Musical Fridays: Hip-Hop
by Richard Southard, The River editor I’ll admit: I’ve been dreading to write the Musical Friday post for Hip-Hop. Not because I don’t enjoy the music. In fact, it’s quite the … Continue Reading Musical Fridays: Hip-Hop
Lovers’ Quarrel (Callous)
By Tyler Michaud
the uneasy refrain of my breath fills the modest apartment,
and you search for the words in its mass like rent in the laundry fund.
you’re in the next room, composing yourself. the arrhythmia in your step betrays you,
Ironing Out a Character
Name: John Everyman
Age: 37 Earth years.
Physical Description: He is every-man. He’s that dude. The dude you swore you’ve seen before, the one with the brown curly hair and sideburns, with blue eyes and a tall figure.
Death in the Neighborhood
by Bob Meszaros
Here, foreclosures slowly rot:
their wooden shingles warp and snap;
at night, thieves and drunkards rip the molding
from the plaster walls and strip the copper
piping from below the sinks.
Musical Fridays: Rock (ish)
by Richard Southard, The River Editor I find “rock music” to be such a general term. I don’t often find myself describing music off the word alone, or at least not … Continue Reading Musical Fridays: Rock (ish)
Bound for Crawford Station
Relax on a train traversing the scenic route through the mountains!
Setting: A Strategy to Establishing Your Foundation
Meagan sits in a worn maroon chair with wooden armrests, opening her laptop. The chair rests to the right of the front doors – three of them, one after the other – two wooden and one screen, each keeping the last of the sticky summer heat inside the creative writing house. Normally, they would be used to keep the heat in during the winter; holes between the windows and their sills let in egregious amounts of air – but now, they just serve to stifle the room.
Road Map
By Michaela Zelie
My body fought
when you began unraveling the threads
of its scar tissue veil.
I cringed at the way you read
the coordinates,
Musical Fridays: Electronic
by Richard Southard, The River editor “For me, electronic music is like cooking: it’s a sensual organic activity where you can mix ingredients.” -Jean-Michel Jarre I find that quote interesting, mostly … Continue Reading Musical Fridays: Electronic
Roommate Wanted
By Judy Carr
to share my luxury survival
condo located in renovated
Atlas F missile silo, equipped
to withstand nuclear shock, global
warming and other unnatural
disasters.
The Infectious Disease Entitled “Writer’s Block”
I don’t know about you, but writer’s block is a phrase I hear all the time.
“I can’t think of ideas!”
“Nothing’s inspiring me.”
“Everything I write sounds awful.”
Tango Nuevo
By M.J. Iuppa
In sheer daylight, spider’s silk
trembles like a guitar string
plucked to the tune of swallows’
wings dipping in & out and over-
Musical Fridays: Jazz
by Richard Southard The River Editor My very first exposure to jazz came in the form of a Spongebob Squarepants episode, when I was about six years old. In the episode, Patrick … Continue Reading Musical Fridays: Jazz
New Canaan
Or does Her ghost in modern times
Roam on New England’s moorland snow;
Or is the Spirit of the Lord
“From sea to shining sea” bestow’d.
The First Steps to Publishing: A Complete Breakdown of Looking for the Most Eligible Bachelor(ette)
“So you want to publish,” the old woman’s gnarled hand beckons you forward. Her long nose is speckled with dark spots, and one of her olive green eyes drifts lazily to the left. Her silver hair is knotted into a bun, held together with pencils (as a true artist’s should). She sits on a rocking chair, covered in quilted blankets, directly in front of a crackling fire. It is boiling in there, yet you walk forward.
Dogs
By Mitchell Krockmalinik Grabois
Shove a juicy bone
into the mouth of the barking dog
He has no right to disturb my peace
but why be mad about it?
He’s just being what he is
an attenuated descendent
of a snarling wolf