Monica Flegg
Measured Doses
The way he looked at her
and her steaming mocha
made
me know with certainty he'd
drink coffee black in two
measured
doses.
He'd
mistrust vacations, clench
up at December expenditures,
mend a fence before it frayed
so he wouldn't have to
venture out to find
a sheep that strayed.
Monica Flegg
Box of Tricks
Eye lifts, implants
and botox won't be
in my box of tricks.
I'm more likely to
wear glittery barrettes
and garish hair
combs to attract
crows. At a certain age
one wants wise
winged companions
rather than walkers
gawking at silicone.
Monica Flegg
Thaw
Her expression's frozen into an inarticulate smile. If she was a dog I wouldn't know whether I could safely approach her. Behind her counter at the Artisan market she stands selling jewelry. I go, like a crow, towards her shiny objects. Cautiously, we transact an earring purchase. She drops her guard like a bone.
Larry D. Thacker
Watchers
The only things moving on this quiet morning
cemetery drive are this hawk I’ve disturbed
and me in my car. I must be a familiar thing,
lumbering along, vibrating through like some
occasional curious robot, the hawk observing
from advantageous flights along tree top limbs,
ahead of my creeping machine. The sun dancing
clouds, reflecting, then hiding my upturned face.
Lindsey Anneliese Thäden, remix by D. Wisely
The way he looked at her
and her steaming mocha
made
me know with certainty he'd
drink coffee black in two
measured
doses.
He'd
mistrust vacations, clench
up at December expenditures,
mend a fence before it frayed
so he wouldn't have to
venture out to find
a sheep that strayed.
Measured Doses
Monica Flegg
Eye lifts, implants
and botox won't be
in my box of tricks.
I'm more likely to
wear glittery barrettes
and garish hair
combs to attract
crows. At a certain age
one wants wise
winged companions
rather than walkers
gawking at silicone.
Box of Tricks
Monica Flegg
Her expression's frozen into an inarticulate smile. If she was a dog I wouldn't know whether I could safely approach her. Behind her counter at the artisan market she stands selling jewelry. I go, like a crow, towards her shiny objects. Cautiously, we transact an earring purchase. She drops her guard like a bone.
Thaw
Monica Flegg
The only things moving on this quiet morning
cemetery drive are this hawk I’ve disturbed
and me in my car. I must be a familiar thing,
lumbering along, vibrating through like some
occasional curious robot, the hawk observing
from advantageous flights along tree top limbs,
ahead of my creeping machine. The sun dancing
clouds, reflecting, then hiding my upturned face.
Watchers
Larry D. Thacker
CONTRIBUTORS
A German-born UK national, Rose Mary Boehm lives and works in Lima, Peru. Author of two novels and two poetry collections, her work has been widely published in US poetry journals (online and print). She was twice winner of the monthly Goodreads competition.
Monica Flegg lives on Nantucket Island where she walks dogs of various breeds and reads poetry of all creeds. Her writing has been recently published in Rat's Ass Review, Yellow Chair Review, MAW and Ruminate.
Robert Ford lives on the east coast of Scotland. His poetry has appeared in various publications in the UK and US, recently featuring in Eunoia Review, Mad Swirl and Sweet Tree Review. More of his work can be found at https://wezzlehead.wordpress.com/
Daniel E Haislet is a professional chef born in Arizona, educated in Oregon, and working in New Hampshire.
Laura Hanna is an instructor, advisor, and doctoral student at Valdosta State University. She also runs These Fragile Lilacs Poetry Journal. Her most recent poems have appeared in Dappled Things and Oddville Press.
Cal LaFountain has combined words that can be read in The Cricket Online Review and The Laureate, among others. He walks, breathes, and writes in Michigan.
Erin Leigh holds a BA in English Communication and a master's in Liberal Studies with a concentration in English, and teaches post-secondary writing, research, and literature courses. Her poetry has previously been featured in Tower Poetry and Belle Rêve Literary Journal.
Todd Mercer won the Dyer-Ives Kent County Prize for Poetry (2016), the National Writers Series Poetry Prize (2016) and the Grand Rapids Festival Flash Fiction Award (2015). His digital chapbook, Life-wish Maintenance, appeared at Right Hand Pointing. Mercer's poetry and fiction appear in 100 Word Story, EXPOUND, Literary Orphans and Split Lip Magazine.
Brad Rose was born and raised in Los Angeles, and lives in Boston. He is the author of Pink X-Ray (Big Table Publishing, 2015) Two of his recent poems, “Echo Park” and “Ventriloquists on the Radio” can be heard at decomP.
At 73, Joyce Schmid is a newcomer to publishing poetry. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Atlanta Review, Chautauqua, Blueline, Canary, and other journals she loves, and she won an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Robinson Jeffers Tor House Poetry Contest. She is a grandmother and a psychotherapist, and lives with her husband of almost fifty years in Palo Alto, California.
Larry D. Thacker’s poetry can be found in over fifty journals and magazines including The Still Journal, The Southern Poetry Anthology: Tennessee, Mojave River Review, Broad River Review, Harpoon Review, Rappahannock Review, Silver Birch Press, Delaware Poetry Review, AvantAppal(Achia), Sick Lit Magazine, Black Napkin Press, and Appalachian Heritage.
Lindsey Thäden is the winner of New York's 2016 #PoetweetNYC contest. Recent work appears in New York Metro and Passages North. Thäden studies for her Doctorate of Nursing Practice, literary research à la William Carlos Williams. Fluent in Spanish etc., she’s dedicated to communicating in any language she can get her lips or ears on.
Abigail Van Kirk attends Pikes Peak Community College and is majoring in English. Her horse Molly keeps her creative. This inspires her to capture cadences of life, from human nature to nature surrounding her. Abigail has been published by Caravel Literary Arts Journal, Figroot Press, Dirty Chai Magazine, and elsewhere.
Bonnie Rae Walker is a graduate of UCI, currently living in San Diego. Her work is forthcoming in Ink in Thirds, Red Paint Hill Poetry Journal, Lady Literary and more. Visit her at www.bonnieraewalker.com.
Over 40 years Les Wicks has performed at festivals, schools, prison etc. Published in over 350 different magazines, anthologies & newspapers across 24 countries in 12 languages. Conducts workshops & runs Meuse Press which focuses on poetry outreach projects like poetry on buses & poetry published on the surface of a river. His 13th book of poetry is Getting By Not Fitting In (Island, 2016). leswicks@hotmail.com http://leswicks.tripod.com/lw.htm
Linda S. York is a documentary filmmaker who finds true life more interesting than fiction, so she tried to make her fiction read like true life.
Mark Young's most recent books are Mineral Terpsichore, from gradient books of Finland, & The Chorus of the Sphinxes, from Moria Books in Chicago.
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