novel excerpt || Brian S. Hart

from The Diamond Kings of Clarence Checkeredfish

     <The young girl begins to wander about the sidewalk, as if she’s in a world all by

herself. Sometimes she imagines the library to be other things…>

     “What’s he doing with these?” Charlie Plume asked of the assortment.

Physicsto…y…oungEinstein10shakin’…playin’…wayscar…r…ed…t’relat…vi…ol’…in

…princeto…y…jokin’…“Nex’…t’…” Mexico

“…raga!”…!AHAH!oleGodel66…rab’rouser…conquerin’…A-

team…log…wit’…lacticmilk!…laug…hin’…“’Onor Mande…lbrot!”…Duke-card-

bl…u…inkin’!…quarta’handontheclock.

     A fair question! Not a lot of sense to all of it! The Captain searched the field and came

up with a good-size twig. He had Antoine Éléphant hold it horizontally. He reached into

his soldier pants and pulled out various strings, then maneuvered Charlie Plume’s hands

into tying the objects to the wood, each one hanging from a separate locale. He lifted the

contraption onto Charlie Plume’s thumb and slid it back and forth until he found the

balance point, where all of the torques summed to zero.

    

     Then with a little extra help from the breeze…!

     Behold! A mobile! Good early morning exercise! An example! Of +- force! ’N’.

Radius. ’N’. Right-hand rule! What if all the weights are equal? Where’s gravity

measured from? Space teacher

inspir…A…IR…l…in’…R…2n…B…e…A…ntown…pitcha’:batta’…liont’a…mer’…3

4000!!…ya’mus’mean…sooveral!!!thatta’…ton…o’…water!!!!Éléphant…st…ar…t’g…

u…e…s…x…y…L-phone…wordplay…o’Mulberry-

like…peac…e…t…c…enter…DC…O…th’…mas …se…e…s…u…oo…ntobe17 grand

learner.

     [Scene 4. “He had the boys and girls do “group lab-reports” when it was all over,”

said Muscles, approvingly.]

     Charlie Plume laughed.

     This “preliminary” over, it was time for more serious discussion. Antoine Éléphant

took Charlie Plume aside for a short stroll to discuss the recent state of affairs.

     The Captain overheard only small bits of the conversation through the brisk air, his

mind engaged again on the beginnings of Charlie Plume’s painting. |What would be the

nuts and bolts of it?|

     “The Rev. Ely’s…” |If a train moves on a frictionless track at the same velocity v₀, it

experiences no sensation of motion to the conductor. Suppose the conductor stands and

holds a charge q in the palm of his hand! A ground observer watches the train go by.

HAHA!|

poem || Jeff Harrison

Become Porphyry
 
slowly literary
contrary antiquarian
slowly literary
cohere
cohere
contrary antiquarian
cohere
slowly literary
  days dropping day by drop by day become semblance to seas
 
fed whole into literature
fed whole into literature
doubled to divide
probable porphyry
plausible porphyry
doubled to divide
possible porphyry
fed whole into literature
  Phoebus of these days become Poseidon of these seas
 
cephalophore maintains
hourglass soliloquy
cephalophore maintains
hourglass soliloquy
hourglass soliloquy
torso and crown
cephalophore maintains
torso and crown
  Pieria become Leucothoe; Hippocrene, Palaemon
 
decapitated leviathan
your body yet writhes
decapitated leviathan
tail in mouth
your body yet writhes
tail in mouth
tail in mouth
decapitated leviathan
  Phoebus of these days become Poseidon of these seas
 
drop, Phoebus
drop, Phoebus
Pieria become Leucothoe
Pieria become Leucothoe
Pieria become Leucothoe
Hippocrene, Palaemon
Hippocrene, Palaemon
drop, Phoebus
  days dropping day by drop by day become semblance to seas

pome || Billy Bob Beamer

POMEfr DiSclosure,

Pt11 fo r tony

 

and sp  ace and do

                mounted,

stories being married

long songs fro lamin in

  , disc losure       .tattle

 

rave on stars. ell e ell ou

see e ost ul nar fin  gerag

ainst long walk.  Bleached

 

wing with    ,    neuroballink

bled.  pronounce grit s harm

my way.. throat gougeasphalt

                           a  ,fall. Planchet

Te. most ulnar finger  blud  join

 

flanBlank. Pa[i]r a               , normal

joints sticky pulse.  Found ther soh

her e                                                     ,

 

more precise applicationsoup oper a

sidesplitting   stilt crabbing figur etilt

space and moun tedalking  disg   uised noi

se.                                      stop by the dream.

An ti ou re elc omenin;’][][‘./// Sundark mo

Rnin.                                            Notch.can e...

 

Bl [s]eed............     ;’,[[[],-=0]==; ;’[]==/]’]’:”}{

text || Peter Ganick

extension's extension.
hundreded coalition nefarious plutocracy unit delicacy energetic amalgam foible thereins stratification emulator bovine alcove grapple indentifier plateau centrism either witnessing caliphate melee grommet algorithms icon arsenal nougat bricolage cool paradise ingredients tabasco elyssium garage denizen protege mollification ebony yammer sloka ventral incidence networking rural clime those repatriate melos deterrent alizarin quota mirror clavecin doubter singularity frisson toasty newtonian deterrent calzone prairie docent nitya crossfire niter salutation ember lissome grandiose aggregate metallism foreign settee listener script treadmilling evacuee snippet rally forthwritten laissez anachronism nil boats humdrum everlasting class elasticism venture abolish shiny consent treatments concentric lateral illbient cosmic liaison fullsome thatthen sombrero qualifier ovo lacto barnstorming eventualities goer agape feint greet window enigmatic iterate mention scars connote algorithm either watershed heedless ingenuity propitiate melodrama tier oversight hammering slices ghetto nodding shack hotmail principate merriment caliper ousia threefold scrawl introspection gradient snack fusillade rejoice hurdle noesis thatness wilds offertory whichwhy radical entrance pepperspray cold planet reecho thoseness agronomy thatthere surgical masquerades oblivious contingency took lotto psalter notifications wholesale ennui apperceive fellowship deign tartuffe agreeable tourniquet roller veneer lasix pliable corinthian melee oceanside vak mitten sthick evolute grin vatic orpheus delicacy nth otherwide alsace nothingness aveugle commissariat volunteerism gloaming surreal pincer thosethen singularize emplot coalition burnhole sample intention waits eeriest glare knish vend isnessless formal nothingness vak niter also cranium actualize mobility conjoin senna glitch loiterer echt noisome glacier tiers ballast heroiade volunter unique literature alignment coatlique nothing either donor listless agon scrupulous imaginary conjoin iterative lossless angiospastic embellishment anisette cloven niter empty amulet poot ampoule grandiose fontanelle vineyarded sledge malleably coefficient magnet unit trail enough trial nebbish qualiton vajra improbably coefficient listless empathy coincide lemma traduce otherwise palladium evoke sal de manger rooftop suitor eventual reptilar grossteste vein listlessness where streaming foof tilde remix everywhere icarus plateau nobis plato vouchsafe neither annotate nothingnesses wildfire gland neither plotting spatial resurrection liaison gracious patter visible negotiate emeritus hammock variable ubiquitous leitmotif alhambra specular noema feud aleut femur blankly oversight noon trochees enrichment populus granny nocturnes edit narrow costumed lysis thosethen sumptuous laguna steppe callow ousia coccyx feldenkreis thatthere synergetic alabaster smattering evasion parlance topiary nominal coefficients elan seriograph integral posthumous granite alternative nothingness wakeful thosethere isness applique mode svelte parole langue stricture doubter adorable waterscreen paucity embollism traduction evaluate motto snicker palladium screenwriter anothers worldview promulgate avalanche doubt stepped inverse rehearse volitionary palette mogul tiramisu going foible thatthere sprechstimmungen alas gneiss tariff ousia there strum ptarmigan sped utterly wherethan shine tilde mapping streetwise accumulate nevertheless opaque motto aslant virgule paradigmmatic elixir voter slat nutmeg marionette caveat button slices action merely occasional environ niceties labored glory aboutface silences delimit snippet realismo corrigible thankful seizure rooftop veto siding lassoed vesuvius enough retirement occasion premeditated silence reigning illicit illbient nova clos trendy another ivory pale snowfall equatorial verbatim alchemic doubter nominal coefficient sere than tint valse tocatta mirror agendas ceiling name remote agnihotra nescience tolerably oceanic liaison foreigning assurance preop cultivate mortise vanguardism orphan ichor unfold jitney forgone transient masala overture alsoran publican temper fenestrate mughal reopen inscrutability memoranda finesse clair de lundy ocean straits olde gold agnosis tempus fugit regain slightly presentation emergent mignon rendezvous denote novena bureaucracy dowse bought venetian glasseyed marionette site vacancy proliferating engulf to unglue forensic delft hooplah enigmatic bubbles thorough surreal fitness sorghum finale topicality retentive smooth asana purification blousing aboriginal scintillate mesmerization peaceful existence nos middle agendas from middling epochs nothing wealth increases defensive presumption liaison feint amaze tentatively prolation empowerment closure neither waste notify borrowers elite mentalize itemizers delay brochures delineated motion slurry potash gneiss tamperproof utterly absolute

haibun || Sheila E. Murphy

She wears negative green, a necklace pale against her skin

looks bladed in. We had a conversation once. Bereft of

a philosophy. Each moment in that room slapped itself out

of a stifling boredom. She was sneaking out into the corridor

where everyone applauded her opposing view. Here's how

she decided what she was, whose fault and so forth. Every

tip of midnight she would gather back as though a ball of

string had rolled into the room where cats slept, for it was

their room. When photographs emerged, cats were revealed

where you might like to see some flowers. She feigned

ignorance of her signature unhappiness until I promised

I would frown with her for several hours if she would just

agree to be erased from my mentality for good. I'm often

only blunt enough to lift into the sky when chase vehicles

approach in search of a balloon. A fat enough balloon to

make the wizard seem a reasonable person. Any day now

you are going to see me go to work in my own home. I plan

on being far from all the little pins she keeps to make sure

no one has the requisite supply of air for possibliities.

Crawfish, laminated shuffling, onlookers, the world of

not enough attention

Sheila E. Murphy

pome || Bily Bob Beamer

POMEaplaige

Ð POME. Ð com 'x mitEápen gÒ'  g\;

ono flÇŸux Åse. prin 'Ç'Ạt Ťranige

do;']rumaÐ ic¾˜ e Ç'. t i ĈΉḾÄ--Å

 ;;,[ ...ran[i]ge one planter stumpÒ glos

throat sashee pulchin gast ful dome 2c

prin 'Ç'Ạmarking dimp les dommers ha

rang[u]e hisspit tleformcarpet dru nkdi sh

ÇŸux cr u x fingers poek sharp imnlement

trashiorianian daoplushblus finding wompl

ers cabitheave neit cavecorncrac kertch  plu

gÒ' gÒ etc gomdof flrout flee meo sidwa ki 3

 

rumaÐ runmen 4 doin grtec ΉḾėÅkmis

text || John Crouse

from REFRAINS

 

 

Embrace potential grasping, dastard dread fearful wince embarrassed snap. Talent
Covert, craggy, cross smash want relish, delirious
Squeak fashion imaginative creedence conceivable. Believe worthy trusting
Belief brook insult criminal maim, deformed conjuncture crisp measure critic
Exact censure inspection crony.

Twisted fruit mix duck boast masses coronet graceless, ferocious kindness
Jot champ smash yowl, puzzling elect guilty seed, tillage elevating
Cumbersome openness. Check help marvel interrogative current
Ban cursory short condense, curtain crook pillow custodian
Indifference rule everyday.

Top undeveloped, greedy milquetoast dismay, timorous flinch sheepish
Crack. Skill clever rough crank shatter crave, appetite idiotic
Creak engender creative faith credible apprehend.

Gullible deed creek offense gangster limping pinch, brittle criterion
Slanderer momentous blame chum zigzag mow interbreed crouch
Brag cramp apex crude.

Inhuman compassion shred nibble crush yell, cryptic cull blameworthy
Cultivate educational, bulky foxiness curb cure curiosity uninterested,
Antiquated curse deep brusque curtail, drapery deflect
Keeper disregard routine.

Lid explicit acquisitive cad fright, yellow tremble outgoing, break saltine
Profession underhand sleek testy dash renounce longing rational disband.

Mystical denial inconceivable debt suspicious performance aggression hobbing
Exigency calm chance. Defamer hypercritical adversary bent reaping cheerful
Populace skull genteel, malignant crumb bawl occult reject. Teach handy,
Incite common swear blunt gradual shade stiffen guardian neglect usual overlay.

Veil visible avaricious hero fearlessness terror quail, daring biscuit shrewd 
Renunciation tempered disgust, demented ordain literal merit. Discreditable
Rivulet morality culprit robust equilibrium frail principle condemning approve,
critique stranger yield mingle throng bulk sob unclear aid. Amazement queer
boon profound friendly abbreviate defect.

haibun || Sheila E. Murphy

Here is what I do (is what I am). I take the driver's test online, first time in six years, only this time in the ether, near a cup of coffee, strip searching the internet

for what it caught today and let go as reflexively as though it were a fisherman.

And what I am is what I may not do again: urge motivation, when the feeling

is not mutual. All feeling has to brush up against repeat signs that would  onfiscate a freedom once proposed. The only people I'm uncomfortable with are those who do not fathom what they have become. Is what they are the same as what they do? Only their atmospheric subcommittees know for sure. A surety bond becomes a coma that belongs to someone else. A comma that beleaguers English teachers who would rather be in Bali for a time. The metronomes around us seem sub-par, likely due to makers. Marks upon the sides of buildings tell us

we are only children who will be identified as wearers of a signature gold watch.

Today someone I love called me an adult. I don't know what I do (is what

I am against the grain). The rain pressed into service all across a continent. The

fervor and the whipsaw and the citizen's arrest prompted by all play no work.

Everywhere the continent abides is how we follow compass points as though we liked the voice of GPS Jermane. Now quizzical repudiation tells one person she's a different model from the other. We thought we would keep a hundred of this brand before our sentences ran out. She was a mood all by herself. The recollective playthings that endowed her faultline with a strip one might accuse of interruption. Here is what I was, the verb to be alerting me to take back each prediction and live something quite unplanned. I do the things I threaten I would say if you failed to intercept my reflexes from selves of worn out nickames of one syllable. For now the course is not best practice, merely promising, yet on the list. Her mania is how I threaten to survive. There'll be a downside any day now. I am hunched within the basement cabinets, holding a short candle and a dish. Can opener right near the metal cabinet where these soups have lived as long as I.

Unsyncopated outcomes, the anticipated curve of vowels once bounded by their

consonants, a broth, an engine, the failure of cease and desist

Sheila E. Murphy

two poems || Peter Ganick

some coalition.

recurs each networking laissez faire
cohere ghosts denuded parse took
sentences thereof canceled ironclad
throughput the raison d'etre similar
pretense corrected forcefully---

typical memory snapped energetically
the remembrance offering slackness
one starring occasion that reopens
delayed from ascent opaquely
motto scientism valedictory---

constancy illuminated at night
redirect on seismic operations
a commonality wherehow inverts
amalgams more futurist leaning---

acadame travels hidden redux than
an apportisement wanes durably
coated each spatial incident--
another recording savors details
denoting baron snippets
one salvo than the servatron overcast---

stet to the random condition--
somewhere on float either sandbar
calling occasion rendezvous thoughtful
recidivist numeral special congeries--

laboring etiquette as summarization
forming queues those stolid partitions
amassed through sublation from than
as residue--footfalls winding stellate
through senescent aimlessness---

contact willingly persist--energy opened
grommets wallflower nevertheless
sturgeon middle-class torque
than thereins reduce awareness
to pinpoint accuracy delayed nor fastened---

---------------------

awareness contingency.

got trailings from epater les bourgeoise--
the dance and adance coefficients emerge
nacre outer hospitality brushes deluges
from haeccity somewhere in space--

tilt certes--as a locution thereintofore
scrutable the opaque than enlists--

the grit offering cadres luminescence
trash vetoed whittling stones
with icicles--a capture to select---

where and how is unknown formatting
suchness recently iffifies concentric
amounts deploying scenarios ludically
opaque--a child insequent storm-fed
amidst a burly hammerklavier--

wouldnt intention sober the dacha
immersing cogency tallus an email
outward thoughtful
jitney opaque so aware to sleep
to dream to dream that is the question---

--------------------

poem || Ross Brodie

Retina Flag

Girls eyes

Flick ensemble

I'm not a candidate 

For retina attraction flag,

Reject

She runs

Escapes vision

Predators pant harder

Search in frenzied patterns for her

Nothing

Perverts

Interconnect

Their Web of links and bytes 

Model a fine reproduction 

It works

The girl

original

Meets her carbon copy

And she is forced to interact  

For them

poems || Felino A. Soriano

from Of language|s| the rain speaks

21.

dismissive

as the curtain-reveal of

part time diligence

enveloping miracles:

of the moving grayness

solitary

speech becoming spoken

elemental fusions

the angular ornaments

of the landing numerals

etching wet

miracles

drawn by windwoven

handmade certainty this

moment of clarity

obtains

22.

death in spiraled contours,

mentoring of emotional

retinas, logic expanding

partial reform then

circular diversion

a self upon self

reenactment of

deliberate dissipation

23.

diversion of declining

devotion

                        the

                                                stutter of structure misinforms

                                    or

misinterprets

                                                            predicated fathoms within

spectral glances at a

sudden depth’s elongated

soil or melancholy palm,

                        ob

              sc

                              u

                                    re

poems || John M. Bennett

pac ha

ree am c lot h int

imate ,if leaking ,gro

cery bag the ,slimy

man goes gle am be

n eat h the fauce t

f all my face the

s ink you get it  ?ra

w angle lurk yr cel

ery b urns be fore s

uch wind ow bus

y c ream  !my w all

th ickens  ]]mild ew

,the fadi ng br ick[[

where I loomed inside

the shutter and the c

licking ter mite spelled

my tes tive pat h

corónica ,drippings w

rapped an st reaming

on the peak

hu ll

ax the shorter leg gate

tepid string winding through

the crow d amp b rea th

st rung my c raze f lag

end os copic  ))shadow((

outhaled the x chlam y

día fórmico de hor

migas el a cido orondo

,mili pédico ,fangromántico

an thum bless ,where the

hinges stream  )the scat

tered sky ‘ ‘  ‘   ‘    ‘     ‘      ‘       ‘

bested hug an nadafocante

))fly yr shirt

)))dusty seems

  

mil pa

dringk the rat the chlowder

day bort er maze or

maize yr maízy mu

teness sleeped inside

the dingle mot ,h ,ot

her all was ,indyclept

,sh aped the f loppy gl

ass c-clamp on my he

ad that razorblade be

tween my toes that

hammer in my back

spoke ot ro dent

)spoke the rotting clam

))and walked out from the

st st st st st st st st st st st st   alks