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The Parade Is Not Diplomacy
by Stephen Ira on July 17, 2017
There’s an egg in the dark
and somebody talking to you.
An egg in the dark and a man—
you—under the shut sun.When somebody calls you all light up
and walk the shores in rows
like untrustworthy mushrooms.
You are more scattered than a rowand devour the flank
after the battle. You take it down together
and peel back the flank
of the animal. Fur glued to paper.Paper glued to the backs of your hands.
“It’s like it nourishes me.”
You finally get to be sad like the moon,
together. Everybody is mad at each other!You don’t know them! You
know the sand. It’s thick,
like silt. Your characters exit,
presumably to have sex.You finally believe your luck
sitting across from a great actress, who says,
“Being with other people will ruin your life.
Always should, always has to, always will.”
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Some Spirits Have Been around Longer Than Other Spirits
by Daniel Handelman on July 14, 2017
The universe is doing well. There are many planets. There are many planets we cannot see. Planets with names like MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb.
In the Milky Way galaxy there are 100 to 400 billion planets. If you want to name a planet you can. Name it anything you want.
A person on Earth looks at a computer screen. The person is Larry Page. Larry Page has named two planets. Larry Page is looking at his computer screen thinking about eternity, non-existence, prostate cancer. Larry Page is going to die. In his next life, he hopes to be a Solitary Eagle, Harpyhaliaetus solitarius. He will live in South America, soar above the Peruvian rain forest.
Elsewhere, a person in a two-bedroom house watches a movie and laughs. Another person hides under a blanket and reads. Between the visible stars are more stars. Between Larry Page and the tree is twenty feet. Between Larry Page’s mind and the world is his skin.
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where was i
by CRIME on July 14, 2017
back then u were
pulling webs out of a spideri digged graves
subsisted on bonescrushed tomatos
to stain my lips red
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SOMETIMES THERE ARE MEN
by Katie Burke on July 10, 2017
I suck my teeth at you
and hear the clinking of keysa lemon in my mouth
I used to be forgiven
but now I am notan edge
that rounded itselfthere are windows everywhere I go
but I hardly ever count themI have never felt closer to god
than when I smile at a TV show
or maybe a childthe best things
are when it is quiet
and I am aloneI already know what your mouth tastes like:
the forest floorin short,
wet.
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city
by Sunday Fall on July 7, 2017
I. city
Where lives are controlled thru threats
Drugs and violence. The audience
hold crosses. Its ignorance holds
Down the universe twisting fingers. At night
My arms hold multi colored crystals. My black
Gloves like a symbol of God holds the addicts.
My friend’s think I’m a painter.II.
My name is Sunday. I survived
Being a movie star. I felt pain too much
To be embarrassed. I’ve been the unemployed
Friend. Quiet dark and wrinkled. On
My stomach to soften my hunger. Good bye
Not the final word. If you believe that.III.
And suddenly
Breaking into sunrise. I came crying.
I repeated all that happened. I was
In back seat when the car pulled over.
An explosive human stampede
Happening on my ribs and head
Police stripped me out two grams
And dragged along the empty street
My lips wet with blood, I thought,
This my murder.IV
Dying is an ancient disgrace like painting
Poetry art literature. It’s dumb. When I wake
Up. Tell me you will reach. Tell me you will
Recognize. Tell me you will take
me to bed instead of your husband.V.
The faint sound of sirens connects me
To this place. It’s a place that reminds us
Of Egypt. The children chew tobacco weed
Leaves
And marshmallows produce a sap
Used to heal wounds. Everyone watching
Everyone.