"This book might be nicknamed The Frugal Promo Bible." David Herrle, Editor, SubtleTea.com
POEM OF THE MONTH
PORTRAIT OF MY GRANDFATHER
By Patty Dickson Pieczka
I am working from memory
on an old black and white photo,
cracked and lined as his face
toward the end.
But this is a drawing
of strong jawline and shoulder,
of wind-burnished skin,
and beneath
run the red-clay creeks
that wound through his childhood,
past the tenant farm where he
hoed grudging earth,
head cocked toward the drum roll
of wheels against metal.
I sketch success
in elegant lines,
looping watch-chain
and confident chin.
His pupils reflect
the wild chance,
the flame
of a reckless comet.
His lips promise
but give away nothing,
the half-smile of a gambler
about to risk it all.
I draw the veins
on the back of his hand,
feel his blood
galloping through my heart
Patty Dickson Pieczka's chapbook, Word Paintings, was published in 2003 and her poems appear in several journals, including The Bitter Oleander, Blue Unicorn, California Quarterly, Cape Rock, Eureka Literary Magazine, Green Hills Literary Lantern, Halogen,Karamu, The Listening Eye, Midamerica Poetry Review, Rambunctious Review, Red Rock Review, Red Wheelbarroa, Sierra Nevada College Review, and Willow Review among others. Contact Patty.
Epitaph: To My Children
By Russell Bittner
Epitaph: To My Children
You are, grave girl, my daughter,
and you, brave boy, my son.
No writ shall write – however rote –
this felicitous fact undone.
From first orgasmic moment
till the three of us lie dead,
our thread shall not be broken,
nor the rigor of it gainsaid.
Your sperm are mine, re-booted;
your egg, my alter-egg.
And not one drop shall be denied
unless you both renege.
You’re a splash of my libido,
and a dash of my posthaste,
a burst of brash albedo,
élan vital to taste.
You are, bright boy, my scholar,
and you, sprite girl, my sun;
now let the brace of you declare:
the game has just begun!
Published first in: LauraHird.com (June, '05)
Uneasy Traders
By Russell Bittner
One loaf of fog I fling you:
loaf – rugged, grey, yet fair.
One bridled breath you lob right back,
tense future hint of lips and hair.
One diadem I drop-kick,
to mollify your star-struck moon.
One teasing touch then trickles back
on treadless tires to stop my swoon.
One undertow I catch you in:
snarling tug on which you tumble.
One bracing word you bully back
to block my fall – yet have me fumble.
One sheet of rain I wrap you in:
sheet – warm and blue and spare.
One heavy sigh you sally back
in wordless contract of repair.
All our longings and belongings
are in that trade of taunt and tackle,
boiled in cauldrons of condolence,
then sloughed off like slip-knot shackle.
"Uneasy Traders" – First published by The Lyric (Vol. 83 No. 3 Summer, 2003).
Russell lives in Brooklyn, New York. His poems have been published on paper by: The American Dissident; The Blind Man's Rainbow; The Lyric; The Barbaric Yawp; the International Journal of Erotica; and Wicked Hollow. An additional poem with appear in the International Journal of Erotica in the summer of 2005. On-line, his poetry can be found at: Quintessence-encouraginggreatwriting; ken*again; SpillwayReview; Erotica-readers; EdificeWrecked; Ink-mag; GirlsWithInsurance; ThievesJargon and SalomeMagazine. Additional poems will appear in May at Fireweed, in June at LongStoryShort, and in September at SouthernHum. His prose can be found at: Satin Slippers; Ink-mag; GirlsWithInsurance; SkiveMagazine; Quintessence-encouraginggreatwriting; Undergroundvoices; DeadMule; Pindeldyboz; MannequinEnvy; Hackwriters; 10,000 Monkeys; and the uncom.mon Yankeepotroast.org. On paper, he currently has a story with the Edgar Literary Magazine. Additional prose pieces will appear on paper in The International Journal of Erotica in the summer and on the Net at SouthernHum in September. Russell completed his first novel, Trompe-l’oeil, in September of 2004. A second is underway. He can be found at RRB@POBox.com.
Making Amends
By Ginger Graziano
Making amends is hard to do.
Perhaps I can make cookies instead.
Fig-stuffed, warm from the oven,
melting on the tongue,
unlike the words that spilled from my mouth.
I would place one on your outstretched tongue,
like the Body of Christ,
the King of all forgiveness,
and say I am only human, fallible and
sometimes I speak before I think.
Have you never done this?
Do my harsh words mark the end?
I can’t watch every thought,
every gesture, reigning in my life
and song so you hear only words that
soothe, accompany and support your tune.
I sift the flour, crack open the eggs,
their twin yellow orbs sliding down the white mountain,
as if a lava flow has turned to anger
and here I hope to create from it a kiss,
a small ointment to assuage your wounds.
I pour sugar over the jumbled rawness,
coating it with small flakes of white that melt.
Will you melt?
I knead the pale dough on the counter,
and it is unformed, unbaked,
a passivity waiting for me to cut
and form into round shapes.
Wholeness. Maybe.
Ginger Graziano is an artist and writer living in Asheville, North Carolina. This story was published in Creations magazine, a publication from Long Island, New York.
I have been a graphic designer for 25 years, raised my family as a single mother, buried my son. Now I have time and desire to follow my true passions: healing and creativity. gingergraz@charter.net
DESERT HOT SPRINGS
By Jan Gero
There is no good coffee in the desert -
you take an early morning drive, and
return with the smell of survival -
7-11's last cup of French roast.
You give me the best,
the last cup,
the best you could find
in a dry wind, off a flat terrain,
where lizards sip warm water in the morning,
in their minimalist way.
You give me the finest morsel,
the succulent piece from your plate,
always searching for the cactus flower
to spark my eyes,
to bring my hand to your cool cheek
or my glass to yours.
I have known
always
you are my oasis.
My one oasis in the dust and drought of city life.
Tennyson
Janice Gero likes watching birds with her English Pointer, and loves spending time in the kitchen with her husband and friends. Her primary interests are nature, art, and food. She lives in Glendale and currently works at Descanso Gardens (168 acre public garden). Contact Jan.
TRUNCATED LIFE
By Patricia Harrington
Inside
empty house
Betrayal
old story
Bitter
cold comfort
Alone
better this way
Existence
marking time
Preferable
no highs, no lows
Elusive
bliss and joy.
Backyard
stray cat
Pathetic
cat . . . and me
Food
"just once"
Time
trusting again
Open
heart and house
Inside
loving companion
--End--
Patricia Harrington writes grants and mysteries plus stories and poetry that include a cat or two. Her work has appeared in Woman's World, Crimestalker Casebook among others. Patricia Harrington, Mystery Author Read "A Man's Gotta Do" -click on Hardluck Stories Read a chapter from DEATH STALKS THE KHMER. Her website iswww.patriciaharrington.com.
Deluge
by Dana Sieben
Nature's passion.
Swollen rivers
running overindulged to the sea
which grasps at the shore in a frenzy-
in...out...in...out.
Flood waters rise in the furor of the night.
The wind rages, flaunting its power,
finally spending itself in
early morning.
The world is grey...quiet.
The bay-
a nature-made mirror-
reflects the fog, which hovers
then merges with the low clouds
before daringly drifting to the surface
of the mirror and seeing itself.
Barely touching...
softly meeting-
like a tongue lingering on bare skin.
Dana: I'm a writer who loves to write about lots of subjects, including my southern heritage, and I am trying my hand at romance as well. "Deluge" was written while I was in college. It was accepted by Poetry.com, but I decided against letting them publish it at that time. This is only the second time I have ever submitted it for publication. I graduated from the University of Alabama,1991, with a minor in Creative Writing and a major in TV and Film. I have two children, one hubbie, and a bunch of pets that make my life worth living. Contact Dana.
Epoch of Affection
By Linda Barnett-Johnson
April 6, 2005
Sheathed in a gold filigree frame,
Was a black and white photo.
A man, an Errol Flynn look-alike,
Has deep-set eyes and curly hair.
He wears a three-piece suit,
Wrinkled at the knees.
Shoes scuffed at the toes,
Stands tall and debonair.
The petite lady by his side has
High cheekbones – Joan Crawford eyes,
Short black wavy hair,
Pulled behind her ears.
Black satin dress, sash tied at waist.
Dark fur coat hangs loose.
Open toed, lace-up shoes,
Matching alligator purse.
Blissful smiles crease their lips,
Standing in front of
A spotless white residence.
Maybe their first home?
A picture of my parents,
Before us six kids.
Eager to set up household,
Did they achieve their dreams?
With a click of a button
The aging process stopped
Forever pressed into the PRESENT.
Linda Barnett-Johnson is one of the Editors of Long Story Short. Read more about her.
THE IDEAL FATHER
By Floriana Hall
A father should be gentle and kind
And help in the disciplining of his children,
And never make promises he can't keep.
A father should treat his children's mother with respect
For the best gift a father can give them
Is to love their mother --
Then his sons will learn to be just like him,
His daughters will marry men like their father,
The generations will increase
With more love and integrity,
For love is stronger than life or death.
A FATHER'S PRAYER
By Floriana Hall
Lord, thank you for this beautiful baby born out of love
Protect our family with special blessings from above
Please help me to be a good father.
Let me be patient and understanding,
Consistent but not too demanding.
When there is adversity, give me courage,
Don't ever let me get too discouraged.
Let my love be all inclusive,
Don't ever let me be abusive.
Help me decide when to say 'yes' or 'no'
Give me strength when it's time to let go.
Help us maintain peace and harmony in our home
To prepare this child for a life of its own.
Inspired in church to write LOVE NEVER DIES, first published poem which won Editor's Choice Award in The National Library of Poetry's Anthology 'Sea of Treasures.' Has had about 400 poems published in NLP's anthologies, and in various books and magazines in the United States, Great Britain and India, winning many 1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes, many Editor's Choice Awards and Honorable Mentions. Writes poems on request. She has published books which you can learn about by going to the homepage. Floriana is a Distinguished Member of ISP-NLP, Honored Writer of Cleveland Poets and Writers League, The Famous Poet's Society, WHO'S WHO IN INTERNATIONAL POETRY, WHO'S WHO IN US WRITERS, EDITORS AND POETS, AND MARQUIS WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA. Her poetry and short stories have been compared to Poe and Hawthorne by Taj Mahal Review, India, June 2003. Contact Floriana.
