... the sun casts its rays down upon his face, those eyes sparkle and gleam, as though nothing in the world

is horrible or sad.

Larina Warnock

... joy can reach above

the world, sometimes reflecting

back from the moon, etching

a slender halo on the darkness.

Christine Klocek-Lim

... but every miracle has its price

and randomness is a shadow

growing with every breath.

Ed Bennett

Debut Issue

May 2009

Issue 1, May 2009

Growth, struggle, loss, and recovery are all part of human life ...   These are tales of loss and of discovery; of newfound hope and deeper maturity.  They invite you to open to a wider experience of this world we share and to question and delve into life and love and recovery from its struggles.

The wonder of the writing craft is that it can transport the reader to share the pain and joy of another human being, without losing the starkness of reality, leading the way to healing and deeper understanding.

... to laugh out loud at the colorlessness

of the air escaping

from a brightly colored balloon.

Arti Subramanian

In a lifetime

of good-byes, she has stayed

ready for the next hello.

Alarie Tennille

... ask her to sprinkle

phlox on the curls

of our children

if they are with her ...

Donal Mahoney

I have come with my mustard seed...

It divines every truth,

tuned pitch-perfect.

It sings a melody

of home.

Laura Levesque

The daffodils in the vase by his

windows have turned away, shut their petals.

Christian Ward

In the blur of three a.m. consults who cares

about airport security.

Toni L. Wilkes

She is not loving the husband

she tells everyone about, but

barely touches.

Maria Basile

... as she rolled out noodles through the night.

Nothing outlasted her.

Sherry O’Keefe

This is not a stroll along the Tay River,

your hand in mine.

Mary Susan Clemons

It will be easier than I imagined,

like walking through the house

flipping light switches one by one ...

Stephen Bunch

Garb the land in festal raiment;

Swaddle the town in a dazzling gown

Against her bridal day.

Esther Greenleaf Mürer

... my wife Jo had not accompanied me to the appointment, so it was to be a few hours yet before she got to hear that "carer" had been added to her job description and that her world too was moving in strange new ways.

Dennis Greene

There was no music,

no blue shirt tuxedo.

Only his breath

   was borrowed.

Colin Ward

In autumnal days shaky hands prepare for winter

This is not like the trip to Seattle.

Bebe Cook