Meditations in an EmergencyBy Cameron Awkward-RichI wake up & it breaks my heart. I draw the blinds & the thrill of rain breaks my heart. I go outside...Social CommentariesLivingSorrow & GrievingTechniquesImageryTypes/ModesProse PoemMelancholy & Despair
Calling Things What They AreBy Ada LimónI pass the feeder and yell, Grackle party! And then an hour later I yell, Mourning dove afterparty! (I call the feeder the...LoveHeartache & LossRomantic LoveNatureAnimalsLivingComing of AgeMidlifeThe MindMemory & NostalgiaTime & BrevityRelationshipsMen & WomenMetersFree VerseTechniquesConfessionalImageryMetaphorSimileTypes/ModesProse PoemJoy & Contentment + 16 more
The Bug WranglerHe was jailed for cruelty to insects, and his agent wasn’t answering the phone, so he stayed awake in...NatureAnimalsSocial CommentariesCrime & PunishmentLivingLife ChoicesActivitiesJobs & WorkingArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmTechniquesImageryMetaphorPersonaTypes/ModesProse PoemAnxiety & InsecurityBlame + 11 more
One Shies at the Prospect of Raising Yet Another Defense of CannibalismBy Josh Bell“You can’t kiss a movie,” Jean-Luc Godard said, and this is mostly true, in that you cannot initiate...LoveDesire & PassionUnrequited LoveSocial CommentariesPopular CultureArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmTypes/ModesProse Poem + 2 more
p1“Mama said ‘wedding crowns’”By Marosa di Giorgio Mama said “wedding crowns,” and I looked at the tight bouquets, dark white, forbidding, portraits of...Types/ModesProse Poem
p1“Pasaban murciélagos”By Marosa di Giorgio Pasaban murciélagos, prendidos a la ropa de las vacas, las gacelas; cuando pude quité alguno. Y otros...Types/ModesProse Poem
p1“When I was six years old”By Marosa di Giorgio When I was six years old, eight years old, my grandmother decreed a garment of hare, which would ward...Types/ModesProse Poem
p1“Cuando tenía seis años”By Marosa di Giorgio Cuando tenía seis años, ocho años, la abuela dictaminó vestido de liebre, que me librase de todo mal...Types/ModesProse Poem
p1“The bats arrived”By Marosa di Giorgio The bats arrived, attached to the coats of calves, gazelles; when I could, I plucked one off. And others...Types/ModesProse Poem
p1“Mamá decía ‘coronas de novia’”By Marosa di Giorgio Mamá decía “coronas de novia,” y yo miraba los racimos apretados, de un blanco oscuro, adusto, retratos...Types/ModesProse Poem
Who Makes Love to Us After We DieBy Diana Marie Delgado I turn on the radio and hear voices, girls becoming women after tragedy. Talk about dreams! His heart...LoveRealistic & ComplicatedSocial CommentariesGender & SexualityLivingComing of AgeDeathRelationshipsMen & WomenArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmMetersFree VerseTechniquesAllusionImageryTypes/ModesProse Poem + 11 more
Tall Lyric for Palestine (Or, The Harder Thinking)By Rickey Laurentiis Because I should’ve wrote this years ago, I’m crying. So what my slow failure pass the years Make me...Social CommentariesClassRace & EthnicityWar & ConflictHistory & PoliticsLivingDeathTechniquesEpigraphTypes/ModesProse Poem + 4 more
Miracle FishBy Ada LimónI used to pretend to believe in God. Mainly, I liked so much to talk to someone in the dark. Think of...NatureAnimalsSeas, Rivers, & StreamsReligionGod & the DivineThe SpiritualLivingComing of AgeThe MindDoubt & ContemplationTypes/ModesProse PoemJoy & Contentment + 6 more
The Fake Tears of Shirley TempleBy Patricia LockwoodHow many sets of her parents are dead. How many times over is she an orphan. A plane, a crosswalk, a...Social CommentariesPopular CultureLivingComing of AgeRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmMetersFree VerseTypes/ModesProse Poem + 5 more
p1MetonymyBy Richard SikenSomeone wheeled me to the curb. A different friend helped me into a car. We got to the condo and managed...LivingHealth & IllnessThe BodyRelationshipsFriends & EnemiesTechniquesSimileTypes/ModesProse Poem + 2 more
p1SidewalkBy Richard SikenI crawled to the front door and swung it open so the ambulance could find me. It seemed like a strange...Social CommentariesLivingHealth & IllnessThe BodyRelationshipsFriends & EnemiesTechniquesImageryTypes/ModesProse Poem + 3 more
[To be crippled means to be institutionalized]By Jennifer BartlettTo be crippled means to be institutionalized, infantilized, unemployed, outcast, feared, marginalized...History & PoliticsLivingHealth & IllnessThe BodyTechniquesImageryTypes/ModesProse Poem
HysteriaBy T. S. EliotAs she laughed I was aware of becoming involved in her laughter and being part of it, until her teeth...LoveDesire & PassionLivingHealth & IllnessRelationshipsMen & WomenMetersFree VerseTypes/ModesProse Poem + 3 more
p1Bird, Therapy, Fish TankBy Emily Berrybird I was making my way through the grounds of a stately home which had been turned into a public garden...NatureAnimalsSocial CommentariesGender & SexualityRace & EthnicityLivingHealth & IllnessThe MindDoubt & ContemplationRelationshipsActivitiesArts & SciencesTypes/ModesProse PoemAnxiety & InsecurityDisappointmentGrief + 10 more
p1Ghosts (Homage to Burial)By Emily BerryYou can invest everything in someone. This one feeling chopping you up. Anyone can go into the night...LoveLivingLife ChoicesThe MindDoubt & ContemplationRelationshipsMythology & FolkloreGhosts & the SupernaturalTypes/ModesProse PoemAnxiety & InsecurityDisappointment + 5 more