Graham by John Doyle

You reminded me of Paul Weller,
somewhere in London
on a winter’s morning,
petrol burning his nose,
pigeons shitting everywhere
and the lovers back to back, haunting those park benches.
Your company van matched his acoustic guitar,
capturing a cold 6am
like a 19th century colonial-type, crunching through Serengeti dust,
revving engine, the punch of gasoline, the dawn’s screeching chorus,
and that final slamming door, last Tuesday.
I’ll miss you Graham, that fire you used to breathe
keeping Winter in its cage,
as I turned over and surrendered to Morpheus

John Doyle became a Mod again in the summer of 2017 to fight off his impending mid-life crisis; whether this has been a success remains to be seen. He has has two collections published to date, A Stirring at Dusk in 2017, and Songs for Boys Called Wendell Gomez in 2018, both on PSKI's Porch.

He is based in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. All he asks is that you leave your guns at the door and tie up your horses before your enter.

Melting Pool by Susan Tepper

In the snow your hair
scrubs clean
Ice runs down 
into a melting pool
You might die 
from severe trauma
Can a person
survive such extremes
of no consequence

Susan Tepper is the author of nine published books of fiction and poetry. Her most current are a poetry chap CONFESS (Cervena Barva Press, 2020) and a funky road novel WHAT DRIVES MEN (Wilderness House Press, 2019).  Currently she is in pre-production of a play she adapted from an earlier novel about artist Jackson Pollock in his later years. www.susantepper.com

Absinthe And Orgies By Kevin M. Hibshman

 

What if I fall into scabrous ruin?

Inveterate degeneration?

Absolute dissolution?

There is nothing else to do.

Saw the city.

Trampled the town.

Slept with the witches.

Hung upside down.

The party was a good one.

It went beyond the dawn.

The party was a good one.

Woke up on the lawn.

Kevin M. Hibshman has had poems published in many journals and magazines world wide.

 In addition, he has edited his poetry zine, Fearless, since 1990 and is the author of sixteen chapbooks including Love Sex Death Dreams (Green Bean Press, 2000) and Incessant Shining (Alternating Current, 2011).

I Beat Up The Football Team by John Patrick Robbins

And screwed half the cheerleaders just for good measure.

Pulled the fire alarm for lack of anything better to do.
Dated that teacher because I enjoyed driving her car.

I never made state but I have wrestled with more than a few.
Got wasted at prom and spiked the punch.

They really should have expelled me at the time.

Of course I wasn't attending the school but my sixteen year old girlfriend was

Man, I really enjoyed going back to high school in my thirties.

Who said a little do over isn't good for the soul.

I'm always guilty and damn proud of it.

Wink wink.

John Patrick Robbins is the editor in chief of of the universe .

He controls all time and thought and secretly created the matrix.

He still holds the world record for teleportation to a alternate universe where people still have a sense of humor and aren't such sensitive pussies.

He has been published in the yellow pages for many years and on a special list with his only true friend Scott Simmons which requires them both to maintain a safe distance from sheep farms.

He enjoys playing with black magic and writing bios that are often longer than the write he submits.

He is also the writer in residence at Dollywood.