Humana Obscura Issue #8 (Spring 2024)

BRUGMANSIA DREAMING, TIARA SAFIC-MARTIN

POETRY

Lindsay Rockwell. .

Sally Anderson

Dawn

Deb

Yvette Neisser

9

10

Snake, Falling Star 105

2023 17

Black Bear 77

Ed Meek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Storm Warnings 18

E. D. Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Waiting for the Boretide 21

Gabriel Welsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to Give Thanks for Mild Weather 22

Rachel Orta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hymns 25

Kate Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhythms 26

Walt McLaughlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cold Mud 28

Stephanie Ann Devito

Tidal 84

Thaw 29

Arvilla Fee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hope Comes in Yellow 30

Rosemary Wells . .

Amy Ratto Parks . . . .

33

. . . April, Paradise Valley, Montana 34

May, Mount Sentinel 35

Sylvia Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Of Change 38

Abby Harding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Some Days Are Sandstone 42

Mary Anne Abdo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Between Rock Crevices 45

Linda Hamrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Letters from the Arctic 46

Pauline Le Bel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Handful of Soil 49

Melissa Laussmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Haiku 52

Andy Perrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Common Blue Violet 53

Cecelia Shine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second Chances 54

Elliott batTzedek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Redbud 57

Djana Kolaj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sometimes the Sun Decides 58

Scott Berzon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to Touch

Carrie Carter . .

Geneva Toland

Cristina Chaidez .

J.

Christie Gardiner

66

SPRING 2024

ISSUE # 0 8

ISSN: 2693-5864 (Online)

ISSN: 2693-5856 (Print)

©2024 Humana Obscura, an imprint of Bri Bruce Productions. All Rights Reserved. All rights to all original artwork, photography, and written works belongs to the respective owners as stated in the attributions. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and publisher.

Front Cover:

Flowers by Jocelyn Ulevicus

Back Cover: A Little Wild by Lauren Carson

Mary Kovaleski

Krissy Kludt

Karen Dennison

Jackie McClure

Elissa Greenwald

Jennifer Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Between the Mantle and the Shell 91

Shane Coppage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Haiku 92

Kathryn MacDonald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The River Sings a Clear, Deep Song 95

Roberta Beach Jacobson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Haiku 99

Haiku 115

Nicholas Olah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to Stay Warm 100 May (We Please Survive This) 100

William Ryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Rights of the Dying 103

Tim Murphy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wingbeats 104

Hannah Neece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Note to Self 107

John Nizalowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dancing Ground of the Sun 108

Kathryn P. Haydon . . . . . . . . . Dark Sky Viewing at Newport, Wisconsin 111

Katie Moino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Heron 112

Ron C. Moss .

Allison C. Macy-Steines . . . . . . . . . . . .

Susan Ksiezopolski

PROSE

Lisa

Anastasia

Stephanie

Kristine

ABOUT HUMANA OBSCURA

Humana Obscura is an independent literary magazine that seeks to publish the best of new, emerging, and established writers and artists in what we like to call the “nature space.” As our name suggests—”obscured human”—we focus on poetry, short prose, and art where the human element is concealed but not entirely absent, aiming to revive the genre of nature-centric creative work in today’s modern world.

. Haiku 113

Humana Obscura’s mission is to publish and promote the best nature-focused work of today’s voices and talents, seeking work that is unexpected, real, evocative, yet subtle, with strong imagery and sense of place. The publication’s intention is to inspire readers and enrich their lives while providing an inclusive space for elevating the voices and creative work of its contributors.

Founded in 2020, Humana Obscura is published online and in print four times yearly, and features work by artists and writers from around the world.

Kelly Schulze

Sarah Hewitt . . .

Zak Schafer . . .

Anna Lueck

Mermaids Dwell 82

in the Morning 24

III 31 Archipelago VI 47

Dusk 39

& Shadow 80

Diane Elam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Santa Elena Canyon 40

Ron C. Moss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inkstone Starlight 43

Marcia Bilyk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pieris Japonica 44

Andrew Abraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cascadium 48

Eileen Begley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dahlia No. 3, Secret Life of Flowers 50

Jennifer Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Untitled 55

Jocelyn Elizabeth .

Tianming Zhou

Gerrie Paino

Rosemary H. Williams

Ian Wells

Susanne Wurlitzer .

56

Blurred Lines 68

60

of the Dryads 63

Emerald Waters 94

Serene Tension 86

89

SUBMISSIONS

Humana Obscura accepts poetry, prose, and art.

Submissions are considered on a quarterly basis and can be sent through the publication’s online submission manager at www.humanaobscura.com/submit.

INQUIRIES

For questions regarding submissions, or for general inquiries, please see the FAQ page on our website or please contact:

editor@humanaobscura.com

CONNECT

Twitter: @humanaobscura

Instagram: @humanaobscura

Facebook: @humanaobscura

features

cover artist JOCELYN ULEVICUS

Jocelyn Ulevicus is an American artist, writer, and poet. Her work is either forthcoming or published in magazines such as SWWIM Every Day, The Laurel Review, The Free State Review, and elsewhere. Ulevicus is a Best of The Net, Best Poets, and two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. Her first collection of poems, The Difference Between Breathing and Swallowing, was recently published by Saturday Morning at the River Press. Ulevicus loves weight lifting, ice cream, and her favourite quality in a person is kindness to strangers and animals. You can follow her on Instagram @jocelyn.ulevicus.

featured artist LISA JEAN

Lisa Jean’s work, from soft hues to vibrant and alive pieces, connects the viewer with a range of feelings and emotions. Creating began in early childhood, and continued to develop through personal endeavors, private lessons, and formal education. Jeans’ work is often fluid and created on a foundation of letting go, allowing, expanding, and opening. The ever-changing nature of the sky and earth’s water sources are a part of her inspiration. The pieces appearing in this issue are from her Solace Series. Her work can be viewed at LisaJeanArt.com, on Instagram @Lisajeangallery, or via www.saatchiart.com/l-jean.

featured poet DEB BAKER

Deb Baker lives on the ancestral homeland of the Pennacook-Abenaki people, now called Concord, New Hampshire. A longtime poet, in 2021 she became a “COVID quitter,” resigning from an all-consuming job as a library director. She now works four days a week at a hospital, volunteers for faith and climate justice organizations, and writes. Her poems have appeared in journals including Bellevue Literary Review, Third Wednesday, Spire, Naugatuck River Review, Hawk & Whippoorwill, and Envoi. Since childhood, she has felt connected to her kin in creation, who appear along with her human relatives in many of her poems.

INSIDE THE FRONT COVER: BRUGMANSIA DREAMING, TIARA SAFIC-MARTIN

Tiara Safic-Martin is a Bosnian American artist who specializes in watercolor, acrylic, and pen landscapes. She has showcased her work in group exhibitions in the US and in Bosnia, has participated in several art festivals, and enjoys live painting at events. She loves traveling and uses her adventures as inspiration for art pieces whenever possible. Through her paintings, she hopes to reawaken the lost daydreamer in all of us. When not painting, Safic-Martin is also a chess coach. She enjoys a good competitive game, as well as reading, baking, and spending time outdoors. You can find her work on her website at www.TiaraSaficMartin.com and on her Instagram @tiara_safic_martin_art.

ON THE BACK COVER: A LITTLE WILD, LAUREN CARSON

Lauren Carson is a fine art photographer who lives in Northwest Arkansas. She began her photography journey in high school starting with film. She then spent the next 17 years going to school, getting her doctorate, and working in the health care industry. The onset of COVID, combined with parenting two neurodivergent kids, lead her to stop working. However, this time allowed her to return to her creative passion. She began taking photography classes and has continued to grow and specialize her skills for the past four years. Her work includes both digital and film photography. When she is not creating, Carson enjoys spending time with her family, hanging out with her dog and three cats, and doing yoga. Learn more about her work at perspectivesfineart.com

letter from the editor

Dear Readers,

With the turning of the seasons comes a new chapter for Humana Obscura. We are thrilled to announce that, in response to the overwhelming support and enthusiasm from our dedicated community, we are transitioning from a twice-yearly publication to a quarterly one.

This decision has been fueled by our unwavering passion for celebrating the beauty and wonder of the natural world through the mediums of the written word and art. By increasing the frequency of our issues, we aim to offer you more opportunities to immerse yourselves in the evocative imagery, poignant verses, and stirring narratives that illuminate the essence of nature—and our connection to it—in all its splendor.

In each issue, you can expect to find a rich tapestry of works from talented writers and artists around the globe, each offering their unique perspectives and insights into the intricate rhythms of the natural world. From the majesty of towering mountains to the delicate dance of wildflowers in a meadow, our pages will continue to be a sanctuary where you can escape, reflect, and find solace in the beauty that surrounds us.

Furthermore, as we embark on this new journey, we are committed to nurturing emerging voices and fostering a diverse and inclusive space where all expressions of love for nature are celebrated. We believe that by amplifying a multitude of voices, we can deepen our understanding of the interconnectedness of all living beings and inspire positive change.

As we embrace this next chapter, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to you, our readers and contributors. Your passion fuels our endeavors and reminds us of the profound impact that art and poetry can have in connecting us to the world around us.

Happy reading,

Bri Bruce Founding Editor-in-Chief

about the editor

BRI BRUCE (who writes under the pseudonym B. L. Bruce) is an award-winning and two-time Pushcart Prize nominated poet living and writing along the California coast. Her work has appeared most recently in The Sunlight Press, Riverstone Literary Journal, Bivouac Magazine, Blue Heron Review, and The Lakeshore Review, with haiku in the American Haiku Society’s Frogpond Journal, Akitsu Quarterly, hedgerow, Wales Haiku Journal, Plum Tree Tavern, Cold Moon Journal, #FemkuMag, tsuri-dōrō, Modern Haiku, cattails, seashores, and others. Bruce is the author of four books, The Weight of Snow, 28 Days of Solitude, The Starling’s Song, and Measures. Her fifth book, Blue California Sky, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in 2024. Connect with her on Instagram @b_l_bruce and on Twitter @the_poesis.

WRAPPED IN COMFORT, LISA JEAN

AND THEREFORE BEAUTIFUL

LINDSAY ROCKWELL

how the sail of the wolves’ slow howl distills the singular silence of dark.

Even seeds kick and muffle-scream inside earth, snowed with winter’s warning. White

everywhere. A dog barks—chained to its forgotten. I am unsurefooted. Cannot see though feel

the trail.

The path pulls. The howl swallows my mind, the dog. We three, each tethered to some terrible distance.

LINDSAY ROCKWELL is poet-in-residence for the Episcopal Church of Connecticut. She’s recently published, or forthcoming in Calyx, Carve, Poet Lore, Radar, SWWIM, among others. Her collection, GHOST FIRES, was published by Main Street Rag, April 2023. Rockwell is the recipient of the Andrew Glaser Poetry Prize as well as fellowships from Vermont Studio Center and Edith Wharton/The Mount residency. She is also an oncologist.

DAWN

SALLY ANDERSON BOSTRÖM

The ice was melting when we met, do you remember that?

Our legs slipped out like newborn fawns unsure of how to walk on this planet.

SALLY ANDERSON BOSTRÖM is the author of the chapbook Harvest (2021), and numerous poems, essays, and short stories. Her most recent work can be found in Ms. Magazine, Humana Obscura, Sweet, and an anthology with Gunpowder Press. Most of her work dances on themes of motherhood, desire, ancestral inheritance, and blindness. Originally from California, Boström has spent the last decade living in Sweden and Czechia. She is currently working on a novel about her ancestors from the Jizera Mountains.

ANASTASIA NOELLE PIRRI is a Connecticut-based photographer, writer, and traveler. She finds herself spending most of her time with her cat, but when she is not, she enjoys the majestic beauty nature has to offer. She aims to display the beauty inherent to nature through photography. She believes that nature should be cherished and not be overlooked.

FROSTED, ANASTASIA NOELLE PIRRI

LIGHT IN THE STORM, LISA JEAN

MOON IN THE MORNING

DAWN STOLTZFUS

sifts through sooty clouds, unveils itself through cotton cloth: grey, black, white.

Bare trees scratch at the sky, reach tacky fingers up to what will come— maybe late winter snow.

Birdsong breaks the dusky dawn with optimistic sun-calls, maybe a warm day.

The creek feeds Chesapeake Bay where ducks gather— bufflehead, merganser, canvasback, dabblers and divers in a melee mix.

Moving slow between light and dark, winter and spring, the dog and I ease our way home.

DAWN STOLTZFUS is a communications professional and advocate working to advance environmental, public health, and social justice issues. Her poems have appeared in Adanna, Lullwater Review, and in two letterpress chapbooks: The Language of Rain and Quartet. She lives near the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband, son, rescue hound dog, and pet fish.

LONG MARRIAGE

DEB BAKER

Lots of people have written about the secret to staying married or how beautiful long marriage is. To me it’s not easy to explain. But if I had to say, it’s a little bit like the dawn, how light seeps into the darkness, growing imperceptibly brighter every minute, so that if you look away, maybe to brush your teeth, or start the coffee, when you come back, you see—oh, it’s morning—and yet a star or two, or the moon, still gleam in the ever-lightening sky, and other things surprise: how the sun beams into the woods, how persistent birdsong is, how every cloud is different, how every once in a while something unexpected happens, like a fox crosses through the back yard or a hawk lands on a nearby tree or a woodpecker cries out in its wild voice.

ENGULFED IV, STEPHANIE HANLON

STEPHANIE HANLON is an Atlanta-based photographer experimenting with the use of movement and blur to illustrate emotions, spirits, and natural phenomena in still photos. Hanlon has appeared in a number of exhibitions, including those curated by a photography curator from the High Museum of Art, as well as by the executive director of the Atlanta Contemporary Museum of Art, both at the Atlanta Photography Group gallery. She won First Prize in the Narrative Power of Black and White Exhibit juried by Shots Magazine’s editor. Hanlon’s photography has appeared in a number of publications, including newspapers throughout New York and the Virgin Islands during her nearly 20 years as a photographer and journalist. She currently publishes her work on her blog Literary Lens. You can view more of her work on Instagram at @literary.lens or @literary.lens.film

CLARITY III, KRISTINE NARVIDA 80CM X 80CM, OIL ON CANVAS

KRISTINE NARVIDA is a Latvian academic visual artist born in 1977. She graduated in 2006 as a Magister at the Latvian Art Academy in Riga. She lives and works in Germany and is mother of four daughters. She is an active member of the Brandenburg Association of Artists and the winner of prestigious art awards. She presents her fine artwork throughout Europe and globally with online galleries. Narvida prefers working with oil on linen, using models as her subjects. You can find her new artwork series in Germany at the Labo 6/2 Gallery in Berlin and the Futur eins Gallery in Potsdam.

EARTHSCAPE 2023

YVETTE NEISSER

So many things we take for granted:

That whales swim in oceans and tigers prowl the grasslands.

That winter is cold and icy, summer hot, autumn color-strewn, spring lush with blooms.

That deserts are arid, rainforests humid and full of herbal cures.

That condors fly over the Andes and blue macaws through the Amazon.

That hurricanes lash the tropics and sparrows migrate to southern climes.

Our whole frame of reference is shaken. Magnolias blossom in winter and heat waves spill into October, ice paralyzes Southern states and bears forget to hibernate.

What will we write in our children’s textbooks?

Will the science of the earth be replaced by a depiction of the planet we used to know?

How will we draw the maps? How will we find our bearings?

YVETTE NEISSER is the author of two poetry collections, Iron into Flower (2022) and Grip (2011 Gival Press Poetry Award). Her translations from Spanish include South Pole/Polo Sur by María Teresa Ogliastri and Difficult Beauty: Selected Poems by Luis Alberto Ambroggio. Her poems, translations, and essays have appeared in Foreign Policy in Focus, Tikkun, Virginia Quarterly Review, 101 Jewish Poems for the Third Millennium (anthology), and Split This Rock’s The Quarry. Founder of the DC-Area Literary Translators Network, she has taught writing at The George Washington University and The Writer’s Center (Bethesda, Maryland). By day, she works in international development.

STORM WARNINGS

ED MEEK

You can’t say we weren’t warned by the smoke from wildfires that ignored our borders, invaded our lungs and stung our eyes. The smoke hung in the sky— a strange orange fog blocking the sun.

Still, we were surprised at the rain that flooded our fields and streets with streams and makeshift lakes.

And the hurricanes that washed up boats like toys, leveling houses and undertowing sand back to sea while we turned a blind eye and dragged our feet in the mud.

ED MEEK has had poems in The Sun, The Paris Review, Plume, The Baltimore Review. His latest book is High Tide

KEVIN FLYNN is a non-commercial photographer and visual artist who resides in Oakland, California. He attained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Photography from the Aesthetic Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

EIGHT DRAMADIES AT ORPHAN KNOLL IV, KEVIN FLYNN

OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES, NATALI HERRERA-PACHECO

NATALI HERRERA-PACHECO is a Venezuelan artist and scholar who has taught at the University of North Texas, Texas Christian University, and Texas Woman’s University.

WAITING FOR THE BORETIDE

E. D. WATSON

Waiting on a ridge, wrapped in rain gear, you and I perch high above the Turnagin Arm, among the roots of an ancient pine, its gnarls polished by boot soles and backsides like yours and mine, we wait in a place where humans come to rut and smoke and drink and spray graffiti—judging by what

they leave behind. We wait among the wrongness for what is right: the change of tide

out on the mudflats between mountains and moraines we watch for water purling in, lapping over itself

the boretide a foamy hump rushing toward us, pale stripe of rising water, we wait for

the only wave this strange, still stretch of sea will see for twelve more hours, we check the time and pass binoculars back and forth between us not anxious, not speaking, each knowing Earth is faithful—this is our church, these rhythms: tides, seasons, the wobble of the world on its axis. Our prayer is silence, waiting for that whisper from the inlet, the gurgle of the gods, for what is coming.

E. D. WATSON is a poet, yoga teacher, and certified Practitioner of Poetic Medicine. In addition, she holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a BS in Environmental Studies. She is the author of Anorexorcism (Bottlecap Press) and Honey in the Vein (Bric a Brac Press). She lives in central Texas.

HOW TO GIVE THANKS FOR MILD WEATHER

GABRIEL WELSCH

If the rain leaves before midday, after warming the morning to a steamy chill

adopt the posture of thanks, or of grace. It looks like limbs, weighted with the residue of a wet sky in a world unfamiliar and strange as a cave, without the pretense of a tomorrow, without any thought to us.

GABRIEL WELSCH writes fiction and poetry, and is the author of four collections of poems, the most recent of which is The Four Horsepersons of a Disappointing Apocalypse. His first collection of short stories, Groundscratchers, was published in October 2021. Welsch lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his family and works at Duquesne University.

KELLY SCHULZE is a Croton-on-Hudson, New York, based photographer and has been developing her skills for the past several years. Having grown up along both the Hudson and Croton Rivers and in close proximity to many Hudson Valley land preserves, her love of the outdoors grew tremendously. A film camera, given to her by her father as she graduated from Croton-Harmon High School, was all she needed to get started photographing what she saw as something worth saving and sharing. Schulze’s use of natural lighting, textures, patterns, reflections and differing perspectives invites you into a world of wonder by taking a closer look at abstract and intimate nature. Follow her on Instagram @kellyschulze_photography.

MORNING GIFT, KELLY SCHULZE

SARAH HEWITT is a current undergraduate student from Colorado. The last spring she witnessed was in Denmark, where she spent a considerable amount of time exploring the country’s parks and natural areas. You can see more of her work at sphotojournal.com.

BLOSSOMS IN THE MORNING, SARAH HEWITT

HYMNS

RACHEL ORTA

will soon fill the season’s silence, breaking forth in glory of morning chorus

nearly equinox, tulips are frozen in tune, quiver as spring nears

RACHEL ORTA (she/her) is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and frequents parks along the shores of Lake Michigan. She gravitates towards dream-like themes, often inspired by mysteries of nature and complexities of family.

RHYTHMS

KATE LAB

Right on beat, a fragile flower with unforeseen strength breaks through cold and frozen ground.

Still, I am surprised. Through grays and browns, this burst of yellow-green, this mundane miracle calls to mind

from death comes life.

KATE LAB is a poet and artist based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is the founder of Kate Creates, where she publishes original art and poetic work. Her work has been featured in Risen Motherhood, Well-Watered Women, and The Way Back to Ourselves. Lab aims through her poetry to show hope in suffering and beauty in the mundane. You can follow her work on substack.com/@kategoescreating and on Instagram @kategoescreating.

YELLOW PERSUASION, KELLY SCHULZE

COLD MUD

WALT MCLAUGHLIN

Water bleeds from craggy snow piles as decadent ice slowly surrenders to the sun. Already a cardinal sings from treetops. My boots leave deep imprints in cold mud.

This is it. This is hope manifest in raw earth, after a long sleep.

The first crocus is still weeks away but I feel it: the eternal cycle complete, the world beginning anew, once again, amen.

WALT MCLAUGHLIN is a poet, essayist, and nature writer. He has twenty books in print, including the slender volume of poetry A Hungry Happiness, an Adirondack hiking narrative The Allure of Deep Woods, and a collection of short narratives and essays, Cultivating the Wildness Within. He is also the driving force behind a small press called Wood Thrush Books. He lives in northern Vermont with his wife, Judy.

MUD THAW

STEPHANIE ANN DEVITO

Touch me like you would the earth with fingers dug deep in the soil, cold as January until it tempers against your pulse.

You could melt me into spring, make me clay between your palms. Dirty your hands in the possibility.

You could leave me in the shape of you, and I’d fill your impression with last night’s rain until another washes it away.

Or you could stay. Bury yourself in me, and I’d hold you like the grave.

STEPHANIE ANN DEVITO is an emerging writer whose work exists where death, nature and sexuality meet. Her poetry is sensual. An expression of life’s treacherous ecstacy and the ache of a body enamored with its own passing. You can follow her on Instagram @sadonagoodday and read more of her work at imagineherhappy.com.

HOPE COMES IN YELLOW

ARVILLA FEE

Skiffs of snow, an everlasting winter, tree branches bleak and stiff with melancholy, but there, in the yard, cold-defying stalks of green tipped with buds of yellow, small bursts of sun— the promise of spring

ARVILLA FEE teaches English Composition for Clark State College and is the poetry editor for the San Antonio Review. She has published poetry, photography, and short stories in numerous presses, and her poetry book, The Human Side, is available on Amazon. For her, writing produces the greatest joy when it connects us to each other.

ARCHIPELAGO III, ZAK SCHAFER

ZAK SCHAFER currently lives in an old sailboat tied to a transient dock in southeast Alaska. he likes to ride a bicycle, drink water commingled with tinctured plants, and think about not thinking. He does not sail. Find more of his work at zakschafer.com.

LENT

ROSEMARY WELLS

March on the Carrizo Plain: winter’s soaking rain has resurrected a wild chorus, one vast bright shout of color

singing yellow spring light sun-blessed gracefully stemmed perpetually renewed

exhorting they crave our conversion from mammal to flower yet are parched and gone by Easter dawn

oh flower, that wants me to also be a flower

as soon as I lose this body I will rise from the earth with you

ROSEMARY WELLS is a previously unpublished writer living in Pacific Grove, California. Her poetry is influenced by her thirty-five years as a landscape architect, where she has been a close observer of plants and environments.

APRIL, PARADISE VALLEY, MONTANA

AMY RATTO PARKS

Yesterday in the hot pools, minerals rose up from underground. We sat under the pine boughs and blue sky, held still under the water’s spell, but now, the waxy green of spring has broken through me, cracked the armor of my winter mood, and snapped my wild roots awake as whips.

Who has time for words?

Stand up, walk the length of your room, open the door into tree bloom and crow call. Go from here to the mountain. The glacier lilies are waiting. They have bloomed through the snow. They rose up through the black of last year’s ashes.

AMY RATTO PARKS’ poetry, fiction, and essays appear in literary, popular, and academic journals. In their starred review, Kirkus described her verse novel, Radial Bloom, as “Brilliant, at once dense and ethereal.” Ratto Parks is also the author of a book of poems, How To Remember The World, and two chapbooks of poetry, Bread and Water Body and Song of Days, Torn and Mended. She lives and works in Missoula, Montana.

MAY, MOUNT SENTINEL

AMY RATTO PARKS

Today we walked the narrow trail that scissors up the side of the mountain. The clouds held low over us, but in the distance, across the city and the highway, all the way on down the valley, we saw a wide break of blue. Storybook clouds, white as spun candy hung there over a different mountain. We stopped walking and studied our weathers – one near, one far. We balanced there, angled upright on the steep path, then continued up into the air, which is always and only ever all we have.

PEACE IN PERSPECTIVE, LISA JEAN

OF CHANGE

SYLVIA SUN

The breast of the mountain is buttered in viridescence. I spend my hours here, cheek against the bubbling lichen, caressing the jagged stillness of the rock.

I am afraid, as if tomorrow the brush might be wizened like drifting tumbleweed. I trace my trembling fingertips over the dampness, inhale the redolent aching of the earth.

Always, I will crumble at the white retreat of the sea, the flowers falling ill and melting softly into unmarked graves.

Fear the redness of the leaves becoming infinite. The pale, tawny desolation extending boundlessly over the mountains, over your chin and over your lips.

Always, I will shut my eyes and tear at the parts of my hair that have grown lighter. Cling to the trees beside the mountain; fail to recognize the rock is shifting.

It has always been.

SYLIVA SUN is a 17-year-old aspiring poet from California. She adores art in all its forms and is an avid admirer of literary fiction. When not writing, she loves listening to music, drawing, and spending time in nature.

ANNA LUECK is an environmental documentarian and photographer, born on a Pacific Northwest island and taught to love the lands and waters around her with her whole heart. Her full portfolio is available at alueckphoto.com

CANYON DUSK, ANNA LUECK

DIANE ELAM is an amateur photographer based out of Missouri who is the walking definition of “wanderlust” and is always ready for the next adventure. The desire to wander and explore new places is such a big part of Elam‘s life that she is making strides to pursue her dream of being a professional traveler. Diane, along with her best friend from college Stevie who bonded over there love of travel, established Fernweh Travels (Instagram @fernweh.travels09) in the summer of 2023 to serve as travel consultants to make sure that everyone gets the best experience and memories out of their vacations. See more on her Instagram @deewanderswild.

SANTA ELENA CANYON, DIANE ELAM

A CANYON OF SILENCE

VIMLA SRIRAM

I am at the Grand Canyon, a cross between a mural and a mirage that makes the horizon seem meaningless, but the sunset I see—brick-red colors swaying with the fading light— is blocked by elbows, raised phones, and cameras lenses.

I return the next day before the world awakens. The canyon is shrouded in darkness as I walk along the rim. I soak in the timeless solitude earned over millions of years. Each second the scene in front of me changes. The sky wilts into bronze, revealing white striations in the canyon’s rusty façade. From my spot under a cypress tree, I see the form of a woman through the mist. I am not alone. Sitting farther on the lookout point, she cradles a cup, her eyes on the phantasmagoric canyon walls, her legs dangling above the empty. A strong guardrail stands between her and the canyon floor. The sky graduates to gold. We watch in silence. De-

struction never looked this good— the river and the wind: stripping, piling, eroding, widening, in a cycle of perpetuity. Watching the woman soak the canyon’s solitude reminded me of the last time I was here, an impatient twenty-something with an insatiable thirst to drink the world. My husband and I were on a road trip and the Grand Canyon was our last pit stop.

Exhausted but determined to checkmark everything in the visitor brochure, we sped through the overlooks stopping briefly at a few. All I remember from that trip are the sleek photographs we had taken that were developed by a special studio. I don’t remember wanting to slow down. I don’t remember standing before the monument in a stillness that I craved now—must have been youthful exuberance, a rush to gather as much as I could to fill an uneroded, unlived life.

Rooted to my spot, locked by the canyon, I feel its stillness and vastness. I feel my stillness and smallness. We are both changed, changing. I stand before it, eroded. My body is loose from having carried another. My forehead’s creased with worries and wonder. Eyes dimmed. Knees musical. Ears ringing. I stand before it as someone else that’s the same person who was here years ago, but still not the same. The changing sameness. We greet each other in silence.

VIMLA SRIRAM is a Seattle-based writer shaped by Delhi. This means banyans and parrots will try to sneak into her essays even if, especially if, she tries to steer clear of them. She loves the Pacific Northwest for its gigantic Douglas firs, leaning madronas, and oat lattes. When not craning her neck for elusive woodpeckers or nuthatches, she can be found reading, writing, and making cauldrons of chai for her family and friends. Her writing appears or is forthcoming in 100 Word Story, Wanderlust, Stonecrop Journal, Little Patuxent Review, River Teeth Journal, Cagibi, Tahoma Review, and Gulf Stream Magazine

SOME DAYS ARE SANDSTONE

ABBY HARDING

Some days are sandstone, solid and unyielding, but when met with water, wind, and the slow drip of time, they bend, melt into a shape I don’t recognize.

Today, as I walked through the woods, I wondered what shape this solid heavy stone of a day would yield when met with a spring breeze and the flow of icy winter melt along the weary creek bed. Would the sound of buds breaking through the thawing earth change the course of today’s brief-and-endless history?

Who will I be tomorrow because of the shape of today?

ABBY HARDING writes poetry and fiction focusing on the intersection of grief and hope. You can find more of her work and links to her socials at abbyharding.com.

INKSTONE STARLIGHT, RON C. MOSS

RON C. MOSS is an internationally recognised haiku poet and artist. His award winning collections are The Bone Carver, Bushfire Moon, Broken Starfish, and recently Cloud Hands. Moss has been writing haiku and related forms for over 25 years and is an editor and judge for several online and print journals. He is a member of the Australian and British Haiku Societies.

MARCIA BILYK is a photographer and essayist who lives in rural New Jersey with her husband and two dogs. Her photos have appeared in The Sun, Humana Obscura, Adirondack Review, Tiferet Journal, Cold Mountain Review, Drunk Monkeys, Brevity, Five:2:One, *82 Review, Split Rock Review, and elsewhere.

PIERIS JAPONICA, MARCIA BILYK

BETWEEN ROCK CREVICES

MARY ANNE ABDO

What I want is nature.

A natural landscape, emanating spring colors. Sheer freedom.

Witnessing nature’s grey granite landscape canvas with delicate white- and lilac-colored bellflowers peering through craggy rock formations.

Scenes from the mountain’s edge: that graceful golden eagle soaring.

Listening to my dreams, high upon those mountainous pine barrens. These thoughts are limitless, just as wide as that blue horizon view.

MARY ANNE ABDO is an author, poet, and photographer. Her debut poetry book, Fractured Lollipop: Poems of Brokenness, Healing and Hope is now on Amazon. She resides in Pennsylvania with her family

LETTERS FROM THE ARCTIC

LINDA HAMRICK

Inari, Finland, 2017

Dear S.,

The morning rings with butterflies in the garden. I watch as they dance from one flower to the next.

I wish I knew how to move, like that.

Instead, I plant bush after bush of marigold, knowing only their common name.

I am so far removed from the butterfly, I have forgotten how to stop and watch the marigold bloom.

LINDA HAMRICK earned her MA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University, and currently works at the Rose O’Neill Literary House at Washington College. Her poems have previously appeared in the magazine Pwatem A direct descendent of the arctic, she writes about the diaspora, melting glaciers, and climate change.

ARCHIPELAGO VI, ZAK SCHAFER

CASCADIUM, ANDREW ABRAHAM

ANDREW ABRAHAM is a self-taught photographer, writer, and poet, based in Oakville, Canada. He is passionate about earth science, the environment, and biodiversity, and is constantly learning to understand today’s continuum of environmental, social, and mental health issues. For him, photography and poetry are an extension of his neverending interest in the world around him, his continual desire to learn and experiment and to find new avenues for exploring our connection with nature. He uses his unique “Lithoface” as well as ICM images to relay his thoughts and insight to create greater awareness into how we are impacting the ecosphere. See more of his work on Instagram @artisticrocktextures.

HANDFUL OF SOIL

PAULINE LE BEL

I scoop up a handful of soil from my garden and inhale the sweet smell of death: dead roots, leaves, worms, bugs, microbes.

I dip my trowel into the moist earth, place the snap pea seeds into the ground. I almost forget to say thank you.

PAULINE LE BEL’s writing has appeared in print, on stage, screen, and in concert halls, nationally and internationally. She has worked professionally as an actor, singer, and writer in theatre, film, and radio. Her most recent creative non-fiction work is Whale in The Door, a poetic history of Howe Sound, a magnificent fjord in the Salish Sea, published by Caitlin Press.

EILEEN BEGLEY is a multidisciplinary artist and has been creating and exhibiting art for more than three decades in the Bay Area with work including large scale painting and drawing, printmaking, and fiber arts.

DAHLIA NO. 3, SECRET LIFE OF FLOWERS, EILEEN BEGLEY

HAIKU

MELISSA LAUSSMANN

an inferno after the rain tulips rising

MELISSA LAUSSMANN resides in a quaint north Texas town with her daughter. Her work has been featured in numerous creative writing journals including Poetry Quarterly and Haiku Journal, with the most recent publication in Amethyst Review, forthcoming in April 2024. Laussmann draws inspiration from poets such as Denise Levertov, Mary Oliver, and Jack Kerouac. When she is not writing or doing research, she enjoys spending time with her family and watching old movies.

THE COMMON BLUE VIOLET

ANDY PERRIN

just another heart-shaped weed

until five perfect gradient lavender petals

flutter awake exhale luminescence

and bow

leaving me breathless again

ANDY PERRIN is a cyclist, writer, photographer and teacher from southern Rhode Island. His writing and photography have been published by a wide variety of print and digital journals and magazines. Perrin was recently nominated for a Best of the Net 2024 award for his photography, as well as being nominated for a 2024 Pushcart Prize for his poetry.

SECOND CHANCES

CECELIA SHINE

After every snowflake melts and feeds top-turned soil, seeds beneath the surface erupt. March sprouts, and along with it, mounds of roses that had died a few months before.

CECELIA SHINE is a high school student from Pennsylvania. She fills her life with small joys such as collecting crystals, listening to sad folk songs with even sadder lyrics, and reading poetry that reeks of despair. That being said, above all else she values sharing her innermost thoughts through the written word.

UNTITLED

JENNIFER COLLINS is an emerging artist who is currently a senior at Massachusetts College of Art and Design majoring in Photography. Her work depicts nature ranging from vast landscapes to intimate images of flowers while exploring themes of fiction converging with reality, and the different ways nature can activate one’s imagination. She has been a part of ArtsWorcester’s Twentieth Annual College Show as well as numerous exhibitions held within her school. To see more of her work, you can visit her website jenniferycollins.com and her Instagram @jyc.photography.

PINK RENEWAL, JOCELYN ELIZABETH

JOCELYN ELIZABETH is a Massachusetts-based mixed-media artist, writer, and mom who helps you see as much beauty in the world as she does through colorful abstract, floral, and coastal art that makes you feel alive. More information about her can be found at www.jocelynelizabeth.com or instagram @jocelynelizabeth_studio

REDBUD

ELLIOTT BATTZEDEK

All winter long these branches stored pink dawn and now each day they give more back

ELLIOTT BATTZEDEK is a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, translator, liturgist, and bookseller. Her work appears in: American Poetry Review, Massachusetts Review, Lilith, Sakura Review, Apiary, Cahoodaloodaling, Hunger Mountain, 1-70 Review, Naugatuck River Review, Poemeleon, and Philadelphia Stories. Her chapbook, the enkindled coal of my tongue, was published by Wicked Banshee Press. A chapbook of translations from the Israeli poet Shez, A Necklace of White Pearls, is forthcoming from Moonstone Press

SOMETIMES THE SUN DECIDES

DJANA KOLAJ

to embrace the leaves of the Norfolk pine at my window and the wind may arrive, too, whispering in cryptic conversation to the shaded canopy; some secrets, I suppose.

Then the leaves sway the length of ballet bodies dancing, stretching to know the morning light.

As the limbs linger in my mind, it was just within that morning moment when I noticed I could find beauty and magic, mystery and light

if I too, do decide.

DJANA KOLAJ is a lifelong creative and admirer of beauty. She was born to Albanian parents in Dublin, Ireland, though presently resides in Connecticut, USA. Her writing strives to reveal the wisdom in nature that has often guided her through living. She is a faithful believer in the innate and organic romance that is abundant in life—a philosophy well reflected in her work. As she weaves words, she aspires to inspire a sensitivity to the sacredness of our senses, and remind us, too, of our belongingness to nature.

interview with djana kolaj

What do you hope readers will take away from this piece?

With this piece, I wish for anyone reading to reflect on whatever small and big things they appreciate, whether physically present or not, and simply take some moments to notice them. I know being attentive to the wonders around us is a challenge, when our attention is often prioritized, manipulated, or distracted by so much stimulus. Yes, I spent quite some time writing about this, but acknowledging beauty can be done with our senses, our presence, or even just a thought.

How does your faith life/ethical outlook inform your writing?

I know that life is not buttercups and rainbows. I grew up witnessing an extreme lack of innocence as a child. I was always a very stubborn optimist, and I psychoanalyze that well, I still am. And perhaps the amount of British Romantic era poetry my teachers read me has something to do with it; but it is my restless belief that life is romantic, and often overwhelmingly beautiful in its intricacies, mysteries, and nature. I flawfully try my best, to follow my faith that to love is to know, and to know is to acknowledge, appreciate, and adore one’s beauty. Be it a person, some sentimental space of the world, a scent, or a memory, there is beauty in all such things we adore, and is that not why we adore them? My very romanticized response to this question should reveal how much this seeps into my writing, haha!

What early experiences taught you that language had power?

My immigrant parents had a limited education, one of whom did not read nor write. They did not read themselves. They had no favorite authors or artists. And so, I was not

exposed to books outside of school, really. Reflecting about it now, I often forget that upon moving here, I was placed in a lower-level “reading comprehension assistance” program. So, I suppose my influence was limited for most of my early life, but when I attended fifth grade in America, I became very absorbed by my English classes. I remember every one. I was fascinated with the way the authors my teachers read to me expressed the beauty, curiosities, and abstractness of their minds onto a page. Reading certain sentences would give me goosebumps. The creativity in the way writers wove words together was like witnessing some magic unfold. I cried, I was inspired, I laughed. Some letters on a page had the power to influence some motion of mind and body.

Do you find writing therapeutic?

I do. Writing began as a form of conversation with myself. What started as journaling became prose and poems. I go back to these pieces for guidance. They remind me of myself, of what I believe in, and the life I try to live. When I share my writing, I am really just sharing myself—the gears and gifts of my mind’s movements and mysteries. Those inner workings. This is what art is, isn’t it—an expression of oneself that becomes a conversation between the artist and the world?

What does literary success look like to you?

I have not fully absorbed the idea of becoming a successful writer, because quite frankly it is a sparsely achieved goal. I don’t write for others, I write for myself, and then I share it with others. I do this in hope that someone may feel inspired, connected, or some other motion from my work. I am sharing myself, and

seeing what happens. And should this artistic attempt go well, success would be a community of people who appreciate what I offer. In supporting this community with my art, I would like to be supported in some form, so it can become a more prioritized focus that I have the resources to evolve.

Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

I know many of us hear the stereotypical artist motif of the tortured soul; the empath who “feels too much.” I can’t deny I might just belong to that category, but there are times I don’t feel as aqueous in my emotions, when I feel more like stone. While every human may not be a writer, we are all creators by nature. There is a place in writing for the “stones” of humanity, too. So many places! People are so much more dynamic and deeply dimensional than a category. So long as one can express themselves in writing, another being is bound to connect. We are more similar than different, ultimately, and the capacity, range, and audience for writing is vast.

Connect with Kolaj on Instagram @the_paperpixie.

INFINITY, TIANMING ZHOU

TIANMING ZHOU is a Chinese filmmaker and photographer currently based in the USA. His work focuses on mental health, traumas, spirituality, and memories, usually with documentary and experimental practice. Find him on Instagram @alaricollection.

HOW TO TOUCH A TREE

SCOTT BERZON

How to touch a tree: one hand first, an open palm.

Don’t speak the first words.

SCOTT BERZON earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan and is the recipient of the Frank Vincent Memorial Prize, the Meader Family Award, and the Roy W. Cowden Memorial Fellowship. Berzon’s creative work has appeared in a variety of publications, including Acorn, Cream City Review, Poetry Midwest, Quarter After Eight, Southern Indiana Review, and others. He lives with his family in St. Louis.

TIME IS NOT LINEAR

CARRIE CARTER

Now, it is midspring. Neon poplar flowers line the forest floor. The bees are feeding.

I am walking, the forward action always moving towards something: the intent is the end of the trail where I can say finished.

The forest is a place, not a story. This is a world where I go to live outside of objectivity. In the forest, there is only beauty.

Spring is the most sensory. Facts manifest in smell and color: damp and lime speak of a beginning. Newness can be familiar. Memory is a spiral.

Time is not a line, or a season. It is an event, a delineation. It builds the border. When we are inside spring, we are aware of a future.

Each step on the raw, busy soil: moving, moving, moving—stop.

A perfect red leaf from an autumn maple.

CARRIE CARTER is a poet living in Washington, DC. She holds a BA in English from The Ohio State University. Her work is published or forthcoming with Gnashing Teeth Press, Equinox Journal, Troublemaker Firestarter, and elsewhere. Her chapbook High Water was published by Quillkeepers Press in May 2023. She is a member of the National Writers Union, the Newark Street Community Garden, and the DC Beekeepers Alliance. She can be found on X and Instagram @ancestorregime.

DANCE OF THE DRYADS, GERRIE PAINO

GERRIE PAINO’s creative spirit has led her to various forms of artistic expression throughout her life, including a passion for photography. She relishes exploring the world around her and sharing what captivates her spirit with others. Photography has heightened her senses, teaching her to look more closely and engage more deeply with her subjects. She delights in inviting others to see the world through her eyes. Her work has appeared in Chestnut Review, Meditation Magazine, About Place,The Inflectionist Review, and EcoTheo Review, among others. See more on Instagram @gerriepaino.

ROSEMARY H. WILLIAMS, a retired paralegal, is an emerging photographer living in Hixson, Tennessee. She is curious about the world around her and immerses herself in her surroundings in search of the seen, the unseen, the commonplace, and the unusual as subjects for her photography. She searches for these details and in doing so is able to share with others the world through her eyes. Her photographs have appeared in several Black and White Magazine special issues, Humana Obscura, and two books published by LensWork Magazine: Trilogies (2022) and Light, Glorious Light (2023). Connect with her on Instagram @rosemaryhwilliams.

ABANDONED & FORGOTTEN, ROSEMARY H. WILLIAMS

interview with rosemary h. williams

What initially drew you to the world of photography, and how did you begin your journey as a photographer?

I received my first camera when I was a child. Other cameras followed, but in 2008 I bought my first digital camera and the real journey began.

How do you typically find inspiration for your photography, and are there any recurring themes or motifs in your photographs?

I am a generalist photographer who believes that subject matter is all around us. I gravitate toward small scenes and details more than grand landscapes.

Can you discuss any significant influences or photographers who have inspired your own practice?

Photographer Paul Hassell taught me how to see during workshops in the nearby Smoky Mountains where I learned there is more to see than what we see. Inspiration subsequently came from the philosophy, works, and writings of photographers Guy Tal and Sarah Marino.

Can you share a particularly memorable experience or moment in your photographic career that has impacted your perspective or trajectory?

Step back to 2011, seeing the shadow of a tiny mushroom on a log and starting a journey to seek the details around me. Fast forward to 2023, photographing patterns on the beach created by runoff from the rain and a couple stopping to ask what I was photographing. I showed them some “trees” in the sand, and soon, with phone in hand, they began finding and photographing their own “trees.” I experienced great joy that day knowing I helped them see those details.

Can you share any advice for emerging photographers who are just beginning their photographic journey?

Stay true to yourself. Don’t let the opinions of others ruin your vision or hinder your creativity. Photograph what you love, not just for the “likes and comments.” Invest in a good tripod.

What’s next for you? Any upcoming exhibitions, projects, or goals you have?

In March, I start a watercolor painting class 55 years after my first class. In April, I will fulfill a longstanding dream when I photograph wild horses for a week in Utah. Retirement will be fun!

See more of Williams’ work on her website and www.rosemarywilliamsphotography.com and connect with her on Instagram @rosemaryhwilliams.

JUNIPER COMMUNION

GENEVA TOLAND

when i pull away my hair sticks to your peeling the birds will take as prize come spring, line their nests with you, me, the foxes, the cattail they make a monument of all of us an altar to living, how glad i am to still be surprised by this day just as i am by the bobcat rub at night, the bear claw come summer the cicada buzz the junco trill even your needles and their constant lilting towards light.

GENEVA TOLAND is a writer, farmer, naturalist, and educator residing on Báxoje territory (Ames, Iowa). Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Canary Literary Magazine, West Trade Review, HerStry, and Decapitate Magazine, among others. She is currently a student in Iowa State University’s MFA program in Creative Writing and the Environment and the co-managing editor of Flyway Journal of Writing & Environment. See her other offerings at www.genevatoland.com.

SEISMOLOGY

CRISTINA CHAIDEZ

Birds with their wild sensation detect the shift in the tectonic plates before a disaster. Birds couldn’t save our sinking. You there, I here. Envious of the ground for its tangible cracking.

You sleep the way the ground breathes, stirring and restless. You forgive the way spring sings, uncertain of itself.

Birds watched as you toppled over all the trees.

Birds understand the heaviness of a fleeting moment. No mourning your departure, just a wild heart understanding migration.

CRISTINA CHAIDEZ is a writer and poet from Chicago and although she resides in the city, she has a deep love for nature. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English and Creative Writing from Northeastern Illinois University. Her love for poetry began at a young age, and since then she has continued to explore different themes and styles of writing. You can find her on Instagram @cristinajc25

BLURRED LINES, JOCELYN ELIZABETH

BALD EAGLE

J.R. SOLONCHE

Suddenly, low in a tree, unmistakable, there he was. “There’s the bald eagle,” I whispered. Or tried to whisper. But these are words that simply cannot be whispered: There’s the bald eagle. Startled, he blossomed, impossibly, a great brown and white rose, for thorns a yellow beak and yellow claws, leaping out over the lake, unfurling the flag of his whistle all the way to the other side. A mile.

J. R. SOLONCHE, nominated for the National Book Award and nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize, is the author of 35 books of poetry and coauthor of another. He lives in the Hudson Valley.

A COOPER’S HAWK IN MARCH

CHRISTIE GARDINER

I sit on my life the way the Cooper’s hawk sits on the bare branch of the honey locust tree outside my window, mid-March. The underside of him is red. His top feathers, slate grey. The air is full of squall. Sudden spring storm-skies and a predator have upset the flock of robins. Around the hawk the frenzied fliers flap against wind spray. He wonders which of the flock to seize, which to pluck, upon which he ought feed. Choosing none of these,

(though for the rest of the day I’ll wonder why)

he flies away toward bluer days. Four more inches snow.

CHRISTIE GARDINER is an award-winning author, poet, writer, and performer. Her literary oeuvre includes four ecumenical books (one, currently in its ninth printing), four anthologies, journal publications, booklets, articles, and the writing of her own videocast/podcast. She works in poetry acquisition for Inscape literary journal and holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Utah Valley University. Gardiner’s current focus is poetry and creative nonfiction that explores the intersection of spirituality, nature, trauma, desire, and healing. Upcoming publication includes her poems, “Theophany,” “Greyhound to Albany,” “Faith, perhaps,” and “A Rented Farmhouse in Vermont” as well as interviews with poets Ross Gay and Michael Lavers.

WREN

DEB BAKER

The way you flit from window to beam, shelf to bedframe, lost and desperate to return to the sky, to the trees, to your kin, and the way I stand in the middle of the room and try to reason you to the open door, will you to be free, makes me feel that somehow I know you, and you, me. When our eyes meet, I feel your fear and panic, feel the ways you wish this was not happening, feel the relief as we make it outside and the air lifts under our wings and we rise, never looking back.

A MURMURATION

MARY KOVALESKI BYRNES

Ululate river-sky, sundown call— the shrimp in the gulf jump, the ancient sturgeon’s scale-caul, and the birds

a thousand at once, dip, sing. From their rusted prows the shrimpers in overalls will watch

and think: this is how the dead still move within us. Scientists call it a murmuration, each body tuned to the body beside it,

creating a new bird the size of the sky. Somehow, they’ve realized

the fervent beating of their own wings the tiny space they occupy alone. Nothing so safe

as these crowded heavens, so fearsome as the unknown land.

MARY KOVALESKI BYRNES is the author of So Long the Sky (2018, Platypus Press). Her work has appeared in Palette Poetry, Image, the Four Way Review, Guernica, Meridian, Nimrod, Salamander, Best of the Net, and elsewhere. A Senior Lecturer II at Emerson College, she teaches poetry and writing across the MFA and undergraduate programs. In 2010, she co-founded the EmersonWRITES program, a free creative writing program for Boston Public School students that is now in its second decade and offers scholarships to participants to Emerson College.

THEY SING THE BLUES

CRISTINA CHAIDEZ

Cicadas sing out my sorrows, yearning for your return. There is no absolution in the silence, in the screeching. Only in the lull of dawn.

There is a heavyweight to hesitation. You almost kissed me in Elk Grove. You almost came back to me like their 17-year song. I sit and listen to the gnawing of time.

Cicadas sing out my sorrows, belting the blues of your name. There can be happiness in the mending, in the remembering. Found in the kindness of tomorrow.

IAN WELLS

IAN WELLS is a graduate researcher at the Washington State University HYPER Lab and is studying Mechanical Engineering. He focuses in optical and EM systems with experience in aerospace, thermal, and nuclear analysis. He hopes to continue contributing to aerospace research for sustaining a human presence on the Moon and Mars, especially through imaging and life support systems. In his free time, he enjoys making pictures through photography and drawing, exploring the limitations of the technology used in his research and using it to explore the world. Learn more at www.ianwells.space and find him on Instagram @ianwellss.

EMERGENCE,

CLARITY II, KRISTINE NARVIDA

100CM X 80CM, OIL ON CANVAS

BLACK BEAR

YVETTE NEISSER

Horsethief Park, Teller County, Colorado

Not from the paw prints indented in earth, but a quality of the air, the untainted sky above the tree line, the mist and damp pine needles,

we know bear is near. At each curve, we expect to see her lumbering down the slope or sipping from the creek.

She could be anywhere. This is not our territory. These are bear paths, bear waterfalls, bear pines.

When a storm blows in, thunder rumbling, bringing rain through the trees and hushing human conversation,

it is bear rainfall, sheltering their terrain like the flap of a tent, a thin mesh of comfort.

We go home at dark, and they own the eagles circling, the pines that climb to the peak, jutting from slope to sky.

WIND

KRISSY KLUDT

today all power belongs to the wind clouds ride her in airy drifts foxtail barley shivers valley oaks sigh at her passing a thistle seed becomes a meteor as she flings earth upward upon the air

only the hawk maintains the illusion of agency

KRISSY KLUDT writes about mystery, the land, divine love, and the passage of time. Executive Director of Writing the Wild, she guides retreats and workshops on writing, creativity, and nature connection. She is a convener, and as a former public school teacher she brings a holistic learning approach to each experience she guides. She works and plays in the East Bay outside of San Francisco, on the ancestral lands of the Ohlone and Miwok peoples, with her husband and two sons.

SUSANNE WURLITZER mainly engages with landscapes that emerge through the process of painting. She explores a “hidden place” that arises from the layering of multiple color layers. Wurlitzer is interested in the atmosphere of the emerging place, as well as the translation of materialities such as water, wind, light, etc., into painting. She studied with Professor Thomas M. Müller at the Academy of Fine Arts, Leipzig, Germany, from 2003 to 2011, completing her studies as a “Meisterschülerin.” Her works have been featured in numerous exhibitions, including the following solo exhibitions: “million years from now” (2023 Kunstverein Münsterland), “plans we made” (2023 Kunsthalle Darmstadt), “Islands of Tomorrow” (2022 Galerie Leuenroth, Frankfurt/Main), and “color! color!” (2020 Galerie Falkenberg, Hannover). Wurlitzer lives and works in Leipzig, Germany.

LIGHTS XIII, SUSANNE WURLITZER 150CM X 120CM, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

SUN & SHADOW, ANNA LUECK

ON THE CLIFF-TOP

KAREN DENNISON

The castle-sized rock on the shore has a hole like a doorway. I picture you there, your hand in the air

where a swell of sea arches and breaks, carries you with it to lines of white, repeating their mantra.

Lichen clouds the stones where I sit, dizzy with the thought of spinning faster than sound.

From the beach below, I hear the pitch of your voice deepen, stolen by distance and a spray of crashing ocean

throws me your name.

KAREN DENNISON‘s pamphlet, Of Hearts, is published by Broken Sleep Books. She is author of two collections: The Paper House (Hedgehog Poetry Press, 2019) and Counting Rain (Indigo Dreams, 2012). Dennison is co-editor of Against the Grain Poetry Press.

WHERE MERMAIDS DWELL, KELLY SCHULZE

TIDAL

WALT MCLAUGHLIN

Waves break to shore mocking time, as shorebirds scavenge sand for beached remnants. Sun rises, sun sets. Tide in, tide out.

The distant edge between water and air holds fast the secret of all things elemental. Mind melts into rolling sea, disarmed by its endless song.

Moon rises, moon sets. Tide in, tide out.

ALISON REED is an artist currently based in New York State. She has worked as a graphic designer, storyboard and concept artist, as well as a newspaper photographer. Her main medium has been watercolors but in the past year, she has begun shooting on film. Her film photography can be viewed on Instagram under @juniper.berry.film.

AEGINA, GREECE, ALISON REED

SERENE TENSION, IAN WELLS

IMMERSION

JACKIE MCCLURE

Reverence heals all but that which is truly exposed. The sting happens to the skin— the crusty shell that contains our rivers. It happens to the eyes— twin deltas pouring into the bay and on toward the horizon beyond. Our contents are so similar that when we meet we shed a tear or two then touch again with our tongues to assure ourselves it is so.

If my body is its own ocean with its tides and beating waves, where can I reach its rocky shore— the only place that gives sound to the sea?

I am trying to breathe the water again. I suck it in my mouth, to know what it is to taste my own body.

JACKIE MCCLURE writes poetry, fiction, and hybrid graphic poetry. Her twist on the lexical kaleidoscope aims to illuminate commonplace segments of our shared landscapes. She has an M.F.A. from Goddard College and has published a scattering of poems over the years. She lives in Northwest Washington State.

HUMPBACKS

ELISSA GREENWALD

Into inky blackness you plunge, time after time after time. What does your eye open onto below in the endless dark?

Bubbles form on the smooth body of the sea, spread until the surface cracks open; your white maw churns, overturns the waves. Water streams around you as you seek the air, burst back to the surface, mouth open, as if there could never be too much light after the darkness of those silent depths.

ELISSA GREENWALD retired from teaching English to pursue an MFA in creative writing. She has published a book of literary criticism, Realism and the Romance, as well as essays in such journals as Antaeus and Brevity. She reviews books for The New York Journal of Books and once wrote a short story inspired by a Civil War-era tombstone, for US 1.

ERIN KATE ARCHER is a New York-based artist and illustrator creating ethereal mixed-media paintings through which she narrates a story of resilience, solace, and the feminine spirit. Navigating the challenges of chronic illness and pain, Archer has channeled these experiences into creating calming, magical artworks that embody both strength and softness, offering comfort and escape.

SHELL STUDY, ERIN KATE ARCHER 5” X 7”, GOUACHE ON PANEL

BETWEEN THE MANTLE AND THE SHELL

JENNIFER MILLER

An oyster will take two to six years to produce a pearl from some irritating particle or parasite that crossed the boundary and settled into the space between the mantle and the shell.

It produces nacre, layer by iridescent layer, one micron at a time until the intruder is transformed into something rare and highly valued.

This is the work of poets— to feel between our mantle and shell, to see what gems can be made from suffering— and then to open our mouths and offer them.

JENNIFER MILLER was born and raised in the North Georgia Mountains and currently resides in lower Alabama. She explores themes of earth-centered spirituality and women’s empowerment in her poetry. Her works have appeared in Rebelle Society, SageWoman, and several feminist anthologies. She has a fondness for black cats, wellstocked libraries, full moons, and the perfect cup of tea. Visit her website at quillofthegoddess.com.

HAIKU

SHANE COPPAGE

still water blue heron bows to itself

river mist raven after ravens

SHANE COPPAGE is a poet and artist. His poetry has been published in Humana Obscura, Red Branch Review, Prune Juice, Wales Haiku Journal, Trash Panda, Five Fleas, Modern Haiku, The Wee Sparrow Press, Hintology, dadakuku, and Cold Moon Journal, among others. Coppage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his growing family.

DEBBIE STRANGE is a chronically ill short-form poet, visual artist, and photographer from Canada whose creative passions connect her more closely to the world, to others, and to herself. Strange’s work has received multiple awards, and thousands of her poems and artworks have been published worldwide. Her most recent book, The Language of Loss: Haiku & Tanka Conversations, won the Sable Books 2019 International Women’s Haiku Contest and Haiku Canada’s 2022 Marianne Bluger Chapbook Award. Her award-winning haiku collection, Random Blue Sparks, is forthcoming from Snapshot Press in 2024. Please visit her publication archive at https://debbiemstrange.blogspot. com/ for further information.

TAKING LEAVE, DEBBIE STRANGE

EMERALD WATERS, ROSEMARY H. WILLIAMS

THE RIVER SINGS A CLEAR, DEEP SONG

KATHRYN MACDONALD

A fisherman casts his dancing line into the river’s urgent rush toward the wide bay. It drifts down in the run. He confesses with a laugh his lack of success, reels in, casts again.

My heart beats with the salmon swimming headlong into the unknown.

Here, clouds float on the river—but upstream where my walk began it cascades over rocks raucously tossed skyward, has done so for aeons. Imagine a deer or small black bear venturing southward following the river’s song to this place where spring comes quicker, where ice becomes a trembling mirror, where trees bud early and riverbanks flaunt a penchant for green. This river,

first called Sagonaska, sings of drums and wind, of paddles and fins, sings nibi songs, lullabies and chanties wild, sings to fishers and dreamers, and fish, while my heart listens to its deep song and swims with the salmon.

KATHRYN MACDONALD’s poems have been published in Canadian literary journals and anthologies, as well as internationally in the U.S., U.K., and other countries. Her poem, “Duty / Deon” won Arc Award of Awesomeness (January 2021). “Seduction” was shortlisted for the Freefall Annual Poetry Contest and published in Freefall (Fall 2020). She is the author of Far Side of the Shadow Moon (poetry chapbook), A Breeze You Whisper: Poems, and Calla & Édourd (fiction). For more information, please visit https://kathrynmacdonald.com.

THE WORLD IS MUSIC

FLICK

Kookaburras punctuate the air with shrill laughter as the baseline of the river gurgles faithfully. Insects riff with the foliage in a quiet symphony of understated grandeur. But the sounds are just one thing, one part of the world. The land itself is music.

Ripples in the water are visual melodies, ebbing and flowing in a dance with the wind. Look up and the trees are in on the movement, swaying in a graceful effort that says I am here.

The dirt, the mud, faithful audience, waiting wistfully and quietly to be transformed by a gust or wave. They are all snug in the embrace of land. Root systems, waterways, banks, hills, waterfalls. Laughter, riffs, beating, melodies, dancing, and moments of waiting.

You’d be forgiven, for just a moment, for thinking the song had ended. Thinking we may have played out the verses and repeated the chorus with the backup barrage of birds. The screeches and calls of entities of flight and land. Pause. A pregnant pause. Maybe a breath. You’d be forgiven for thinking the song had ended.

But a splash and a buzz pull the music to crescendo as the creatures of the water, as if waiting for this silent cue, leap between air and liquid. A drum solo, perhaps, or maybe the lyrics fish sing the only way they know how.

This performance needs no sheet music, no. It has existed in splendid symphony through a time and space beyond comprehension. And it isn’t over now, not in the time that you live to hear it.

Smaller birds continue to decorate the air with high-pitched sound waves. Beetles, bugs, flying insects thrive. Alone these are noises that perhaps could be picked apart and replicated. But together they are an inimitable hum, their reality bringing forth some secret thing that cannot be explained.

Browns, greens, and blues never looked more colourful. In a picture so detailed that a day must be a minute here. For a place forged from time constant and incomprehensible, it is unruly and naive to try and hear and see in the realm finite.

This place is a heartbeat. A complex and intelligent universe of life forms that exist in unity.

Roots jut out from the bank, implying a system so strong and established you can only grow wiser in its presence. A cobweb floats in the wind, so delicate and strong. You could stare long enough and understand the multiplicity of the universe. What does it mean to exist here? Breathe this air? Walk this riverbank? Also a living thing?

The kookaburra laughs at you, for you will never know in the way you want to. Only stand barefoot in the dirt and let the sound of life swallow you.

FLICK is a multidisciplinary artist based in Naarm/Melbourne who looks to create and collaborate on new works that embrace spectacle as political movement, that are bold and experimental, and that think specifically about the impact of process as art. Flick’s written repertoire has appeared on stages in Melbourne, Sydney, and Los Angeles, and developed and programmed by the likes of ATYP, Nightingale Content, Theatre Works, Melbourne & Adelaide Fringe, Queerspace Arts, and more. You’ll find out more by visiting their website: flickflickcity.net.

interview with flick

Tell us a little about how this piece came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else?

I wrote “The World Is Music” while on Yorta Yorta Country in so-called Australia. While staying there I spent long periods of time near waterways in the bushland, as well as hearing from Yorta Yorta people about their history as artists, and as the caretakers of the land. Whilst sound has always been a big part of my writing process, I had previously regarded nature as a majoritively visual experience for me. It was about snapshot views; I’d mountain climb for the photo up top or bushwalk for a moment with the picturesque before heading home. The time spent on Yorta Yorta Country and my interactions there inspired this nature-based work and also my reflection on how spending time outside is inherently a multiplicitous sensorial and connective experience.

Do you find writing therapeutic?

The beginnings of my writing were certainly therapeutic, although I think I’m probably quite common in that respect. My first experiences writing anything remotely creative were through journaling. At first recounting things that had happened, and then as I got older reflecting on things that were happening. Writing has always been my way of making sense of the world around me. Now there’s a clear split between the continuing habit of writing for myself, and writing something that will hopefully be shared. Whilst these areas diverge in focus, they both at-

tempt to make permanent thoughts and ideas. If not therapeutic, there’s at least something enriching about making real, through pen and paper, something that would otherwise remain either haunting or fleeting.

How often do you read?

I try to read every day, typically across a range of genres and styles. My vocation is language. Not only that, our very society and culture is made and legitimised through the written word. Whether we interact with it or not, our lives are unequivocally affected by it. With that in mind, I’m compelled to read voraciously, read critically, read often.

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Waiting to write when inspiration strikes. Whilst there are times where you feel that white heat organically, waiting for it will almost always result in a large pile of abandoned beginnings. Logistically speaking, it’s fairly easy to delegitimize your own writing practice amongst the other demands in life so it’s important to make writing time a priority. You can do that by making it a habit you proactively and stringently carve out time for.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

My writing will naturally be an amalgamation of everything I’ve ever read. My practice aligns with originality insofar as I actively consider the question of Why this, why now? when

embarking on larger projects. A few years ago a tutor asked the creative class I was in to note what art we liked to make, and then what we liked to consume. Then she asked us to interrogate if there was a difference and why. That has really stayed with me and has always been a helpful metric when I’m editing. Would I even want to read this? Because if I wouldn’t read it, why would I expect anyone else to? That’s the closest I get to trying to “deliver to readers what they want.”

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

I’ve invested a lot in making my home writing space as comfortable and cozy as possible. Great chair, soft lighting, temperature control, nearby snacks. . . . The comfier I am, the longer I’ll sit there, and the more I get done!

Visit Flick’s website www.flickflickcity.net and connect on Instagram @flickflickcity.

LIBBY SAYLOR has been making art since she was very young and utilized this practice to manage her anxiety as a little girl, eventually receiving her BFA in Photography from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2002. She currently lives, works, and creates in the suburbs of Philadelphia and has been exhibiting her work in shows, competitions, and publications for over two decades. Saylor creates small and delicate collages on paper using her original photography as well as old family photographs and other found materials.

HOLGA 7, LIBBY SAYLOR

HAIKU

ROBERTA BEACH JACOBSON

still scented wilting rose

ROBERTA BEACH JACOBSON is an American poet and author who is drawn to the magic of words—poetry, song lyrics, flash fiction, puzzles, stand-up comedy. Her latest book is Demitasse Fiction: One-Minute Reads for Busy People (Alien Buddha Press, 2023). She edits Cold Moon Journal and Five Fleas Itchy Poetry. After spending 38 years in Europe, Beach Jacobson relocated to Indianola, Iowa, with her German husband and their eight Greek cats and dogs.

TWO POEMS

NICHOLAS OLAH

HOW TO STAY WARM

Stand in the sun and let the sweat bead down your back

in the shape of every reason for staying alive

MAY (WE PLEASE SURVIVE THIS)

The first week of May brings rain and I wilt like a flower something crushed under the weight of something else.

The second week is hotter as if the sun senses my struggle, wraps its arms around me like some saving thing.

Now, I am skirting the edges of what’s left. I am lying in wait for the sky to fall or ground to give.

I am waiting for the weather to turn.

NICHOLAS OLAH has self-published three poetry collections, Where Light Separates from Dark, Which Way is North, and Seasons. Olah’s work has been published in Humana Obscura, Free Verse Revolution, Querencia Press, Duck Head Journal, Resurrection Magazine, and Wild Roof Journal. Check out more of his work on Instagram at @nick.olah.poetry or visit his Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/nickolahpoetry.

FILL THE SKY, JUDITH RAYL

JUDITH RAYL discovered her artistic identity at age 51. With her hand-built lens, she constructs novel environments by transforming ordinary household items into tabletop miniature landscapes. Rayl’s photographs explore visible manifestations of our innermost states of being, while querying our fractured relationship with nature. Rayl was raised immersed in the deep vulnerabilities of ethnic bias and generational trauma. She is a physician who now conveys the necessity of art as a vehicle to express grief, while encompassing the possibility of awe. Her portfolio can be viewed at www.judithrayl.com and on Instagram @judith_rayl_photography.

JAMES VINING originally hails from Brooklyn, New York. He had an interest in film and art since his youth. He studied film production and theory at SUNY Purchase as well as fine arts photography and art therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he received his B.F.A. in 2005. Vining’s work has explored a variety of horror-based and spiritual themes through the media of film, photography, poetry, and screenplays. He has been investigating representations of disability as well as the relationship between the sublime and the horrific. He currently practices Clinical Social Work and Case Management services to the LGBTQ adolescent population in New York City. See more of his work at jamesviningphotography.net.

FLOWER I, JAMES VINING

THE RIGHTS OF THE DYING

WILLIAM RYAN

I see that everything you’ve done is gentle. Let me die gently. Let me breathe a long cotton breath and be done with it.

Don’t pretend that your interest in survival is also my (best) interest.

Do you understand, I’m no longer fascinated by the slant of sunlight through cheesecloth curtains?

And what is life without fascination?

No. That last breath will be exquisite. Nothing so silken has ever moved through me. I have never entered or been entered with such love. I was a mother and life was in me. I was a father and I bled life. It is time. There is nothing so certain under the sun.

WILLIAM RYAN is an Irish-Born, Los Angeles-based writer and photographer. His work most often examines time, memory, childhood, and his lived experience with mental illness. He has a soft spot for anti-heroes and stories of redemption and perseverance. You can find out more at www.wrydeology.com. He occasionally, and with several misgivings, updates his Instagram and Twitter, both at @wrydeology.

WINGBEATS

TIM MURPHY

Dusk descends on the high desert. Coyote’s long shadow traces the distant hillside before it slips behind the reach of sight.

Birds’ last songs dwindle. Utter silence welcomes the coming night until broken by faint whispers of wingbeats, a raven overhead.

TIM MURPHY (he/him) is a disabled, bisexual poet who lives in Portland, Oregon. His writing explores chronic illness, disability justice, and our complex, tenuous relationship with the more-than-human world. He is currently bedbound with Long Covid and ME. Murphy’s poetry appears in several literary journals, including Wordgathering, Eunoia Review, CERASUS Magazine, Remington Review, Writers Resist, and in the book The Long Covid Reader. You can find him on Instagram and Twitter (@brokenwingpoet).

SNAKE, FALLING STAR

DEB BAKER

Coming across the former slipping through the grass by our feet, we feel shock, revulsion, and later, when its slithery body is long gone, its flicking forked tongue and slit eyes reappear in our minds, reminding us of what we’ve forgotten to fear, what there is to dread.

The latter is also discomfiting. Beautiful, yes, miraculous even, a burst of light, a sprinkling of heaven streaking through the inky nothingness of space. But it reminds us too, of loss, brevity, the longing for what we cannot name, for what we did not know we lacked.

Lately I’ve come to love a snake.

After the initial shock of her presence, I speak to her softly as she suns herself in the cool morning or slips into afternoon shade in the bee balm patch to avoid the heat. Sometimes, I imagine I am one of her children, sliding through the world as best I can.

The star too, as it falls, scatters now, into my heart.

KIMBER DEVANEY‘s work is inspired by the principles of quantum physics, and explores the concept of stacked time, where every moment is interconnected and influences the others. Through their double exposure technique, viewers are invited to ponder the nature of existence and the possibilities that lie beyond our traditional understanding of time. Learn more at kimberdevaney.com and on Instagram @mybegonia.

SOMEWHERE TONIGHT, 2023, KIMBER DEVANEY

NOTE TO SELF

HANNAH NEECE

The first thing to remember is that the only way out is through.

Just as stars are old light, the glowing beam at the end of the tunnel stays awake for you.

You are made of starlight and dust and ashes and oceans.

Yours is a celestial body filled with beacons of hope.

There is courage behind the monster fear that gnaws.

Let it chew a hole through the earth. Then climb through.

HANNAH NEECE is a writer from the northwoods and specializes in letting the soft animal of her body love what it loves. She gains inspiration thanks to everything from the Great Lakes to the bugs under the fallen tree in her backyard. You can read more of her work on Instagram: @hannahisawriter.

DANCING GROUND OF THE SUN

JOHN NIZALOWSKI

Crescent moon on the western horizon, blood-orange blade cut by a thin red cloud. In the sandstone breaks, under the domes, there are narrow passages with secret stones, petroglyphs of shieldbearers dancing in a row, shaman offering lines of power to the desert sky. Later, when the moon is long gone, a coyote’s bark wakes me from dreams of desecrated Catholic altars. The nightmare images fade with the final canine howl. Through the tent’s opening, Sirius hovers in the dark with comforting brilliance. The universe holds its patterns despite the chaos. Orion’s sword always points south, where the Hopi maintain the sacred rhythms of the earth.

JOHN NIZALOWSKI is the author/editor of six books, most recently Chronicles of the Forbidden, a finalist for the 2020 Colorado Book Award, and The Emergence of Frank Waters, a volume of scholarly essays co-edited with Alexander Blackburn. In addition, his work has appeared in a wide range of literary, scholarly, and journalistic venues. Before retiring in 2022, he taught mythology, creative writing, and cultural studies at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

ROGER CAMP is the author of three photography books, including the award-winning Butterflies in Flight (Thames & Hudson, 2002) and Heat (Charta, Milano, 2008). His work has appeared in numerous journals including The New England Review, Witness, and the New York Quarterly. Represented by the Robin Rice Gallery, NYC, more of his work may be seen on Luminous-Lint.com.

MARBLE CANYON, LECHEE, ARIZONA VI, ROGER CAMP

DARK SKY VIEWING AT NEWPORT, WISCONSIN

KATHRYN P. HAYDON

the sound of the dark waves the sound of the silence of stars as they appear in the dome

wash of dark on dark black shelf of trees water folding in on the shore

of night a shadow before the waxing moon the ancient pinpricks in the skin of the sky, burning.

KATHRYN P. HAYDON wrote her most recent poetry collection, Unsalted Blue Sunrise (Prairie Cloud Press, 2023), throughout the seasons of a year on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. Her poems have been published in journals such as Written River, The Heron’s Nest, New Croton Review, The Bedford Record-Review, Clinch, and East on Central as well as in books and academic journals. Haydon has won awards for her poetry and haiku. Say hello at www.sparkitivity.com or on Instagram @sparkitivity.

THE HERON

KATIE MOINO

The heron studied me through side-eye, cocked his head towards the dark river of night.

Stars floated like flower heads, moon treaded water, misty shoreline ever-changing.

Those yellow eyes held my ancient name.

KATIE MOINO received her bachelor’s degree in English with a Creative Writing concentration at the University of Vermont. She was mentored by Taylor Byas through PocketMFA. Moino’s poems have appeared in Wingless Dreamer’s Dulce Poetica anthology and Poet’s Choice Attitude of Gratitude anthology, with work forthcoming in Vagabond City Lit. She is also a poetry reader with Atticus Review. Her work explores nature and how it relates to self-discovery.

HAIKU

RON C. MOSS

starlit lake a cormorant’s last dive into the abyss

waning moon everything I know is behind me now

RIPPLE EFFECT, KATIE BUSICK

KATIE BUSICK grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Born a creative, she has experimented with many artistic mediums but is most drawn to sketching, painting, and photography. She attended the University of Maine at Orono where she pursued a degree in Elementary Education. This is when her love of Maine began. She and her husband settled in the MetroWest area of Massachusetts where they raised a family. As her two children became independent, she began building her own photography business. She attended classes at the Worcester Art Museum and New England School of Photography. Nature photography is her true love, especially while using her macro lens. During the covid shutdown, Busick picked up her paintbrush, and began revisiting the easel and developing her style.

HAIKU

ROBERTA BEACH JACOBSON

moonlight riversong turns silver

THE NIGHT GARDEN, JILL BERGMAN

JILL BERGMAN is a printmaker and writer in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Her linocuts are influenced by the western landscape, wildlife, folk art, and storytelling. She is interested in bringing environmental issues to light, and finding ways to combine art and science. See her artwork at www.jillbergman.com or on Instagram @jillbergman.

HYPNAGOGIA

ALLISON C. MACY-STEINES

Tonight, before you fall asleep, you will hear a sound. You will sit up in the dark and try to make sense of your senses, to slap them awake like sprigs of mint, but there will be a split

second when you won’t recognize what you are hearing—the cry of the baby, a lone coyote, or else the wind,

like a gear grinding everything down to stone.

ALLISON C. MACY-STEINES writes both prose and poetry, and is passionate about bending the boundaries between genres. Macy-Steines earned her M.F.A in Writing from Pacific University and holds a B.A. in Journalism and Media Studies from UW-Milwaukee. Her work has been published in The Missouri Review, The Briar Cliff Review, and elsewhere. She grew up in Rockford, Illinois, and now lives in Boring, Oregon, with her husband, daughter, and pup.

THE EMBRACE, LISA JEAN

AVERY TIMMONS is an Illinois-based creative holding a BA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago. Her fiction and photography can be found in various online publications.

WAXING, AVERY TIMMONS

NIGHT

SUSAN KSIEZOPOLSKI

traces of silence linger in night’s stillness stars strain to listen

SUSAN KSIEZOPOLSKI is an award-winning writer and the author of My Words, Writing for Change, The Writer’s Workbook, and Fuel Your Creativity. She is featured in various anthologies, magazines, and online platforms. A graduate of Humber School for Writers, Ksiezopolski founded WriteWell, delivering workshops across the GTA. Follow her @writewell_2020.