Stillness After the Storm
The power lines hum,
low and uncertain,
like a man trying to remember
the words to a song…
Spring’s Golden Menace
A sneeze hangs in the air like a threat,
while the oak tree chuckles in yellow confetti.
My car wears a coat of guilty dust,
proof of spring’s indecent proposal.
Listening To Handel
This is where
The melody comes in
And the raging mind has
No choice but to simmer…
Her Roses
And the roses sang,
their song rose, they sang
as the pale couple walked
along a path framed by color…
Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations — A Review of the West End Musical
Well deserving of all its awarded accolades, Ain’t Too Proud is a masterpiece of entertainment. It takes you to the highs and the lows of the music industry in the sixties…
Quarterly & Special Issues
Submissions next open from June 1 to August 31 2024
March 20, 2026
It is the middle of March
and a five-foot evergreen tree
lays flat on top of a garbage container.
March 19, 2026
Alim held out his hand and took the shemai. He tried not to eat it quickly. He tried to savor it and make it last, but it disappeared from the paper almost before he had felt its weight in his hands.
March 19, 2026
Someone shouts from inside, “Oh! We’re stuck!”
The voice shouts, “Everybody out! We’ll push!”
March 18, 2026
I wore a clover behind my ear. You laughed and said I was always reaching for luck in the wrong places.
March 17, 2026
He used the shamrock
to tell the Irish of the
Holy Trinity.
So we honor the
saint who taught the Good News of
Christianity.
March 17, 2026
Here’s to an isle, an emerald isle, set in the glassy sea.
Here’s to the saint who blessed it…
March 16, 2026
A mountain peak with a weighty past stands on a ridge connecting two beautiful lakes of Japan: Shizugatake. From a distance it appears peaceful like any other green slope in rural Japan. But as you climb, you can feel the lingering silence of a decisive battle that took place here centuries ago.
March 14, 2026
ABC’s Will Trent redefines the crime drama genre with suspense, humor, and emotional resonance. Ramón Rodríguez and Erika Christensen deliver captivating performances, while Betty the chihuahua steals the spotlight.
March 13, 2026
My father carried a black bag
bulging with the magic of his trade —
powders, ointments, penicillin pills —
to coax an ailing patient back to life.
But at home, where doctors cleanse their minds…
March 13, 2026
“No, you should talk about your disability, ableism, that stuff.”
Angry at him, Emylle replies, “Do not restrict me, you @#$%!%.”
March 12, 2026
The Night Library of Sternendach reads as a mixture of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera — revolving around the library at Castle Sternendach, the Graf’s home. The dance of words played in my mind’s eye with each new verse. All I needed was Andrew Lloyd Webber to write the music. I’ve already cast the show for him, if he’ll but ask.
March 11, 2026
Taylors of Harrogate Scottish Breakfast tea is a solid, plain roast black tea with loads of caffeine to get the engines firing. No need for fruity tones or other flavor hints. This tea is meant to wake you up and give you a solid base for your day — and the tea does exactly that.
March 10, 2026
Bleak midwinter is on the wane. Frosty winds with milder wafts
fan iron-hard earth to coax stone-cold waters into a thaw.
March 9, 2026
On my last walk, I spotted a blue heron sitting quietly by the pond and even managed to snap a photo with my phone. I wonder if the bird will be there again. A deer drinking from the small stream flowing across the trail lifts its head and looks at me, but it does not flee.
March 7, 2026
At its best throughout its current 145 episodes, The Neighborhood shines a spotlight on important cultural and social issues in a way that feels accessible to a broad audience.
March 5, 2026
“Too bad I couldn’t see it from the inside. There was a ramp, but there was a staircase right in front of it.”
March 4, 2026
Her garden is the second most special thing to her. The most special is Charlie. If she joins her garden, Charlie can continue to work with all their seeds and their rich soil and the silly little jokes no one else but they cared to hear. They could still work together.
March 2, 2026
They plant their seeds in the iron rich red soil, drop bait in emerald blue water; these faithful stewards live to fish and farm.
February 26, 2026
This planet, once a schlocky sketch
Made by December’s hue — graphite —
Becomes a splendid fresco where
The paints are flowers and sunlight.
The sky, a multiplex-like screen,
Displays a movie where a few
Small, plumy planes hide in the clouds
Then once again appear in view.
February 25, 2026
As I look forward to this trip, I caution myself that Kolkata may be in many ways similar to Delhi, with the same grime, dirt, and chaos of any large, old city. But, I also hope that it will be more relaxed…