Category: Spring 2018
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“Herbal Pleasure” by Nadira Boddie
Tea is a beverage to nurture the soul The array of comfort water warms the body Lime rivers entice the taste buds to take another sip from the ceramic nipple Floral delights dart across the tongue like a sweet fish swimming in an ocean mouth Mix berry potion combined with sandy sweetener make for an…
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“She Bends” by Ashley R. Carbaugh
Roots run deep Deep enough for strength Through storms Trees bend against the wind The deeper the roots Through the years The rings of life increase As the scars add up Storms after storms The roots hold strong After all these years She bends but never breaks
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“I Think I’ll Leave” by Ashley R. Carbaugh
I think I’ll leave I think I’ll go Leave this place Go where no one knows me I think I’ll try I think I’ll be Try to live without fear Be at peace within my skin I think I’ll love I think I’ll live Love more Live more
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“For The Little Girl Within” by Ashley R. Carbaugh
She is there for her She folds into a ball When no one else is When the darkness falls She is there for her She tells her it is ok When the monsters play When the fear explodes She was there for her Because no one else was She was there for her For the…
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“Pillars in the Forest” by Joy Merchant
marble white columns of the quaking aspen golden leaves flutter at the smallest provocation quiet Pando, tens of thousands of clones, hundreds of acres trembling ancient giant resilient, regenerative the world’s largest organism its heart far beneath the ground “we must protect these trees,” she tells her children they dig a hole in their backyard…
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“Flick Off the Tip” by Joy Merchant
Across the street they light up, watching cars pass before it’s puffed. Tossing it to the ground because no one’s around. Yet it remains un-snuffed. Behind a building, in a hidden corner, opposing the school’s smoke-free order. Igniting carcinogen sticks to get a quick fix. Unable to abstain, I implored her: Keep a good grip,…
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“The Pipes” by Aedan Cushman Reynolds
‘Ere the sun rose one fine autumn day ‘Fore the sun could whisk the dew away A piper played across the glen, And o’er the top went the highland men. In rows by rows they marched proud Ignoring all the horrific sounds Of bullets and shells whizzing by And the screams of those who slowly…
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“The Dark Knight” by Shawn Demetrius Price
In a world based on hatred, I did not stay placed. I escaped the flames, Burnt crosses, Hangings, Drive-bys, Police violence Gang bangin’, I couldn’t even die by my own hand, I just wake up. I have lived 9 lives, With the will of 1000 men, But I’ve been given no name, They say, Me…
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“Sprout” by Raymond Kerr
In the face of the sun, we rose cracking the compounded compost of life, fresh and green; we peeped through the steam… strong and straight, like blades of grass in spring. to the best and worst of things, we clinged and made the most of everything to soften the sting of adverse weathering. In the…
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“Ancient Places” by John Uilkema
The William and Ivy Saylor Prize Winner (2018) I stand underneath a monster of blood and necessity. Moss strewn brick walls caress the edge of this maw. The half-moon arch is wet with the drool seeping from above. The she-beast stands among her brethren parting the land. She has forever given her stolen milk…
The Bottom Shelf Review 