Calcutta, 1974 by Susan Isla Tepper

                             (In memory)

Outside the terminal

lining the streets congested

by heat and car fumes—

The desperate.

Blocking zig-zagging taxis

in sheer numbers,

the begging women pleading

to sell their babies—

Arms outstretched

like holding a bread loaf.

One black dot on my pale

wall signifies nothing.

A perfect round ink splotch

from the day you shook

the printer cartridge—

squeezing out the last bits.

The women in Calcutta

wore the same dot.

A perfectionist

you had wanted to repaint.

I told you to forget it.

Susan Isla Tepper is a twenty years published writer in all genres. Her current project is an Off-Broadway Play on the subject of art and life.

Battle of the Bulge By Doug Holder

For Lawrence J. Holder

soldiers in trees

lament to crosby's

white christmas

men wear corsages of blood.

war, that bright

vivid. red affliction

a flying hand

bitch slaps

his mess kit

a horrific side dish--

men mock the

geneva convention

and put their pistols

to the craniums

of German soldiers

the innocent

eyes of young men

clouded with jaded dust

the artillery

bombs their ears

and will do so

for years....

Doug Holder is the co-president of the New England Poetry Club, and the founder of the Ibbetson Street Press. He teaches creative writing at Endicott College, and his work has appeared in Molecule, Soul-lit, Worcester Review, South Florida Poetry Journal and more..

Co-President of the New England Poetry Club

Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene   http://dougholder.blogspot.com

Ibbetson Street Press  http://www.ibbetsonpress.com

Poet to Poet/Writer to Writer  http://www.poettopoetwritertowriter.blogspot.com

Doug Holder CV http://www.dougholderresume.blogspot.com

Doug Holder's Columns in The Somerville Times

https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/?s=%22Doug+Holder%22&x=0&y=0

Doug Holder's collection at the Internet Archive   https://archive.org/details/@dougholder

THE DANCE By Strider Marcus Jones

pull the roof off

knock the walls down

touch the forest

climb those mountains

and smell the sea

again.

 

watch how life

decomposes

in death

going back to land

to reform and be reborn

as something and someone else.

 

there's no great secret to it all.

no need to overthink it through

 

food and shelter

fire and shamens

clothes and coupling

used to be enough

with musicians

artists

and poets

interpreting the dance.

 

then warriors with armies

religions with god

and minds buying and selling

stole the landscape

and changed time.

 

smash the windows

break down the doors

melt the keys

rub evil words from their spells

and puncture the lungs of their wheels

 

before they kidnap you from bed

call you dissident

hold you without charge

wheel you out on a stretcher

from waterboard torture

for years 

without trial

in Guantanamo Bay.

 

they are selling

the sanctuary

we made

with our numbers

bringing back chains

making some of us slaves

outside the dance

in the five coloured rings

making winners

and losers

holding flags and flames.

Strider Marcus Jones – is a poet, law graduate and former civil servant from Salford,

England with proud Celtic roots in Ireland and Wales. He is the editor and publisher of

Lothlorien Poetry Journal https://lothlorienpoetryjournal.blogspot.com/. A member of

The Poetry Society, his five published books of poetry  https://stridermarcusjonespoetry.wordpress.com/ reveal a maverick, moving between cities, playing his saxophone in smoky rooms.

  

His poetry has been published in numerous publications including: The Huffington

Post USA; The Stray Branch Literary Magazine; Crack The Spine Literary

Magazine;The Lampeter Review and Dissident Voice.