The Redemption by Michael Lee Johnson

My eyes green
are 2 glass windows
into the past.
I keep the blinds
pulled down tight.
Carnal knowledge
is a Biblical definition of sin.
I live in darkness,
the shame of those early years.
I pull myself out
redemption in old age,
a savior,
before the grave,
I flatter myself
in a mirror, no reflection

Michael Lee Johnson lived ten years in Canada during the Vietnam era and is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. Today he is a poet, freelance writer, amateur photographer, and small business owner in Itasca, DuPage County, Illinois. Mr. Johnson is published in more than 2033 new publications. His poems have appeared in 42 countries; he edits and publishes ten poetry sites. He is the administrator of six Facebook poetry groups; he has several new poetry chapbooks coming out soon. He has over 533 published poems to date. Michael Lee Johnson is an internationally published poet 42 countries, nominated for 2 Pushcart Prize awards and 5 Best of the Net nominations.  233 poetry videos are now on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/poetrymanusa/videos. 

The Dankest of Avatars by Ben Nardolilli

Maybe they’ll remove me for being below the Karma threshold,
then where will I be? In the great knockoff dumpster bin
where people not worthy of a shuddering remembrance dwell
together as they try to process what is left of the afterlife.

Who will do it? Why the great mods of the universe, that’s who,
those hidden powers who have the dankest of avatars to hide behind,
no one elects them, yet they show up and do a thankless job,
though to be fair, they do demand applause every now and then.

They monitor every comment we make, both thought and spoken,
and judge every action we post on their timeline, call me crazy,
but this is my religion, it’s what keeps me awake Sunday mornings
and you safe at night, as I roam the streets, contemplating trouble.

Ben Nardolilli currently lives in New York City. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Red Fez, Danse Macabre, The 22 Magazine, Quail Bell Magazine, Elimae, The Northampton Review, Local Train Magazine, The Minetta Review, and Yes Poetry. He blogs at mirrorsponge.blogspot.com and is trying to publish his novels.

The Tourist Board by Jon Bennett

“Do you have a bathroom?” 
“Customers only!” 
“Restroom?” 
“No!” 
It was the wrong question 
what he needed to ask was 
“If I give you a dollar 
can I use the toilet?” 
2 liquor stores 
a head shop, a Verizon store - 
no bathrooms! 
“Did I come all the way  
from Sioux City 
just to die 
from a ruptured bladder!?” 
He saw people pissing in alleys 
onto mailboxes
into mail slots 
onto doorknobs
“I wasn’t raised that way!” 
Finally he came 
to Mitchell Brothers Strip Club 
“Can you believe 
$25 to get in here 
just to use the bathroom!?” 
he told his 3rd lap dancer 
and his 4th. 

Jon Bennett writes and plays music in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.  You can find more of his work on most music streaming websites and by connecting with him at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067752415341.

Close At Hand by Mark Blickley & Artwork by Frie J. Jacobs

It’s finally happened. Aunt Millie is snoring under the covers when suddenly an irritating screech invades her sleep. Two gigantic claws smash through the windows, clamping down on her legs and her throat. Aunt Millie shrieks for help, then for mercy, as sharp claws drag her from the bed towards the fire escape. She is lifted out into the night when she grabs at a window for support, but jagged glass slices her hands and she lets go. Aunt Millie chokes out a scream before disappearing inside the darkness.

Painting “Remembrance” by Frie J. Jacobs

Mark Blickely is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild and PEN American Center. His latest book is the text-based art collaboration with fine arts photographer Amy Bassin, Dream Streams. https://www.claresongbirdspub.com/featured-authors/amy-bassin-mark-blickley/

Frie J. Jacobs is a Belgian interdisciplinary artist. His oeuvre includes

painting, drawings, three-dimensional and digital works, in-site interventions, visual music scores, handmade artist's books, soundscape compositions, and videos. His work has been exhibited and published throughout Europe and the United States.

http://www.frie-j-jacobs.be

Summer Tooth by Kevin R. Farrell

 

Kevin R. Farrell, Jr. is a New York based artist, poet, and educator whose work has been published in BONED – Every Which Way, Burning House Press, Rumble Fish Quarterly, Adroit Journal, Ink in Thirds Magazine, Foxhole Magazine, Yo-NEWYORK! and others.

In 2021 Farrell released Best of the Worst which consists of 20 poems that have risen to the top of the trash heap that is his constant documentation of a life spent toeing the line between spiritual bliss and emotional upheaval. As a recovering addict each day can be a struggle when dealing with the dumpster fire that is modern day existence. Sometimes Farrell attempts to put out the fire, on other days he warms his hands by the flames.

Crime Scene by Ashley Karlsson

Spent cigarettes and stained sheets.
Exchanged numbers and empty words.

We departed the room, leaving our crime scene behind.
For another to clean up the mess.

The afterglow, beats the aftermath.

Any day of the week.

Ashley Karlsson is a photographer and writer who lives in Oxnard California. Her work has been published in a few mags scattered across the web and largley cast into the trash basket.

Book Review: The Still Night Sessions by Jake St. John

     There are few rules in my eyes when it comes to poetry, but the most important is honesty. In The Still Night Sessions (Whiskey City Press), John Patrick Robbins cuts through the jungle of bullshit with a machete blade's worth of truth. Robbins isn't your "pompous windbag" poet playing politics in the crowd after the open mic. He's the unfiltered voice in the back row screaming reality at the academics who read their monotone and generic words prefaced with what awards they were nominated for. Robbins poems slap you across the cheek as if to wake you from your own hangover and forces you to acknowledge your own life.  As Robbins states in Haunted Truths, "time is endless, our lives are not". So  pour yourself a stiff Kentucky Bourbon and drink alone with The Still Night Sessions! Cheers!

   -Jake St. John, author of Night Full Of Diamonds

https://www.amazon.com/Still-Night-Sessions-Patrick-Robbins/dp/1716468930