Mike Schneider: Appreciating Charles Simic (1938-2023)
In the distance our great leader
Crowed like a rooster from a balcony,
Or was it a great actor
Impersonating our great leader?
John Guzlowski: Hunger
He ate what would kill a man
in the normal course of his life:
leather buttons, cloth caps, anything
small enough to get into his mouth.
He ate roots. He ate newspaper.
Perin Gürel: What an old folktale can teach us about the ‘annoying persistence’ of political comedians
Donald Trump’s gleeful response to the show’s cancellation, and his suggestion that others will be “next up,” shows just how seriously some political figures take comedic critique.
Ma Yongbo: Three poems translated from Chinese
The horse drawn cart hasn’t gone far, it will carry away
the love of the land, and one or two shy grasshoppers.
At this moment, her hanging sickle
reflects the white light of winter arising in the distance.
Brett Wilkins | Israel Waging ‘Deliberate Campaign of Starvation’ in Gaza, reports Amnesty International
Israel “is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being, and social fabric of Palestinian life,” Amnesty said.
Molly Fisk: Maybe I’ll Just Sing To Him
As the planned flaw in a woven blanket
banishes hubris or lets mischief out,
her breasts greet each other unevenly.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg: ICE is Abducting NYC Public School Students as Young as 7
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has abducted several New York City public school students since May, sparking outrage among community members and elected officials.
Doug Anderson: The Wind Comes Up
…the soldiers
dismount and go
house to house,
come back out and sit
in the shade.
Video: Bernie Sanders says “Take Over the Democratic Party!”
“The oligarchs, they’re not just content with owning America, they also want to destroy our democracy and move us toward an authoritarian form of society,” Sanders said.
Kari Gunter-Seymour: To the Woman in Walmart Who Was Dancing to Shakira in the Pots and Pans Aisle
my own feet beginning to slide
and shuck, drawn into that vortex,
adding my own brand
of Arriba, Arriba to the mix
Beth Copeland: Pyre
Enough wood for a bonfire, I say, recalling the night
we torched a dead Christmas tree, drinking white wine and dancing
around the leaping blaze and the dark morning I burned your love
letters in a metal trash can outside, drunk and weeping, liar! liar!
“Walking in Beauty”: Closing Prayer from the Navajo Blessing Way Ceremony
In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk.
James Crews: Losing Heart | Poem and reflection
You might be
driving to work one stormy morning,
scowling at every car that passes you
when it happens again—that sudden
leap in the chest as you see the rain
Video: Scotland Hates Trump | The Music Video
The Scottish people have much in common with the majority of Americans.
