Issue #13 Aug 15, 2021

Pyrophytes

“Pyrophyte: Any plant that is resistant to fire,
or that needs fire to propagate.”—Wiktionary

This morning I’m breathing smoke
from forest fires two thousand miles away
and the people who … Read more

Skydiving

Image: The Indefinite Wait by Ami Prasad

Vultures float over the RV park, their wingspans wider than trailers and mocking our idea of the “mobile home.” These birds grasp the … Read more

Humane Killings

For Howard Debs

Wire Cutter Magazine gives the best advice
About how to kill black ants that have invaded

Your home. And though ants aren’t as bad as lice,
they … Read more

Bad Policing

Should we still identify them as the police?
Patrol the streets for “harmful” black flesh
Bullets and tasers they quickly release
On melanin ones, they chase or catch

Do they … Read more

Love Note of the Fish

Their teeth are like ours as they jump through the air
invasive but no one cared about Asian carp brought here
to tame plants, algae, snails.

Immaculate, their dark skins … Read more

#BringDannyHome

for Journalist Danny Fenster

There is a myth in Ovid’s Metamorphosis
that is hard to shake. Cassandra bound to rocks
at sea, the seer silenced by Apollo, truth bound
by … Read more

Goodbye Disney World

I won’t be visiting Florida soon,
not even taking my kids to Disney World
Too conservative for my tastes
A governor who breaks hospital records
for the most covid positivity … Read more

The Real Olympic Heroes

Awaiting the torch, the flame
that ignites and invites
the world of sport to gather,
to meet and compete
in a spirit of revered competition,
respect, and acceptance.

Honorable countries … Read more