Poetry

Carol Anne Johnson Anxiety knocks without warning,slipping into the room like a draft,cold fingers tracing the edges of thought,whispering what if, what if, what if. It builds a storm from silence,turns footsteps into echoes,breath into burden,and the heart into a hurried drum. But still—I learn to breathe around it,to plant my feet on steady ground,to Continue reading

Meridith Allison I’ve retreated from the world,from the fractious unfolding of things,and set my sights instead on all that is,or ever was, or ever will be– these motes of dust suspended in the morning light,and the crumbs behind the toaster,dog hair on the floor,chaos at home as it is in the heavens. The nerve to Continue reading

Merril D. Smith “Do not obey in advance.”—Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century When they ban the booksand suppress the press– I’ll whisper the wordslest you forget the world’s not flat,there are still facts, there is still this,despite the that. For now, I titter at the naked king,percolate slogans,salt the air Continue reading

Audrey Howitt like now,when toy soldiers cannot graze the sunor crease skin,I come home, to sand and mist,to the way my eyes hold a horizonknowing its impermanence against movementits sturdinessas planted feet hold the setting sun below water. I want to know how we came to this,though that won’t take the pain awayor cause the Continue reading