SONG OF 45

by Alejandro Escudé

I listen for the listener
in my darkened airplane of a home,
stars cycle within me, the sun blazes
as if it rose for me alone.
I twist clouds into euphemisms.
I’ve created my own celestial hive.
What you hear comes in sideways,
the voice in the voices of my advisors,
the little muses I carry in my pocket.
When I give orders, I perform a pirouette
to avoid the microphones hidden in
the molecules (they can do that I read).
Everything I sign will remain nameless.
The curtains are opened on purpose.


Alejandro Escudé published his first full-length collection of poems My Earthbound Eye in September 2013. He holds a master’s degree in creative writing from UC Davis and teaches high school English. Originally from Argentina, Alejandro lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

A FRIEND BREAKS HIS RENAISSANCE SWORD ON A PAPAYA

by Kristina England

Any fruit can hide the fierceness of its rinds.
We should never believe the weapon invincible.

Record low temperatures today, risk of frostbite,
hard wind claps bathroom vents.
It's like they're cheering on the cold.

President of United States accuses former president
of wire tapping, calls him "sick," then berates
Arnold Schwarzenegger on Twitter
for being a "pathetic" reality show host.

Brain hurting from malnutrition,
I reorganize the living room two times,
split myself in half, one part here,
one part looking back at what we had.

Sometimes the chance of turning
to salt is more rewarding
than the alternative.


Kristina England resides in Worcester, Massachusetts.  Her writing has been published in several magazines, including Gargoyle, Silver Birch Press, and Tipton Poetry Journal.

YA THINK?

William Aarnes lives in South Carolina.