[col grid=”2-1 first”] [/col] [col grid=”2-1″] That Last Summer by Jose B. Gonzalez my family hanging on to El Salvador time, summer mornings my father would strip off our bed sheets at six O’clock, wanting to avoid losing out on one of Ocean Beach Park’s picnic tables, so much was right then. I swam in …
[col grid=”2-1 first”] [/col] [col grid=”2-1″] Earthmother’s Daughter by Nancy Brady Cunningham Persephone pushes against the dirt ceiling her stonebones creak she claws up through frozen land endless waiting over she drags her body across earthcrust edge gulps soft air coming into full light she squints as colors leak into mirror ponds where green reflections …
[col grid=”2-1 first”] [/col] [col grid=”2-1″] Gifts by Lana Orphanides Along the pathway of yellow grasses the blue river lightly hanging on the sky, I search for secret things, a bright winged bird who flies then isn’t, as if it never were, the great blue heron sitting in the barren tree disguised as branch …
[col grid=”2-1 first”] [/col][col grid=”2-1″] Come, said my Soul by Walt Whitman Come, said my Soul Such verses for my Body let us write, (for we are one,) That should I after death invisibly return, Or, long, long hence, in other spheres, There to some group of mates the chants resuming, (Tallying Earth’s soil, trees, winds, …
[col grid=”2-1 first”] [/col] [col grid=”2-1″] “To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents …
[col grid=”2-1 first”] [/col] [col grid=”2-1″] Tethered Souls by Alva Greenberg Propped in cases no strings visible the marionettes rest in silence. Dressed and coiffed eyes wide open their painted faces wait to reenact the joys and sorrows which have been scripted for them. The scenes may change but their roles remain forever tethered to …
[col grid=”2-1 first”] [/col] [col grid=”2-1″] Poem and poetry box by Dan Potter, sculptor and actor for the Mystic Paper Beasts mask theatre company which he cofounded in 1976, Dan grew up making paintings and sculpture, puppets and masks with his parents, Alice and Fuller Potter, two artists who married while arguing about good and …
[col grid=”2-1 first”] [/col] [col grid=”2-1″] Ode To A City I See by Jeanne Sigel Seagulls soaring as high as our dreams, Proudly announcing their arrival As they lay claim to seasoned roof tops. O, city as wide as a smile Reflecting the beauty of a bright future Amidst its gritty past Learn from your …
[col grid=”2-1 first”] [/col] [col grid=”2-1″] While Gazing at a Painting of Tie-Dyed Butterflies by Rhonda Ward While Gazing at a Painting of Tie-Dyed Butterflies with aquamarine and turquoise wings over a backdrop of gold-leaf sunshine, I am reminded of the time I faced the praying mantis, rubbing his greedy hands together as I bent …