Want – by Oskar Westin

What could become of us? A broken child and a 30-year-old father of two girls.

Abandoned – by Andi Myles

I think maybe
I will–if only to play
at Mary Magdalene.

transgender- by Crow

do you see yourself in the mirroror a different person entirely?do wide hips and a full chest look good to you on othersbut never on yourself?do you find yourself “accidentally”walking into the “wrong” bathroom?do you get strange looks when you name intereststhat are seen as “tomboyish?”do your eyes turn greenwhen you try to wear rose-tinted […]

I Should Have Asked Sooner – by Gabby Gilliam

She looks beyond the fire to the flat surface of the lake. There is little in the way of moon and stars tonight, but lights from the lodge on the opposite shore glimmer on the water’s skin. In her eyes, the dancing amber flames ripple.

Whiteout- by Batya Guarisma

These calloused fingers built the house
In which your ungrateful soul resides

Remedy – by Kyle Hooper

These calloused fingers built the house
In which your ungrateful soul resides

Defective and Suspect- by Gerry Stefanson aka The Wordbutcher

It smells of old, forgotten things:

damp earth long buried, decanted

Oubliette – by Brett Leanne

It smells of old, forgotten things:

damp earth long buried, decanted

THE LAST TIME MY HEART BROKE – By Mr Mbonisi Zikhali Zomkhonto

So we kept change for lost off-chances,

over-the-counter jinx fixes for the chipped teeth of a heart

That bit more chunk than it could chew.

Nobody to Hold Her Back – by Atma Frans

Mama pulls down the attic ladder.Smell of dust and moth balls.I tug on her apron strings. I want to play.Clothespins click and clack.Papa’s shirts float down—flat gullsthat crumple in her basket.Alone on a shelf, a vase,sea snakes frozen in its porcelain.Their skins gleam wet.Don’t touch that!It’s a wedding present from Yvonne.Mama tells me how they […]