Styles, so much the better.
To their mother, Harriet, everything is a matter of life and death.

Poetry: “Coming Up Jesus,” by Jeff McRae

Jesus had it going on for a good couple of years,
like Billy Collins—followers who said mmm when
he hit them with a perfect image, event attendees
who snapped their fingers and played bongos,

who caught him up when he took the leap of faith,

Poetry: “SO IT’S SPRING” by Jacqueline Hughes Simon

& the robins are back dozens of them in the park but that spring, our first in this house, when I brought the baby back from (no matter what you think) a difficult morning at the park & our cats, who were new to the feral outdoors, had hunted like cougars amongst what I assume were birds unsuspecting […]

Poetry: “PROCESSING” by Amanda Russell

{As in, ongoing / fluxing;As in, computing and hold please and etcetera; As in, wait 600 minutes, and the anchor we never dropped, and how carefully can a person jump out of a plane; As in, whatever you thought you saw, stand over here this time—think again / shift / mend; As in, what didn’t […]

Poetry: “An Orphanage in the Philippines” by Mary Jerzak

you haven’t cried in yearsnow is not the time to starta fire breathing down your throat and your voice falling three stories hand-sized flakes of paint shreds of paper and ashes in piles and in the airyour own empty bed on fire the night outside filled with starsyou turn to watch the flamesin the black […]

Poetry: “ESTUARY” by Alison Hicks

Released from formal education, we set out, walked until we came to the edge,made camp where river meets ocean. Determined to come only with questions, we asked, Who are you? Marked swellings and diminutionswhile we waited for an answer,cupped our hands and tasted: in places fresh, others briny. Too wide to swim across.Blue crabs climbed […]

Poetry: “Threads for a New Robe” by Rachel Landrum Crumble

I. HusbandLaughter has carried usdown this river. Now, it meanders adagio. Once young and in love,we walked these streetswhile neighbors slept, so joyfulmy heart beat in my legs:Assemble! Chasse! We thought the night was ours alone untilwe heard applausefrom a darkened window,like distant rapids. II. Letting goJade river, rushing towardschange, and the mirror gives no answers. How do […]

Poetry: “Aquarium” by S. Rogers Ellis

They made their home within a concrete sanctuary Some adapted appendages and other parts of human skin To better interface with their watery brethren One small girl I noticed had a dorsal fin Another filtered nourishment from a swim These people were the most unusual I have seen And yet to them, their world seemed […]