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Volume 3, Issue 2
Short Poems

DRAMA QUEEN

Amanda Maude Miner

I ask about a procedure, 

And you say, with a cold demeanor, 

“We’ve told you this before…”

Proving you’ll be queen forevermore. 

 

Your petty attacks are vile, 

Nothing short of juvenile.

You point out mistakes with glee 

To satisfy your self-fulfilling prophecy. 

 

Your ego is large and delicate. 

It’s best to follow etiquette,

And not make a fuss, 

Or be thrown under the bus. 

 

I’ve tried to defend myself, 

Only to be cut off and put on a shelf.

I hoped to be your ally and friend, 

Only to be disappointed in the end.

 

It’s impossible to idolize 

When you cower and criticize,

Traits that have no virtue; 

I cannot help but pity you. 

TIRED

Angie Lopez

I’m tired of all the ways 

I’ve seized to be me

How all there is left is a little girl

Pretending to be mean and loud 

To expand herself to all the corners of the room

Enter all discussion with nothing but pink on her tongue

And leave with the same blue in her eyes

And I wish I was the type of tired that I could chase away while counting sheep 

Fly for a bit and land on a warm bed

But

I’m the type of tired that walks with shaking knees

And laughs at their clanking

I’m tired and I’m angry 

But I’m too tired to stay angry

And too tired to feel love 

And too tired to want to wake up after flying

Because maybe I’d rather go to sleep 

pretend that the tired will leave 

That the love isn’t just an excuse 

And that the anger will quiet down

Either way 

I remain tired

ONE NATION UNDER GOD

Brenda Castile-Munoz

I stood on a mountain underneath the Sky

Which gradually opened, revealing an Eye

 

It looked upon the east, west, north, and South

Then the earth’s lips parted and out of its Mouth

 

Rose the hands of my ancestors both servant and King

Joined together with one signet Ring

 

The ocean sprung forth and spoke to my Heart

We are your ancestors who gave you your Start

 

You are of the earth, the ocean, and Sky

You are of the one, revealing an Eye

THE VIRTUOUS ONE

Brenda Castile-Munoz

A kindly man appeared at my window one Night

While others were sleeping, he was within my Sight

 

He thought my garden green, now a desolate Land

Required the touch of a virtuous Man

 

Sun dried fruits, and vegetables Harden

Haven’t a place in a maiden’s Garden

 

Fertilize he would, every blade of Grass

To nourish each flower, he made it his Task

 

Appointed keeper of that sacred Ground

He unleashed a fountain once held bound

 

By summer’s drought and a slacking Hand

A mighty water rose, to the fruit it Ran

 

Up the vines of vitality

Filtering over to every Tree

 

Flower, vegetable, and Fruit

Rejuvenation started at the Root

 

My love, my favor, my heart was Won

By a man only known as the virtuous One

SOME DAYS

Brian Sutton

Some days, you exist.

Some days, you’re a ghost.

It can’t be helped.

We’re all a bit haunted in a way.

 

Some days, you’re a ghost.
Your skin shimmers like glass.
We’re all a bit haunted in a way.
Walls mean less when you can pass through.

 

Your skin shimmers like glass.
You’ve left something behind.
Walls mean less when you can pass through.

Lots of things don’t matter now.

 

You’ve left something behind.

It can’t be helped.

Lots of things don’t matter now.
Some days, you exist.

FIDELITY

Brian Sutton

He plays a different tune these days.

The reel starts over and the speakers

quake at the deep bass of a voice

shaped by glaring brass and whiskey

and late nights speaking with both hands

and no words in B flat. 

The tape darkens the tone with every listen;

the magnet strip degrades little more.

"I used to play trombone," the song begins.

MIDNIGHT MEETINGS

Brooke Peters

Chimes of the grandfather clock call,

I know she’ll find me again tonight. 

The light switch flicks

And I know it’s my time. 

Hinges squeak and I see the light.

Eyeliner-stained fingertips push away

Pill bottles, lone q-tips, dust mites. 

Black flecks stain my silver skin.

She doesn’t mind, she needs me. 

I admire her new birthmarks from past meetings.

Streaks of red shade my secret canvas,

My own signature,

Carved into raised skin. 

Pressure, pressure, pressure,

Release.

Beads of hot liquid boil before 

My brushstrokes turn into waterfalls down her thigh.

Our session ends. 

I’m hidden away from the judgement of dawn

Awaiting tomorrow. 

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

Constadina Liberides

Waiting around for a sign.

Who knows what life will bring us down the line?

Cryptic shadows or a sunny disposition.

It is up to us to make that decision.

 

Life does not always go according to plan.

At least that is how the saying goes. 

For each soul wants to find purpose.

Instead, life pricks us like a thorn of a rose. 

 

Searching the corridors of our hearts for answers.

Sometimes getting lost mends our fractures.

The unstable pieces of our hearts might shatter one day.

But for right now I am alive today. 

 

Happiness and fulfillment. 

Is what I hope life will bring me.

Disappointment, tears, and instability are always a possibility.

For I cannot predict this life of mine. 

But with the right attitude I will thrive. 

COOKIE DOUGH

Dana Drier

Before we made the trip out to Rockford 

to bring her home with us,

the breeder would occasionally send photos of her:

a tiny pug, roughly the same size and shape

of a roll of unbaked cookie dough,

right out of the package.

She had a chocolate chip face

and a body like brown sugar

creamed with butter and flour.

 

And though she hadn’t been spooned out

onto a parchment lined tray

and baked at 350 degrees,

I could tell she was soft and warm.

TREE LIKE

Giana Mingilino

I am tree-like in this way,
rooted
grounded
deeply woven
slightly twisted
all-bark-and-no-bite
occasionally sappy
but mostly shady
damaged, yet
strong too.

~

I am tree-like in this way,
bearing fruit which tempt you
to take a piece of me as you please
till I am left with nothing but bare flesh.
Still, at my core I know this to be true
just as trees do so very often
I soon will once again bloom.
I am tree-like in this way,
too.

MIND GAMES

Jada Golden

She hesitates to remove the silk cloth; however,

Within minutes of looking at the white material, 

it falls to the floor with a simple tug.

 

The skin in the reflective mirror does not fit societal standards.

The overpour of the hips in low cut jeans,

The stomach sticks out far more than prenatal stages,

The breasts that no longer lift on their own,

The face that is full of bumps, and valleys,

The hair that dries straight, and the color of dirt.

 

The mirror that reveals these attributes 

Is not to 

Blame,

But instead, 

The mind within the 

Body,

Which is mine.

SOUL

Jada Golden

We move from body to body,

But our souls replenish.

 

Our soul is the hardcover,

Staying the same

As time passes.

Our memories are the pages,

Being ripped out by the spine,

Replaced with anew.

 

Different versions of who we can be

To see what our soul is capable of.

ODE TO ICE CREAM

Makenzie Rehfeldt

Oh, ice cream,

How delectable you are

Rich, sweet, smooth to eat,

And an endless supply of flavors

I never know which to choose

Mint chip, cookie dough?

Too many flavors that put me in a good mood

 

You cool me down on a hot summer’s day

Like taking a dip in a swimming pool.

My eyes light up when I get a new gallon

As the smell of mint hits my nostrils

I can’t scoop you out fast enough

You are like heaven in a bowl

 

When there’s no more of you left

I become filled with sadness

Your stay was just too short

But I won’t fret for come tomorrow

I’ll have another one of you in the freezer

So, I’ll sit on the couch, and watch a movie

With a spoon and a bowl of your mouth-watering flavor

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE

Megan Conrad

The ocean stops. 

The moon sways, longing to leave the sky. Then, in an instant, the ocean panics 

Using it’s waves to try and help 

Pushing you to shore. 

Screaming to you, 

Keep kicking. 

But your body has a different plan. 

Your lungs smirk as water fills them. 

Your legs refuse to support you, 

deciding to pull you closer to the end. Your arms begin prancing defiantly, mocking you. Everyone knows what’s coming. 

The ocean stops. 

The moon sways, then turns away. 

The waves can no longer help.

SELF HARM

Nathan Yockey

Steady hands run the tattoo needle,

a molten fillet knife, 

with its fine tip down my forearm.

A blissful pain, the rattle of the blade

hushes my thoughts, with its bite against my skin. 

A tributary of blood runs 

around my arm and drips 

It’s wiped up, the ink smears

as the needle’s lashes tell my story. 

Painting a picture with an assembly of scars, 

a collection of colors and shaded darkness

that form something

SPACE

Nolan Thilk

Tonight, I wake to look up at the sky

Remembering how it felt when I was there,

And how it felt to travel anywhere,

Not doubting even once that I could fly. 

Sheer happiness as I recall myself

Flying out among planets near and far,

Or gazing into the heart of a star,

Recollections that mean more than all wealth.  

 

Maybe none of it’s real and I was wrong,

And all my memories are only dreams. 

That simply isn’t true, though. It can’t be. 

I know that space is still calling to me,

Out from the distant depths where I belong. 

Nothing is quite exactly what it seems

THE SUN

Nolan Thilk

I think it might be fun

To fall into the sun.

I’ll leave the world behind

Along with all my cares

And swim in the fiery sea.

I’ll be blinded by the light

That binds together all

Life on Earth, and maybe 

Then I’ll be able to

see everything clearly. 

I’ll become a part of 

Something larger, much

Larger, than myself, 

and finally be free. 

I’ll find refuge in the yellow

Flames and solace in the

Solar flares. Yes, I think

I’ll leave the Earth and

Fall into the sun, because

I think would be fun.

But if in fact it’s not,

Then it will just be hot.

PAST RELICS

Paul Pope

Tarnished nostalgia 

wet grass, crushed cans, late sunsets.  Steel strikes

flint - exhale.

BANANA BREAD

Zach Ramsdell

She made banana bread with a recipe she keeps in her head, 

or else I don’t know where it comes from - some motherly

place, where intuition and recipes are stored.  When she tried 

it, her smile fell into a frown, and she said that it was dry.  

She said that we should throw it away.  I’m not sure what 

dry banana bread tastes like, but hers tasted like the vanilla 

she asked me to buy at the store, and the bananas that we 

ignored, and I remember she put a Beatle’s record on the 

turntable while she baked, and she had a little bit of flour

in her hair from where she tucked it behind her ears. 

 

I’m not sure what dry banana bread tastes like, but her 

banana bread tasted fine to me.

HAIKU

Zach Ramsdell

Water in the stream

flows with ease around the rock.

Don’t fight the current.

MEMORY

Zach Ramsdell

reaching tenderly to touch a shadow
speaking softly to myself
holding gently onto nothing
kissing sweetly only a memory

Volume 3, Issue 2
Long Poems

A SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON THE ISLAND OF LA GRANDE JATTE

Dalin Johnson

Playing Masterpiece as a child,

the card I never auctioned off, 

the card I always hoped to be dealt, 

the card I was always willing to buy,

no matter its worth.

 

Then, at the Art Institute in Chicago —

a rather boring field trip for me otherwise.

Right at the entrance, 

the only painting that caught my eye,

“Hey, that’s the one in Masterpiece!”

 

Then, in Digital Design

the last class of the day,

senior year of high school.

The painting I chose to modernize

for my project, without question,

“I’ll use the painting from Masterpiece!”

 

A cartoon puppy, in place of the brown dog.

A rainbow beach umbrella, in place of the black parasol.

A floppy baseball cap, in place of the flowered hat.

A sunbathing Barbie, in place of the kneeling girl.

A blue lightsaber, in the hands of the woman facing the shore.

A bike helmet, in place of the black top hat. 

A robotic dog, in place of the runaway puppy at the lady’s foot.

A lone outhouse, in an empty space of grass.

A modern drone in the air to the left.

A red fire hydrant, at the waist of the lady with the orange umbrella.

 

And plans for a vibrant New York skyline across the pond,

and a cartoon cumulonimbus behind the trees.

Plans made on Friday, March 13th, 2020,

my last day at that old desktop in the art room.

 

And now, just snapshots of my progress,

hidden in the memories on my phone.

“One year ago today,” but left unfinished.

 

Still no vibrant New York skyline across the pond,

Still no cloud behind the trees.

 

Plans left for a Monday that never came.

SUNDAY

Dalin Johnson

Awakened by the painful sun,

that now marks the middle of the sky.

A full morning wasted —

the result of a foolishly late Saturday

and the bitter fantasy of a productive Sunday.

 

A putrid gasp at the clock

that has somehow travelled much too fast.

An eye roll at the list of to-do’s,

that seems much too long for what is already

a late Sunday afternoon.

 

The colorless nostalgia of the weekend,

Overshadowed by the thought of an early tomorrow.

In rigid reflection of the procrastination,

and a roaring mumble, never again will I say,

“I’ll just leave it for Sunday.”

 

As the ominous clock of the sun sets,

and the loud honesty of tomorrow shines through,

The idea of morning furrows my brow.

In muffled pondering of the dreaded week,

What has become of this dwindling Sunday?

 

Awakened by the peppered shriek of an alarm,

And the chilling cold of the bright moon,

Burnt exhaustion freezes the illusion

of yesterday’s angers —

For anything is better than this rancid Monday.

TOYS

Dalin Johnson

Ouch!

I yelled, running

to the kitchen between classes.

 

Why are toys in the hallway?

I can’t wait for the kids to go back to school.

I have class in less than a minute.

 

Ouch, again.

I kicked another toy,

This time, into my room.

A yellow wooden block,

with a letter carved on one side.

 

Scattered behind me,

Red, blue, green, and yellow —

The remains of a tower,

One just like I used to build.

 

My grandparents bought the blocks,

And Opa built me the wooden box.

Stacked together, they fit perfectly.

Four blocks wide, four blocks high,

I still remember.

And a sliding lid, with “Dalin”

painted on top.

 

¡Hola clase! 

I hear, still pondering

how far I have come.

 

Lying in the hallway,

scattered and strewn,

is my very first teacher,

that taught me colors,

letters, and numbers.

 

The toys that laid the foundation,

The building blocks,

For the education I am receiving,

In this very moment,


 

Education that not everyone is blessed to receive,

Not even Oma and Opa.

 

Don’t take it for granted,

I tell myself, 

Even if it’s not how I imagined it to be.

 

¡Adios clase!

I hear, just as quickly as it begun.

THE MIDWEST

Emily Samp

Bright flowers, the sun shining, 

cannon balls off the side of the pool.

Barbecue on the grill. 

Children running toward the music playing 

from the ice cream truck down the road.

Dogs barking and leaping through the freshly cut grass.

The smell of burning wood on a warm night,

as angelic laughter filled the air.

The earthy pine scent and long lit days 

left a prosperous joy.

 

Then one day, a crisp wimper comes

 from the trees. Crying sunflowers

everywhere you look. A colorless gap between 

what was and what is. 

 A screeching sizzle driving on ice.

You feel the burning cold as it hits your face.

Trapped in the trigonometry of torture. 

The next 4 months, a static climb.

The bitter reality of living in the Midwest.

GIVE ME A GOD I CAN RELATE TO

Giana Mingilino

Give me a God I can relate to,
one whose brain out of the blue
and for no good reason at all reminds him of that one time
of that one super embarrassing thing he did five years ago
that probably no one even remembers but like, for some reason
it matters right this very moment.
Does he hang his head low when he asks himself,
“Why did I do that?”


Give me a God I can relate to,
perhaps a God with a bad habit
he just can’t seem to kick.
A habit like, ugly torn up cuticles he keeps reminding himself
to leave alone as he tears off another piece of skin
because instant gratification feels so so good.
Does he feel question his persistent habits,
“Why can’t I stop?”

 

Give me a God I can relate to,
give me one who is downright terrified
of what the future holds because suddenly
nothing feels right anymore.
A God who is so worried that he feels
as if concrete has been poured down his throat,
left to harden until there is no more air left to breathe.
Does he hold himself tight with hot tears and an aching chest asking,
“What is my future? Why can’t I see?”

Tell me.. can God relate to me at all?

CANADA FARM

Jada Golden

The glass window separates me from

Chilly,

 Yet, friendly air.

Green scenery moves far too quickly

Making it hard to clearly

See.

 

Being lost in thought of being greeted,

With warm hugs from the sun,

With the love language of the rustling leaves,

With in-tune singing from the baby birds.

 

The glass windows picture

Halts,

With a mesmerizing canvas.

Green corn stalks come into view.

Emerging from the cage to become

Free.

 

The greeting of the new country is remarkable with

The air kissing my skin

Shocking the hairs on my arm,

The laughing of the gravel grows

As the shoes walk upon it,

 The home invites the girl with open arms.

PSALM

Joey Ruddy

Today I am a teacher 

Yesterday I wanted to be a rock star

Tomorrow I want to be a priest 

 

laid out shades of plaid

with the tenderness of a new parent soothing an infant

a pair of grey 

cargo or khaki

pressed and cleaned 

faintly smelling 

of lavender

in my plaid, I am property of the establishment

 

Today I am a teacher

Yesterday I wanted to be a rock star

Tomorrow I want to be a priest

 

awakened black denim

splashed with bleach

jagged rips and tears

intentional homage

to the unintentional icons

in my jeans resides the carcass of a smoke

in my jeans I am property of no one 

 

Today I am a teacher 

Yesterday I wanted to be a rock star

Tomorrow I want to be a priest

 

Behold the robe 

Plain and simply displayed

Still in its sheath, the muffled call of the rosary

Olive tree beads click in the deep pockets 

Like tiny heartbeats

In my robe, I am property of the Lord

 

Today I am a teacher

Yesterday I wanted to be a rock star

Tomorrow I want to be a priest

BASEBALL

Makenzie Rehfeldt

I watched the Superbowl on Sunday,

rooting for the underdogs to win.

Wrapped in a blanket to keep warm from the frigid

temperatures outside.

As I watched men run up and down the field

and longed for warm summer days

a word popped into my head, baseball.

 

That word brought back happy memories

Wrigley field on a hot summer day,

the smell of hot dogs and pizza,

crowds of people walking around the stadium.

 

Walking seventeen blocks to the stadium every game

Freezing on a cold day behind the first base line

Or sweating out in the left field bleachers

 

Watching memorable games from the upper deck

game six of the NLCS, Rossy’s last game at Wrigley.

My dad sitting next to me,

the two of us sharing a nacho helmet

bonding over our love of the game.

 

And when the new season starts

I will put on my dad’s favorite Cubs hat

and watch games knowing he is watching with me

from up above

BLACK HOLE

Makenzie Rehfeldt

All I feel is pain

Like being stabbed in the heart

All I feel is emptiness

Like a vacant building

 

The rain falls in a thunderous stream

The drops stinging as they hit my skin

Creating puddles of mud in the grass

 

I look around the open field

A vast space filled with lost souls

Reminding me that nothing lasts forever

 

I look at the faces of those here

Looking at me as if I am a fragile piece of glass

Waiting for me to break at any moment

 

Standing next to the wooden box

I admire the shiny sleek look of it

An array of purple flowers laying atop it

My eyes travel to the hole beneath it

Like a black hole that will suck me into oblivion

 

This hole is not meant for me though

It is meant for the one that created me

And as he is lowered into the ground 

I feel another piece of my heart break and go with him

BRAVE NEW LOVE

Meghan Kelly

The night we met, you took my hand and twirled me

around, 

Your emerald eyes glistening from the Christmas

lights on the tree we spun around 

 

When I laughed out of surprise, 

You told me we didn’t need music to dance. 


 

My early self didn’t understand then what I know now; 



 

We are the music.



 

The girl that showers twice a day has found herself 

Wearing the same sweatshirt to sleep every night. 

 

I find myself dizzy in your cologne, 

find it hard to change my sheets because you linger

on them. 

 

My concrete barriers have melted like snow in

Spring. 

Every day is flowers and sweet grass 

And that perfect warm breeze that tickles the skin. 

 

I feel your heart beat against mine and it is more

familiar than my own, 

The sweet thumping of finally being called home.

FACE MASK

Meghan Kelly

My bright, bloodshot eyes stare back at me in the

mirror 

The attempt to rub away sleep was unsuccessful 

My eyes wander the bathroom and land upon the

bottles on the shelf 

CeraVe and Cetaphil and the Ordinary and the

Aztec Healing Clay  

The bottles litter the shelves the same way my acne

litters my face 

 

I want to wash my face. I want to apply my serums. 

I want to exfoliate and moisturize. 

I just can’t. 

 

The haunting consumes me. 

 

When I sat next to you in that hospital bed, 

The one where I watched your skin recede into your

boney cheeks

The one where I held your hand, your grip no longer

strong enough to clasp back 

 

In your darkest and last days, 

The days the cancer ate you from the inside out 

The days where the chemo forced your eyes closed,

unable to carry conversation

The days that the sacral infection made you fight

harder than you should have

The days that the cancer made you lose the parts

that made you you,

The days that I no longer knew how to help 

The days I realized you were beyond saving,

beyond miracle, beyond living

 

We did face masks.

MY LIFE

Moncerat Santiago

I am from pictures worth a thousand words,

From pillows that are soft and full of sorrow,

From fairy lights that are small, blue, and bright,

And a dreamcatcher that gives me hope.

I am from a room that is cold, yet full of memories.

 

I am from three small and spacious bedrooms,

From a living room where we spill all our problems,

From a kitchen where everyone argues,

From a yard where both of my dogs play,

And a garage worth a ton of memories.

I am from a beautiful, yet broken home.

 

I am from a small town,

From noise of the boats racing that everyone enjoys,

From roads being constructed all the time,

And the home of the biggest impacts in my life.

I am from a place I left yet missed greatly.

 

I am from people who are not afraid to embrace

their culture,

From hard workers who don’t get credit,

From a land known for problems,

And the place I gave my heart to.

I am from a country so beautiful, yet so dangerous.

 

I am from people who left behind family to give them

a better life,

From people who sacrifice everything to get nothing in return,

From people that who yearned for more knowledge,

but ended up working instead,

And from drama caused amongst each other.

I am from kindhearted, yet cold hearted people.

 

I am from a world of no violence and racism,

From finding a cure for cancer, 

From dreams of becoming successful for my parents

and myself,

And a wish for society to change its ways.

I am a future full of seemingly impossible

expectations.

NOSEY CRITTERS

Nathan Yockey

It was November, a clear morning, cold too. I was crunching old snow hiking through a muskeg below Luck Crick 2. 

My old lab Red and I hiked side by side under white skies 

As cold ached my knees and wind chilled my ears. We ducked under trees and climbed hills in search of blacktail deer. 

Steam blew out from under my old cap that stunk from my morning coffee, black like the chewing tobacco dip beneath my bottom lip. 

Arms tucked tight to keep my warm, with my thumbs under my suspenders against my wool flannel, worn. 

I looked down to Red, where his gold fur had turned grey under his eyes and the foam around his mouth agape told me that the old dog needed a break. 

Him and I found a dry, mossy log in the timber to pop a squat. Protected but peeking out of the trees in case a buck walked out, and we had a shot. 

We rested while I rubbed behind Red’s ears until I heard something crack a stick in the muskeg over yonder. 

I put one hand on my sling and the other on Red’s collar. 

The butt of my rifle against my torn Carhartt denim, 30-06 bullets jangling against the can of Copenhagen in ‘em.

I stood up and my face turned as pale as my scraggly beard, because what had trotted into that muskeg was not a deer. 

A ma and pa pair of Alexander Archipelago wolves and their pups, a few months old, no more than three, were in that clearing less than 25 yards from Red and me. 

The cold wind blew our faces like the back of a sail, Red bowed his head, tucked his tail and whined a low wail. 

But they trotted right past us across the muskeg, idle without a care. The wind. They didn’t know we were there. 

The fluffy calico pups wrestled and played, and their parents found a shade tree to watch and lay, just like Red by the fireplace. 

Slowly with a raised eyebrow I sat and laid my rifle across my thighs, and Red and I looked on with cataract eyes until we realized, these critters are just dogs we have demonized. 

So, we sat in the winter wind and watched humbly for a while. 

And as papa napped with his head on his snow-white paws, mom laid her chin across his back, one of the pups and I locked our gaze, and I gave him a wink. 

Panting, with his tongue out he returned my grin with his own puppy dog smile.

3AM THOUGHTS

Nolan Thilk

Isn’t it strange how the Earth

is constantly turning, but we

don’t even feel it? We’re

just aimlessly floating through

space and time, completely

untethered, entirely alone. 

I feel like that right now,

aimless and alone, like I have

no direction, no purpose,

nobody to turn to but myself,

and I’m afraid I don’t really

enjoy my own company.

I’m afraid of a lot of things, 

really. Death, life, myself,

the universe, the future…

Isn’t it kind of weird how the 

future never actually arrives, 

because the present always 

comes to take its place? 

All I can think about right now, 

though, is the past, my past, and 

all the things in it that I’m 

ashamed of, all the things I’ve

done but wish I hadn’t done,

all the things I didn’t do 

that I wish I did. I really wish

right now that I could put

my mind at ease again, and

drift back to sleep, because I

know that when the morning

comes, I’ll forget all of these

thoughts, forget about my

fears, regrets, musings. But

until then, I’m stuck with them.

I could fall back asleep, I suppose,

but I can’t seem to be able to

right now. These burning thoughts

are keeping me awake. What is

it about 3 a.m. that makes it so

easy to dwell on everything you

hate about your life? What is it

that makes this time so ideal for

thinking about life, death, time,

the universe, all the things you

don’t really think about otherwise?

I don’t know. I guess that’s a

thought for tomorrow’s 3 a.m.

AT THE CROSSROAD

Teagen Petersen

Do you dare look behind? Glance over your shoulder and you’ll find me

Shadow stalking, crawling and then walking, rising up after you beat me into the ground

Gravel in the cheeks and grass in the teeth, this is the only time I actually want to hear you speak

Beg, scream, I want you to sound like me, echoes of memories where you made me weak

Choking up, fear’s got your tongue, there’s salt in your wounds and in your eyes

Go on and seek out the light, seek out your god that you named after yourself

Find him and you’ll find me in his place, fallen from grace, but stronger than you’ve ever been

 

You think you can run? You think you can hide? You think you can fight?

You can’t escape me, not when I’m in your mind, not when I’m a corpse in your bed

Just keep fucking the dead, dragging them through the mud and doing it all over again

The smell won’t leave, sweet perfume turned sickly, seeping into your veins

A drug, a drink, anything that won’t make you think, forgiveness forgotten

Forever doesn’t seem to falter, immortality once set you free

Now it mocks, it spits in your face and calls you by the name you gave me

 

Do you hear the whispers? Can you understand me now? Those last words were a curse

You always knew I was a witch, well, I’m owning it now, no longer your bitch

Watch out, you’re passing by another mirror, another terror, so don’t look away, don’t blink

‘Cause I’ll be there, replay it all until death comes, but not for you

You’re somewhere else, far from the hell you created for me

Far from your throne, it became my terrain, taking the title as the one true king

Queen, get on your knees and pray for mercy, you don’t deserve it, was there any for me?

UNDER THE STARS

Daniel Chacon

Hear how the winds shriek and whine

As daylight swiftly fades, still

Remember what for, the stars do shine

 

Shadows loom among the tree and vine

Our bond wanes, our courage chills

Hear how the winds shriek and whine

 

Turn to the dim glow for which you pine

Warm your heart, steel your will

Remember what for, the stars do shine

 

Despair around our hearts entwines

From the howls, dire and shrill

Hear how the winds shriek and whine

 

We had ignored the ancestral sign

So the starlight deserted the hill

Where are all the stars that shine?

 

From the heavens, justice divine

Eternal terror it did instill

Hear how the winds shriek and whine

As the stars no longer shine

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