Beauty in the Bones
R.H. SWANEY
I saw beauty buried inside the bones of a broken man whose home is the same city streets we are told to never walk alone after the sun has set.
His bloodshot eyes, red like a fresh wound, told the story of all the trials he had ever endured.
As I walked passed, selfishly hoping he wouldn’t ask for some change, he smiled.
I could see the weight of his pain trying to pull down on each side of his face.
But still he held his smile in place,
igniting my lips to do the same.
This man, with alcohol in his veins, dirty clothes on his skin, and a heart full of burdens, still knew how to be kind, despite my selfish heart.
There is a beauty buried, yes.
But our eyes can be shovels, ready to dig for gold inside the bones of the ones around us.
The Smell of Memories
IAIN S. THOMAS
I’ve never told anyone this but different memories have different
smells, and I can tell what you’re remembering by
the way you smell.
You smell like apples when you think of your childhood.
You smell like ashes and smoke when you think of your father.
You smell like shampoo when you think of your mother.
When you look at me, and I can tell you’re thinking of someone
else, you smell like lemon juice.
And I know one day, you will be in someone else’s arms, and they
will look at you, and wonder why you smell like
rain is coming.
The Light at the End of All Things
IAIN S. THOMAS
My father died in his sleep a month after my wedding
my wife’s mother died two months before that
so when my daughter asks where our mama and dada are
we point at butterflies and grass
and cars and trees that bend in the wind
at night, if she asks, I point from star, to star, to star
and then I point at her,
from starlight, to starlight, to starlight,
to starlight, to starlight.
Sara Bond was born and raised in South Jersey, received her degree in Writing for Film and Television at the University of the Arts, and then moved to Los Angeles. She has produced Independent Films and had her poetry published. Sara continues to write poetry as well as TV pilots, feature-length scripts, and books.
Twitter: @thesarabondInstagram: @inepilogue
Nikita Gill is a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and has been published in Literary Orphans, Agave Magazine, Gravel Literary Journal, Monkeybicycle, Dying Dahlia Review, The Rising Phoenix Review and is soon to be published in Eunoia Review. She is the author of Wild Embers, Your Soul is a River and Fierce Fairy Tales.
Twitter: @nktgillInstagram: @nikita_gill
Pierre Alex Jeanty, founder of Gentlemenhood™ and CEO of Jeanius Publishing, is a Haitian-American author, influencer, and entrepreneur who is devoted to making an impact through his writing. He is the author of Her and Unspoken Feelings of a Gentleman.
Twitter: @pierreajeantyInstagram: @pierrejeanty
When Amanda Lovelace isn’t reading or writing, she can be found waiting for pumpkin spice coffee to come back into season & binge-watching Gilmore Girls. The lifelong poetess & storyteller lives with her spouse, Cyrus Parker, in New Jersey. She is the author of the princess saves herself in this one and the witch doesn’t burn in this one.
Twitter: @ladybookmadInstagram: @ladybookmad
Canisia Lubrin is a writer, critic, educator and editor. Her work has been published and anthologized widely. She is 2017-2018 Poet in Residence at Poetry in Voice and poetry editor at The Humber Literary Review. Her first book is Voodoo Hypothesis, nominated for multiple awards and named a CBC Best Poetry Book of 2017.
Twitter: @canisialuInstagram: @canisia.lubrin
Trista Mateer is a poet from outside of Baltimore. She is the author of four full-length collections of poetry. She is currently working as a freelance editor but still manages to spend most of her time googling cheap airfare and writing poetry about things that don’t matter anymore. She is the author of Honeybee and The Dogs I Have Kissed.
Twitter: @tristamateerInstagram: @tristamateer
Cyrus Parker is a pro-wrestler-turned-poet hailing from New Jersey alongside wife and poetess, Amanda Lovelace, and their tailless white ragdoll cat, Macchiato. A self-described “big goth kid,” Cyrus has an affinity for dark eyeshadow, dark clothes, enamel pins, and dropkicking the gender binary. He is the author of DROPKICKromance.
Twitter: @cyrusparkerInstagram: @cyrusparker
Yena Sharma Purmasir is a Best of Net-nominated poet and essayist from New York City. Her writing has been featured in Mask Magazine, Rising Phoenix Review, and Thought Catalog. She is the author of Until I Learned What It Meant and When I’m Not There.
Twitter: @yenapurmasirInstagram: @yenasharmapurmasir
Liam Ryan is a poet living north of Toronto. He is a lover of all art including visual and musical but first and foremost his passion has always been for writing. He is the author of Folly & Bone.
Twitter: @liamryantweetsInstagram: @follyofone
R. H. Swaney is a poet from Sioux Falls. Growing up in a small Midwestern town plays an influential role in his writing with many references to nature in his work. Outside of writing, you can find him at any of the various local coffee shops meeting with friends and enjoying great conversation. He is the author of Lovely Seeds.
Twitter: @rhswaneyInstagram: @rhswaney
Iain S. Thomas is a new media artist and author. He writes for The Huffington Post on poetry, creativity and life and currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa. He is the author of several books, including the I Wrote This For You series, How to be Happy, and Intentional Dissonance.
Twitter: @iwrotethisforuInstagram: @iwrotethisforyou.me
Michelle Halket is a bibliophile and technophile who loves to try new things, which is what prompted her to start a digital-first publishing company when very few people knew what ebooks were. When she’s not fully immersed in words, devices, and paper stock, she spends time with her family and dog in the forests of Vancouver.
Twitter: @centavepubInstagram: @centavepub
NOTES
Sara Bond Copyright ©2018
“Terra Firma”
“Impermanence”
“I Love You”
“Crowded”
“Orange Tree” Illustration
Pierre Alex Jeanty Copyright ©2018
“The Blessing and the Curse”
“It’s Just the Internet”
Nikita Gill Copyright ©2018
“Parietal Eye”
“Gods and Mortals”
“The Body in the Water”
“Erratics”
Amanda Lovelace Copyright ©2018
“Small Yellow Cottage on the Shore”
“Astral Travel”
“Sisters: A Blessing”
“A Book and Its Girl”
“Shell” Illustration
Canisia Lubrin Copyright ©2018
“The Shooting Squad”
“That Instrument of Laughter” originally
appeared in Voodoo Hypothesis
copyright and courtesy of Buckrider
Books ©2017
“Our Mapless Season” originally appeared
in Voodoo Hypothesis copyright and
courtesy of Buckrider Books ©2017
“Ghettobird” originally appeared in
Voodoo Hypothesis copyright and
courtesy of Buckrider Books ©2017
Trista Mateer Copyright ©2018
“The Unholy Wild”
“Knee to Knee”
“Cohabitation in the American South”
“The Knife”
“Flowers in Jug” Illustration
Cyrus Parker Copyright ©2018
“W
here the Sea Meets the Sky”
“No Turning Back”
“Stained Glass Mirror”
“Start→Power→Shut Down”
“Drink” Illustration
Yena Sharma Purmasir Copyright ©2018
“Ultra”
“Things That Aren’t True”
“If My Aunt Was on Twitter @lovelydurbangirl”
“Waiting on a Skype Call”
“Ultra” Illustration
Liam Ryan Copyright ©2018
“The Train”
“The 7th Day”
“23-Year Epiphany”
“Blue”
R.H. Swaney Copyright ©2018
“A Way to Leave”
“Doe”
“Food Stamps”
“Beauty in the Bones”
“Turntable” Illustration
Iain S. Thomas Copyright ©2018
“Driving with Strangers”
“The Way It Works”
“The Light at the End of All Things”
“The Smell of Memories”
“Girl with Bird” Illustration
Gretchen Gomez Copyright ©2018
“dear moon”
Asil Michael Copyright ©2018
“Safe Enough to Sleep”
Caitlyn Siehl Copyright ©2018
“Needle”
Before We Go…
[POETS WHOSE WORK WE LOVE]
dear moon,
i have not forgotten about
you. i hope you understand
that i was born an earth
child, and the soil that was
fed into my mouth has
birthed gardens. i will come
back to you and sing the song
of healing. for now, let me
water this soil and write
about the flowers that grow
and blossom into a journey.
GRETCHEN GOMEZ is a Puerto Rican poet from the Bronx. When home you will find her watching crime shows, cuddling with her dog, or writing—trying to make sense of things. Gretchen is a full-time lover of words.
She is the author of love, and you.
twitter: @chicnerdreadsinstagram: @chicnerdreads
Safe Enough to Sleep
The crying won’t stop
The tears get wiped again and again
You cradle, snuggle, bounce
You are losing your mind
The cries quiet
The muscles relax
The breathing slows
The eyelids droop
But with one last upward glance
Your heart is no longer heavy
The bond strengthens with trust
Trust from safety, security
The thoughts won’t stop
The slate gets wiped again and again
You shift, flip, adjust
You are losing your mind
The thoughts quiet
The muscles relax
The breathing slows
The eyelids droop
And with one last sigh
My body and mind drift off
In the comfort of your arms
Wrapping me in safety, security
ASIL MICHAEL is a poet from Toronto, who—every once in a while—expresses thoughts with words.
Needle
Remembering the needle of you
How it pulled through my body
and made everything
touch
How you kissed my pincushion
mouth when it was all over
to hold me in place
You are a violence that I
can’t swallow,
a throat full of sharp things
that won’t stop hurting.
You can never be good for
me
now that you’ve been
bad for me.
CAITLYN SIEHL is a writer from Cranford, NJ who hates tomatoes but loves crying over podcasts and dogs and trees. Especially trees. She has two published books of poetry and her other work has appeared in Hooligan Magazine, Philosophical Idiot, and several others.
twitter: @caitlynsiehlinstagram: @caitlynsiehl
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