Checked Out Grady VanWright __________ Click-clack of the automatic doors, swoosh of conditional air blasting cologne-thick with corporate invitation. “Welcome to Harper & Sons,” sings the perky teen behind the counter, but her eyes flicker, her tongue too quick to swallow the sir. Just a pause–one fraction of a blink…
Read MoreIn the Closet, in the Camera The Terrified Dreamer __________ the cameras cracked me openrooted inside my soulate and ate and ate some moreuntil they destroyed me inside cold armor to collect, versions ready to inspectreflections that show shadesof my wholecolors, styles, glitter, gold try the goth, the frills, the…
Read MoreMore Than What They See Cacelie Gooden __________ “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.” – Dr. Seuss“One eye, two eyes, one girl, one guy.” – Society For many people of color, especially Black Americans, entering a public place like a store warrants people watching you like a hawk,…
Read MoreThe Excavation of Now, Miracle Equations, & Unfolding David M. Alper __________ The Excavation of Now I stand in the kitchen, hands submerged in soapywater, the weight of the dishes providing a comfort.Outside, a cardinal flashes red against the greenbackdrop, reminding me that beauty endures, even inthe most ordinary moments.…
Read MoreBreak: Obligatory lighthearted scene in a zombie flick where poet enjoys herself Jordan E. Franklin __________ I wake up and there’s no despair, only potential.The world blinked out but it’s not the end of the world,just the end of bad poetry. All metaphors stagger on rawand unexplained. No more memoirs…
Read Morewhisper & smoke After “The Urban Wild Coyote Project” by Mandy-Suzanne Wong henry 7. reneau, jr. __________ old man coyote // demigod/shape-shifter /dons a missionary’s collar/ & snakeskin boots// cocks his head/ a God engine of whisper& smoke/ like a politician’s wink &a grinof sound/byte filtered honey/ : incognitoamongst the…
Read MoreHow it Happens James B. Nicola __________ I voted for him, but I didn’t knowspecific details of the master plan:for instance, that I’d be the first to go. I was not backward born, nor even slow.I shoot a rifle better than most can.I just did not know what I didn’t…
Read MoreCaptives Abdulmueed Balogun __________ Life and time have held us captives— turnedThe moon an imposter in the affairs of the night.The justice-chirping canaries of yesterday have buriedTheir preaching flute of freedom songs under heap of clay.Now our dread-riddled minds during these stony daysAnd perilous nights, itch and pine for a…
Read MoreLetter from the Guest Editor Meilyn Woods __________ At McNeese, we have had the privilege of being visited by many accomplished working writers and poets. In February of 2023, Diamond Forde came to McNeese State University to speak with my cohort about the concept of excess in poetry. For a…
Read MoreThreads of Memory Rajendra Prasad Gupta __________ In the tapestry of now,I weave strands of ancestral tales—each thread a hue of grief and joy,an enduring narrative of belonging.Born of distant lands and intertwined tongues,I carry whispers of forgotten lullabiesand bold voices echoing in the present,a living mosaic of resilience.Every delicate…
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