Writing is an act of resistance
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The Prescription
By Carolyn Ziel My friend Jill posted a picture of Steve Bannon on Facebook with his quote, “Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy.” Jill’s comment was “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” My response was “hash tag medical marijuana.” I was kidding when I wrote it. But on Tuesday afternoon at…
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Gentle Bones
By Suzanne O’Connell I. Darkness is upon us all. The old tree kneels like always to sip from the water. Poison pen letters were returned for insufficient postage. Girls wear safety pins and march in the street. The house is dark. The dachshund-shaped lamp, is steadfast, sitting in its halo of light. II. Darkness is…
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President Truman calls on all liberals and progressives
Address in St. Paul at the Municipal Auditorium. October 13, 1948, worth revisiting today Mr. Mayor, and fellow Democrats of Minnesota: Tonight, I pay tribute to the liberal spirit of the people of Minnesota—in the cities, on the farms, in the forests, and in the iron country of this great State. In this center of…
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I Voted: 2016
By Diego Barrientos Acrylic, medical tape, aluminum wire, and sticker on canvas board. Artist’s statement I created “I Voted: 2016” after voting on November 8. This perfectly illustrates how it felt to participate in a rigged system. I am a Guatemalan-born California resident and an Iraq War veteran who voted for Bernie Sanders, the true…
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First Snow Following the Election
By Shawn Aveningo There’s a hush—a stillness— that muffles the groundswell, as flurries flutter and whiteness blankets our sleep. We weep for truth, its heartbreaking loss akin to a missing dog from our youth. Our boots etch fractals in fresh powder and we search our neighbor’s eyes for a sign—hoping we are still on the…
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Our Hitler
By Eduardo Santiago In our house, November 25 is called Markmas because it is exactly a month previous to Christmas, and it is my husband Mark’s birthday. He loves all holidays and adding another one is a tradition the rest of the family and all of our friends support. What should we call November 25th…
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A Poem by Lisa DeSiro
Pride Party the Aging Bisexual insists his ass is still tight and invites everyone to touch it the Military Gentleman takes off his shirt and explains his tattoo and weeps the Lesbian Artist describes the found objects used for her installations the Fabulous Host kisses guests both male and female on the lips the Funny…
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Sleeping With the Enemy
By Marcia Meier I have been sleeping with the enemy for more than two years. Rob is a Republican. But on the morning after the election, he held me close as I sobbed and promised, “It will be okay.” He promised. But he doesn’t know. And nothing that has happened since that morning has made…
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To Gerry Mckinley
By Mark A. Murphy If poetry is not social then it ceases to have a function beyond perfume. –André Gide A life time ago in a rage of mourning, my mind bent on self-doubt and self-loathing, drudging up the many injustices of a social system hell bent on the destruction of life, I read a…