Magazine
Sue Blaustein: “A Song for Centipedes”
Felicia Clark: “Chrome Cheers”
john compton: “[we play scrabble—]”
Sam Culotta: “Voices in the Other Room”
Jenna K Funkhouser: “The House at the End of the Road”
Ken Gierke: “After the Rain”
Julia Hatch: “A Thoughtless Moment of Zen”
James Croal Jackson: “Drymouth”
Daniel Edward Moore: “From the Castle of Resentment”
Jimmy Pappas: “The Ineffable”
Beyond Casper
horses watch
from roadside fences
riders pass by
wheels turning
inside, outside
pronghorn pay no mind
to fences, a leap of faith
takes them where they will
washboard road
holds no one
to their promises
one slip, and the shoulder is gone
down the road
and up the drive
a house nearly empty
waits for change
mule deer watch
through glass doors
as we empty it
before taking one last ride
About the Author: Ken Gierke is a retired truck driver, transplanted to mid-Missouri from Western New York. His poetry has been published or is forthcoming both in print and online in such places as The Rye Whiskey Review, Amethyst Review, Rusty Truck, Trailer Park Quarterly, The Gasconade Review, and River Dog Zine. His first collection of poetry, Glass Awash, was published by Spartan Press. His second collection, Heron Spirit, is forthcoming. His website: https://rivrvlogr.com/
Image Credit: Carol M. Highsmith “Abandoned ranch or farmstead west of Casper in Natrona County, Wyoming” (2015) Public domain image courtesy of the Library of Congress
Riding with Monk Epistrophy, apostrophe, brush these blues off of me. Lift me off this loneliest of roads, beyond these bare trees. Even in their beauty, these bones of winter hold no answers, only questions. On this road of introspection, you tease me with those keys. I don’t blame you, but I’ve had all the blues I can abide. I’m not in the mood. Give it to me straight. I’m tired of chasing dreams. Lend me yours. It doesn’t have to be easy, but these streets would look a whole lot better with blue skies and just a little green.
About the Author: Ken Gierke is retired and has lived in Missouri since 2012, when he moved from Western New York, where the Niagara River fostered a love for nature. He writes primarily in free verse and haiku, often inspired by hiking and kayaking. His poetry has been published or is forthcoming both in print and online in such places as Ekphrastic Review, Amethyst Review, Silver Birch Press, Trailer Park Quarterly, The Gasconade Review, and River Dog Zine. Glass Awash, published by Spartan Press, is his first collection of poetry. His website: https://rivrvlogr.com/
Image Credit: “Nachtconcert van Thelonious Monk in het Concertgebouw Datum” (1961) Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia, CC0
As It Ought To Be 
