The Baby Tree by Shannon Foster

She stands in the sun Proudly displaying her branches and leaves But one of her branches is sick It has to be cut off so she can live We cut off the sick branch And as if by a miracle She has grown her remaining branches In the space the sick branch used to be…

Shaking, Hair, and Miscellaneous Thoughts On You by Analiz Plasencia

This list is ugly. This list is all my frustrations. I’m so frustrated I’m shaking. I’m shaking like I’m traumatized. I’m not. I think. Possibly. My hair is longer, I am smarter, and I’m more beautiful. Ever since I walked away from you it’s felt like my hair is growing faster. Maybe it’s because I…

Alone by Elliot Clamp

People talking, not to you People looking, not to you People laughing, not with you People hugging, not to you People hate you, to you People don’t care about you They already have enough friends You are always going to be alone  Only talking to one person, all your life You want people talking to…

Life Continues by George Elliott Joyce III

There exists on Earth A hole deeper than Hell A hole carved by the masses Carved for the dead to dwell And so, Life continues And those who don’t Slip Slipping down a hill of People Sliding down the hole Falling to their hell And in hell lies torture A pain unknown to most A…

Too Busy to Cry by Brooklyn Capuano

Your thoughts flow like waves in the ocean New waves every second, every minute, every hour Rushing waters; rushing thoughts Rushing time that’s rarely still You told me you never cry And that made me cry for you I keep you in my dreams at night And in my thoughts during day You’re there at…

Fresh Birth by Brooklyn Capuano

Like the first fall of leaf Or the first drop of snow Cry deep into the sorrow of something that’s missing Mislead into a light that’s darker than a seed in soil ‘Sprout kinder than that’ as I’m told The world blooms against the tides The moon shifts the tides backwards Swallow the sun whole…

Mother Nature’s Tantrum by Brooklyn Capuano

The sky has fallen onto the porch And the world had begun its rampage Tears of something empty drop like sticks on drums And the somber sky now plays it’s melodies Flashes of silver cause cries of gold; The performance has now begun Shooshes of air drift over one’s lips And the unplayable harp causes…

Soul’s Vessel by Emma Kim

Having a body is such a strange thing, The moment you become aware- Of your soul’s vessel; There is much more to consider. In youth we move freely; As we’re older we contain the creativity, That yearns to burst free. As dancers our bodies are used to communicate, But so often we scold and reprimand,…

Late by Matthew Gagnon

Oh how I’ve waited for this day to come, no more crawling and mulling around for scraps! To have somewhere I can call home. Yes! A home! How that word fills me with joy. To have somewhere I can belong, where friends and family await with bated breath for my return. Each room filled with…

Grandma Kaye by Jeff Thatch

It’s not a lot, this house doesn’t need many decorations. just one strand of lights the big colorful glass bulbs (Red, blue, orange, yellow, green) glow in the plunging darkness of a cold Wyoming night the green cord, a yuletide snake, winds itself along the handrail illuminating a way to the big green door, a…

To Silence by Jeff Thatch

I love Silence. Silence is forgiving, She does not judge, or pressure or command I can be myself with Silence, She is my friend many people fear Her, despise Her, chase Her away I invite Her in, comfort Her, as she comforts me sometimes She disappears and i have to find Her She likes to…

Greality by Liz Webb

The September haze rolls in, a cold hold on the valley. Trees twist through cumulous forms, grocery bag braids hang below. The decades contained in a single day sing in one refrain; Greality’s thoughtless Xerox machine is fixed on an endless page. This September day, the same as the next, the same as the last,…

Philosophy by Lee Clouston

Universalizability, apply to all  Mind and body Significance of existence life? Death? Waves of constant uncertainty I see you, I know you are there, Always , do I let you swallow me whole Drag me, further down into the abyss, Or are you able to be kept at arm’s length Am I too late, Will…

Ode of the Berserkr by Ethan Johansen

I hath traded my blood for valor, My bones for hunger, my heart for courage, My lungs for fervor, my guts for rage, My mind for power. All that now remains Is soul, sword, shield, spattered guts of foe. Though battered heart ceases, and lungs now vacant Soul be my savior. The Valkyries raise me,…

Promise by Kim Spurny

I want to be intrigued And need to feel desire My future is my decision Not my families to conspire Life can be tough Others try to have a say But to satisfy others You let your dreams go astray Promise to yourself you will grow In both mind and in life In what you…

Fading Flames by Makaya Peister

Frayed edges of passion, worn out and thin, echoes of exhaustion in each weary grin. Lectures and deadlines, a relentless tide. In the sea of burnout, emotions collide. Now dimmed and strained, in the pursuit of success, oh what curse has remained. Fatigue paints shadows on determined faces, as burnout tightens its suffocating embraces.

Rib Cage by Onyx Hammond

My heart did not come from the rib of a man but from the womb of a grieving girl Thick as velvet, warm like blood young, naive visions of love: the sun is wide-eyed tangled in sheets there’s a choir in my chest. Crickets mock me with their symphonies presenting the antithesis of my imagination…

Love and Love’s Hate by Eli Lundgreen

I await that breeze, Coming from the West sunset, When it brushes right. Mine own place rings hot, But the home is oh so cold. Hath I sucked the air? Love, it doth consume. If He consumes as fire, Is love then our Lord? Breaketh His body. Let thy blood poureth out now, My sins…

The Unloved Boy by Kaylie Howard

There once was a boy, so brave and so true, But sadly, he was loved by few. He had no family, no friends to call his own, And he often felt like he was all alone. But he never let that get him down, And he never wore a single frown. For he knew that…

Whose Legacy? by Veronica Hook

Pass on Grandpa’s legacy, you say With Grandpa gone, memories and stories fade Great Grandchildren meet as babes Relationships lacking living history made   Pass on Grandpa’s legacy, you say Grandpa told enchanting stories with such jazz to his grandchildren about generations past. How will I tell his story with as much pizzazz? Pass on…

The Wittiest Boy I Ever Knew by Stephanie Crabtree

Not only funny, he is smart Kind, loyal and family glue The first to cradle a broken heart This wittiest boy I ever knew. He lives in fear of boredom Even through a bout of the flu He can’t stand a life of ho-hum This wittiest boy I ever knew. At first he may seem…

Untitled by Madison

Amidst the warm summer days, we find ourselves nestled in the shade, sharing laughter with a dear friend. The sweet, crisp lemonade cools our senses as ice floats playfully within the glass. A gentle breeze caresses our skin, causing leaves to dance gracefully around us.   In the distance the joyful giggles of children at…

The Cost of the Few by Katelea Diaz

Red, blue, and gold are the colors of the bold The few, the proud, not just a part of the crowd. Choosing to lose one’s freedom, So that others can have theirs. From completing all the chores while wearing this uniform Live in a dorm with 3 other people who call themselves leathernecks Everyone hit…

The Intimate Side of Love by Christina Renteria-Salazar

You slowed me down No one ever could You grounded me No one ever could You taught me intimacy No one ever could You kissed me for hours No one ever could Because of you my soul is forever changed Shared a love I never thought I could

Motherhood by Christina Renteria-Salazar

Cross bags, mini vans Lunchboxes, dinner plans Mama Band-Aids, soccer games, Parent-teacher conferences, dirty hands Mama Pinching backs, tying shoes, Mending hearts, teaching love Mama

Love’s Endurance by Sarah Liess

In shadows, love resides with a troubled soul, A dance of emotions, a battle untold. Silent tears and whispers, in darkness we hide, Bound by affection, our souls intertwine. Oh, how love endures when the fiend takes its hold, An addict’s chaos, a tale to be told. With trembling hands, they chase the sweetest lie,…

Poem About Junger by Alicia Kane

Red collar hanging above the dashboard,  A mere remnant of a family dog adored. Junger was a noble canine and gave heartfelt embraces, Until cancer came through and silenced his song. A German shepherd once youthful and sleek, Eager to protect with charcoal fur shining, Quickly deteriorated into a grapefruit sized tumor, Rotted teeth, bowed…

Whole by Audra Cooper

Before this otherness in him blooms, he had hardly known it was there or perhaps he had not wanted to look. Now, though, he could admit, that in moments, small, and unguarded, he had felt it lapping, -quiet, but insistent, against his shore Some instinct had always made him turn away, had made him lean…

Hesitancy Is Holding Me Back by Jaqueline Garibay

It surrounds me in its cold embrace. Pulling me this way and that way All the while lapping at my face Crashing around me pulling farther and farther away. Guiding me to a quiet place Floating gently upon the waves Waves rippling over me Dragging me into the bottomless abyss. Below the surface in a…

Dancing With The Devil by Ixel Macias

Content Warning for self-harm. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, thoughts of self-harm, or other emotional distress, please call the 988 crisis line for support.   She loved her black dress and red heals  She loved to dance, and he knew that They were always in sync, and she liked that He spun…

A God of Destruction and Beauty by Katie Aguirre Castaneda

The blue sky slowly darkened.  The air thickened and became vile.  The birds flew away as the clouds grew grey.  A roar rumbled through the ground.  A sweet scent of fire and smoke filled the young woman.  The air grew musty and grey.  The smoke choked her as she shed a few tears. The sweet…

Mother by Zackari Bueno

Tired, and exhausted, turning the lights on for the front porch, Moving long hair from dark eyes, holding a crying babe Rocking, shushing, silently praying for it to end To end the pain To end the thoughts of the man that left The baby continues to cry, and cannot consult Only rock And rock And…

A Miami Sestina by Stephanie Crabtree

Lounging on the beach Relaxing in the sand Soaking up the rays of sun Living in the moment on the coast Feeling the warmth on my skin Relishing in all the Miami vibes I listen to the music vibes That travel down the beach The rhythm tracing over my skin The bass reverberating through the…

The Man Who Lives in the Fairy Gardens by Renate Petitt

The most creative person I ever knew was a man of innovation. He could construct a dollhouse zipline out of blades of grass, and would do so just to see his daughter smile. He taught me that the box is dull, it’s better to think outside of it. Imagination resembles a tree with endless fruitage:…

Frankenstein’s Folly by Renate Petitt

In the realm of the dank forgotten, a creature was born, forsaken by pride. Eyes flickering with hollow loneliness, a symphony of scars etched deeply, the pain shows. A personage stitched of sinew, raw and untainted, a patchwork of horrors, a tale intertwined. A scientist’s creation, cast out by fate, rejected by mankind, returned to…

War by Zachary Padilla

  Content Warning for self-harm. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, thoughts of self-harm, or other emotional distress, please call the 988 crisis line for support.   Somedays It feels crazy, to want to be alive Like all around me is the smell of death As if God looks down on me as…

A Dark Winter by Julia Duvall

At first It’s not so bad  in fact it makes me glad.  Great white fluffy flakes falling to the ground covering it like a warm blanket.   What a refreshing feeling it is to walk out the door to such a site of the first fallen snow. Long awaited and welcomed back to my home…

The Endless Sea by Drew Brenengen

Bombs rained down followed by pamphlets urging families to flee Then we came ten thousand of us clustered on the outskirts surrounding the desert city its tan buildings clustered all holding a mystery We knew what was next an endless sea of doors untold carnage Behind each one a potential family a potential threat we…

Deep Thoughts by Connor J. Fellinger

With only seconds to spare, and mere seconds to think; As your fears begin to rise, and you don’t stop to blink, Your mind starts to race- only stopped by a crack. As you look up to gaze upon a broken-up mast.    In fear for your life, you run down below deck- But to…

Devils Advocate by Artemis Adams

They always told me the devil is bad “Don’t go looking for trouble,” they said, “He may seem fun, even just a tad, “but he’ll doom your soul and steal your head.” They force us to follow their rules and intimidate us into submission if we try to step out of line, they treat us…

My favorite Day by Kalie Minifield

My Favorite day was with you By the seaside Laid out on the warm sand, the hot sun baking our skin The sound of the waves crashing on the shore The sound of the gulls ringing in our ears Later in the day we got ice cream Me vanilla, you chocolate Opposite, just like our…

Rest with Hope by Jeffery Moser

Nature feigns to be asleep: Beetles burrow and disappear— Monarchs migrate south–crows behave like tombs– So, Winter readies himself, gingered by cheer, With Snow and the Old North Wind his constant boons. But I the while, sigh–chastened—and retire inside. It is time to think and bemoan my muse until warmer rays abide. Yet, beneath this…

Ode to Death by Emily Clemmons

Shivers running down my spine A cold touch, the touch of death The string has been cut, now to be assigned Heaven, Hell, Valhalla, all these choices depend on the last breath Your servants, Hades and Hel shall take good care of me Perhaps be a soul that can aid someone who has lost meaning…

Letting Go by Kimber Watson

    Every moment that passes by is empty without you. You were just here now you are gone For the life of me, I don’t know what to do. That moment in time when we first met, You turned my world upside down, When I fell head over heels in love. That moment when…

The King’s Apple by Zachary Powell

Once long ago, in a forgotten land much like our own, lay the old town of Vale. Vale lay cradled in a small vast valley, filled with great rolling hills interlocked with lazy, winding rivers and modest lakes filled with brisk, crystal-clear waters. All throughout the realm lay a plethora of apple trees as far…

The Artificial Play Projection System by Wyatt Johnson

Locations Back alley of New York Curtains still closed, Announcer walks to the center of the stage David: Welcome everyone! My name is David Walker. Investors, future stockholders, and hopefully future customers, what you are all about to see will completely change not just Broadway, but all forms of staged performances. Welcome to the first…

Archived: Death Bed

Author: Alicia Kane (she/her) Email: akane1@aims.edu Submission: Death Bed By Alicia Kane Firefly sat curled in her rickety old bed, the threadbare sheets barely enough to give any semblance of warmth. The harsh white ceiling light cast sharp shadows down onto the book she read, the rough grain of the paper making some of the…