Tag: HFR Archives

Poems & Mixed Media by Jeffrey Grunthaner from Vol. 9

*Ed.’s Note: click images to view larger sizes. Revisions For the moment he does summertime with an alexandrine mounted in air,inscribed in a space of appropriation—a hundred-foot colossus in black colorsof the sea, or sea anemone from an immensely high beam leaping down with agreat flourish of dust. Rode into focus on a saddleless little…
From Vol. 9: Two Bird Quizzes by Rose Hunter

Albatross Quiz Various species of albatross cana. circumnavigate the globeb. fly to the moonc. become curses and symbols of atonement To make it through the doldrums, albatrosses musta. be one of the smaller speciesb. use more energyc. acquire a positive attitude; push through it Those who have not seen an albatross in the flesh includea.…
From Vol. 9: “MATH DEATH,” a short comic by Dustin Holland

*Ed.’s Note: click image to view larger size. Dustin Holland lives and works in northern Colorado where he and his brother make The Holland Boys Zine (patreon.com/hollandboyszine).
From Vol. 9: Three Prose Poems by Susan L. Leary

Joyful Poem, with Nearsightedness We enter the world able to detect the earliest upheavals of atmosphere. Each morning, the thousand strokes of dawn refusing to settle into sky. & for what? To stay or flee an invented storm? To make lists of things mourned before their arrival? We do this, even, with the edged infinities…
From Vol. 9: “80,” a short story by Stephen Dixon

He wakes up, gets his cellphone off the night table and opens it to look at the time. 3:02. He’s been asleep for less than an hour. An hour ago he checked the time after lying in bed awake for almost three hours. 2:05. So he’s gotten an hour’s sleep tonight. He’ll probably lie in…
From Vol. 9: Two Poems by Glenn Shaheen

Cannon Fruit flies numerous and can Ibring myself to kill them to ruintheir structures of flight theydiminish our standard of livingthey are minor irritants ourstandard of living already lowfrom years of part time teachingour teeth yellowing our clothesbecoming more out of stylepoetry only works for the wealthyor the white my friends assureme that being Arab…
From Vol. 9: “Creature and the Once-a-Year-House,” a poem by Michael Sikkema

9 shotgun barrels are wrapped around a beech tree, hunting party nowhere in site, one truck engine still running, almost out of gas 7 deer walk backwards out of pines as their seams split to mist Creature figures tiny wolves inside their head leak black milk, sniffs out blood on a salt lick Coming home…
From Vol. 9: “Shame (A Spell to Forget),” poetry by Charlotte Covey

This is a darker magic.This is crawling through his door at four a.m. and begginghim to take a bite. This is slipping between lucid and not, hoping he will finishme off. Somewhere, idly, I am thinkingI don’t even like him. Somewhere, not here, that matters. Somewhere, you arefalling asleep soundly, while he is taking offmy…
From Vol. 9: “Statement of Purpose,” a poem by Nicholas Bon

It’s important for you to know that I’m a fucking mess, that so often the drummer in the corner is too loud for this polite conversation. There are people, even now, asking me what I can bring to the feast. I left my hands at home & can’t get my shit together. How…