Flying Island

Blue of the Blue by Terry Ofner Sky between branches of blooming Nanking cherry— After thirty-five years, the youth in my chest loses custody of the eyes. The blue of the blue dress she wore on the day we met. Bio: Terry Ofner grew up in Iowa not far from the Mississippi River. He holds degrees from the University of Iowa, where he attended the undergraduate Iowa Writer's Workshop in poetry. He is currently an editor for an educational publishing company. He has published poems in World Order, 100 Words, Eclectica, and Right Hand Pointing. His poem "Mama Carving" won first place in the Interboard Poetry Community Contest, January 2015 (Ned Balbo, judge). He is drawn to themes of nature and family and is working on his first collection of poems.

Brazen Bull by C. Schneider There are many times when my eyes go empty And I’ll find myself in the woods of Bosnia Ducking through the ancient trunks As the snaps of bullets clap past my ears I remember the splinters most vividly The sight of the bark as it split and shattered The sound of screams and eerie quiet between The smell of ash, the taste of iron, and the sight Of sanguine ink rolling over green leaves. Heralded the hero upon my return A statue raised in my honor A bronze likeness, my own brazen bull. Some nights I wish I’d never left To have my body burned reduced to dust No soul escapes war pure and pristine. We carry with us the soot of that horrid fight. I am left to my one recurring dream Standing in the forest of falling ashes I ask the dead if honor matters The silence is their answer. Bio:  C. Schneider is a recent graduate from Indiana University holding a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He plans to obtain a ...

Bloodbath by Jay S Zimmerman in shade-drawn darkness you feel your way the walls smooth, cool              remembering Sunday mornings              sitting on the front porch              chest naked              she wearing nearly nothing              watching sunrises              the color of bellinis you feel the oak banisters oiled and shaped by hands of ancient Mariners                     memories of red moon nights              ...

Anchored by Dale Patterson Reeds porcupine the back of grey sky. Rain dimples the lake. Minnows are lovers tucked into drifts of settling silt. A pickerel suspends like a U-boat an inch from the surface flexes its gills, opens a mouth of pin needle teeth. Father says persevere and curses the bites of a thousand mosquitoes. Jing Ting, his frog colored lure again and again. Bio: Dale Patterson is a visual artist and poet living in Indiana. His work has been published in many online and print journals; the most recent appearing in: Pilgrimage, The Tower Journal, The Museum of Americana, The Lake, Short Fast and Deadly and Midwestern Gothic. A more complete listing of Dale’s work can be seen on his website at http://dalepattersonart.com/