in houses of stolen bones Peach Delphine __________ what remains what lives within our wordsours alone progress incremental visibility necessity we are not coin in your currency salt bartered flesh expendable bitches voices unfiltered rolling off Gulf tangle lightning wash your greens in three watersfor luck stem tear wash again progress incremental clear onions bacon…
Read MorePièce de Résistance Jane Blanchard __________ I wondered if this gatheringWould prove a bit too challenging,But so far it is going fine—Or well enough—for me and mine.Once soft or stiffer drinks are gone,The potluck supper can move on.Our host serves seasoned roasted lamb;Our hostess offers glazed baked ham.The slightly stressful…
Read MoreOmelet & Her 77th Michelle McMillan-Holifield __________ Omelet We broke eggs sloppily over a Corelle cup,that little 1977goblet whose greensweren’t leavesbut a censusof mossy splotches, whose pattern of small yolk-yellow flowers was as familiar and delicious a memory as the zingof mustard greensin a grandmother’ssweltering kitchen—her love villagewhere she prayedfor her salvationwhere she prayedfor her babieswhere…
Read MoreFall Feasts: Nov. ’24 Editor: Vallie Lynn Watson Managing Editor: Karris Rae Associate Editor: Taryn White Assistant Editors: Robbie Hess, Leah Joseph, Jade Turner, Meilyn Woods Crystal White, “Enough to Go Around,” photograph Letter from the Editor by Vallie Lynn Watson Letter from the Guest Editor by Taryn White Prose…
Read MoreEditor: Vallie Lynn Watson Managing Editor: Karris Rae Guest Editor: Abbie Skinner Assistant Editors: Taryn White, Meilyn Woods Deborah Elam, “Witch’s Brew,” graphic design Letter from the Editor by Vallie Lynn Watson Letter from the Guest Editor by Abbie Skinner Skinner Prize Winner “Monsters,” “Child’s Play,” & “Bring the Nightmares…
Read MoreSkin Junkie Angela Spinzig __________ I’m a perfectionist who self-harms. I line up my cuts in neat rows, perforate my arm as if it were a page in one of those intricate adult-therapy coloring books. I stay inside the lines, but use only red: The blush of embarrassment. The heat…
Read MoreSnow-White Teeth in Dartmouth, The Visitors, & Sestina With Teeth Expanding Like A Lie Kenton K. Yee __________ SNOW-WHITE TEETH IN DARTMOUTH An old man lives inside my mirror. Get out! I shout. He shouts it back. I rinse my teeth. He opens his mouth and snaps it in place.…
Read MoreMusical Realism & English Juche Language Instruction Jeffrey H. MacLachlan __________ MUSICAL REALISM Sound is the preeminent element of capitalism because otherwise your attention floats elsewhere. I write in prose form because a demon stalks behind these lines, seeking enjambment space to lunge with xylophone molars. He’s black and white…
Read MoreLove Teeth & Putrefaction Kate Wright __________ LOVE TEETH In some Korean traditions, wisdom teeth are called “Love Teeth” because they come during adolescence and hurt like a first love. They come, as if out of nowhere, edging their way into your life slowly. First, a tingle, a hum, a…
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