3 poems by 3 poets

illustrations by palomine studios

diner by horace p sternwall what could be finer than at 4 a m in a diner to put ketchup on your fries and know you are truly wise? and see the face of your maker in the empty sugar shaker and drink your coffee black as the universe spins off track? but something goes wrong with the smoothest song just as you drift off to bliss you're wakened by the icy kiss of the vampires and ghouls with their messages and rules and their reminders to move on into the unforgiving dawn you know what's really tough? when your fellow humans have enough of your scintillating presence they can make it most unpleasant and so you trudge away into the long and looping day beneath a sky that never ends with the clouds your only friends rebel by corinne delmonico my dad was an asshole my mom was a slut my brother was a bully my sister was a nut we all lived together in a trailer in the park things were bad in daylight and got worse when it got dark we had one couch between us and only one tv think about that - for the whole family! as i got older i grew bored i packed one night while the others snored i stole everything everything they had if they didn’t like it too bad i stuck my thumb out for a ride and quickly found out that the world’s not wide you can cry hot tears you can shake your fists but the open road no longer exists before i was out on the road for an hour the man came along and had me in his power i had freedom for a minute not even as much as the man came along and had me in his clutches i know who i am i know who you are the world is the back seat of a rolling police car you can sit in a penthouse you can sit in a cell you can call it heaven or call it hell you can sob and moan and get your undies in a bunch or watch the view and ellen until it’s time for lunch smiles by regina osgood stapledon spread your wings, my soul immortality be my goal and passion my shining star to carry me so far above the dreamless herd i only need one word - love - to soar above higher - ever higher to deathless desire yes, go ahead and smile so will i - after a while and so will he with the cruelty from which passion is born and you with worldly scorn but i in happy memory the trade, i feel is fair for what else is there?