11/21/2020 POETRY: DANIELA ELZAFORECASTS it is how our footsteps alter the flurries how we move through the breeze in the boughs of our hope. when time stops in the sideways glance you will find me in the missed heartbeat see me in the many moons of your longing and furies. in the place where words fail us with a sharp astute parlance and war is upon us and the sun sets black under the yoke of a darkening century again we are going nowhere fast. in storms and tornados of prognosis and forecasts over a horizon of planted crosses the weather turns passive aggressive on us. and there is no way we can say such things about the weather as we forget how to move through the elements that we are. it’s up to you and I what we’ll do in this tortured oil-spilled winter. where even in sleep loneliness alters us re-interprets us holds us hostage. how I even begin to smile at people in my dreams. how a little bit of light brings nuance to the shutter in the prolonged exposure photography of grief where the struggling light shreds the clouds of our sorrow into the rags of tomorrow and of course you will also find me here waiting for spring. Acknowledgements: This poem was inspired by the poem Angst by Alexander Block (1880-1921) and it was published in Ping Pong: An Art and Literary Journal of the Henry Miller Memorial Library (Big Sur, California, 2014). Daniela Elza lived on three continents before immigrating to Canada in 1999. Her poetry collections are the weight of dew (2012), the book of It (2011), milk tooth bane bone (2013), and the broken boat (Mother Tongue Publishing, 2020). slow erosions (a chapbook written in collaboration with poet Arlene Ang) is coming out with Collusion Books (2020). Daniela also has essays forthcoming in The Queen’s Quarterly and Riddle Fence. 11/21/2020 POETRY: KATHLEEN MCCRACKENYOU HAVE TO LOVE THEM ENOUGH TO LET THEM BE WILD That’s what Steve said about the mustangs up on Pryor Mountain – no sugar cubes, no carrots no coaxing, stroking, gentling no whispering no ropes, no tires, no pick up trucks no dust storm swing low choppers no Judas horse no gathering, no holding pens no PZP, no freeze brand no breaking in, no putting down no auction block, no slaughterhouse no flank strap, no fast track no stockyard, no consignment no snaffles, bridles, saddles, spurs no blankets, shoes or blinders no rodeo, no latigo, no cincha no clipping, combing, currying no conchos, braids or bells no ranches, no reata no binder twine for breech births no ligatures, no doctoring of tears & rends & bites no vaccination, no inoculation no sterilization no intervention just bales & bales of air seep water, galleta grass the animal vegetable mineral earth exacting, punishing, available Kathleen McCracken is the author of eight collections of poetry including Blue Light, Bay and College (Penumbra Press, 1991), which was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for Poetry. A bilingual English/Portuguese edition of her poetry entitled Double Self Portrait with Mirror: New and Selected Poems, and featuring a preface by Medbh McGuckian, was published by the Brazilian press Editora Ex Machina in 2016. She is the recipient of several distinguished poetry prizes in Canada and Ireland, and has held Ontario Arts Council, Poetry Ireland and Northern Ireland Arts Council awards. Kathleen is currently Lecturer in Creative Writing and Contemporary Literature at Ulster University, Northern Ireland.
11/21/2020 POETRY: JESSIE TAYLORMANY NIGHTS AGO The flowers outside my window do not cry anymore. When the war first began, and the weeds took over, they danced about; stretching their roots—perhaps to see how long they could endure it. That and the shrieking kept me up at night, but that was many nights ago. Now they fall in line—silently, with heads hung—single file. The only sound I hear, is the “tap, tap, tap” on my windowpane. "Many Nights Ago" first appeared in Kelvin High School’s literary anthology, Stream (2018). Jessie Taylor is an avid over-thinker. She loves red lipstick, latkes and fresh cherries in July. She is studying at the University of Manitoba.
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