By: Laura Stamps Guess what? Six months at my new job, and I got a raise. Wow. Love this state. Florida. Glad I moved. Love my job. And my raise. Time to celebrate! A drive-in movie. We should go. Tonight. Me and Hazel. What’s playing? Hazel likes action adventure. Liam Neeson. Yeah. That’s what we’ll see. Big jar of peanut butter. Two spoons. Yum! Drinks. Dog treats. That’s all we need. Got Hazel buckled in her new car seat. Okay, Liam. Here we come! ### Laura Stamps is a poet and novelist and the author of over 65 books. Most recently: THE GOOD DOG (Prolific Pulse Press, 2023), ADDICTED TO D ..read more

By Tabussum Sumaiya I long for you Like the pinnacle of the mountain, That longs to reach the sky The sun through the dense woods To meet the green, I will gently touch your skin. Like the setting sun, Longs to meet the moon The waterfalls fall on the stream, I long to disappear in you To hold you close eternally to me. Leaving behind all shackles off feet I will flutter like the cumulus clouds  To seize your sky, Like the sparkling pearls on the green I will laden your essence With an obscure calm serene. I will chase you perpetually Like the destroyer storm That engulfs the fallen ..read more

By Stephen Tillman “Not here!” Julie exclaimed as Mark held open the door of the restaurant. “It’s too fancy and too expensive. I’m not dressed for a place like this. You said it would be casual.” “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about the expense,” Mark said, causing Julie to bristle at the implication she was a flighty airhead. “Trust me, I can afford it, and you look fine.” “Please Mark,” Julie begged. She pointed across the street. “Look. There’s a diner on the corner. I doubt we’ll need a reservation. Let’s eat there. I’ll feel more comfortable.” “Don’t be silly,” Mark said, takin ..read more

By John RC Potter Let me tell you a story of a gal on a door in the back of a station wagon on her way to the hospital, and how she ended up there. Becky had a freefall from grace, barrelling out the kitchen door; in a race to go nowhere fast, embarrassed to the crimson core. Her pride was injured and the gal’s body was in pain. Mother: “We must call an ambulance!” Father: “No need to go to that bother.” The gal lay prostrate and in pain, thinking dear old dad had lost the plot. The gal’s father hatched a plan, the station wagon was in place; she was placed on an old door, an astonished look o ..read more

By: Fran Schumer             Some time ago, when I was a young mother, a woman in my neighborhood told me that every day at about 2 p.m., before her daughter came home from school, she would masturbate. If her husband, a doctor, could leave work, he would come home, and they would have sex. If not, she’d manage things on her own and then nap for an hour before her daughter came home from school. I had insomnia at the time, which was how we got on the subject. I had tried to nap, and to masturbate after speaking to her, but I was not very s ..read more

By: Chloe Min Hesitation From the start, I warned you I would leave, Yet your sweet soul made me hesitate and stay. Your hope that I’d remain caused my heart to grieve, When I let you go, I was filled with dismay. ### The Halt of Spring The sun sinks in the west, My heart heavy in my chest. Nature is blooming all around, Yet now I am nowhere to be found. ### Rainbow Parachute The rainbow parachute, a whimsical flare, Thrown into the sky, captures the air, Descends upon us, sparking giggles and awed stares, A beautiful pair that becomes rare, Leading us to eventual despair, For nothing else cou ..read more

By Nicola Vallera It’s the craziest day of my life, and I’m heading into the department stores for Christmas shopping. I wasn’t planning on buying anything for anyone. I’m thirty-one, my folks are gone, and my relatives are memories. Thank goodness for that! I’m trying to get myself a laptop—the 205. I’m not even sure what to call it. The ad was confusing. It’s a quantum supercomputer that becomes a robot? Sounds strange. Anyway, it’s supposed to be a-m-a-z-i-n-g. It can sense your mood and help you with all sorts of computer-related tasks. But it’s pricey—like ten grand pricey. That’s not exa ..read more

By: Erik Priedkalns There is a Japanese woman carved into the side of a mountain, on the face of a granite wall. The wall is deep in a Niigata Forest, close to the Sea of Japan. She sits high in the middle of the dark, grey, stony face. Above her, the rock face ends forty meters up at the top. Below the Lady, the cliffy granite keeps going down and vanishes under the cover of thick, richly green trees. Her face is calm, but serious and watchful. Her legs are loosely curled under smooth rock thighs. Her long hair falls around her breasts, and she leans on one elbow. At first you think she was s ..read more

By Taylor Dibbert He’s settling into His business class seat On a flight heading From DC To Doha And then He’ll fly to Sri Lanka, A long way To go and He’s feeling So grateful For this seat. ### Taylor Dibbert is a writer, journalist, and poet in Washington, DC. “Invictus,” his debut poetry collection, was published in January ..read more

By Davide Risso The first time I glimpsed it, we were in Valles, a village in the Dolomites with more cows than people. An impressive cloud of white smoke was blowing from a green chimney. That was all I could see. The rest was hidden by the pine trees. I kept staring at it. All throughout that afternoon and in the evening that followed. What was it? Why was I drawn to it like I was? When I asked Mom, she made a pinched face, like De Niro’s famous expression, but then she followed my finger and understood. She looked to Dad, who shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “she asked you, not me!” And ..read more