Imperative by Alison Prine

Imperative by Alison Prine

Art: Ferrandis Issaev, @ferrandisissaev IMPERATIVE not happiness, not the petal, not the wing not the breeze that teases the flesh, carries the little leaf – but the rock you stand on the thick rope ladder, the sturdy wooden boat, the weathered beam, the dock – heft...
The White Curtain by Alison Prine

The White Curtain by Alison Prine

Art: Lady 1 from the Antique Series by David Rodriguez, @davidofficialclub THE WHITE CURTAIN pulled around you is immaculate as a field of snow, and has the same protective instinct. This could be temporary. White sky suggests a pause. A blank screen evokes omission....
Smoke by Robert Rothman

Smoke by Robert Rothman

Art: Tropical Storm Clouds by Tobias Oggenfuss SMOKE Hazy in memory are the tendrils Bending like long-stemmed irises from My father’s cigarettes, billowing out In great clouds of white steam from Our fireplace at night, black and thick As a ship’s furnace in the red...
Affaire de Coeur by Vincent Barry

Affaire de Coeur by Vincent Barry

Art: Tobias Staaf, @staaftobias AFFAIRE DE COEUR “So when did it begin?” she says, cocking a queer eye at me. Rubbing a fleshy ear, I say, “Does it matter?” The truth is I can’t say exactly when. The other truth, I’m thinking, is, “This is the beginning of the...
Like Magic by Nancy Cherry

Like Magic by Nancy Cherry

Art: Vera Fonseka, @verafonsekaart LIKE MAGIC If I want to write a villanelle, I will. Even though its formal structure interrupts itself to interject a rhyme. It’s like a practiced magic trick—you’ll need a hat, a rabbit, a little goodwill. And if I want to spill my...
In Darkness by Nancy Cherry

In Darkness by Nancy Cherry

Art: Vera Fonseka, @verafonsekaart IN DARKNESS Before moonrise, before the trail, before I begin the climb, I stop beside a dacha hovering at the shore and watch shadows cross Tomales Bay as the sun falls. Mud hens stitch paths on the water as frogs begin their litany...