Category: Poetry

Two Poems by Jason Phoebe Rusch

White Civilization In the wild, mothers eattheir young. Wolves maul those who disagree. Whydo we believe ourselves to be tender, reasoned,impartial? Why are we surprised by our feral, ouramoral, project our primeval onto those we rape and savage?We gratify ourselves. That is what animalsdo. Bare teeth and claws, hold each other down. The metric beingpower,…
John-Michael Bloomquist: Four Father Nescio Poems for Haunted Passages

Father Nescio and the God Pill—after Carl Sagan When the machines grew all our foodand drink, there was no need to workor study. We lived like passengersin a self-driving car traveling without adestination. When Christ, grieved over ourrestlessness, came back into our lives,she gave us Theophorin, a gel capsule of slicknanotech-spiders that wove us into…
Two Poems by Nancy Hightower

Resurrectionfor Jericho Death always wins. Despite sunsetand a blood moon calling for magic,there’s a small body leftin the field of lilacsand still more bodiesadrift on a forgotten sea,and he sings their namesin remembrance, wears a crownof flowers with half-cocked grinbecause tomorrow bringsnew tragedies like a promise. Still, he believesin the prophecy of rain,blesses the descentfrom…
Flavor Town USA Poetry: “On Eggs” by Evan Williams

Scrambled poached over easy over medium over hard sunny side up hard boiled soft boiled screaming with tabasco with salsa with toast with ketchup omelette omelet omlet om nom nom let benedict pope benedict catholic eggs fertilized unfertilized Rocky Balboa eggs ostrich eggs emu eggs fish eggs caviar cavalier to spend so much golden eggs …
“Friendship Noses,” a Flavor Town USA poem by Adam Coday

The moment it’s worth it, I’ll eatthe pickled Brussels sprouts. —the moment I prefer the needleto fix the wrinkles, or go full hamand fulfill the pact. —the moment I’m willingto endure the accidentagain, only near an edge this timeon a floating bridge as I regrethaving put the glass-shatter-rescuing thingin the glove compartment, fucken seat belt,and…
Bad Survivalist: Three Poems by Rikki Santer

Alteration Love Finds Neighbors turn into bears, golden vanilla coats, curriedyawns, yellow teeth. We stroll through backyards, aroundboxwood fences. At the party we hunker into a worn couchinside a screened front porch. It’s a plague, someone mutters,wash your hands in ways you’ve never done before.In the morning, I’m a banshee snoring. Bursts of tiny breathsagainst…
Guffy Bergman: Three Poems for Bad Survivalist

Opening Holes of Escape in the Tight Fabric[1] Dirt settles into mounds around our feet,brown hard-contrasting with the boom-pinkcolor we imagine for our bones—yes,it’s like that, images standing innot for the thought but that thought’s tenor,jackrabbits twitching at the entranceto the hutch, taking wordless breaks, and the great blue herons, commonin the creek, flash their…
Emma Aylor: “Ossuary,” a poem for Haunted Passages

On the farm, our border collie lab killedsmall animals. I’d tell people they died from Joy. Once a groundhogjust next to its burrow, head open to skimmed winter sky and the pinkof its brain blurred and scraped at the edges; twice our hens, bodies stretchedin the cage corner, eyelids purpled and closed. Some she could…
Hybrid Prose Poem: “Midway Down Fairmount” by Rogan Kelly for Bad Survivalist

Later, before we sold it for a loss but after you were gone, I drove up the massive hill in my old pickup with the salt-rusted chassis. The city skyline visible below on a clear day. The whole truck seemed to lurch; the sound of metal screeching against metal. Two lawnmowers tied in the back…