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Sunday, October 11, 2020

Catacombs by Jonathan Butcher

Framed by that shelled out hollow
chapel, their bodies rotund, in the only
spot the sun offered light. I walk past
as their eyes flash forward. I catch
a glimpse of a reflection I once knew
but no longer recognise, which now 
stands smudged and without substance.

The flowers that twist through those fences
of wire and wood hang limp, as starved 
of nourishment as our aging heads, 
that no longer hold thoughts of escape,
only tired and worn visions. We again
start a critical argument for the sheer
sake of passing time.

A lazy comparison passed our lips,
like an ill thought out lecture, another
excuse dressed up as cynical glamour.
We once more find riches in rags and chipped
tea-cups, and continue to peddle our 
trade, that leaves our hands unscathed;
a slow drift, that slowly bleeds our responsibility.




Jonathan Butcher was born and lives in Sheffield, England.
He has has had work appear in various print and online
publications, including Mad Swirl, Drunk Monkeys, The Morning Star, The Transnational, The Beatnik Cowboy, The Rye Whiskey Review and others.His Third chapbook 'Corroded Gardens' was published in 2019 by Fixator Press. 






Thursday, October 8, 2020

The Last Olive on Earth by Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal

I dreamt I was in a kitchen
where the forks were too small
to impale an olive. How I 
struggled with that olive that
I picked up with my fingers
and ate it up like if it was
the last olive on earth.
The kitchen was small as well.
I could barely make it through 
the door despite my short 
stature. I had to duck my head
and come in sideways with my
belly needing to be tucked in.
The table and chairs were tiny.

The kitchen had the most
flavorful smells of cinnamon,
ginger, and garlic. There was
no sign of food anywhere but
those smells permeated through 
out the room. I ate the olive, which 
was the last olive on earth.





Luis was born in Mexico, lives in California, and works in the mental health field in Los Angeles, CA. His poems have appeared in Ariel Chart, Beatnik Cowboy, Dope Fiend Daily, Unlikely Stories, and Zygote In My Coffee.