The Circle Game Gerard Sarnat __________ I recall all my being as an isolated youngster,   can’t go outside cause of bad ragweed allergies,   wrapped by Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives’ mournful   sweet  croons+twangy twinkly banjo tunes— stuck watching 10” vinyl discs go round and round   78 times per minute…

Shadows & Jazz Tony O’Dwyer __________ The sound of a clarinet can seduce Even the most careless of hearts As the short pumping kisses of breath, The deft curving of fingers, Transform to hot melting notes. We danced, holding our hands low, The music swaying on our bodies, Twined in…

The Stars—They Shine Just for Us Jill Michelle __________ Mission Impossible was the movie your dad and I watched the Evening before your birth, bars of its theme song, labor’s Anthem: dun, dun, dun, dun, dun-nun, a rhythmic hum beneath Nurse Peggy’s pink-capped reminders to breathe while she Deciphers the…

Songs of the Past Amanda Meyer __________ She used to scratch lyrics into her flesh, afraid she’d forget them, the way her brain wears rose-colored glasses when she tries to remember the past.  Before that she’d write songs on the thigh of her jeans  instead of keeping her eyes on…

The Show John Grey __________ The amps are tall as trucks and just as powerful. One brush of a G string and silence signs its death warrant. Powerful output. Low distortion. A frequency range to upset dogs. A detail as big as sky. This wall of sound is not designed…

Eminem Must Imagine I’m His Biggest Fan Alex M. Frankel __________ Hey Alex, Eminem made you something special! “At the crib playing Fortnite with your grandma” Numbered gold vinyl exclusively for Spotify stans. Limited quantity available, act fast while supplies last! So I’m not just a fan, I’m a stan…

Enter the Bassoon John Davis __________ You naughty boy, you  bedpost with bad indigestion. Someone is tonguing you, buzzing you, running a Hungarian rhapsody through you. You puff-a-puff noise, call it notes of a wind ensemble. They are grunts of a pig. Someone has let a pig control the woodwind…

Recital in Black for Dotty Belkap Roger Camp __________ The view from the front row seat is of the performers’ feet a trio of classical musicians violinist, cellist, pianist. Their instruments’ unsightly skins accompanied by finger smudges  their dress black shoes playing back pedestrian scuffs. The stage is a set…