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. 

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.