A Higher Morality
I. A Moral Revolution Martin Luther King, Jr., at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and facing three centuries of hatred, racism, and oppression, had a powerful message for… More
Pieces of a Dream
Pieces of a DreamSmacking gum, smiling, and wearing atight mini-mini that barely coversthe imagination, she looks like shebelongs in a junior high somewhere—and even that might be a stretch.It’s… More
Lepidoptera or Butterflies
Lepidopteraor ButterfliesThere is a blue chair in a room with 60 menIt bears the gravity of a black hole,an inward burning star, drawingall light, all matter toward it.Names flutter… More
Old Letter
On your plain white envelope a handwritten address hints at the personal inside. Long time companion through many transfers and years, you have been worked soft and your stamp… More
A Twisted Evening With Dr. Gonzo
My early literary influences naturally gravitated towards counterculture writing that started with Kerouac’s On the Road, Ginsberg’s epic poem of the Beat Generation, Howl, and experiencing the utter depths… More
No More With the Neighbors
The year is 1964, things are quiet in our little farming town in upstate Illinois. I am six years old and just starting to learn about the world outside,… More
Poinsett County
—for Uncle DaleOrange-red gravel roads crisscrossedfields where the flat farmland yieldedbales of cotton and tons of soy beans.We planted, chopped, and picked cottonfrom spring into summer through autumnfor fifty… More
Locker Key
He devoutly watchedfrom the wooden bleachersas his son click, click, clickedhis way around the icein double blades.Layers of clothes prevent the boy’sarms and legs from bendingmaking him stutter stepmore… More
Learning to Swim
Gary Shively 103443 Powhatan Correctional Center, D7 State Farm, VA 23160 I am sinking. Just like a stone, I am sinking. Coils from the black icy depths pulling me under. My scream is… More
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