How To Dress Like A Scary Dyke, by Jane Barnes (1943-) She said, Wear my leather jacket, a looser sweater. Take off that lipstick, don’t fuss with your hair. Wear jeans and boots. That ought to do it. I still had stockings stuffed like seaweed in packages, and nylon pants that made my crotch itch […]
The Sorrows of Werther, by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) Werther had a love for Charlotte such as words could never utter Would you know how first he met her? She was cutting bread and butter. Charlotte was a married lady, And a moral man was Werther, And for all the wealth of Indies, Would […]
Let the Boat Go…, by Kostes Hatzopoulos (1869-1920) Let the boat go where it will on the wave, let the breeze steer rudder and sail. Spread the wings wide, the earth has no end; unknown shores are always beautiful. Life is a dew-drop, a wave, let the breeze carry the boat where it will, where […]
To a Baked Fish, by Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) Preserve a respectful demeanor When you are brought into the room; Don’t stare at the guests while they’re eating No matter how much they consume.
A Further View, by E. L. (Edward Leslie) Mayo (1904-1979) There is no giggling in this classroom, Whispering, shuffling of books and papers, I’m Alone at my desk in front of empty chairs Where I have been for almost thirty years, Though there were times I thought a class attended. Now, thinking back, I know […]
Girl at Sixteen with Lightning, by Gilbert Sorrentino (1929-2006) The flash of lightning and we see enameled sitting in a chair her knees together Joanna Fulmine from Academy St. Clare shy and perfect in her uniform O the despair of adolescent boys is mammoth can she know they worship her in navy blue they […]
A Ruin, by P. J. (Phillip James) Bailey (1816-1902) In a cot-studded, fruity, green deep dale, There grows the ruin of an abbey old; And on the hillside, cut in rock, behold A sainted hermit’s cell; so goes the tale. What of that ruin? There is nothing left Save one sky-framing window arch, which climbs […]
Sestina for Three Voices, by Rosellen Brown (1939-) He said, “We do not love by word alone,” And pulled the silence down around his voice As though a sound could hurt him. Since those words Became their own perverse, inviting promise, She had to smile: “Then what is left to say That you will listen […]
The Bell Bird, by Neil Shepard (1951-) (Matari Bay, New Zealand) I smell lemon everywhere, lemon-air and lemon-earth and lemon-tees and long-leafed eucalyptus. When I arrive at the canyon’s rim and peer down a thousand feet to the dusk-silent canopy of trees, suddenly the Bell Bird sings. Its song is almost human, a […]
While Watching “Young and Innocent” I Think Of My Mother, by Ira Sadoff (1945-) Pull down the shades. Those waifs and waitresses of the forties movies remind me of you. Stood up again! So where was he now? Out on the town with some hussy while you waited by the window in your nightgown, […]