Blindness | Alan Inman
I wondered
I wanted
I could not find
I fell victim to a blindness
rare, falling out of the sky
like a sparrow
flapping on the lawn.
read a poem
Wristband | Russ Cope
A wristband man
followed me closely
jogging
I imagine he will try
to grab me, stuff me
in the bushes any
minute
He just runs, wheezing
on.
By My Side | Debendra Sahu
After the initial burst
After quenching the thirst,
I saw the sun getting dim
I saw the stars getting gloomy.
I saw the river getting dry
The ocean vanishing into the sky,
Mountains going deep down
But I never saw you leaving my hand.
Even when I was blown away in winds
Drowned in waters of the torrential rains.
Sometimes time crawled, sometimes sprinted
But now it appears to have again slowed down.
Thence sun got dimmer, ocean vanished into sky
But O’ life, you haven’t forsaken me to perish dry.
So be with me together to steal the sun
And shine the earth,
So be with me by the side to have fun
Till I wind up with my breath.
My My | Alan Inman
My my
and tsk tsk
for the task
selfishness
lives in me
growing in the lines
rooted deep
stretching far
beyond imagined
my my
and
mine mine.
Snort | Russ Cope
It’s less a compliment
than laughter,
more derision.
Definitely the laughing
at you
more than with you.
Like pin the tail
on the donkey
where I’m the donkey.
Foaming | Sawyer Carpenter
He is foaming
at the mouth
with his own
angers and hatred
How does a man
speak poison
and not harm
his own tongue
It is impossible
not to.
Whispers around Corners | Natalie Bentley
Keep whispers
Around corners
To yourselves
I am not fodder
for gossips
Keep judgments
Made silently
Inside your mouth
No one needs
to hear another
harangue
Speak kindness
Not ill
So days are many.
Two-Faced | Ridley Flock
Don’t kiss with one
mouth
then kill with the next
Don’t pretend to care
then rattle like
a snake
Don’t preach
platitudes then talk
of how much better you
think you are
Get in the gutter
gather in the dust
none of us stands
above the other.
A Glow Beauty | Mónika Tóth
dedicated to my best Romanian friend Vasile
your smile
smiled at me
a glow beauty
your eyes
smiled at me
a glow beauty