“Our Kind of Damage” by Genna Mazza Is it the fear of being alone, or the fear that without you I’m just another clone? A slave to society’s expectations of me— single and maybe not ready to mingle, but I want you. How is that wrong? How can these feelings I feel be unlike my…

“The Sun Traverses the Sky” by Eileen Kaeser Kaleidoscopic light against a white, peeling wall,  Robust blues and greens shine. The sun peeks through the clouds, but  I cannot see. The air is still,  Reverent of the potent bleed Of beams of light.  I can see my breath, puffs of cold air  From the outside…

“The Same Sky” by Eileen Kaeser And as the sky fades  Into night, the stars  Begin to wake,I think on skies of ancient light Reflecting on the waves.  There,  The constellations shone As if they were engraved  Into the fabric of the night,  On faithful watch in space. And on the churning ocean stained  The…

“the weight of truth” by Maxwell Johnson bandage your pain,  but do not hide it.  let your heart breathe  even as it mends.  soften your face,  let kindness rest there,  even when the world feels sharp.  alleviate your soul;  give it room  to ache,  to wander,  to heal.  do not live life in disdain.  offer…

“The One I Wait For” by Tristan Greeley I always dream about your face in my small, soft cozy bed. I picture every strand of hair on your big, beautiful head. I long to hear your caring whisper  in the midst of troubled days. and even when you’re lost or scared, you’ll always know the…

“The Moment Before” by Kathryn Haig Clear!         Wait, I don’t understand.         I see only darkness and now a tiny hand,         A baby’s fingers grasping for her mother’s hair.         I’ve seen its color before, though I can’t quite         place where.  A man’s voice calls from another         room, and I think I know him too.  He enters,…

“Winter Break” by Katherine Dempsey  Thick lavender scents of time replace what once was.  I’m not sure what I think I remember,  Or why that thought is gnawing  At my patience for the hands to center.  When will the past start calling?  The familiar giggle from my mother  Relieves me, my lungs deflating.  How much…

“(Sym)phony” by Wren Campise When I was young, I had no say In going to my sister’s choir show Where the band also played. Little me, lost in fantasy To the crashing of the cymbals And drums, piano keys like waves; The blaring of trumpets like an angel’s horn Heralding the end Of the song.…

Across the Sink  by Adam Petrosino The buzz from my razor envelops my senses as I carefully keep the neat routine of my facial hair. It’s hypnotic almost, helpfully so, as it locks my eye on the razor. I can focus on the task at hand. I slowly chisel my face into order, a familiar…

Pendula by Evelyn Villanueva   From the path, it looked like it was crying. Every leaf heavy with its own shadow, its branches curved downward like ribs, a body  folding in on itself. I remember the sound of the park: the clang of swings, the thin laughter of my cousins, the  faint whistle of wind through…