by Thaddeus Rutkowski

“It could bypass the gates of the underworld, / guarded by the three-headed dog, / and head for the gates of heaven, / guarded by the saint with the keys.”

by Henry Kneiszel

“If you’re not busy Saturday you should come see my band. / We play ABBA covers in minor keys. / It’s a cosmic bummer for real.”

by Azim Moradi

“The pain of being stretched on the loom / The silent knot will not tell. / Before the work is done, the weaver / Will not reveal our pattern to us.”

by Stephen Priest

"On an avenue splashed / with a confusion of sepias and golds, / a garbage man heaves refuse / into the back of his truck / and shouts something / about his wife…”

by Benjamin Goluboff

“The classic commodified / Chicago skyline rises / out of the river / from this viewpoint / looking like an artist’s / rendering of itself.”

by Ephraim Scott Sommers

“…you should stop here in your silver running shoes / for however long it takes / and stare in awe and hallelujah / at how the whole Pacific Ocean / and the whole North American continent come to an end right here…”

by David Williams

“Guy was in the parkin’ lot / down on all fours / blood runnin out of an ear an' / had a throbbin’ pulse in his neck / near where he was / kicked in the head…”

by John Franklin Dandridge

“We ate this city, / dined on high rises / gobbled every last / venue— / slurped down slums.”

by William Summay

“tell me a story / & I will wind the jack-in-the-box / until you are on your knees…begging / for more…”

by Ihor Pidhaney

“In the Winter of 1965, / you put me outdoors / in a rocking basket / to lull me to sleep, / but almost dozed off / before recalling your baby / howling in the wind.”

by Ace Boggess

“He’s lost in thought, hypnotized / by the orange dot of his cigarette. / Freedom is a busy prison / he escapes for minutes at a time.”

by A.Z. Foreman

“In the clearing, I saw a woman / open her mouth and nothing came. / She held a spoon. The sky was blue. / A boy with a kettle stood beside her. / There were no rifles. But we were told...”

by Anthony Ikeh

“We're neither kids // & the pier — an anonymous object in our minds now an inconspicuous project // & we're certainly smarter about mermaids.”

by Patrick Johnston

“I will have city words and street words / Friend words and arguments / In cafes and beer gardens…”

by Carter Vance

“You have to taste the word, / in chalk, blood, bite marks, / rubber, gas, / let it drip down, sweet fruit, / and find its place with you…”

by Andy Betz

“An Etch-a-Sketch erases life’s mistakes / From the mundane / To the truly horrific / All it takes is a mere shake / And sealed lips for all eternity…”

by Lynn White

“There are no Magi to adore them now…”