Writing is an act of resistance
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The Way You Talk About Love: A Found Poem Like What Is Discovered at Autopsy After a Massive Coronary Thrombosis
by stephanie roberts for Shay Stewart Bouley At 1:51PM, on 02 July 2017, @blackgirlinmain said, To all the white folks who are waking up, stop blocking and ignoring your racist peeps. Talk to them, work with them. That’s your work. The first comment was from self described Owner/Attorney, “Learning to do right; seek justice.…
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Lazarus Force
By Jemshed Khan That day over lunch, I was going to write about the Yemenites starving while the Saudis build five new palaces on the Red Sea. A poem might make a difference. But the sun was shining, 75 degrees in October, and the outdoor pool is heated, so I went for a swim…
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Birds of America
By Ellen Stone Deep in the bright red country of the sun, the birds of America raucous, wild, immigrant gather, having flocked in bands surged over borders as snow melts. By July, they rise early to the party in full bloom – voices piercing our cottony night dreams – having taken temporary residence in…
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The Wall
By Tim Philippart what worries me is not a great one in China. a razed wall in Berlin, one for holy wailing or, the proposed between Mexico and the US but, the barrier that dams the flow of empathy, compassion and kindness between you and me. Tim Philippart: For three years, I have…
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Milk Duds
By Marleen S. Barr Baby cages were the last straw for Professor Sondra Lear, a feminist science fiction scholar par excellence. She had tears in her eyes whenever she thought about children wrenched from their parents’ arms. Desiring to drown out her sorrows in a morning cup of coffee, she boiled water and placed…
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Getting Through
By Harry Youtt Life goes on. Skies turn darker gray, Lightning has been striking the trees awhile. We expected the storm, but this hasn’t eased the burden. Already thunder booms around us, as we sit down, crouched again together to another meal, thankful for the way the fire in the grate keeps us warm…
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Why Poets Aren’t on TV
By Tori Cárdenas Poets aren’t on TV because they cry when they are asked about their feelings. Poets are messy. Poets will tell it like it is. They will tweeze out the words you meant from an argument & divinate the heart of you by casting your dry fingerbones. Poets are easily distracted. They…
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Judging Silence
By Sheila Ewers Of course he covered her mouth. Denying her voice, he could write the story. We girls learn early that what remains unspoken Remains Unreal. How else could we survive? And when she swallowed her scream (as we all do) it took the words with it lodging them into the very parts…
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Removal
By David Gershan “The problem started when anger itself became criminalized,” he explained behind surgical goggles. “The original purpose of the neural implants was to stymie physical aggression. The focus was on prevention—punishment and rehabilitation became less, well, fashionable.” He turned his head and pointed to the hairless, jagged scar just above his occipital…