Meredith lives on through two loving sons,
a burden of a husband,
and her dear Senior--
Junior having been humanely
pushed to “pass on,”
so that someone may comfort her
as she greets the drunk that was Pappy
at those pearly—well…
in the afterlife.

Her co-workers,
Denise, Eileen, and Gertrude,
knew Meredith best.
She came in every morning
with…something to say,
always willing to share
the very strong smell of her chili lunch.
Denise, Eileen, and Gertrude,
along with all other mourners in attendance today,
are encouraged to contribute to the offering basket.

Dying is costly.

Our dear Meredith left us too soon.
But she departed from this world with a smile,
knowing that the son-of-a-bitch who cut her off
would be joining her in Hell.


Author Bio:
Virgil Saunders is Maryland native with a passion for language and literature. While Virgil has been writing since childhood, it was not until the University of Maryland's Jimenez-Porter Writers’ House came calling that they were exposed to what creation could be. Exposure to various forms of life through the work of journalism has led Virgil to a more realistic sense of storytelling on subjects such as Rwanda and the world of retail. A thirst for learning new languages is only one aspect of Virgil’s appreciation of the art of words through syntax and sound. And indeed it is an interest that has led to many travels. Drawing on life spent in the Washington, D.C. area, Montreal and France, they have crafted poetry published in NEW MAPS and Blackberry: A Magazine, with much more going towards the re-telling of world events.

Steal a girl
and steel a woman
evermore— or
seasonally wretched.

Deed wrecked garden
with sin-tempt instead of fruit
that was fruit, Man
not to be conceded
girlish open legs.

Both tasted fruit and garden;
he let the snake in Now
the clap’s
hers and her.

“Sister, pick up your skirt and talk to your preacher.”


Author Bio:

Alexandra Honaker is the literary enigma of musicians and gourmands. The singularity of musical expression, its divinity and the dedication of those who live for craft, has greatly influenced her creative process. She strives to write toward the condition of music—close to truth and God. She is an autodidact of literature and feminist theory, concentrating on erotic feminism. A very old twenty, she is coasting in Hometown, MT working on her first novel.

lined eyes and smeared lips
prancing from pillar to post
your moonlight marionette

wandering alleyways
kneeling before shadows
for favor and mercy


Author Bio:
While working in her middle school’s library, Bridgette Bianca met her best friend - a book of poetry written by a teenage girl in Harlem almost two decades before. She checked out A Screaming Whisper by Vanessa Howard so much she committed it to memory, down to the spacing of the text. That book held her hand until she was ready to write her own poems. Now, she writes poetry and hopes it can keep someone else company. Bridgette Bianca is a native of Los Angeles where she teaches English at the college level. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Howard University and her Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Otis College of Art & Design.