My Mirror Garden

From the hot sweat of wild rose—
neon pink blot like the cyclamen
that startled the young me in the cool
forest of Alps,

to the trampled honeysuckle rush—
two deer, curved bodies, outstretched necks
and heads flashing by in heat
on my suburban hill.

From the just-awakened June lupine,
the purple perianth climbing up,
a pregnant belly popping out in its petal
envelope, swelling into fruit,

to the off-white butterflies clasped
on the freshly dug patch
where clover spread yesterday,

I am budding, blooming, ripening
in my mirror garden,
transformed by each scent,
tingling in my soles not touching the earth.

Danuta  writes poems and prose, translates between English and Polish, and enjoys  artistic photography. Her poems have been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies in the USA, Poland, and Ireland. Her photographs have been featured in several shows in galleries in Maryland, where she resides, and in Poland. Her translations of poems by three Maryland Poets Laureate – Lucille Clifton, Josephine Jacobsen, and Linda Pastan – have been published in Poland;  translations of poems by Lidia Kosk,  and Ernest Bryll  have appeared in over 50 journal and anthology publications in the U.S.A.

Gaza

I

When there will be night,
we will claim the promise
of the setting sun

we will claim
our foot-soldiers

and the ones
who stayed inside waiting to be
counted

we will claim them on
both sides of this opaque wall

all those
who refused its opaqueness,
its night, and saw through

we would be counting them too.

II

We will not deny
that tonight
we are not the equal side
by the local measurements they use

but we know,
that on old papyrus,
on the balance-sheet of history,
we add up to more

and the longer this night lasts,
we will let its darkness spill around us

darkness come out from our homes
from our eyes,
and then, sharp like falling stars,
cut through their days,
their pillars,
clouds

we shall refuse to cover our dead
with the shrouds of their making,
of their words
and
of all this
their accounting of our loss

we will promise this to our night,
that when
the sun comes,
we will be taking its light to the witness stand

and ask if the dead that do not die of age
leave the rest to die of memory

and on that day which will promise us
the land,
the long life,
we will say to it with immaculate precision, ‘no,’
‘good lives, sir,
brave, knowing lives, sir, are here – so often – not long

and long lives, sir, today
are not the subject of my song.’
(after Rafeef Ziadah)

Akhil Katyal is a writer based in Delhi where is also teaches literature at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. His bilingual Hindi and English poetry collection is forthcoming with Vani Prakashan (2013). His poems and fiction have been published by national and international journals like The Houston Literary Review, The Literateur, The Minetta Review, The Nether Magazine and Muse India.

Mess from a Fallen Church

I

Hypnotized by the personal,
My mission is obscure,
Fighting for air
The speaker can never be
Some kind of therapeutic
You leave out a lot,
Early personal memories

II

Do I romanticize
This fiction I collected?

The artifice of spontaneity
Enables me to mention things.

What is history?
Not avoiding injury.

There is an element
I am going to turn

III

We are everything,
One man, one woman,
Only connected
When on the whole balance
Of the 19th century scale

We learn the spirit
If we see a light,
I shut my eyes to keep free

IV

Interested in craft,
I have never tried yet
I have always failed
A lifetime’s study.

I said I wanted another title,
Impressions, structures,
The critic keeps pointing out,
It might get better.

Ben Nardolilli currently lives in Arlington, Virginia. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Red Fez, Danse Macabre, The 22 Magazine, Quail Bell Magazine, Elimae, fwriction, THEMA, Pear Noir, The Minetta Review, and Yes Poetry. He has a chapbook Common Symptoms of an Enduring Chill Explained, from Folded Word Press. He blogs at mirrorsponge.blogspot.com and is looking to publish his first novel.

Sentinel

Prevailed (Wounded Angel)

Witness

Still

Steven DaLuz is compelled to do work that conjures up a sense of mystery and ethereal light, whether figurative or abstract. While identified with abstract works that are often landscape-referential, employing a process he devised using metal leaf, oil, and mixed media, he is also known for figurative works that are poetic and introspective. His drawing sand paintings often reflect upon the sublime and expressive beauty of the human figure.

http://stevendaluz.com

Release 2

Siren Song 2

Parable

Self Portrait Duo

Priding myself as a free speech activist, I applaud the daring interviews done by the feisty young Tina Hall in what she calls The Damned Book of Interviews. Certain to face censorship attacks for exposing so much, a movie will be made about the trials and tribulations this woman’s about to endure. Many right-wingers will damn her to the annals of infamy after all she exposes triumphs in a climactic case of The People vs. Tina Hall.

Tina Hall (aka Tina Ayres)

Black Ice on the Bridge

Acts have no meaning, but they do have
trajectory: the string quartet waxes
the mustaches of its accusers

Innocence has no meaning, but it does have
motive: when the lamprey pond overflows
the pole beans will require stanchions

Appetite has no meaning, but it does have
velocity: the last handful of anthracite coal
is smelted in view of the opium museum

Marriage has no meaning, but it does have
pedigree: the box turtle in the intersection
tries, as the twilight worsens, to back up

Mystery has no meaning, but it does have
gristle: fog spreads across the mustard grass
with no regard for the black ice on the bridge

Bill Yarrow is the author of Pointed Sentences (BlazeVOX, 2012). His poems have appeared in many print and online magazines including PANK, Poetry International, DIAGRAM, and THRUSH. His work is forthcoming in Many Mountains Moving, After Hours, and RHINO. He is a poetry editor at THIS Literary Magazine. He lives in Illinois.

(This poem originally appeared in Negative Suck and also appears in Pointed Sentences (BlazeVOX 2012).

Lazarus’s Funeral

Here lies poor Lazarus
a man with friends in high places
who got given a second chance
and blew it.

The priest was pissed
didn’t believe
all that jazz about Laz
and blesséd reprieve.

Then it was time
to take your partner by the hand
and do the mud-sling
fling thing down in the hole
listening very carefully
not least the priest.

Me and a mourner
on the way back to the cars
black and
and long and
pearly with the rain we lit cigarettes.

Well.
The ghost gave up
trying my best
not to act too much
no show
like Ben Gazzara in Husbands.

So.
How did he die this time
Natural causes
my
ass you call that comedian a coroner ?

Confucius says
before embarking
here I paraphrase
on compromising reality
better dig three graves.

Photo by Thomas Boivin

Oshi Mi-chi is a poet with no formal training, precious little identity, almost always under pressure yet is not wholly lacking in grace.

Septembre

Vampire’s Tears

Mina M. is an illustrator born in France. She has always drawn, as far as she can remember, but discovered Digital Art, photoshop and the tablet in 2008. Since, most of her works are made digitally even though she still uses traditional tools. Her favorite subjects are fantasy, tales and strange worlds she has built.

Water and Trace Elements

My skull plates fused as sockets held
My eyes. My palette forged. A weld
Of bone secured my jaw. A full
Completed spine emerged to pull
And liberate my limbs. This one
Whole body’s templing had been done.

Bare-fisted power and aligned
Knuckles, first one, another, mine
To clutch the sky. My elbows, heels –
Protein in fingernails congealed
As bone as all my cells amassed
In human elegance. I fast
Found function; mission clear: to stand,
To rise, to walk and to command
All that I see, not appease;
Through body, life, through structure, peace.

My cells split, tore themselves and rent
Again. Mitotic frenzy bent
On consciousness. Demanding man,
I claimed myself as mine. I am.

Jeff Santosuosso is a business executive and poet who splits his time between Pensacola, FL and Dallas, TX. A member of the Dallas Poets Community and the Northwest Florida Literary Federation, Jeff has had poems appear in Avocet, Pif, Ilya’s Honey, RedRiverReview, RedFez, Extract(s), The Texas Poetry Calendar (2012), OVS, Clutching at Straws and other online and print publications. You can find him on Facebook.

California native Donna Zenz has worked as many things over the years from a psychiatric technician to an artist. She currently produces vibrant art working with acrylic on canvas, collage, murals, cards, envelopes, lunch bags, and admittedly will paint on just about anything. Boling Associates is presenting Donna Zenz and the 10 painted violins exhibit April 18, 2013 from 5-8 p.m. at the Boling Fine Arts Gallery, featuring the acrylics of Donna alongside the violins commissioned for the Fresno-Madera Youth Orchestra.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? What was it like growing up in California?

My parents were divorced when I was very young and my mom remarried when I was about 5 years old. My stepfather was a farmer so we grew up with fruit trees all around and the ever-constant smell of wine being made at the nearby wineries. Favorite memories are of me and my younger sister sneaking out our bedroom window early in the morning to go tromping through the muddy orchards to find the most “heavenly” plum or peach. My mom would throw a fit when we’d show back up at home covered in mud and still in our pajamas.

What were you like as a child? How do you think you have changed most since then?

As great as some of my memories are, there are bad ones too…my parents were young when they married and really didn’t know how to be parents. I was the oldest and I think it’s always hardest for the oldest. I was quiet and shy and very introverted. Back in the 60’s it was common to treat children as possessions and as far as I know, there wasn’t really anything like child protective services today. My mom struggled with bouts of substance abuse and depression and as a result, my siblings and I were often neglected and sometimes physically abused.  I think over the years, I have changed the most in just being able to be more outspoken and be less of a victim. I’ve been through years of mental health treatment and my own struggles are probably what contributed most to me ending up working in the mental health field.

Did you have a love of art early on?

Yes….I was constantly doodling or coloring on something. My very favorite site was of a blank piece of paper. I often got in trouble at school for drawing in the margins of assignments or doodling while the class was supposed to be watching a film or listening to a lecture. I was never allowed to pursue art in school, though. My mom had a definite plan for me and it was NOT to be an artist (“They don’t make any money”)…she insisted I take typing classes so that I could get a “real job” as a secretary or a nurse. She made sure to remind me that if I was going to find a rich husband, I would need be “in the right place at the right time”…

What led you to first try your hand at painting?

I always considered myself “artsy”…and as the mother of three children, there were lots of school projects to help the kids with. Besides that, I used to buy those plain white lunch bags and sit up every night with markers and make beautiful masterpieces for my kids to take their lunch to school in and then to end up in the cafeteria trash bin at the end of the day. I got so good at it that my kids’ friends would ask for them as well. One day the kids and I were at a local street art faire and the kids saw some art on large canvasses that looked like my doodles. The artist was there…his name was Joe Vargas, and when he saw how excited the kids were about it, he took me aside and said that I should just go out and buy some acrylic paint and a canvas and “take a shot at it”. I told him that I had never taken a class and didn’t even know what the difference between acrylic and oil paints was. I was also encouraged by coworkers who were getting tired of my doodling in the margins of work papers. Everyone agreed that I should just get out there and try it. That was in 1998. I was 42 years old! It took off pretty fast from there. I had my first one person art show “About Face” in 2000 and I’ve been painting since then.

Who are some of your favorite living artists?

I think my earliest influence was Peter Max. I grew up in the psychedelic 60’s and 70’s and there was a lot of that “peace, love, dove” kind of art everywhere. I also love Michael Parks, Fred Babb, Frank Arnold, Mboko Lagriffe, Tracy Lee Stum, Audrey Kawasaki, Laura Fraedrich, Ramiro Martinez and a ton of others…way too many to try and remember now…

What do you love most about creating in general?

I’m always amazed when I’m finally finished and happy with a project. Lots of times, I look at something and wonder how that came out of me. I guess that’s a kind of pride…that feeling of being able to do something that no one else could do. Feeling “special”. I think that’s an old  craving from childhood…never feeling unique and now in some ways I am…

Why do you think society has always been so fascinated with the art world?

I think artists, in general, are regarded as kind of weird or “different” and always kind of living on the edge…something that lots of people would love to do but don’t feel brave enough or whatever…the whole “starving artist” thing…not working “a real job” because you can’t stand to NOT be creative in some way…we’re the “bums” of society, I think…all those “fascinated” folks living vicariously I guess.

Do you think colors can play a role on affecting ones moods, outlook, etc.?

Absolutely. I have always been a person who hears in color. I can listen to music and close my eyes and see what color the notes are. I know it sounds strange, but that’s how it is for me. In my head, certain things just HAVE to be certain colors…when I say the words, I see the colors and so I think with moods, it’s the same. A lot of that is also socially ingrained, so who knows if it’s my own unique thing or if it’s just that I learned that springtime colors are “happy” and dark colors are “sad”…you know? But for sure, colors have an influence on a person’s metabolism and the way we react in certain situations…fast food restaurants are a perfect example…bright, vivid colors get your metabolism racing and you tend to eat your food faster and get out of the way for the next customer…same goes with color in any environment.

Are there any little known things about you that you’d not mind sharing with our readers?

Hmmm…not sure. I have the typical story of the abused child…I grew up, was rebellious in my late teens and early twenties…did lots of drugs in the wild 70’s and did a lot of experimenting with social mores. I was an extra in the movie Hardcore with George C. Scott and Season Hubley because I was working in a massage parlor in San Diego when the film crew came around and I made friends with Season. That was pretty exciting and fun. I’ve been a prostitute, a topless dancer, an ambulance dispatcher, a bartender, a psychiatric technician, a crisis worker…and now an artist…lots of experience to draw from!

I understand you knew Ian Ayres, the creator of The Original Van Gogh’s Ear Anthology when he was younger? What was he like back then if you don’t mind my asking?

Well, he had a different name back then. He was about 16 or 17 when I worked in one of his mom’s massage parlors here in Fresno. He was only a couple years younger than I was but I considered him “a cute kid”…VERY CUTE!  He was also really responsible and sweet. He helped his mom with her businesses and he knew everyone by their first names. I think all the girls considered him like a little brother…and a couple of them might have had less platonic feelings toward him! He was funny and fun to hang out with.

Do you think creative minds tend to gravitate towards one another regardless of their medium of work?

I do. I think we all identify with that “weirdo” image I was talking about earlier. I think early in life we know we’re different and we live with that knowledge and generally seek out others who mesh with our weirdness…there’s something like that in one of the Dr. Seuss quotes I’ve been seeing around lately and I definitely agree!

Do you have any one subject that you enjoy working with most?

I almost always want to draw faces on every painting I do. Not really sure why but I sometimes feel like the painting isn’t finished unless I’ve painted a big old pair of eyes and lips on the front of it. You can see it in lots of my art. I also like hands…not really sure why.

Do you have a dream project?

Not really a project. My dream would be to be able to make a living as an artist and just be me…not having to wear any other hats to pay bills, you know?

Can you tell us a little about the exhibit coming up at Boling Fine Arts?

I’m really excited about this show! I met Brad and Jan Boling last summer at one of their monthly shows and we made “friends” on Facebook. My art is on my profile there and about a month or so ago, I got a message from Brad saying that he was going to be showing these violins that have been painted and donated to the Children’s Orchestra here, locally, and he said when he saw them, he thought of my art and asked if I’d be interested in showing! I love that he thought of me and I agree, after seeing the violins, that they are a lot like my own creations! Also exciting is that I recently made friends with Jonathan Napoles from the local band Before Perils. Their band features a really awesome violin player and they will be performing for us! I couldn’t be more excited and happy about this show!

What advice would you offer the women of today and tomorrow in regards to self image and such?

Wow! I have to say that the best thing you can ever do for yourself is to follow your heart. I knew from a really young age that I was an artist and because of what other people told me about myself, I never thought I could attain my goals or be anyone of value. Now I know that just because someone else dressed you when you were a kid, that doesn’t mean you can’t take off those old clothes and find what fits you now! I’m still working on it, but it IS working!

What was the best advice anyone ever offered you?

Joe P. Vargas when he said, “Just do it!”

What projects are you currently working on?

There’s a local juried show next month that I just decided to try and enter a piece for. Just started working on it today, in fact.

Is there anything you’d like to say before you go? 

Just thanks for giving me this opportunity and it’s been fun!