Issue 123: 26 November 2020

An Implausibility of Wildebeests

By Elizabeth Edelglass   “A pride of lions. A pod of whales. A wisdom of wombats.” Henry is rattling off something he learned from the zoo—not the zoo zoo, the online zoo, somewhere, Seattle? Omaha?—Isabel forgot which one today. If it’s Tuesday, there are pandas; if it’s Thursday, dolphins. Pandas are bears, Henry likes to […]

Encomium for the First Truly Epic Poem

By M. J. Lewis   This is the best poem you have ever read. Everybody is saying it. Everyone. Other poems have tried to be as wonderful, tried to be honored with the best aesthetics, struggled to be as tremendous as this and to get away with things like that—believe me— but they don’t know […]

in memory of the coptic bus martyrs

who were murdered on their way to st. samuel the confessor monastery may 26, 2017   By Sister Lou Ella Hickman                                                          the wheels of the buses that went round and round came to a stop who was the first one to descend stepping into the hot sand then signed the most ancient of signs […]

Coming Home

By Nathan Porceng   Another thing romanticized by media and movies, no banners, no kisses, no parades, and frankly I’m thankful for that. What I’m NOT thankful for is this 12 hour overnight layover in the barren Oakland airport. Air Force pains to foot the bill to fly its “brothers” home, so we go civilian. […]

I Turn 39 During the Pandemic and My Husband Asks Me to Buy a Gun

By Brianna Pike while we sit in our kitchen, our son asleep upstairs. Earlier, I sat on our back deck, the sunlight beating bold over the lawn as my son streaked across the newly green grass, falling over & over into its softness. It is my birthday & I did not expect this gift of […]

Responsibility

By James Scruton   If they don’t treat me right, then I don’t call. Maybe Pence or someone else will do it. I don’t take responsibility at all. These governors want me to take the fall. But I show them who’s boss, tweet after tweet. If they won’t treat me right, I just won’t call. […]