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Jesus Boy

VIII. Testament of Fire and LamentationsWe may live in a tent or a cottage,And die in seclusion alone;But the Father Who seeth in secret,Remembers each one of His own.We… More

Purge

1992Läänemaa, EstoniaThe Fly Always WinsAliide Truu stared at the fly, and the fly stared back. Its eyes bulged and Aliide felt sick to her stomach. A blowfly. Unusually large,… More

Longings

I miss the feeling of weightlessness while floating in the ocean and staring at the clear blue sky, gently bobbing to the rhythm of events beyond the horizon. I miss the salt stinging my… More

Rehabilitation

No sky. No grass. No trees, No travel. No children. No wife. No man’s best friend. No trust. No suffrage. No income. No autonomy. No power to do good. More

Joe Speedboat

It’s been a warm spring. At school they’re praying for me, because I’ve been out of it for more than two hundred days. I’ve got bedsores all over my body… More

Ilustrado

PrologueThe Panther lurks no longer in foreign shadows—he’s come home to rest. Crispin Salvador’s fitting epitaph, by his request, is merely his name.—from an unattributed obituary, The Philippine Sun,… More

Journalist and Publisher Released

International PEN welcomes the release of journalist Ahmed Ghous Zalmai, publisher Mohammad Ateef Noori and Mullah Qari Mushtaq, on March 20, 2010. Zalmai and Mullah Mushtaq were serving 20-year… More

Lines

lines that bind or tie together our shared histories meander like the mighty Mississippi intricate web—emit the life of our times, flow organically as tree branches etch a map upon our brows, cheeks … visual reminders to all… More

salsa meditation

my hands will smell for days of onions, garlic and jalapeños despite repeated washings after slicing, dicing and mincing with my trusty lid-o-matic and plastic picnic knife essential utensils of a prison… More