Category: Books

With thick strokes of ink, the sky fills with rain. Pretending to run for cover but secretly praying for more rain. Over the echo of the water, I hear a voice saying my name. No one in the city moves under the quick sightless rain. The pages of my notebook soak, then curl. I’ve written: … Continue reading Rain by Kazim Ali →

The first four leaders had broken knees The four old dams had broken knees The flock would start to run, then freeze The first four leaders had broken knees ‘Why is the flock so docile?’ asked the hawk. ‘Yes, why is the flock so docile,’ laughed the dog, ‘The shepherd’s mallet is in his hand, The shepherd’s … Continue reading Sheep by Judy Grahn →

Two sets of family stories, one long and detailed, about many centuries of island ancestors, all living on the same tropical farm... The other side of the family tells stories that are brief and vague, about violence in the Ukraine, which Dad's parents had to flee forever, leaving all their loved ones behind. They don't … Continue reading Kinship By Margarita Engle →

How much delight before we collapse How much earth in the lungs How much wine When we want more When the weeds sprawl It is not what you think Think how fast some landscapes change the lover, the gardener's grand idea, the failing Maple the boat about to capsize the correction the hand's reflection the … Continue reading The Impossible Replication of Desire By Lee Herrick →

Time was away and somewhere else, There were two glasses and two chairs And two people with the one pulse (Somebody stopped the moving stairs): Time was away and somewhere else. And they were neither up nor down; The stream’s music did not stop Flowing through heather, limpid brown, Although they sat in a coffee … Continue reading Meeting Point By Louis MacNeice →