I am often mistaken for a tiny biting inset. No one cares to know my taxonomic name. The term “midge” will suffice. Any little two-winged fly can be a midge. There are highland midges and phantom midges, midges with affectionate nicknames like “punkies” and “no-see-ums.”—from “13 Considerations of the Holy Bug,” Volume . . .
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A small crushed garter snake lay belly up on the warm road. A baby maybe. I was cruising downhill in my manual wheelchair on a gently winding road in upstate New York when I encountered it—my very first roadkill. I passed it, then pushed back up a few yards to investigate.—from “You . . .
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cum on in / to my big show / dnt b shy / but dnt look down / wut do you make / of my image—from “diagnosing,” Volume 63, Issue 4 (Winter 2022) Tell us about one of the first pieces you wrote.In second grade, I pasted pictures of flowers I cut . . .
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In an attempt to escape another 5AM / got sick stayed sick hospital memory / pink coat phlebotomist posed with puncture / a butterfuly needle to draw 4 vacutainers of / hard to pull hard to flow blood jam / in an attempt to point pain—from “denominator-mandate,” Volume 63, Issue 4 (Winter . . .
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It might take yearsTo win your heart.To grab a beerWould be a start.–Paul Muldoon ‘Twas in Limerick, Ireland, was bornThis rollicking, frolicsome formThat refuses the haughty(But relishes naughty)In light, triple rhythms adorned. On St. Patrick’s Day, let’s turn to AleWith a triply delicious regal-ing of tasty dark brewsI’ve selected for youFor this . . .
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I workthe soil it echoes with the footsetps of the worldI make my body tremble like a fallen leaf and sinkand I thirst for words of life which may bud in tomorrow’s loam—from “Loam” by Shiki Itsuma, Translated by John Newton Webb, Volume 63, Issue 4 (Winter 2022) Tell us about one . . .
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Five minutes later and I was already regretting going with him. I fell behind, uneasy. I hoped he wouldn’t notice, that he’d carry on walking. But he stopped and turned around. It seemed he wouldn’t move an inch until I was right beside him. His smile read catch up, quick. I told . . .
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A Review of Nights of Plague by Orhan Pamuk. Translated from Turkish by Ekin Oklap. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2022. Orhan Pamuk is the first Turkish Nobel laureate for literature. His work focuses on Turkish culture and history, using labyrinthine plots, an overload of detail, operatic flights of imagination, and tongue-in-cheek word play. . . .
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Because of my poor hearingtwo old friends thinkthey can make mischiefin front of me.—From “I Blacklisted Two Old Friends” by Zuo You, Translated by Yi Zhe, Volume 63, Issue 4 (Winter 2022) Tell us about one of the first pieces you translated.Zuo You has suffered from a hearing impairment at the age . . .
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Rebecca Kaiser Gibson’s novel,The Promise of a Normal Life, is out now from Arcade Press. Her poem “Osmosis” was featured in our Summer 2021 issue. Climate Issue contributor Joseph Earl Thomas’ memoir, Sink, is out now with Grand Central Publishing. Joseph was also a part of our Climate Issue reading available for viewing . . .
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