After the Parade, Before the Loneliness
Later, I ate leftover tacos in silence,
stared at the sombrero you left
like a joke we forgot to laugh at.
Welcome, Spring
Wishing a happy May Day, all the while.
An old-time holiday we’re celebrating,
But it’s how we say, “Hello, Spring!”
Home
You are my anchor,
my lighthouse,
my comforting blanket,
the earth that reminds me that my roots are stronger than I think
when I feel ungrounded…
The Painful Comforts of Loneliness: A Review of Paddy McAloon’s I Trawl The Megahertz
This work soothes the heart as both a lullaby and an ode to the lonely, but its comfort also carries a clear warning: If we spend our lives living in the fantasies in our head, we will lose the lives we were meant to live.
Plant a Tree on Arbor Day
When you plant a tree, you sow the thoughts of leafy morns and lovely afternoons. You plant the thoughts of beauty growing beneath the countless suns and moons…
Quarterly & Special Issues
Submissions next open from June 1 to August 31 2024
April 4, 2026
Joshua turned off the car radio and leaned back in his seat. His senses were alert, tuned to the daily news about the plight of migrants at the United States–Mexico border. A male voice reported the latest separations of families caught in the crackdown.
April 3, 2026
A crown of thorns he wore
On that judgement day
He carried his own cross
To show us all the way
His crown was not of gold
With jewels made to shine
It was made for pain
April 2, 2026
I thought tonight would be easy.
Their plan was simple,
but it all depended on me.
What if it went wrong,
someone recognised me —
drew attention to my cover?
What would I do?
April 1, 2026
March 27, 2026
March 26, 2026
“I ain’t gonna park in front of an access ramp!”
Brightly, she repeats, “Again! I ain’t gonna park in front of an access ramp!”
March 24, 2026
The list goes on, and each day I look at my calendar,
glad for these events
and the ones to come,
but as for decorations,
I’ll keep them in boxes this year.
March 23, 2026
This exercise
of deleting a year’s worth of emails
that I do
every January…
March 22, 2026
I was late to the party, and by the time I got there, everyone was in various stages of intoxication. I saw that there were some fathers of some of the younger kids there, too. Many of the kids who helped on the show were even younger than the cast, and had to have their parents take them to and from the theatre.
March 21, 2026
I had only been in one show out there before, and that had been in the winter. I wasn’t prepared for the heat, the air, and the humidity that summer and what that experience would bring.
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 @#$%!%.”