Bobby's Mother

      ©Scott Tammaro 2014

Scott Tammaro is 52 years old & still breathing. In between breaths he's been known to make lots of art (photos, collages, writings) that no one has really seen much of. He's mostly self-taught but did earn his BFA in Fine Arts from Youngstown State University in 2009. He's the official flaneur/jester/skypilot @ The Universe, & a right time fool zen moment lunatic and (often) an undependable clod rushing around on adrenaline running around in circles wondering if LOVE & KINDNESS is going to save the world or not. He loves candy & talks too much.

PROPERTY

      © Marko Davidović

1. 

In the light

I keep thinking about the way

you keep your thumb hooked in

the belt loop of my jeans, like you have me on

a leash, like you own me. I’m not sure I don’t like it.

2. 

In the dark

I lie on top, your skin grazes mine. I breathe

your scent, burrow in your flesh, forehead

flush against your belly, eager

mouth fellating your cock. So this is love!

3.  

In the even darker

Go ahead. Push me

down. Pin my wrists. Wedge your knees between my

thighs; pry me open. You know

you want to explore my corridor, my

antechamber, my presidential suite. There’s a basket

of fruit on my D-cup titties, Veuve Clicquot in my ‘fridge.

4. 

In the winter

You like fucking on top of the sheets, heater off,

windows open to remind us we’re still breathing. I

can see your breath, its smoke - and mirrors.

 5. 

In the cut

I keep thinking about the way

you keep me under your thumb.

“Yes,” you say. “This is love.”

And I’m not sure I don’t like it.

-by Alexis Rhone Fancher

Alexis Rhone Fancher’s work can (or soon will) be found in Rattle, The MacGuffin, Fjords Review, The Chiron Review, Good Men Project, Bloom Literary Journal, Poeticdiversity, Little Raven, This Is Poetry: Women of the Small Presses, Slipstream, The Mas Tequila Review, Broadzine!, H_NGM_N and elsewhere. She has been published in over twenty anthologies and chapbooks, both in the U.S. and abroad. She is the author of, “How I Lost My Virginity To Michael Cohen and Other Heart Stab Poems,” (Sybaritic Press, 2014.) Since 2013 Alexis has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and a Best of the Net award. She is poetry editor of Cultural Weekly. She and her husband, live and collaborate in a loft/studio space in downtown Los Angeles. They have a spectacular view.

Painting Courtesy: Marko Davidović

Marko Davidović was born in belgrade, 1981, finished Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, 2005, in Graphic Design. Had 4 solo exhibitions and several group ones with some awards for graphic, graphic design, painting, drawing, own made font and calligraphy.

Dreaming the death of a pervert

                   © Simón Vázquez           

death was in the

men’s room reading

as i dreamt of

my dead self lying

on the cold white

porcelain floor

as the water runs

from the open faucet

my faded khaki pants

down below my knees

and cum all over the

pearly white bowl

and the employees

rush on to see

leaving their tables

flooded with phone calls

with the receptionist

almost fainting

our janitor screaming

" dead " in bangla

the bosses sneezing

glued on sales figures

together with the others

I will look at myself

laughing and say,

" what a way to go ! "

then i’ll wash and dry my

hands and drink some water

and walk back to my table

and continue threading

between hard life, sudden

death and lucid dreams

and make damn sure of

feeding the green machine.

-by Anggo Genorga

Anggo Genorga  was born and raised in the Philippines and i'm currently juggling numbers and sales figures on a telemarketing gig here in Dubai. He has a chap cookin' with Catfish McDaris & some of his poems were featured in Boston Poetry Magazine, Empty Mirrors, Mad Swirl, Piggpenn, Silver Birch Press and the recently released poetry book for benefit Verses Typhoon Yolanda : A Storm Of Filipino Poets from Meritage Press.

Painting Courtesy: "Muy Fun" by Simón Vázquez  

Simón Vázquez (Barcelona, 1979) started in the field of animation and studied at the School 9zero. But soon he turned to Arts, and  studied at Barcelona Llotja. After engaging in illustration, he led himself to painting and sculpture, and  he has been doing  exhibitions  for years  at the galleries of Spain and abroad.

Iron Jaw

      © Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee

he wants to spit the gum out

but I won’t let him

he’s been chewing the same piece 

for forty five minutes

but I don’t care

when he can chew it two hours

consistently I’ll let him

spit it out and put

the masticated wad

back in the freezer

until tomorrow

then he will chew on it

another two hours

there will come a time

my son will have

a jaw of iron

no punch will dissuade him

no blow render him

unconscious

he will be tough

the way I became tough

and he will thank me

eventually

-by Karl Koweski

Karl Koweski remains an enemy of the Amish, having launched peanut brittle boycotts in 12 Mennonite communties.  His poems and stories can be found here and there.  His collection of short stories Blood and Greasepaint remains available and his latest Kockblockers will be out in November.

Photo Courtesy: Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee

Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee lives in Kolkata and barely survives his insufferable job as an IT professional through poetry, photography and whiskey.

Tuk Tuk

       © Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee

It is

annoyingly gratifying

that

auto rides

can be

intensely erotic.

She is big,

her thighs sit

firmly against yours,

your shoulders rub

with hers,

elbow lurks

near her breasts

you wonder

if she likes

it;

to be locked

in flesh

knee to shoulder,

close

in sharp turns,

grateful for

the centri-whatever

force

which gives me more of you.

Your hair flies into

my face

Smells of shampoo

We breathe in

the same

dust and smoke,

our arms exchange

sweat

and

i hope

to make small talk.

Wish that

you wouldn't take

time,

to undress

after a drink or two

maybe talk about

a book or two

and leave me

alone

post fuck.

and then

we screech to a halt.

she pays for the ride.

her lover,

waits by the sidewalk

his t-shirt says:

"pizzatarian"

-by Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee

Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee lives in Kolkata and barely survives his insufferable job as an IT professional through poetry, photography and whiskey.

Photo Courtesy: Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee

Truth, Dare or Drink

                     © Jocelyne Desforges

truth was my go-to choice;

but I got into the Cuervo

and began selecting dares:

running through dorm halls

in just my underwear,

licking raspberry jelly

off of a girl's nipples,

making out with every

other player, among

many others.

the tequila was gone and

so were our minds;

I woke up the next morning

in a bed full of naked

people I didn't know:  a

girl with two cocoa nipples

peeking out from

a hot pink tube top

rested her hand across my

bare crotch, a brassiere

fashioned to my head

like a pair of goggles

a twisted assortment of

smiling vaginas and

bare bottom crack

cheeks gazed back

at me; a flaccid

uncircumcised penis

winked from above and

said "good morning"

to me in a chipmunk

voice, a vicious and

maddening hangover

brewing.

we never played that

game again.

-by Kevin Ridgeway

Kevin Ridgeway is from Southern California, where he resides with his girlfriend and their one-eyed cat.  Recent work can be found or is forthcoming in Chiron Review, Re)verb, Kleft Jaw, Mojave River Review, Illya's Honey and East Jasmine Review, among many others.  His latest chapbook of poetry, All the Rage, is now available from Electric Windmill Press.

Painting Courtesy: "Jam" by Jocelyne Desforges

Jocelyne Desforges lives in Montreal, BA in Creation from UQAM, studied at The Institute of Applied Arts of Mtl and at the Fine Arts School of Montreal. Studied painting, silkscreening, ceramics and photography.

Jimmers

                        © Marko Davidović

weighed 90 pounds soaking wet

wearing hawaiian shirts

open chested

in the middle of february

eating cold cans of clam chowder

as he marched down the hall

like paul bunyan’s skeleton

after dinner

                          with the donner party

a conquering warlord

he sold smack and dime bags

on credit to hustlers, poets

& wayward ballerinas

when he wasn’t climbing

the walls

like spiderman

to avoid imaginary police raids

or working part time

in his father’s butcher shop

to appear respectable

or telling stories

about his time in prison

while playing an acoustic guitar

with no strings

or having sex

loud enough to wake the dead

and give them a little something

to help them make it

through the night.

-by John Dorsey

John Dorsey is the author of several collections of poetry, including “Teaching the Dead to Sing: The Outlaw’s Prayer” (Rose of Sharon Press, 2006), “Sodomy is a City in New Jersey” (American Mettle Books, 2010), “Tombstone Factory” (Epic Rites Press, 2013), and most recently, “Natural Selection: Early Poems” (Kilmog Press, 2014). His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He may be reached at archerevans@yahoo.com.

Painting Courtesy: Marko Davidović

Marko Davidović was born in belgrade, 1981, finished Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, 2005, in Graphic Design. Had 4 solo exhibitions and several group ones with some awards for graphic, graphic design, painting, drawing, own made font and calligraphy.

The Helmet

      © Silpinwita Das

He didn’t take off his helmet

when he parked his scooter and

entered into the bookshop, where both heavy and light weight

books were displayed in the showcase.

He’s got the wisdom, I thought, a BOOKSHOP is the most

injury prone area in the city where you must

wear a helmet to save your day.

-by Nilimesh Dutta

Nilimesh Dutta lives in Kolkata. He writes very seldom, and writes in Bengali alternative little magazines.

Painting Courtesy: Silpinwita Das

Silpinwita  Das lives in Kolkata and did her Master’s from Kalabhavana, Santiniketan in Graphic art. She is currently involved in an Indian traditional textile art with natural dye called Kalamkari. She can be reached at silpinwita@gmail.com.

Daily grind

                                 © Marko Davidović

you want to throw something at the sun

for being so punctual

here you are, rumpled on the bed

awake again and still alone

dreams tumbled back

under the blankets where your hand

rests on your sex, bored with the thought

of even trying for a feeling

being alive

makes you sick today

and you want to call a stranger

masturbate while talking to him

about weather or the price of fuel

but the battery in your phone

has been dead for days, the cats

need feeding and you haven’t shaved your legs

for so long it’s going to take hours

or a wax job you can’t afford

thought of shopping in the Mall

makes you pull the blankets up

turn over

and slink back to sleep

-by Mercedes Webb-Pullman

Mercedes Webb-Pullman graduated from IIML Victoria University Wellington New Zealand with her MA in Creative Writing 2011. Her work appears online and in print (Danse Macabre, Turbine, 4th Floor, Swamp, Reconfigurations, The Electronic Bridge, poetryrepairs, Connotations Press, The Red Room, many anthologies, and her books  Ono, Looking for Kerouac, After the Danse, Numeralla Dreaming, Food 4 Thought, Tasseography and Bravo Charlie Foxtrot) She lives on the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand.

Painting Courtesy: Marko Davidović

Marko Davidović was born in belgrade, 1981, finished Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, 2005, in Graphic Design. Had 4 solo exhibitions and several group ones with some awards for graphic, graphic design, painting, drawing, own made font and calligraphy.

Topstoned

       © Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee

The black sea reflected night lightning

at the edges of the island.

A red horse swung upside down by legs

from sky gallows

as the crescent moon topstoned

a pyramid with Mars and Saturn.

Swimming in the dark I lost myself

in the salt waves

free to be nothing but the stillness drift

like a mothering mercy love.

-by John Swain

John Swain lives in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Red Paint Hill published his first collection, Ring the Sycamore Sky.

Photo Courtesy: Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee

Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee lives in Kolkata and barely survives his insufferable job as an IT professional through poetry, photography and whiskey.

When I was a tree

       © Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee

an intellectual goose bit me on the nut

as I was trying to be a tree

trying to practice silence

I wish I had legs to run

like all those trees who are running away

from this city.

-by Subhankar Das

Subhankar das is a poet, bookstore owner, and publisher of Bangla experimental materials. He produced six short films that have been honored at international film festivals, and has translated the works of Allen Ginsberg and Charles Bukowski in Bengali.

Photo courtesy: Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee

Debdatta 'Riju' Mukherjee lives in Kolkata and barely survives his insufferable job as an IT professional through poetry, photography and whiskey.

My Penis Has No Brain

Gazing into her hazel eyes where

the golden honey flecks swam, I

thought something has to give

With strong suspicions of having

a male clitoris between my ears

that controlled my lusty erections

I'd always walked on the dark path,

following the wind, listening to the

trees, watching the white crosses on

the hill and funerals in the spring

Laying my cards on the table for all

the pretty ladies, popping cherry gum,

turquoise roaches, killing with kindness

Iridescent flies on a bloated corpse, fat

monkeys, beavers in a woodpile, saber

tooth tigers, Eskimo snow ninjas

Just leave the porch lights on, front and

back, if you're lucky I'll stumble into 

neighborhood like Romeo on Viagra.

-by Catfish McDaris

Catfish McDaris has been active in the small press wold for 25 years. He lives in a cave at a nudist colony. His biggest seller is Prying: with Jack Micheline & Charles Bukowski. He has only 7 toes. 

Photo Courtesy: Janne Karlsson

Janne  Karlsson (1973) is a highly productive artist from Sweden. Over the years his dark and surreal work has tainted hundreds of publications. Janne's newest book The Human Unkind is available through Epic Rites Press. Janne's website is here: www.svenskapache.se