Winter, Highland Mills

By: David O'Keefe Like tears, upon the skull of a widow’s groom, My memories cling to me. Through that begotten Veil which obstructs our truths, and womb Of ever-present denial, my forgotten Thoughts and loves, riches and victories, And eroding failures live on. They change Me, form me, and they call out to me: Free …

my temporary identity

By: Emma Boyle i know everything i know my breath i know yours i know i’m never not sure and that’s why i want a mystery i want colors to be muddy and grey  i want to decipher and decode thoughts said words thought i want to show how to paint in colors the colors …

Should I stay or should I go?

By: Madelyn Crews Come home call the Catskills where mountains cleanse humanity’s stains from oxygen I can taste the difference  the crispness of that air when I inhale and Come home  whistle the vivacious vireos and lissom bluejays  drilling madness into the minds of tourists who in turn  blind them with disposable camera flashes they …

At the Crossroads of Existence

By: David O'Keefe As twilight fell upon the moor, A bittersweet mandolin cried out to me. It sang: I do not think that peace will last, Dirty boots stomp through the grass, Even angels speak so rash, one said: ‘Even God can’t change the past.’ But of tyranny and tears, I refused to blindingly grieve. …

To Be Important

By: Emily LaSita After shoveling yourself into the ground,  Afraid to be heard, seen or smelt You have finally decided to sprout out You want to feel important But how? Maybe you require awards? A “K” beside a number on social media? A glance, a dance, salacious moments? Would that make you seem important? But …

Gaze

By: Steve Baltsas Touchstone, black novice,  Muse of Fire, still clawing back  on the road home. To the only body you’ve known.  The heating is broken two winters now.  Boiled are the promises there and the  dreams singed for rat fuel. Cockroach or ant infestation even when they should be buried, but instead multiply  across …

It Took Me Awhile

By: Marissa Ammon It took me awhile                            To find myself  and realize why I was the elephant in the room It took me awhile                        to accept my differences,  to understand others the way some failed to do with me  It took me awhile                    to stop labeling  figure out my sexuality  Do you figure it out …

The Truth Behind the Lore

By: Kaitlyn Franson Anyone who watches horror movies may have seen an angry ghost moving furniture around or a zombie horde chasing a ragtag group of survivors. But, have any of you ever wondered how classic horror norms are actually metaphors for human behavior?  For the past century, the horror genre has been answering that …