Fingers gripped the chrome bumper of the green car
pushing, laughing, stumbling
my cousins and siblings next to me
up the grape covered drive, we went
children’s laughter so careless so free
my dad in the driver’s seat
full of praise and mock admiration
his foot gently on the pedal.
the next time I saw the green car with the chrome bumper
my confidence brimmed like the
exhaust smoke rising to the sky
fingers gripped, legs pushed
muscles straining in vain
as the green car lurched
backward
my body did the same.
Axle spinning towards me
I reach to grab the pain away
eyes closed
My uncle’s bearded face
an urgent calm
eyes closed
velvet blue back seat
more pain
eyes closed
in the hospital bed, eyes wide open
my numb head bandanged
dad next to me
offering me a guilty apology in the form of a
blue toy truck
and while he chatted with nurses
the car made its way around the snowy white blankets
up the leggy hills through blotches of red
At home the glad faces surrounded me,
admired me, for the first and
last time, my mother urged me to join
the run and play, but
my tiny heands gripped the blue toy truck
and my timid body hid behind her legs,
maybe in time, she would protect me
Maybe.
pushing, laughing, stumbling
my cousins and siblings next to me
up the grape covered drive, we went
children’s laughter so careless so free
my dad in the driver’s seat
full of praise and mock admiration
his foot gently on the pedal.
the next time I saw the green car with the chrome bumper
my confidence brimmed like the
exhaust smoke rising to the sky
fingers gripped, legs pushed
muscles straining in vain
as the green car lurched
backward
my body did the same.
Axle spinning towards me
I reach to grab the pain away
eyes closed
My uncle’s bearded face
an urgent calm
eyes closed
velvet blue back seat
more pain
eyes closed
in the hospital bed, eyes wide open
my numb head bandanged
dad next to me
offering me a guilty apology in the form of a
blue toy truck
and while he chatted with nurses
the car made its way around the snowy white blankets
up the leggy hills through blotches of red
At home the glad faces surrounded me,
admired me, for the first and
last time, my mother urged me to join
the run and play, but
my tiny heands gripped the blue toy truck
and my timid body hid behind her legs,
maybe in time, she would protect me
Maybe.
Two Poems
Beatrice Ashton-Lelliot
Killing It
Andrew Tran
Thick
M.V. Preti
Two Poems
Vyarka Kozareva
Joey Song Loses
His Eyes
Jihoon Park
For Myself
Zalene Adler
Goons Romance
Jason Teal
New Smyrna
Claudia Lundahl
Somewhere Around Alva
Timothy Tarkelly
The Ant, the Seed,
the Watermelon in Me.
Wayland Tracy
What I Knew
Tyler Dempsey
February 2006
Rebecca Wittman
A Good Year
Tyler Dillow
Pretty Things Pretty Forever
Robert Warf
Four Poems
Dimitri Karakostas
Two Poems
John Anton Malinowski
Cornucopia
Seve Christian
Four Poems
Jonathan Bakken
Four Poems
Natalie Ann Armstrong
Two Poems
Karlos Rene Ayala
Pitiless Refuse
Austin Smith
Things She Did
Jordan Nunes
Beatrice Ashton-Lelliot
Killing It
Andrew Tran
Thick
M.V. Preti
Two Poems
Vyarka Kozareva
Joey Song Loses
His Eyes
Jihoon Park
For Myself
Zalene Adler
Goons Romance
Jason Teal
New Smyrna
Claudia Lundahl
Somewhere Around Alva
Timothy Tarkelly
The Ant, the Seed,
the Watermelon in Me.
Wayland Tracy
What I Knew
Tyler Dempsey
February 2006
Rebecca Wittman
A Good Year
Tyler Dillow
Pretty Things Pretty Forever
Robert Warf
Four Poems
Dimitri Karakostas
Two Poems
John Anton Malinowski
Cornucopia
Seve Christian
Four Poems
Jonathan Bakken
Four Poems
Natalie Ann Armstrong
Two Poems
Karlos Rene Ayala
Pitiless Refuse
Austin Smith
Things She Did
Jordan Nunes