FEATURES

Letters from Readers ................................................................................................. 4

Voice Over by Rod Clark .......................................................................................... 5

ROSEBUZZZ .......................................................................................................... 11

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER by Rod Clark .............................................................. 128

GO FIGURE by P. S. Mueller .................................................................................. 133

AFTERWORDS by Rick Geary ............................................................................... 137

YOU DON’T HAVE THE HEART

LOWELL LOVES JOANNE by Mary Coffman-Burke ........................................... 14

IT’S NOT YOU by Craig Pospisil ........................................................................... 19

ACTORS by John Henry Fleming............................................................................ 24

REJECTION by Theresa McLaren .......................................................................... 28

SUMMER SOULS by Mike Slagle .......................................................................... 29

FRESH-PICKED WORDS

UP RIVER by Katherine Austin Alexander .............................................................. 36

MARRED BLISS by Mark O’Donnell ..................................................................... 38

THE LIGHT OF LEAVES by Gary Metras ............................................................. 43

BLUEMONT by DJ Gaskin .................................................................................... 44

SOME WORDS INSIDE OF WORDS by Richard Wilbur ................................... 45

IT’S TOO LATE

DARLENE by Raymond Thibeault.......................................................................... 48

LOVELY LAWN LETTERS by Ron Melton ........................................................... 53

RUSSIAN LESSONS by Tua Laine .......................................................................... 57

POLICE BRUTALITY by Ray Skjelbred ................................................................. 61

ANGEL IN BLACK by Jacqueline Guidry .............................................................. 62

NEW DISCOVERY AWARD WINNERS

BEYOND GOLGOTHA AND THE KWIKI MART by A.K. Forbes .................... 66

TURKEY DREAMS by Sage K. Marsters ................................................................ 71

HUGGING THE CURB by Mary Kappelt Skol ..................................................... 76

THE NIGHT WE WAKE FROM

THE STRAIGHT RAZOR by James Deahl ............................................................ 82

BALTIMORE AND OHIO SPIKE by James Deahl ................................................ 83

CONTENTS OF A REFRIGERATOR by Sarah Moon ......................................... 84

WITHOUT RESERVATION eight poems by John Smelcer .................................. 86

A STRANGE PORTAL

WHEN PHALAENOPSIS FOLD THEIR WINGS by Diane Wakoski .................. 92

THE GREAT GREEN MENACE by D.E. Fredd .................................................. 94

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN by Jeff Lucas .............................................................. 99

FAIR GAME by Todd Outcalt ................................................................................. 106

DYNAMITE by Trevor J. Houser ............................................................................ 115

THE TREE HEMORRHAGING

MY MOTHER by Roberts Blossom ........................................................................ 122

CLINICAL by David Keplinger ............................................................................... 123

WHAT IS LEFT by Willa Schneberg ....................................................................... 124

IN ANOTHER SEASON by Allen Fischer .............................................................. 125

THE LUMINOUS FISH by Edward Boccia ........................................................... 126

SO WHY IS NO ONE LAUGHING by Jennifer Bosveld ..................................... 127