We carry

by Rachel R. Baum we stand barefoot on Texas soil, branded by tire treads             we have license to carry we got taco stands, Buc-ees, oil rigs, guns and ammo             we have concealed carry license we drive jacked-up 4 x 4 trucks with rear-racked shotguns              we have permitless carry we wear baseball hats, … More We carry

WHY I’LL NEVER OWN AN AR-15 EVEN THOUGH MIKE FLYNN’S “ARMY OF GOD” HAS SET ITS SIGHTS ON ME

by B. Fulton Jennes October 25, 2022 Warning: this poem contains graphic images of gun violence and the names of children and adults shot and killed in the Sandy Hook, Uvalde, Columbine, and Stoneman Douglas mass shootings. Because meat bleeds. Because we all know guns aren’t toys. Because the only difference between men and boys … More WHY I’LL NEVER OWN AN AR-15 EVEN THOUGH MIKE FLYNN’S “ARMY OF GOD” HAS SET ITS SIGHTS ON ME

Pilate at Uvalde

by Richard Krawiec Somewhere past the middle of the video, 57 minutes in, maybe between bullet 79 and 80, perhaps after the 18th or 19th child screamed its death, the sheriff at the end of the hallway casually crossed to the hand sanitizer, gave it 3 squirts, lathered it around assiduously, long enough to hum … More Pilate at Uvalde

Cemetery

by Deborah Bogen Sorrow-hewed, this box was built to house my sister’s boney limbs–the bones of the box meant to shelter hers, but by and by even boxes decay, so the body that housed her once-hot heart will lay exposed. Returned to clay. The priest spoke words. A cold rain fell. All over the cemetery … More Cemetery

The Killdeer

by Lynne Paris-Purtle   On his first day of school, my son sat on the bus, his head stretched high, to peer out the grimy window. Around his neck hung a plastic tag with his name and address, but he couldn’t read, so he told the driver over and over who he was and where he … More The Killdeer