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Category: Fiction, Poetry & Humor
Poem: “Wild Riding Kingdom”
by Mary Harwell Sayler
Wild Riding Kingdom I. Wild animals took flight before a tsunami clouded the land with rushing water pushed by shifting plates below the sea, yet we could not see it coming. Magellan saw clouds of dwarf galaxies three billion years away but did not know what we know: Some stars eat each other. II. Black […]
Poem: “Citadel”
by Pavel Chichikov
Citadel It wasn’t just a place to name the animals To guard the Tree of Life To know the good of life and not the evil It was the citadel impregnable, a refuge of the trees A rampart of the oaks and tamarisks Walls and towers made of limbs and leaves There was a peace […]
Poem: “Ready for Silence”
by Madeleine L'Engle
Ready for Silence Then hear now the silence He comes in the silence in silence he enters the womb of the bearer in silence he goes to the realm of the shadows redeeming and shriving in silence he moves from the grave cloths, the dark tomb in silence he rises ascends to the glory leaving […]
Poem: “Restless”
by Stephen Pohl
Restless On the morning of the third day having redeemed the house of Adam Jesus, restless in spirit threw off the linen shackles of death and took up his body anew. Stephen Pohl
Poem: “Bad Night”
by Pavel Chichikov
Bad Night A seabird driven landward by a storm Circles overhead, expected guest, We have been waiting for the wind to form, Apocalypse approaching, east to west The Christ of God comes riding on a cloud, No vapor any more but head and flank, Steed of Consummation and the proud Recoil, the angels rank on […]
Fixing The Frig on Fumes
by Karen J Rinehart
You’ve heard of, “Do it Yourselfers”? Well I’m from a family of, “Fix it Yourselfers.” Every home project became not just a teachable moment but prime daddy-children bonding time. When I moved out on my own, my trousseau consisted not of family linens but a socket wrench set and basic Craftsman tools. So last week, […]
Poem: “Shrouded”
by Mary Harwell Sayler
Shrouded Woman of the veil, exhaling silence, let me breathe in the presence of Almighty God: Father-Mother of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Joseph, Jesus, and, yes, your Ishmael. Will you remain with him, wild, in a desert wilderness, waiting to be blessed as promised, or will you show your face as Hagar and I – […]
Smell That?
by Karen J Rinehart
I firmly believe God created Man and Woman in His likeness—but with distinct, logical differences. Women can give birth. Men are strong enough to hoist those heavy boxes up into the attic. Women, have a superior sense of smell, which, based on life in my household, men do not. Yes, we woman are not only […]
Poem: “Whirling Dervishes of Winter”
by Niles Comer
Whirling Dervishes of Winter The wind whips the snow around like a whirling dervish lost in the truth of ecstasy: a pure white ghost dancing wildly like a Banshee of God over the snow as it coaxes and teases the dying sun, glimmering pure blindness off the icy whiteness of the world as it settles […]
Poem: “This is the Time of War”
by Pavel Chichikov
This is the Time of War I tried to write an anthem for the future What will be and calls to us unseen Committed by an evil to encounter Sing for us until we come to be There will be a war not thought of yet Those who know it not will know it then […]
Poem: Symbols in a Second Coming
by Mary Harwell Sayler
Symbols in a Second Coming Fingertips on a tabletop, drumming time to music tapped into this life we know to be anything but always, all, or only true. How can we stop the symbols in a second coming with sounds and moving pictures of what will be beyond the scope of Hubble or horo- scopic […]
Will I Scar My Kids For Life?
by Karen J Rinehart
“Thanks Mom,” said my daughter as I handed her a pile of clean laundry. “You’re welcome.” I turned around to fold the Fruit of the Looms but she continued. “Thanks for bringing me into this world, for clean laundry and for helping me through hard times.” And then she was gone. I peered out around […]
No Compulsion in Religion
by Patrick O’Hannigan
My Apologies to Shakespeare and to Jimmy Buffet (But we’re all dhimmis now) Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears: I come to bury Uncle Sam, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Uncle Sam And those […]
Teenagers and “Mom Power”
by Sally Edwards
“There’s no food in our house. There’s never any food in our house. Who ate all the brownies? I didn’t even get one. When is the next somebody is going to the store? There’s nothing to do today. I’m so bored. Why do I have to clean the kitchen again? I cleaned it yesterday morning. […]
Poem: “Annunciation”
by Stephen Pohl
Annunciation Lest all be lost to sin’s increase and praise redound to Satan’s lie of dark renown, when angels speak what God decrees and men confound there is a grace that does abound. Stephen Pohl
Poem: “Playthings of the Gods”
by Pavel Chichikov
Playthings of the Gods Playthings of the gods Who aren’t really gods but still… Paul and Peter warned us Of their errands and effronteries And we who ape their powers Pretend possession of their insights But they are greater rebels Deep in their conspiracies Between their world and this A gulf exists They peer across […]
The Evil Force That is Girl Scout Cookies
by Karen J Rinehart
If you want to run with the true powerhouses of the world, look no further than the Girl Scouts. Put down that box of Thin Mints and think about it. How many grocery stores will let you set up a rickety card table outside their doors and sell, cash only, cases of ground beef or […]
Poem: “An Ancient Kingdom”
by Pavel Chichikov
An Ancient Kingdom Along the shore of Honshu I saw six mounds Where ancient kings were buried They are taboo And long established custom has it No one may delve or enter Centuries ago A wave rose from the sea And drowned their kingdom Now, on autumn nights The lights of their processions Flicker on […]
The Practice Baby
by Sally Edwards
Do you remember your first baby? The very first baby that you adopted shortly after taking your marriage vows — the practice baby? Not everyone runs out to get their practice baby — sometimes things come up like, “My husband is allergic.” Practice babies come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Ours was […]
