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 Jun 2023 shoulder
Andy Chunn
In a whimsical world, where riddles take flight
I found myself in an enchanted light
A serpentine whisper, soft as the wind
To a coiled snake, it drew me in

In shadows deep, where secrets hide
An interview with a snake I tried
Coiled and poised, its eyes did gleam
A creature ancient, from a distant dream

“Good day”, said the snake, with a glint in his eye,
“An interview for you, I surely will try
I have a tale to tell, a curious quest
Of secrets untold, and you’re my honored guest.”

I inquired of its secrets, of life’s hidden art
And it began to unwind, ready to impart
“Listen closely,” it hissed with a whispering tone
“For truths lie in places where fear is unknown”

The snake spoke of cycles, of rebirth and change
How shedding old skin brings growth in its range
Its venomous words, a potent elixir
Unveiling the depths of existence’s mixture

I learned of balance, of yin and yang’s grace
Of how opposites merge, in an intricate embrace
With every question it slithered and curled
Revealing secrets that unraveled the world

The serpent’s wisdom flowed through my veins
As I understood, I was shedding old chains
From ancient myths to the stars up above
It showed me the connections, the tapestry of love

As the interview ended, I felt transformed
Enlightened and humbled, my mind reformed
For within the coiled snake, a universe I found
An interview divine, in wisdom profound
A very old and wise serpent....indeed!
 Jun 2023 shoulder
Chris Saitta
A sigh is a barebacked rider, soundless along a sandy coast,
A candle tipped with starlight, wheeling in a cosmos of smoke,  
A firefly floating on the ruins of the wind like a winged gyroscope,
A skull in the stomach whose teeth are my own and breathes
With Babel’s thousand tongues telling fragrant untruths.
The monkey leaned down,
whispered in my ear
"Don't forget to pick up more beer."

I nodded in agreement,
I nodded in rhythm
with the demons' song.

They whistled and
they smiled and
did the backstroke,
jauntily along,
through the river of whiskey
that I had tried
to drown them with.

A thousand-toothed yawn,
the monster finds it all too easy.

I don't even put up a fight,
I sit down at night
and forget.

I forgot.
I thought if I could swallow the stars
I’d be as beautiful as the evening sky
I tried one night    with fireflies
They burned my throat
Their legs striking at soft flesh
But my skin did not glow
No moon crawled from my eye sockets
I was left with corpses in my stomach
I soon learned I would only ever be
A cemetery
 Jan 2022 shoulder
ruqayyah
i find that i write the best
just after a fight
just after i've cried
just after the tears have fallen

doesn't matter what story it is
happy, sad, mysterious
funny, tragic, ridiculous
i will always write it well

because any story i write
after a fight, after i've cried
is a story that gives me the most comfort
because any fiction

is better than this.
 Jan 2022 shoulder
Azure
life is
 Jan 2022 shoulder
Azure
I hate your phrases of,
'Life is a marathon' and
'Shoot for the stars'.
You tell me to imagine that life is
This, fantasy.
So what 'inspiration' am I left with when
the last page of the story book
Has been turned.
When I'm told that the stars
are actually out of reach,
When I tell you that I’m out of breath.

How can I begin to make my way in this world,
When you keep trying to change it?
To know that silence
Is just a pause
A pause to water the cracks in the dry earth
For the shoot to breathe a sigh of relief
Be tickled by the gentle breeze
A tiny shadow under the sun
It takes nurturing to see the plant bloom
And silence to experience
The stillness of the calm
 Jan 2022 shoulder
Josh
You were born near the warm ocean,
grew up around there,
With your clear acrylic smile
and sun-kissed blonde hair

I, the winter cold
More north than I can remember,
We met that day you visited,
a brisk chill, that December

We drank and danced,
while the years passed over
Argued and grew apart,
our greatest fears, now sober

My memories of you, once treasured
Now, faded
as sun deprived lands complain,
Forever, jaded
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