StudIo artWork By Ben franzone

Fishing

Jack Perrault

fIShIng. the WInd BLoWIng SWIftLy BeSIde your face the Boat’ S engIne roarIng LIke an angry eLePhant your StoMach queStIng LIke you ’re aBout to Puke aS the Boat IS rockIng to a SWeet MeLody

fInaLLy, the Boat coMeS to a very Sudden haLt you take a MInute to take In the SWeet SaLty aIr of the ocean aS you reach over to graB the can of BaIt and a Bucket of MInnoWS you feeL an adrenaLIne ruSh goIng through your veInS

you feeL the grIMIneSS of the BaIt aS you Put It on the hook then you caSt your PoLe gracefuLLy Into the gLIStenIng Sea next, you feeL a Sudden tug, and you are eLectrIfIed you tug, you tug, you tug untIL you can’ t anyMore

fInaLLy, a BIg ShIny fISh PoPS uP froM underneath the Water

you are So excIted So you ScreaM aS Loud aS you PoSSIBLy can then rIght Before you have to Put the fISh Back Into the Sea you gIve It the BIggeSt, fatteSt SMooch on the LIPS

A Puzzling Existence

Josh DeStefano

I WaS Born a PuzzLe and feW PIeceS dId I have they fIt together eaSILy and I never had a quaLM But LIfe Moved on and So I greW and More deLIcate PIeceS dId I accrue they Bent, they chIPPed, I LoSt a feW and SoMe StILL that I never kneW the PuzzLe kePt on groWIng and the PIcture BecaMe uncLear Both SIdeS BLank and ScraPed of IMage I couLd never fInd the Box no reference Photo dId I have So I Made It In My MInd the PIcture foggy, IncoMPLete the PIeceS jaMMed together I forced theM on the taBLe and I Prayed they’d hoLd forever SoMe PIeceS never fIt So I kePt theM By My SIde and uPon the ShoreS of LIfe I found PIeceS at LoW tIde But ocean, unforgIvIng It WouLd gIve aS WeLL aS take So SoMetIMeS PIeceS drIfted off When aWay froM theM I Strayed every year Went on faSter and My PuzzLe kePt exPandIng But never dId I See the cLock tIck and the MonthS never changed tIMe Sang a gentLe LuLLaBy I, WIth It, took a naP eScorted to the grave But I WaS haPPy, I WaS gone and froM the heavenS, I fInaLLy Looked at the PuzzLe, I’d gazed uPon But on It never had I Looked In that MoMent I reaLIzed I never SaW the PuzzLe fuLL the PIcture WaS So cLear noW no, hoW couLd thIS Be SoMe PartS fIt together oh So PerfectLy But other PartS are juMBLed MeSSeS and I StILL can’ t Make theM out I’d foLLoWed no InStructIonS But StILL, I dId It Wrong I See no edge PIece on thIS PuzzLe and I Watch aS It fLIeS uP aBove PaSt My face, It WhIzzeS Into the BurnIng Sun

The Bear

Josh DeStefano

aS I Wandered aBout one day and thIngS Were goIng WeLL I got too cLoSe to a cave and Into It I feLL

ItS InhaBItant quIte grIStLy WIth hefty tuftS of haIr a great, MuScuLar coMPLexIon It daWned on Me, a Bear

the Bear turned and SPoke gentLy aS he couLd “My frIend, hoW dId you get here?” But I thInk he underStood

It WaS courteouS to aSk But he oBServed My MIghty tuMBLe InterruPtIng My deLIBeratIon WaS My StoMach, oh dId It ruMBLe

“here, SIr,” the Bear offered BerrIeS In hIS hand “take theSe and Be haPPy.” What a PecuLIar deMand

“But the BerrIeS ShaLL Soon SPoIL,” “But they are rIPe today.” “I WILL Be dISaPPoInted When they Sour.” “Why Let uncertaIn futureS decIde your current Way?”

“Let uS coMMence I’LL take you hoMe, WhILe LIght StILL ShIneS We ought to roaM.” “But It ShaLL Soon Be dark,” I Say, “and on the Way, We’ LL SureLy Stray.” “true though that May Be,” SaId the Bear “Why Let uncertaIn futureS decIde your current Way?”

“BeSIdeS, the cave IS So Much darker, and I’LL have you hoMe By nIgh.” “If We do not Make It?” “then at LeaSt We WILL ’ve trIed.”

“Why ShouLd I Leave the coMfort of thIS cave I’ve Learned to knoW? reSPonSIBILIty and PreSSure are gone aS eBB and fLoW. Why eat BerrIeS If they’ LL SPoIL? Why fInd LIght When there IS dark? Why Learn to Love When heartS are Broken? Why ShouLd We ever eMBark? for LIfe IS a journey, So Why not cut It Short? Why Put In the effort to Make a Sound, When our voIce can So eaSILy droWn?

I aM Broken, I aM hurt, you thInk I StuMBLed In thIS cave or dId I fLIng MySeLf In When I dIdn’ t knoW the Way

I have uncertaIn futureS, and toMorroW May not coMe But I LIve each day over agaIn to the PoInt that I aM nuMB.”

the Bear SIMPLy Sat and LIStened aS I Broke doWn on the fLoor aS the darkneSS overtook Me and the BerrIeS rotted to the core

“I WISh I underStood your PaIn,” he SaId, “I reaLLy truLy do, But for today, MayBe It ’ S enough to SIt and coMfort you.”