Sydney Lea: La Bella Vita
We oddly felt we’d come home when, having left behind the dreadful heat and crowds of Rome, we settled into a rented house in Umbria, a sturdy little structure built in 1434
Luray Gross: The Boy and the Mockingbird
Once in a time not so
long ago, there was a boy
generous enough to share
his name
with a mockingbird
John Guzlowski: Love Your Neighbor?
Yes, Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” but, of course, he’s not the only one who said it. Almost every religion has that phrase or something like it at its core.
Luke: 2:1-16
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Wayne Hsiung: Four Takeaways from the Shocking Conviction in the Beagle Rescue Trial
Beagle rescuers may soon join the laboratory dogs in being trapped in a cage.
Robbi Nester: Delicious
For me,
love has to rise like bread dough, worked until
it has a tender crumb. It’s not simple, though maybe
simplicity might come, if I work hard enough.
Ma Yongbo: A Dream at the Beginning of Winter (English & Chinese)
The broad leaves of the sycamore tree fall onto the small car,
once all the leaves have fallen, the car’s colour turns white,
receiving signals from the stars of the departed
Liz Theoharis: American Nero
The Immoral Politics of Authoritarianism and the Bible
Video: A Bear Remembers
A local boy is trying to find the source of the mysterious sound that haunts his village. When he shares his footage with an old woman it sparks memories of an ancient bear spirit that roamed the hills during her childhood.
Sean Sexton: Elysium
I am ready, like Basho — to turn away
from beauty today as he once refused to
consider Mt Fuji, stark in the distance,
one more time — not to be bothered by
the ineluctable.
Catherine Anderson: Diana’s Arrow
Nearby, I saw oak leaves
had settled like a helmet of ash on a statue
of Diana—protector of children,
women, all living things—the deity
whose arrow never misses.
Adam Patric Miller: Passing Through The Intersection
It made no sense to see him. He wore the leather coat he used to wear, an 8-ball on the back. Maybe this happens when you don’t acknowledge death.
Murray Silverstein: Dante in Auschwitz, Ulysses in Hell
The storm that swirls in God’s dark heart,
our poor boat tossed, and sank, my crew & I all lost.
Mike Schneider: Elvis Night at Johnny’s
You wanted anything by Elvis, large
as kinetic energy, like the wiggle-waggle
of ocean breeze through palm fronds.
Hosanna. Jesus cruising down
the Avenue on his ass
