Issue of May 4, 2026

Ghosted by David Newkirk — Cover story fiction

David Newkirk is a retired attorney living in Kansas City, Missouri. After thirty years of writing boring legal documents, he decided to try writing things that people might actually enjoy reading.

Report Card Day by Jeanne Burns — Fiction life

Jeanne Burns Kett is a writer and therapist. Her writing celebrates the ways we manage to thrive and falter in relationships. With fierce insight into the human experience, she illuminates the hidden costs and the life-affirming comfort of belonging.

The Chef's Daily Dinner by Ndaba Sibanda — Poem

"...Truly, I cannot bear it anymore..."

The Folklore of the High Passes: The Lalla Vakh in the Wind by Harrison Cashmere — Poem

"...A scent of old incense remains in the air..."

The Morning by Shadow — Poem ten syllables

"The moon shifted and the sun's light broke in..."

A Prince by Jeffrey Zable — Poem unrhymed

"...a loyal friend, affectionate on his own terms..."

Every Day Is Protest Day by Jack Phillips Lowe — Poem unrhymed

"...not supposed to be working at all..."

In the Garden of the Gods by Robert Paul Allen — Poem unrhymed

"...We took joy in each other’s work success..."

Justness by Jim Murdoch — Poem unrhymed

"...even if we don’t give voice to said need..."

New Language by Dharmpal Mahendra Jain — Poem unrhymed

"...words of conscience were declared criminal..."

Normality Comes With Words by Bradford Middleton — Poem unrhymed

"...remembering how to craft these words into something..."

The Liffey Swim by DS Maolalaí — Poem unrhymed

"...like a series of tears along trouser leg seams..."

What does it mean? by Charles Rammelkamp — Poem unrhymed

"...the doctor wondered if he was exaggerating..."