Hell's Gate

The Devil is real.
I dont care what you say.
You folk's will find out
Cause' someday you'll pay.
You can say what you want
You can do as you please.
But you ain't gonna laugh
When your soul get's seized.

I know what your thinkin',
"Another Hypocrite."
Well, go FUCK YOURSELVES!
I dont give a shit!
I'm aware of my past,
I know of my fate.
I'll be the doorman
When you get to Hell's gate.

by David Case

SUICIDE BEFORE UGLY GIRLS

If I had to walk down the street
with an ugly girl
that would kill me
boy, that would kill me
Thankfully, I got you
and you’re a real killer
concerning looks
boy, you really are
I’ve got to do my best
to keep you
cause all the other ones
before you
they were
the kinda dogs
you either gotta beat
or put down.
not you.

by Gary Smith

white tissue

fabricate this face
mold my body
carbon copy
double-sided
graveyard spreading
on both sides
of dirty highways
this may be a lie
but I’ll take all
I can get
for this weekend trip
spent with the priceless
immortal scientologists
chiro rehab specialists
chasing the sunrise
to out run the storm
hanging over my
abnormal curves
help me re-hydrate
like the swan
that set to Leda
cracking over jokes
told by a short Jew
do you want to view
my new webinar
to fascinate
your prostate
into tangible explosions
regenerating wounds
to spread from
the thigh
circling ‘round for
the counterfeit beauty
of my favorite love
swinging for both sides
singing, “by and by”
to rebuild the light
clicking traction
every two hours
a wake-up call
for the soft shelled
muscle spasm
knitting patterns
of star bright texture
up and over my eyes
to block out
the shinobi slumber
face-stuffing
eight pounds of gelatin
sliding, dang!-
liquefy the throat
forming elastic energy
to take the blow
from a bloated chewie
licking up the leaves
of diseased sage
cracking through
the summer mud
cleansing this space
in calm movements
whispering to the others
namaste
in foreign tongues
that stretch
from the root
to the sun spot
nestled in the glory
of the crown

by Kate Green

PLANT A RADISH

The first green sprout in my garden’s black,
quickly turns into a tangy snack.
Nutrition-less, they’re such a waste,
but some folks simply like their taste.
No Doctor touts their vitamin load,
but bugs avoid where radish are sowed.

by Gerald Bosacker

Lap Dog

maybe it was a mistake
to let in the gutter-toothed bird
with a funny man in toe
I’ve got my hindsight 20/20
not that it changes much
though it rocks the second speaker
to pump a blown-out sound
spitting in 3’s and 7’s
as I drool inside at the thought
of a red-headed Homme
knuckle deep in this
nectarine sunshine
that I’m hiding, well
in a deep, moist hole
it can roll over and over again
as long as it doesn’t
shake this dream loose
held in my dominant hand
passively wasting
fading into the tear
ripping marching stretches
in worn charcoal huggers
lapping up my malfunctions
broadcast in spiral streams
smell that sound
that’s what I wanna hear
let me be your mistake
the kind you cannot bear
not to make again
I can make it worth
the next five hundred miles
secret road trips and
back-room hot spots
for a fried-plantain smile
and some of momma’s
sweet summer grub
I’ve got it all wrapped
in shiny silver foil
don’t fool the bowl
to jump off the joint
it’s just another taste
of the morning glory
black boot sunrise
coming straight out of
the south ill

by Kate Green

TASTES LIKE FISH

come up for air
in scuba gear
looking for mermaids
to harpoon and dress
they like the rocks
by the lighthouse
i'm there, always
just when one is ready
to take a chance
with anybody
they look like women
they taste like fish

by Gary Smith

Anger Problem

She said that she would leave me.
If I didn't cool down.
She would pack up all her things
And move right out of town.
I'll have to thank her sister now
For helping her when she left.
Cause' if she didn't leave my house
I might of beat that bitch to death.

My anger problem left today.
She finally ran out of things to say.
It looks like I'll be happy now.
I got her to go away.
My anger problem left today.

She said that I have issues.
I'll admit that she was right.
If it wasn't for her mouth
I'd a been home more at night.
I'm glad for every hurtful word
That I ever said.
Cause' if I heard just one more word
I'd have a bullet in my head.

by David Case

ALBATROSS AT 3:38am

Look out for me
when I swing arms dangerous
in the shadow of your albatross
I get too lost and you're too god damned ready
for motherfucking anything.
Anything.
I try to turn you off
you come back
dripping
you find me while I'm sleeping
unzip my fly
you're a spread eagle for anything
I wouldn't want you for anything
if I could find anyone else who was willing
but i'll settle with heavy nuts
that I'll empty
on you fat
multiple chin

by Gary Smith

War-Torn Heart

We sit around a table
My parents, my sister, my brother-in-law and I
My dad starts to talk about the war
This my friends is a rarity
35 years have passed and this is a story my mother hasn’t heard
He ends the story by saying that there is no glory in going to war and he doesn’t know any soldier that thinks that way
My mom tells me a story I’d never heard that night
About how the war ruined my dad’s life and how he couldn’t concentrate in school anymore and he dropped out
I’d never known that
A lot of people in my parent’s generation didn’t go to college, I never thought much about it
The man I’m in love with is being sent away for a second tour
Using the word tour makes it sound so nice
Gee I think I’ll take a tour of _________ (you fill in the blank)
I’m reading A Separate Peace with my sophomores
It’s a novel that takes place during World War II
The characters, all high school students can’t wait to be in the army
They jump out of a tree into the water pretending they’re jumping from a plane
Seems so foolish to my kids but times have changed as have perceptions about war
One of the characters joins the army and goes AWOL because he can’t handle it
We haven’t gotten to that part yet
I don’t know what really goes on during war
I don’t know if the movies I see are realistic or not
I know that the soldiers and former soldiers that I know seem withdrawn, don’t talk a lot
It’s a common trend
Politicians sit in expensive suits in plush chairs and talk about how great the war is going
While the next generation is dying in foreign lands
He’s shut me out since he found out he’s going back to Iraq
I get to hear from his mother that he’s not sure he wants to be in a relationship while away at war
Him going to war makes me cry, those harsh words told to me by a third party makes me cry, my own pessimistic thoughts make me cry
We met because of the war, yes this is true
We started talking while he was there the first time
I barely knew him and I was upset about him being there
This time will be so much worse
I look into those blue-green eyes and wonder what they’ve seen
He can’t even sleep through a night without nightmares
This draws me to him, I want to help him but he doesn’t want my help
All it does is anger me about the government, the president, and our whole country sometimes
He’ll be gone in 2 months time
Don’t ask me the day because the army only gives them 10 days notice
For now I have to sit here with my war-torn heart
And not only pray that he’ll be ok but that he’ll also let me into his life before he leaves
Perhaps we can be miserable together – him for the things he has to see and me for the things that are forced upon him
He only came home in May it seems so unfair
He tells me that I could never survive in war because I get scared of a bug
In truth I could never survive in a war because I feel remorse for killing even a bug
He sleeps with a gun by his bed and that scares me
I told this tale at the dinner table and everyone said it was common
Common maybe, but not something I could get comfortable with
For now I’m sitting back and letting someone else control my life the way that the gov’t is controlling his

by Tammy Manor

The Cowboy

The Cowboy was a troubled soul.
A loner in his time.
Taken from this earth too soon.
Cut down in his prime.
He never had a single friend,
That would watch his back.
That's why he spent his every day,
Dressed all in black.

The only thing he ever wanted,
Was someone to love.
Someone who would hold him close.
An angel from above.
Sara was his one true love.
Skin so soft and fair.
Big blue eyes and pouty lips.
A head of golden hair.

He never got to have his angel.
Cause' she loved someone else.
He spent his final days alone.
Noone but himself.
You can find a small black cross,
Beside a country road.
A picture of a sad-eyed cowboy.
Who the world will never know.

by David Case

The Key to this Game

Slurring my words so I did
through the voice of someone else
felt like a puppet
with rubber gloved hand up my arse
turning me left
turning me on my wife who so the commotion
and filed for divorce
in court her lawyer dubbed me lewd
and labelled my antics crude and inappropriate
for a God fearing bitch
in defence I argued that I was not in control
but its difficult to talk coherently with
fingers constantly wiggling up your crack

by April-May March