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Showing posts from March, 2017

The Supplication of Spring, a poem by Diane Lewis

The Supplication of Spring by Diane Lewis Let the grass grow; the blades burst into kelly and emerald. Let the crocuses pop; while purple and white dart in all directions. Let the dogwood and the cherry blossoms erupt; behold their eternally flowered canopy. Let the maples cast off their buds. Let the thunderstorms rise out of nowhere; the rain pummeling the ground. Let tulips emerge resilient despite winter frost and foraging animals. See how quickly and efficiently the weeds rebel; the hostas spike up from the ground. Let the clematis sprawl upward in search of something to cling to. Let the wind begin after a good rain necessary to bring forth the season. Let the days be warm and the nights cool; while sparrows feverishly scramble to build. Without the cold, harsh clutches of an angry winter, these triumphs of spring would never be. From the poet: “My name is Diane L. Lewis and I am the Arts Council of Indianapolis’ 2010 Robert D. Beckmann Emerging Arti

Customer Service Ticket Number 16032917, a poem by Rebecca Longenecker

Customer Service Ticket Number 16032017 by Rebecca Longenecker I pulled the dead things out of the flowerbeds The dried up stalks, the brown leaves I got an email that said the book I requested Was still not available at the library The thing about the garden this time of year Is that even cleaned up it is brown It’s a $2.00 fine when you don’t pick your book up Be careful what book you wish for It might cost you a few dollars at the greenhouse For a bulb a stone that promises to be a flower In the age of email and Amazon same-day delivery You would think we could have spring already The order has been in for a while. Bio: Rebecca is a born-and-raised Mennonite: the descendant of farmers, missionaries, conscientious objectors, and an unwavering commitment to non-violence. She is a recent graduate of Eastern Mennonite University, where she studied English Language and Literature and dedicated herself to the craft of writing. She currently li

Don't Bake Cookies Unless You're Going to Share, a poem by Rebecca Longenecker

Don’t Bake Cookies Unless You’re Going to Share by Rebecca Longenecker The forecast said sunny. 65. I walked to the library in my black sweater. It was cloudy. 50, my phone said. The library was closed. I forgot that I was up early today. Would blame daylight savings But we sprung ahead; it’s yesterday’s 7am And I’m already full of toast Coffee and bitterness About how slowly spring is waking up. Bio: Rebecca is a born-and-raised Mennonite: the descendant of farmers, missionaries, conscientious objectors, and an unwavering commitment to non-violence. She is a recent graduate of Eastern Mennonite University, where she studied English Language and Literature and dedicated herself to the craft of writing. She currently lives in Indianapolis, where she 

Earthquake in Blossom Time, a poem by Doris Lynch

Earthquake in Blossom Time by Doris Lynch I fold into my pocket the handkerchief you used shortly before dying and go out to greet the backlit clouds, so frolicsome and adventurous. In the neighbor’s yard redbuds offer their mauve tears. Poking through lawn’s needlepoint, so many green slashes of hope. The earth woke me this morning bucking feelograms from deep within its crust. The window sashes that I wiped clean of cobwebs yesterday rattled in percussive approval. Earthquake, felt so rarely in the Midwest. In bed, I lay shaking-- a fledgling in wind-- awash in both terror and joy--anticipating that the ground will be solid and still beneath me. Bio: Doris Lynch has work recently in the Tipton Poetry Review, the Atlanta Review, Frogpond, Haibun Today, and Contemporary Haibun Online. The Indiana Arts Commission awarded her three individual artist’s grants: two in poetry and one in fiction.