Theme 08: Bright Lights, Dark City - Part Deux
Contributors
Abdulmueed Balogun Adewale, C. William Carroll, Craig Cotter, GTimothy Gordon, Patrick Johnston, James Ross Kelly, Sara Krassin, David Anson Lee, Keith Melton, James B. Nicola, Natasha O’Hara, Chloe Paige, John RC Potter, Forrest Rapier, Charles Sutphin, Scott Taylor, Jason M. Thornberry, Stuart Watson, Christopher Woods, Jason Youngclaus, and Jeffrey Zable
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Two Poems
Poetry by Jason Youngclaus
“We tumble into virtue / signals harder than dice / against Casino hardwood.”
Two Poems
Poetry by David Anson Lee
“The city counts itself in reflections. / No face survives alone. / Outside the bodega, / oranges smell faintly / of bleach and rain.”
Four Poems
Poetry by GTimothy Gordon
“Fresh tracks down flatlined Río by Juárez, Chihuahua, / borderland maquiladoras, derelict pickups, four-by-fours / up on blocks on what were Bigfoot balloon Goodyear / All-Terrains®…”
LOVE AFTER LOVE
Poetry by Abdulmueed Balogun Adewale
“…i want to stop holding / a butcher's knife against the fleshy neck / of those that strangled our vows / of forever, cease conjuring love / as a slaughterhouse where I'm / nothing but a sacrificial lamb.”
Ideas
Poetry by Craig Cotter
“This is Los Angeles. / It's cold. / It's 52 degrees out. / I just broke page 4000 / of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. / I'm sleepy. / Don't want to sleep.”
Year of the Monkey
Poetry by Sara Kressin
“For five dollars, you can have your picture taken with a monkey / on the Strip.”
The City Planner (with Apologies)
Poetry by Keith Melton
“An alphabet train for me and you / a glossary of trends we wander through./ Farm raised catfish and Impossible Meat / back yard chickens, and the kitchen sink. / Hydrogen, nat. gas, BTU’s; energy density, it’s in the news.”
Dance of the Elderflowers
Poetry by C. William Carroll
“By morning, / the elderflowers will open beside a grave— / white, / unbothered, / enduring—”
Six Poems
Poetry by Natasha O’Hara
“the loudest sound / on the planet is moaning / a bass melody at / 188 decibels, / rattling my brain / inside my marrow helmet…”
Two Poems
Poetry by Jeffrey Zable
“The right drug would give me peace of mind… / along with a sense that it’s all been worth it.”
Six Poems
Poetry by Stuart Watson
“Museum of misspent lust. / Polyester blanket with a hole. / I’d rather fuck that, but finger it instead. / Somebody musta dropped a smoke.”
Popsicle Sticks
Poetry by Forrest Rapier
“My beard is like a husky puppy: dripping / For attention from passersby who simply want / To pay and leave and beat traffic and eat / Orange-flavored popsicles as they watch people / Cheat on each other on Dancing Island.”