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Category Archives: Poetry
Tikbalang by Vince Gotera
Tikbalang Vince Gotera switched-up Centaur stalks evening, brown baton like stone horse head, hooves silent In Philippine mythology, the tikbalang is a hybrid creature with a horse’s head and hooves on a human body—or humanoid, since he has limbs … Continue reading
Eclipse by Vince Gotera
Eclipse Vince Gotera dread Bakunawa dragon breaches from ocean swallows bright full moon This haiku is based on Philippine mythology. The bakunawa is a sea dragon that hankered to eat the seven moons that were in our ancient sky. … Continue reading
Venus by Vince Gotera
Venus Vince Gotera brilliant arrow point hunter goddess’s flexed bow the moon’s silver arc
Cthulhu by Vince Gotera
Cthulhu Vince Gotera tender tentacles touch us from eldritch space cold Messiah’s green love
Frankenstein by Vince Gotera
Frankenstein (1931) Vince Gotera Boris Karloff’s hands tremble like soft wings lovebirds in air sweet music
Prince Charming by Vince Gotera
Prince Charming Vince Gotera With quotes from Ann Sexton’s poem “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” Well, yeah, that’s … Continue reading
Aubade by Vince Gotera
Aubade Vince Gotera —a terza rima haiku sonnet Steve grinned, waking up to see Stephanie’s cute face, freckled, soft pink lips parted slightly, lace lingerie showing pale throat. Spring morning sun’s … Continue reading
The Makings of Dragons by Herb Kauderer
The Makings of Dragons Herb Kauderer At first, dragons were rare monsters conjured by wizards who spent long months slowly simmering essences with which to imbue their creations. Emerald, ruby, copper, gold, diamond, and more were used as dragon’s essence. … Continue reading
Symbols, Numbers, Distances by Herb Kauderer
Symbols, Numbers, Distances (Scifaiku) Herb Kauderer nightlights nerve-wracking blackout strange sky lights above city Milky Way shimmers outdated Freudian theories atrophy when a rocket is just a rocket post-wildlife a wildlife refuge gathered children gape in awe in the … Continue reading
The Gate by Frank Coffman
The Gate Frank Coffman Within this weird, eerie woodland deep and dark, Is a Gate that opens unto realms of Horror, A strange doorway whence—should thou choose to embark— Thou shalt find a place of Terrors ne’er dreamt before. At … Continue reading
If But They Could by Frank Coffman
If But They Could (a Cynaraelle Sonnet*—invented form) Frank Coffman The full moon glides above the horror forest glade. Stark, gnarled, and dark, the trees’ bare branches creak. The hunter, listening, knows a werewolf has been made— And, somewhere in … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy, Horror, Poetry
Tagged alexandrine, coffman, cynaraelle, dowson, frank, sonnet, werewolf
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Far Beyond Home by Charles A. Gramlich
Far Beyond Home Charles A. Gramlich The eye fills with black that speaks oblivion. The sun is a reckless thought, or perhaps some exotic dream. Has there ever been light, except that which you carry with you? Has there ever … Continue reading
Kissed by Charles A. Gramlich
Kissed Charles A. Gramlich In the dry wend of a lost river, sotted with visions, I lie peyote-kissed. This world is bejeweled, texture rich, full of strange harmonics. A congress of cacti filibuster the owls. Siroccos play a threnody with … Continue reading
They Burn by Charles A. Gramlich
They Burn Charles A. Gramlich In the lives of stars, thoughts are forever, never in a hurry. Time is constant luxury. In the measure of planets who only fear the sun, life is a great waltz, slow and majestic. In … Continue reading
Peel by Charles A. Gramlich
Peel Charles A. Gramlich Peel back the hollow and reveal the core. Show the wounded heart behind the savaged ribs. Let the shudder of angels pass through you. Let it sing like dark gods born out of stone. You will … Continue reading
Offerings by Charles A. Gramlich
Offerings Charles A. Gramlich Beneath a locust sun, where memories stab like the fingernails of a harlequin witch… he offers his hand to the crimson lips… that shine in his eyes, the bloom whose petals rest on his tongue in … Continue reading
A Time to Shrink by Herb Kauderer
A Time to Shrink Herb Kauderer The humans named her Inner Bigness, but she was just a lab rat. Maybe it was the name that set her apart, or maybe the humans recognized something special. It took a matter of … Continue reading
Rust Dragon by Herb Kauderer
Rust Dragon Herb Kauderer He lives in the swamps far from the metal users and the mountains they mine for ore. What humans consider lasting tools and weapons are limp and weathered reeds in his decaying grasp. Here among the … Continue reading
sometimes unobserved is just the same by Herb Kauderer
sometimes unobserved is just the same Herb Kauderer the travels of the daytime moon are overwhelmed by sol’s light and so those travels get none of the publicity of Luna’s nighttime journeys but still she bides her time & goes … Continue reading
unmanned exploration by Herb Kauderer
unmanned exploration Herb Kauderer wire capillaries call plasteel heart new heat grows in aluminum breast photo sensors flicker detecting morning light lubricants circulate to grinding servos unsteady movements greet foreign dawn while startled morning birds flutter off and sail to … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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commuter by Herb Kauderer
commuter Herb Kauderer a twelve ton ship from Rigel lands & slowly disassembles into a cart full of wheelie luggage & one small man who likes to be prepared for any event
Black Demon Shark by Richard Stevenson
Black Demon Shark Richard Stevenson Melanized great white shark or sixty-foot megalodon spied just off the coast of the Baja, California, peninsula? Who knows? He’s got a huge threshing tail though and concentric rows of nasty teeth. Not the sort … Continue reading
Mugwump by Richard Stevenson
Mugwump Richard Stevenson Lake Temiskaming, Ontario, is my home. Don’t often surface, so you may not know me. “Old Tessie” is one handle, but Mugwump?! Really?! That’s such an insulting moniker. Makes me feel like I don’t even swim, just … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy, Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged cryptid, monster, mugwump, ontario, richard, stevenson, temiskaming
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Skinwalker Ranch by Richard Stevenson
Skinwalker Ranch Richard Stevenson Skinwalker Ranch ain’t on no maps – at least the parts yer interested in: the hellmouth portals, astral wormholes. After you’ve been there though, you’ll know: the solution to the sasquatch/dogman quandary ain’t all material. Hey, … Continue reading
A Voyage to the Moon by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
A Voyage to the Moon David C. Kopaska-Merkel The open window welcomes the night: a cornucopia of urgency, noises sharp and subtle, night’s warm breath framed by southern oak. I read now by moonlight, alone, ensconced in the window seat, … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy, Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged david, kopaska, merkel, moon, voyage
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Atopic Catastrophic by Kathleen A. Lawrence
Atopic Catastrophic Kathleen A. Lawrence Countdown. The stars were beating, pulsating, bleeding Whole constellations ragged, hemorrhaging Coughing, spitting, writhing with penetrating Pain and growing fear of planets divorcing. As greedy pirates of celestial skies attacked Marauding with fury, invading hemispheres … Continue reading
Brunch, Spaceship Side by Kathleen A. Lawrence
Brunch, Spaceship Side Kathleen A. Lawrence Bounding across the rocky terrain with low gravity weight on Aster it was an exhilarating jaunt out for breakfast morsels hidden behind griege craters and dunes. Silver space boots with lights, and puffy suit … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged brunch, kathleen, lawrence, ship, space, spaceship
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Things That Go Bump & Smile In The Night by Kathleen A. Lawrence
Things That Go Bump & Smile In The Night Kathleen A. Lawrence When I wasn’t tall enough for the roller coaster every night I pretended to be sleeping in the bottom bunk closing my eyes tight until my siblings snored … Continue reading
The Conjunction: Jupiter Pursues Venus by Kathleen A. Lawrence
The Conjunction: Jupiter Pursues Venus Kathleen A. Lawrence “Meet me on the other side of the moon,” Jupiter gestured. Soft and deliberate, shy Venus stretched out for her love with unfurling desire. Shining brightly together, their orbits breathing in rhythm, … Continue reading
Land Sharks by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Land Sharks David C. Kopaska-Merkel A second chance crawling out of the sea , Bewildered by what they found, And didn’t find, But lobe-finned sharks quickly got a handle On the whole terrestrial thing, They diversified, filled empty niches , … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged david, kopaska, kopaska-merkel, land, merkel, shark
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Science Fiction Poetry by Deborah P Kolodji
Science Fiction Poetry Deborah P Kolodji starburst patterns under the ice caps spring on Mars ===================== ten years in space the dish garden in my cabin ===================== no coat this December winter time travel ===================== the lightest I’ve been figure … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction, scifaiku
Tagged deborah, haiku, Kolodji, scifiaku
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rogue planet by Herb Kauderer
rogue planet Herb Kauderer lost between stars you float along hardly noticed except in those precarious moments when needed as a stepping stone ignoring such rare & fickle company you continue to roam slowly walking a racing universe unfulfilled but … Continue reading
Last Stand on Privacy by Herb Kauderer
Last Stand on Privacy Herb Kauderer I got tired of every level of government legislating sex as if ANYONE could actually control what people do together (or alone) in their bedrooms. That’s why I moved my bed into my bathroom. … Continue reading
the poem dreams by Herb Kauderer
the poem dreams Herb Kauderer the poem dreams of going beyond to the next state of love and connection but words cannot capture magic cannot conjure moonlight or mist on the lake but perhaps those are not necessary for those … Continue reading
A Room on Mars by Herb Kauderer
A Room on Mars Herb Kauderer Age and radiation tell Clarkson it’s time to retire but after decades working the asteroid belt he has no interest in landing on Earth where the great outdoors is tiny compared to all of … Continue reading
A Siren for the Modern Times by Armand J. Azamar
A Siren for the Modern Times Armand J. Azamar Hearing her song again Appears near hopeless. After the shipwreck, Her voice, I still struggle to defend. My hospital bed A depression I discovered for myself. The longing only spreads; wider … Continue reading
Temporal Loop by Armand J. Azamar
Temporal Loop Armand J. Azamar Failing. The cycle repeats yet again. The failure clutches, The circumference of my mind. Will my device change the times? The clock brings no assurance. Will a flicker of newness finally exist? The seconds hobble … Continue reading
The Expedition by Armand J. Azamar
The Expedition Armand J. Azamar Treading cautiously, A plateau of cold and crimson dunes. The dust storms offer songs of courage Feet and mind persist onward, For another leap for mankind.
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged armand, azamar, cold, courage, crimson, dune, dust, expedition, plateau, storm
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The Messenger God by Armand J. Azamar
The Messenger God Armand J. Azamar Where the heat of the Sun beats down, Where the craters remain razed of hope, We tread the lonely cliffs still, With no hope of a welcoming committee. Where no wind blows and the … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged armand, azamar, cliffs, craters, god, messanger
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Satellite of Sand by Armand J. Azamar
Satellite of Sand Armand J. Azamar A desert of forbidding cacti and suns, A smoking, old starship behind me, A Northern oasis of far, far before me. Confidence wavers and heat oppresses As the skeletons of sand-worms mock me.
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged armand, azamar, desert, sand-worm, skeleton
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Unstole It by Jim Davies
Unstole It Jim Davies On an old Baroque pillow drops an odd, cold blood of a dead god. Somebody touched broke in the hold, with the original key, and stole it. Breathing on it makes falling raindrop things. Smelling … Continue reading
Blue Flowers by John C. Mannone
Blue Flowers John C. Mannone . After ‘Rapunzel’ An old witch desired the young virgins; they could stop the withering of time with their hair full of elixir oil. A crooked smile writhed on her wrinkled face; her eyes gleamed … Continue reading
Bubonic by John C. Mannone
Bubonic: It was much too wet John C. Mannone When glaciers melt, the Arctic sea will rise, push south, edging the warm currents. Cirrus-clouded air will follow the new jet stream. Rain will fall in torrential heat unto land that … Continue reading
The Photograph by John C. Mannone
The Photograph John C. Mannone The fireplace embers a warmth into the room, coals glow dull red, cold air lifts its bitter edge. I see you on our favorite sofa, the one with paisley cones, feathered cushions. You in silk, … Continue reading
Giant Hogweed by John C. Mannone
Giant Hogweed John C. Mannone Their evolution: like caustic words, the burning lye coursing through their green veins, furanocoumarins in their sap-stem stained purple, warted like sin branching out to all the world, white lacy umbels reaching to sun to … Continue reading
The River of Stars by Kendall Evans
The River of Stars by Kendall Evans Shall we not depart The Courts of the Moon Abandon the Chambers of Nautilus? Follow these tracks to Old Phobos Station— Let your shuttles recline at Asteroid Oasis Preparing at last for Jupiter … Continue reading
Reality’s Weave by Kendall Evans
Reality’s Weave by Kendall Evans She handed me Reality’s weave All tangled up Worse than a Gordian knot And I thought: Do the Fates Really expect me To unravel this? From infras to ultras A disordered rainbow Of colorful threads … Continue reading
Flight of the Dragon by Kendall Evans
Flight of the Dragon by Kendall Evans The Dragon soars Above the world Over the hilltops Seeking prey in meadows and valleys Hungering for goats, calves, pigs, sheep In villages far below The Dragon flies high Over white-iced mountain ridges … Continue reading
His Master’s Voice by Kendall Evans
His Master’s Voice by Kendall Evans Listen to His Master’s Voice Fire up the old Victrola Interpret all these messages From the cosmos’ past Encrypted in Al Jolson songs And Rudy Vallee’s crooning
Third Floor Bookstore by Herb Kauderer
Third Floor Bookstore Herb Kauderer I stood in the warm colored neon watching dusk turn black, waiting for the Dreamer’s Mall to open is lying beneath endless layers of blankets waiting in the early morning for the winter sun to … Continue reading
Intended Purpose by Herb Kauderer
Intended Purpose Herb Kauderer I am a highly evolved machine programmed to look at the night sky. Eye, brain, arm enable starlight transmutation send it passing through my pen black ink on page recreating white light in a reader’s mind.
Swallowing It All Whole by Kendall Evans and David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Swallowing It All Whole Kendall Evans and David C. Kopaska-Merkel These are the longitudes and latitudes On the split/curved landscape separating fact from fiction. Beyond these easy curves—who can say? Here, expressed like a Monopoly board, A map of realms … Continue reading
Bring Me Moa by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Bring Me Moa David C. Kopaska-Merkel Look at it 12 feet tall quarter of a ton that’s a gol durn dinosaur why did it take Cretaceous feathers for us to see? Ponderous tread Earth shook when those giant 3-toed feet … Continue reading
Selected Scifaiku by Richard H. Fay
wander the ether drift past strange and frightful beasts bodiless journey ray gun destruction end of civilization alien conquest clash of tempered steel armoured gladiators meet robotic war games gothic armour mainspring powers pulleys clockwork knight green chitinous domes buzzing … Continue reading
For in that Sleep, What Nightmares… by Lauren McBride
For in that Sleep, What Nightmares… Lauren McBride While comatose to travel space, Please someone check my pulse, my face and if you see a silent scream while I lie trapped within a dream, then wake me from this hell … Continue reading
Shades of Brown by Lauren McBride
Shades of Brown Lauren McBride I try to remember the colors of Earth: blue sky arching overhead, white clouds floating, green growth in abundance, riot of red and orange at sunset and autumn, palette of pastels come spring. But all … Continue reading
Engagement: Set in Stone by Lauren McBride
Engagement: Set in Stone Lauren McBride He once romanced me with a candlelit dinner and stroll under three alien moons where the nights last thirty hours. We saw others from our world and many races new to us. For our … Continue reading
The Glass Jar Present by Don Webb
The Glass Jar Present Don Webb Everything we perceive comes to us from the past. Everything we do goes into the future. — proverb Fil, grandson of Filip, grandson of Phillip, discovers a large glass jar in the side of … Continue reading
stranded observatory by Herb Kauderer
stranded observatory Herb Kauderer the cylinder spins green grey bathing in starlight dining on icerocks skating on radiation on one side a light dies awaiting too long an errant spark a mutation of fuel side effect of cosmic rays a … Continue reading
new realities by Herb Kauderer
new realities Herb Kauderer in the core of an L-5 habitat a group gathers to share fanfare inside a sensor glove a hand squeezes & somewhere tachyons respond another hand strums air the room is filled with guitar chords the … Continue reading
career change by Herb Kauderer
career change Herb Kauderer settled dust on scattered pieces of the remains of an environment suit turn the criminal investigator into an archeologist who picks from debris the stripped bones of a unique civilization seeking how this culture of one … Continue reading
Last Gleaming by Herb Kauderer
Last Gleaming Herb Kauderer Blue green fields of man background the gleaming hammer of Spacelane Robber Barons who keep striking at the heart of the cosmic retailing center. Economies of distant dying planets exhausting raw materials emit last gasps that … Continue reading
failed diplomacy by Herb Kauderer
failed diplomacy Herb Kauderer at the foot of the lander’s ladder the creature lurks not really orange in this light, more tan & white with jagged edged ears and right fang shining over dropped lip the triangle jaw gives up … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Dionysus by Andrea Laws
Dionysus Andrea Laws serpents no longer crown his horns his limbs… torn to burn and stir giving birth to pomegranates for mortal blood drunk and sober realities accompanied with weapons of vines and ivy, shackle the cursed … Continue reading
Subliminal Sonnet by Robert Shmigelsky
Subliminal Sonnet Robert Shmigelsky This haiku a subliminal sonnet
Night Train by John C. Mannone
Night Train John c. Mannone Clouds paled yellow—a lutescence of insect wings— before the swarm of wind shook the sky. The weather radio crackled, hissed its tornado warning while sunlight waned behind the thickening darkness. Only a moment ago, the … Continue reading
Occupant by Denny E. Marshall
Occupant Denny E. Marshall Large crowds gather as the UFO lands Edge of the runway lined with red carpets Roars of applause as the gathered clap hands Select soldiers play welcoming trumpets Officials and officers wait by ship After the … Continue reading
Breaking News (Version #1) by Denny E. Marshall
Breaking News (Version #1) Denny E. Marshall Heard sirens continually blow Breaking news interrupts the show Horns sounding not a tornado First landing of a UFO Anchor’s voice echoing with fear Stating, the facts are still not clear Announcement on … Continue reading
At The Stars by Denny E. Marshall
At The Stars Denny E. Marshall Lying on your back looking at the stars Watching the rotations dance late at night Like millions of fireflies stored in jars. Lying on your back looking at the stars Glow of galaxies, suns, … Continue reading
S Mail Received by Denny E. Marshall
S Mail Received Denny E. Marshall Moving toward the proto-stars View dust rings stringing like guitars Journey onward day after day Destination the Milky Way Passing along cloud nebula Competing with cluster gala Take in sights from the cargo bay … Continue reading
A Little Early by Denny E. Marshall
A Little Early Denny E. Marshall Ship makes entry into the atmosphere All are relieved destination is near Landing site on planets north hemisphere Soon the globes surface features become clear Once they land, first run test and check the … Continue reading
The Unexplained by Denny E. Marshall
The Unexplained Denny E. Marshall Whispers of lore and legends Crept upon the sill Shadows pretend to sleep Synchronize to keep still Movement like a phantom Race unseen across the hill Swirling clouds of unknown Pools of mysteries fill Sentinels … Continue reading
Search Party by Denny E. Marshall
Search Party Denny E. Marshall After a long voyage Aliens finally arrive To rescue their friends The search starts In the desert Soon all are arrested Back at the ship The remaining crew Tries to figure out What Area 51 … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Spiral Arms Sky by Denny E. Marshall
Spiral Arms Sky Denny E. Marshall Border of spiral galaxy Mountain asteroid city shines Tall ice castle’s close together Surface cover of cold light snow A slight lean towards heavy side Slow spin rotates towns and shadows From balcony long … Continue reading
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Ode To Amanda by Denny E. Marshall
Ode To Amanda Denny E. Marshall She emerged winged-foot from the sky Like an angel in Apollo’s shadow Fathers from the heavens fingers Announce with thunderbolts and lightning Messages drift above to form shapes In different layers of colored clouds … Continue reading
Four Haiku by Denny E. Marshall
Four Haiku Denny E. Marshall Earth astronauts land On globe, surface all water One wooden ship Alternative world Meet current secretary Of state flower As a child I thought One-day bicycles will fly As adult still dream … Continue reading
Time Shift 28 by Denny E. Marshall
Time Shift 28 Denny E. Marshall Woke up from a sleep In a landscape of the past Surrounded in vegetation With an ancient glow Look down at new tracks In the shape of a circle Thought they were a strangers … Continue reading
Escape From Area 51 by Denny E. Marshall
Escape From Area 51 Denny E. Marshall Prisoner alien is on the run Creature escapes Area 51 Frequent bullets buzz by head from a gun Prisoner alien is on the run Soon it will be dark sees the setting sun … Continue reading
The Universe Electric by Denny E. Marshall
The Universe Electric Denny E. Marshall Moment the big bang blew apart Cosmos formed a beating heart Creations hand historic The universe electric Eyes shine like a million stars Skin marked and aged with deep scars In invisible fabric The … Continue reading
Etiquette for the Postmodern World by A. K. Drees
Etiquette for the Postmodern World A. K. Drees My goat merman has eyes like coin slits in golden spheres, beard matted with spit and flecks of grass— after the withers, the pelt slicks into curved plates, shimmering down to a … Continue reading
Leather Dragon by Herb Kauderer
Leather Dragon Herb Kauderer Conjured of scales and hides from creatures long since dead he is never completely alive or completely himself. The longings and desires of those whose skin he wears flicker like an uncovered candle through his brain. … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy, Poetry
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fruit of imperfection by Herb Kauderer
fruit of imperfection Herb Kauderer imperfect clone grows different from sibs mutated gene shows shame
recognition error by Herb Kauderer
recognition error Herb Kauderer cave explorers wade strange dark puddles not seeing monster drool
Computer Vows by Herb Kauderer
Computer Vows Herb Kauderer I love you like the highest prime the finest number that has ever dwelt within me I need you like the caressing hand that plays across my keyboards silently pressing contacts faster than words could be … Continue reading
Soft Scientist by Herb Kauderer
Soft Scientist Herb Kauderer The psychologist scours every fragment of foreign life seeking some flame to call sentience. Like some overeager foster parent she searches for a resemblance, not meant to be, looking to make this lush golden world a … Continue reading
What’s Been Left Behind by Herb Kauderer
What’s Been Left Behind Herb Kauderer The hydroponics deck is as close to home as I can find. I sit there and try to remember what cloud what dream what angel told me to reach for the sky. That distant … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged behind, Herb, Kauderer, left, running, silent
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Leather Dragon by Herb Kauderer
Leather Dragon Herb Kauderer Conjured of scales and hides from creatures long since dead he is never completely alive or completely himself. The longings and desires of those whose skin he wears flicker like an uncovered candle through his brain. … Continue reading
The River of Stars By Kendall Evans
The River of Stars By Kendall Evans Shall we not depart The Courts of the Moon Abandon the Chambers of Nautilus? Follow these tracks to Old Phobos Station— Let your shuttles recline at Asteroid Oasis Preparing at last for Jupiter … Continue reading
Star Greeting by Wendy S. Delmater
Star Greeting Wendy S. Demater The elven constellations are cataloged by scholars Some are named for objects—the Plow and the Bear. Some are named for historical figures, Commemorating this elven scholar, that artisan, a well-loved king. All are elves gone … Continue reading
Looking Back to the Stars by Vince Gotera
Looking Back to the Stars Vince Gotera —hay(na)ku My child’s eyes adored starships, SF, anything space-oriented: Mercury, Gemini, Apollo. 1969: Neil Armstrong’s astounding moon landing. Barsoom novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Superman. Flash Gordon. 2001: Space Odyssey. Comics utopias, dystopias: … Continue reading
Dear Mr. Frost, or may I call you Jack . . . by Vince Gotera
Dear Mr. Frost, or may I call you Jack . . . Vince Gotera —after a particularly mild winter Where’ve you been hiding these past few months? I only had to fire up the snow blower once. It coughed miserably, neglected and … Continue reading
Sestina: Dragon by Vince Gotera
Sestina: Dragon Vince Gotera What could be more optimal for a dragon sestina than using the word “dragon” as an end word? All six end words could be “dragon,” in fact. That way there wouldn’t be any drag in having … Continue reading
National Security by Herb Kauderer
National Security Herb Kauderer state secrets vanish as new mind cleansing process redacts employee brains first published in The Detective’s Ghost & Other Little Mysteries
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged brain, brainwash, Herb, Kauderer, national, security, wash
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Joyriding by Herb Kauderer
Joyriding Herb Kauderer teenaged rebels hotwire unprovisioned spaceship miss lunch, surrender in time for dinner first published in The Detective’s Ghost & Other Little Mysteries
Mutant Driving School by Robert Shmigelsky
Mutant Driving School Robert Shmigelsky mutant driving school learning to keep all hands on steering wheel
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged driving, mutant, robert, school, shmigelsky
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Toasting Progress by John Reinhart
Toasting Progress John Reinhart Squeamish about testing on animals, leery of testing on myself, I grabbed the next best thing: a toaster, something I wouldn’t miss from the shelf. Squeamish about testing, my teleportation experimenting, I reached for the button … Continue reading
Cooking with Extinction by John Reinhart
Cooking with Extinction John Reinhart Thoughtscapes of undulating brontosauri meander over the kitchen counter while we prepare our breakfast. A mastodon lounges near the toaster, absorbing a little of the extra warmth. A pterodactyl scratches at a faint memory from … Continue reading
voyage stranded by John Reinhart
voyage stranded John Reinhart spaceship broken spoken spellings texting homeward hopeful magic sandhills castles building telling message blankly blinking tragic captain spoken motions lighten heavy demons dreaming sadly spaceship flounders never brightens cloudy climate planet gladly texture tincture foreign fracture … Continue reading
far from worship by Herb Kauderer
far from worship Herb Kauderer feathered serpent mired in steam rising from lush wet forest spined ferns reach twenty feet into sky daring you to land & vines clutch like the many handed tribes pull at you like ghosts of … Continue reading
Djinn by Herb Kauderer
Djinn Herb Kauderer Control box of mystic switches unexplained lights wishful dials what sweet caress will fire your passion? What strange whispers will turn your head? I am your shepherd through the long journey between stars and when you finally … Continue reading
Stonehenge by Herb Kauderer
Stonehenge Herb Kauderer Phenomenon: An unaccountable occurrence. It was cold and sunny at Stonehenge. Herded 100 feet away by rope-bound rubber paths we shuffled with the crowd while clouds moved in and covered the sun. Rain spattered stones and wet … Continue reading
Through the Ages by Herb Kauderer
Through the Ages Herb Kauderer The Pythia at Delphi observed in passing that poets touch people with their words but do so without understanding what those words mean. The poets do not understand the people either, yet their touch means so … Continue reading
Dryad by Herb Kauderer
Dryad Herb Kauderer tree limbs wildly flail human eyes are distracted wood nymph sneaks away First appeared in 50 Haikus #9 March 2016
Marbles by John C. Mannone
Marbles John C. Mannone My solar system is a mobile of marbles circling the sun. But not any simple sun like all the others bending space and time. Here, space-time warps right back. Each time the red dwarf flares, light … Continue reading
Happy Hour at Drake’s Lounge by John C. Mannone
Happy Hour at Drake’s Lounge John C. Mannone
Waterworld by John C. Mannone
Waterworld John C. Mannone We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. —T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets Twilight air, … Continue reading
Phlegethon by Herb Kauderer
Phlegethon Herb Kauderer see the reflection framed in tendrils of flame and leaves of smoke then pass through the forge of Hephaestus if you can first appeared in Calliope Jan/Feb 1992
Lethe by Herb Kauderer
Lethe Herb Kauderer kneel at the banks by the ford and peer into the soft wrinkled brown-green blanket watch it undulate in random patterns calling in a voice that soaks up sound birdcall & leaf flame & wood absorbed & … Continue reading
Cocytus by Herb Kauderer
Cocytus Herb Kauderer the waters reach down your throat and pull the cry of the deserted the wail of the deserter the scream that empties the soul and when every thread of emotion has snapped you may pass first appeared … Continue reading
Acheron by Herb Kauderer
Acheron Herb Kauderer cry your tears into the river let your sorrows flow until this tributary owns the salty tang of ocean and you can share its endless thirsting need first appeared in Sozoryoku #8 Dec 1992
Night Shivers by Herb Kauderer
Night Shivers Herb Kauderer Herodotus said “We can never stand in the same river twice because the water of life is always moving.” that’s why ghosts are cold. Ghosts freeze life chain the past around the ankle of the future … Continue reading
Reality’s Weave by Kendall Evans
Reality’s Weave Kendall Evans She handed me Reality’s Weave All tangled up A Gordian Knot And I thought: Do the fates Really expect me To unravel this? From infras to ultras A disordered rainbow Of colorful threads Extending to infinity … Continue reading
The Theft of Yesterday’s Lover by Herb Kauderer
The Theft of Yesterday’s Lover Herb Kauderer I was happy living in the past. The lover I could remember yesterday is gone now, destroyed by your certainty and your brain-tinkering machine. Was it so wrong for me to turn away … Continue reading
profiling the unknown by Herb Kauderer
profiling the unknown Herb Kauderer creature of no identifiable species relegated to genus Monster regardless of intentions
zombie existence by Herb Kauderer
zombie existence Herb Kauderer embedded in flesh hologram verifies self pays all bills monthly presents illusion of life long after the heart has stopped
Styx by Herb Kauderer
Styx Herb Kauderer and so the gods call upon you as one by one they drink your name to seal divine contract with no pity for your station nor tear to feed your vigilance they know you feed upon yourself … Continue reading
duration of the crossing by Herb Kauderer
duration of the crossing Herb Kauderer every renewal of faith in love & romance is paler a white marble gravestone to innocence a glowing personal Charon guiding us each across our own River Styx a river that flows with the … Continue reading
Out of Hades by Herb Kauderer
Out of Hades Herb Kauderer Persephone’s cat counts the days to equinox coolness of summer. first appeared in Stinkwaves Oct 2016
keeping company by Herb Kauderer
keeping company Herb Kauderer kokopelli figurine dances when you’re not looking rehearses flute songs while you’re vacuuming hides keys when you try to leave
bug in the system by Herb Kauderer
bug in the system Herb Kauderer driverless car moves partiers to unscheduled & barren destination with no chance of return or recovery
Posted in Horror, Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged bug, car, driverless, Herb, Kauderer, system
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Two Wrongs by Herb Kauderer
Two Wrongs Herb Kauderer Tyrannical giant-brained aliens broadcast demands for obeisance. Underground resistance feverishly builds an evil robot to disagree.
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged evil robot, Herb, Kauderer, robot, two, wrongs
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Scylla by Herb Kauderer
Scylla Herb Kauderer You did nothing but refuse the advances of Glaucus who held Circe’s eye. You were blamed anyway. As a sea nymph you must have expected it. Nymphs are always blamed by those who don’t know better & … Continue reading
Priestess’ Nightmare by Herb Kauderer
Priestess’ Nightmare Herb Kauderer Asleep in her private grove the high priestess dreams: Gods & goddesses assemble to hear her rightful requests. But as she speaks they reach out & change her stretching and molding until she stands frozen into … Continue reading
Basilisk by Herb Kauderer
Basilisk Herb Kauderer there is no sweeter feel than hard rough rocks scraping your belly as you slowly drag yourself into some hidden crevice these humid, dark days are best for hunting farther from water prey can be lulled into … Continue reading
Depth Perception by Herb Kauderer
Depth Perception Herb Kauderer One-eyed Polyphemus stands, towering over men and stares into the distant seas at bright striped sails & pounding drums. He longs to leave his island home but has no idea how far away the … Continue reading
Satyr Insane by Herb Kauderer
Satyr Insane Herb Kauderer Kar-chon sits anchored in the stream of soulless & damned that rages through the underworld. Crowds push at his rocky mount surging blindly sometimes even shaking the stones he stoically rests upon. Stationed, … Continue reading
Medusa by Herb Kauderer
Medusa Herb Kauderer Late at night she lies awake dreaming of her beautiful blind lover. She can see his face through closed eyes & imagines the sweet feel of his embrace. She pretends the caresses she feels … Continue reading
Space Efficient by Herb Kauderer
Space Efficient Herb Kauderer The legends of outer space call the void empty and lonely. I live shoulder to shoulder among four million people on a generation ship. I wonder what lonely means.
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged efficient, generation, herb kauderer, lonely, ship, space
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Arachnid Defense by Herb Kauderer
Arachnid Defense Herb Kauderer Alien attack repelled. Nuclear option wins war. shadows still holding hands blasted into brick, hominids reduced to soot.
Having Touched Sky by Herb Kauderer
Having Touched Sky Herb Kauderer Pegasus should have freed Equus ferus from the tyranny of dirt and gravity, but once aloft the winds he could not force himself to settle down and breed.
look the other way by Herb Kauderer
look the other way Herb Kauderer tidally locked moon looks down on a dead planet survivors travel settle on distant farside to keep from facing the past
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged Herb, Kauderer, look, moon, other, survivors, way
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what lay underfoot by Herb Kauderer
what lay underfoot Herb Kauderer in the cold of a frigid moon in the land of microscopic silicate crabs a city died late at night when red-lit hunters landed with no care for what lay underfoot & no awareness of … Continue reading
Doom by Herb Kauderer
Doom Herb Kauderer Hobbled in alien chains the noble hero routine fails. Sinew cannot break this unknown metal. A strong heart cannot tumble down the stones in these prison walls. A hero’s handsomeness cannot sway non-human guards who do not … Continue reading
listener by Herb Kauderer
listener Herb Kauderer on nights like this when lightning chases leaves down the mountain and the wind stalks the grass like a cat the eastern gods walk as long ago you can hear them calling each other in the thunder … Continue reading
sentient pushing by Herb Kauderer
sentient pushing Herb Kauderer for every secret and mystery to tumble down before sentient pushing there is a place where the winds tumble down answers like grains of sand across Martian plains Pandora #26 1990
The Robot Insane by Herb Kauderer
The Robot Insane Herb Kauderer Once known as Maxine XY12 the robot lives nameless & alone on an asteroid easily left, if she only knew how. Deep in a crater she works augmenting with nuclear reactions power taken from glimpses … Continue reading
Love Letters of Old by David Russell
Love Letters of Old David Russell My love was stifled Between the gum and the paper – The sealed envelope was lumpy
Mid-Life by David Russell
Mid-Life David Russell So much happened; So much didn’t – So nice to remember; So painful to recall Now nothing is all, The power to recall Is an anaesthetic – Past strength Is pathetic. In the middle, What’s kept still … Continue reading
Communication by David Russell
Communication David Russell He handled his language as he fried his eggs: There was tension between the respective softnesses Of his egg and the cooking fat – Dependent on extreme alternation of heat and cold, Confinement in shell melting out … Continue reading
Work out of Progress by David Russell
Work out of Progress David Russell I suppose it must all go on indefinitely – Just when I thought it had all been played out, All become superfluous. I am at the stage of universal discarding; I suppose that many … Continue reading
Common Sense by David Russell
Common Sense David Russell The sea turns sound to touch The wind blows touch to smell The sun turns sight to touch The grasses smell taste to touch The animals taste smell to see The setting of sets charge to … Continue reading
Electro-Magnetic Love by David Russell
Electro-Magnetic Love David Russell She said – you are my current, my three-pointed plug Yet I am the wound flex; the wiring behind the walls is mine – When I say ‘Halt!’ go no further; the wiring is dislocated from … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged david, electro, Electro-Magnetic, love, magnetic, russell
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In Transit by David Russell
In Transit David Russell Unemployed’s tube journey: For those safe, definable few minutes there is the duality Of oneself and the comfort of the seat – the circle; Seal; it chops perfectly, crossing the antilinear. It induces connexity; the most … Continue reading
Panic by David Russell
Panic David Russell A search for some trivial object in the midst of disordered furniture Seized upon just at that moment, giving birth to consternation Repulsion from travelling delayed by this selection; Travelling light, splitting energy-wholes into petty onenesses – … Continue reading
Early to Rise by David Russell
Early to Rise David Russell In vigour, he did the splits in freedom In free vigour, he did the splits Freely, he did the splits in vigour, With vigour, he did the splits freely Vigorously, he did the free splits … Continue reading
Carnival by David Russell
Carnival David Russell That peacock opulence, Swarming on strutting grime; That massed ecstasy, squeezing itself, Short-breathed, near suffocation; That sound-abandonment, seeming to plunge To deafness’s peace; Yet keeping those maimed faculties alive, Ever denying their last fulfilment. Maybe it’s … Continue reading
Computer Virus by David Russell
Computer Virus David Russell Gulleted in spark glint veins Flabbering circuits in floppies Print-out piled high, choking, crimped; Programme busy; not applied; Insufficient memory. Germs swallowed ink; Myopic suction Greek symbol coffee grounds The winking green a vaccine The quantum … Continue reading
Discourse by David Russell
Discourse David Russell He was the foam on the backwash of conversation, Repelled by the safety-pier; Seeming to crave a knife to answer The upward wave-choppings, He felt as if there were an invisible plastic partition Segmenting the round, globular … Continue reading
Disintegration by David Russell
Disintegration David Russell The bottom fell out And all things gathered, Reverted to their origins In skips, on pavements, Fell to casual hands. But at the pit Of all exhaustion, The bottom of grip’s loss Are seeds and roots Of … Continue reading
Checkpoint by David Russell
Checkpoint David Russell Lurching, they bluster – ghouls into the chasm. Fierce lava, blowing, nullifies their fall And dissipates harsh gravity’s concussion, Forces a seething screen of phoenix cowardice, Leaping to swell Into a fresh, mendacious crust, Tripping and … Continue reading
Scorpion by David Russell
Scorpion David Russell I touched a scorpion; it struck. It was my fault; I had been warned – But for one split second Its beauty-fascination wrenched me From reason’s ice. I don’t think anyone could find a scorpion ugly, They … Continue reading
With Respect to the Whale by David Russell
With Respect to the Whale David Russell Oh, man – foul carnivore! Gorging beyond all need for sustenance, Gorging beyond even your body’s bounds! And is this a fixation on your prey, A lust for prey-communion? Willing your … Continue reading
Clouds by David Russell
Clouds David Russell In chroniclers’ minds Past wars all went full circle Making great urban filth destroy itself So that the finest flowers and shrubs Could sprout at random. And birds, in exultation Or happy in their ignorance Made rills … Continue reading
Earthquake by David Russell
Earthquake David Russell What happened? There was a fault. What’s a fault? It’s when one piece of the earth juts above another. Why does that happen? Because the explosion down below Goes on forever. But was that fault anybody’s? It … Continue reading
Fast Lane by David Russell
Fast Lane David Russell Let’s get in the fast lane – Rip off the doors and slice the breezes; Let’s get in the fast lane – Thread the highway through a needle. We can loop the date-line In a coral … Continue reading
Space Capsule Volunteer by David Russell
Space Capsule Volunteer David Russell The final pull of severance will magnify you The downward controls make you equal to the general gravitation You are higher than the air, and so you leave, You are bigger than the air, … Continue reading
Power Kernels by David Russell
Power Kernels David Russell Break down the elements, split them To non-existence; Then shatter all solidity’s illusions, Free impulses Beyond the viscous mind, still feeling hard By vanity’s gas upholstered. And then, for happiness’s definition, Shut the door; Relax, and … Continue reading
Hunting by John C. Mannone
Hunting John C. Mannone He was always a farmer, but now the ground is too hard to till—cracked clay, starved for rain, a wilderness he did not expect. His wife pregnant with twins (she just knew). Hunger gnaws their bellies, … Continue reading
Yellow Spiders by John C. Mannone
Yellow Spiders John C. Mannone I hid from the sky yellowed with the rotting sun, and from bombs exploding behind the cumulonimbus. My heart shattered anyway shrapneling troops, tattering uniforms: the blue and the gray. Young bones, pierced in … Continue reading
Considering Alicia Austin by Lyn McConchie
On Considering Alicia Austin Lyn McConchie I walked out one May morning to see a cat up in a tree, I gazed at her – she gazed at me. “You foolish cat,” I muttered, “You’re meant to be below. Cats … Continue reading
Taos Sirens by Deborah L. Davitt
Taos Sirens Deborah L. Davitt When Odysseus and his crew tried to slip past the sirens, he stuffed the ears of his men with wax, but as he wanted to hear what no man ever should, he tied himself to … Continue reading
Paratopia by Deborah L. Davitt
Paratopia Deborah L. Davitt “Where did Mama go?” a child wailed in the city of glass. “She left us, my son, she went into the past.” “But why did she leave? Didn’t she love me? Mama, please, come back!” The … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged alternate, davitt, debra, paratopia, time, universe
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Shadow Cast by Deborah L. Davitt
Shadow Cast Deborah L. Davitt I see my shadow on the sidewalk there— myself, robbed of dimensionality. Just a void where light should be, as photons rain down waves, passing around and through me. And as I stare at her … Continue reading
Saturnine by Deborah L. Davitt
Saturnine Deborah L. Davitt Ice rings swirl in light, casting shadows, ghosts of lost moons; Saturn devours his children.
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Daggervale Ravine: A View Through Time by Robert Shmigelsky
Daggervale Ravine: A View Through Time Robert Shmigelsky (tanka) razor wind sculptor looping prehistoric rock spirals reaching sky primeval tectonic lift first skateboard park
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged dagger, daggervale, ravine, robert, shmigelsky, time
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Tales from the Garburator by Robert Shmigelsky
Tales from the Garburator Robert Shmigelsky garbage disposal unit trash compactor’s distant cousin the third one removed appliance family tree – kitchen genealogist (haiku) parallel universe refuse passing seamlessly into other worlds (joined one breaths) pipe dream clog free drains … Continue reading
Radioactive Frogs by Richard Stevenson
Radioactive Frogs Richard Stevenson Ribbit… Rubbit… Friggit… We’re radioactive frogs. Don’t snap up insects on the wing now we’re the size of dogs. We let the swallows swoop down for a gnat and skeeter feast, then we snap them up … Continue reading
Dark Matter by Richard Stevenson
Dark Matter Richard Stevenson Dark matter, dark matter… The brouhaha and chatter is you take up most of space. Most of time too, which is not separate from space but part of a continuum. Confused? Good, so am I! Can’t … Continue reading
Bondegezu, Tree Kangaroo by Richard Stevenson
Bondegezu, Tree Kangaroo Richard Stevenson Yo! Homo sapiens dude, Bondegezu, tree kangaroo. Ain’t no cryptid critter since you guys tracked me down. Lemme get down from this tree. Don’t worry. I ain’t no pugilist, Don’t practice Muay Thai or Kung … Continue reading
Napes by Richard Stevenson
Napes Richard Stevenson Napes, Napes, new world apes: ain’t gorillas or chimpanzees. Napes, napes, c’mon, pull the drapes; let us get a good long look at you. What, did you get tired of the competition for good real estate in … Continue reading
The Yeren’s Complaint by Richard Stevenson
The Yeren’s Complaint Richard Stevenson Yeah, we’re hairy, healthy Yerin. Don’t appreciate yer starin’ Just wanna root for roots and berries. Never mind our dental caries. Leave us a bar of soap, some shampoo. Let us soak our yarbles in … Continue reading
Scientifically Speaking by Kathleen A. Lawrence
Scientifically Speaking Kathleen A. Lawrence (abecedarian) Arcane beakers capture designer equations. Filament glistens. Hypothesis: immunizing jelly. Keen laboratory mice nuzzle. Osmosis pauses, quivers, remembering science. Theorists unveil vessels with XX/XY, yielding zygotes.
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged arcane, beakers, filament, hypothesis, jelly, kathleen, lawrence, osmosis, scientifically, speaking, zygotes
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Tree Swing by Kathleen A. Lawrence
Tree Swing Kathleen A. Lawrence (abecedarian) Astronaut’s brisk carriage delicately elevates, flying galaxy high, instantly jetting, knifing, leaf-like. Motoring to Neptune off playground quest. Reeling swing twirls upward. Voyages with Xenon. Yearning zero-G.
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged astronaut, kathleen, lawrence, neptune, swing, tree
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Space Travel by Kathleen A. Lawrence
Space Travel Kathleen A. Lawrence (abecedarian) Amorphous blobs cavort dauntlessly, exploring future gravistars. Haggling infinitude, juggling kinetic latitudes, measuring Newtonian orbital properties, quietly relishing savage travel. Unsaddled, velocity whips extraterrestrial yokels zeppelining.
Goddesses by Kathleen A. Lawrence
Goddesses Kathleen A. Lawrence (abecedarian) Aphrodite bows. Calliope, demure, efficiently flirts. Glorious Hera intimidates, jauntily kissing loose men. Never opinionated, Psyche quivers romantically, sinking to Titans’ Underworld. Velvet waxing, Xanthe yearns for Zeus.
Past Closing Time at the Endtime Saloon by Robert Frazier
Past Closing Time at the Endtime Saloon By Robert Frazier The piano man’s an australopithecine Cheap suit yes but diamonds on his soul Hammering the Zika Blues in 7/8s time His Sun Ra headdress is really a camera The barkeep … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged closing, endtime, frazier, robert, saloon, time
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Here Is What You Must Do by Robert Frazier
Here Is What You Must Do By Robert Frazier First study weather then the outworld races win the anthropology chair but refuse ship out to the snow planet of Altair 4 when the expedition drives north you go when the … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged altair, anthropology, frazier, igloo, robert
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The woman on the bus encounters time dilation by Daniel R. Jones
The woman on the bus encounters time dilation Daniel R. Jones Physics says time slacks in the gravity-well of a celestial body: An atomic clock set at sea-level will tick a tad slower than one suspended in space. Her car … Continue reading
Double or Nothing on Pascal’s Wager by Daniel R. Jones
Double or Nothing on Pascal’s Wager Daniel R. Jones Eleanor, I think I want to go where you are. But I worry. naught but negative feedback came through the visual metaphors- Laid out flatlined across a gurnee in the threshold … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy, Poetry
Tagged daniel, double, eleanor, jones, nothing, pascal, undertaker, undertakes, wager
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Fiskerton Phantom by Richard Stevenson
Fiskerton Phantom Richard Stevenson F-f-f- fear the Fiskerton Phantom, ABC – Alien Big Cat — of Lincolnshire, U.K. Big as a cougar; black as a panther. ‘E’s not about to scamper around to the back porch for handouts, miss; ‘e’s … Continue reading
Amomonga by Richard Stevenson
Amomonga Richard Stevenson Amomonga, Negros Island ape – Orang mawas, Ikugan equivalent names. “Wild monkey” that lives in the caves of Mt. Kanlaon. You like the innards of goats and chickens, Have eviscerated a couple of humans too to hear … Continue reading
Akkorakamui by Richard Stevenson
Akkorakamui Richard Stevenson Akkorakamui’s gonna nab you, if not with his long-reach tentacles then by his noxious inky exudate or foul-smelling body odour. Whew! You’ll wanna flee the scene a.s.a.p. lest you burn out both nostrils in a caustic neural … Continue reading
Manipogo by Richard Stevenson
Manipogo Richard Stevenson Manipogo – or Winnipogo – when you’re in a Winnipeg visitin’ mood – you sure got slinky, hinky moves. You can howl, whisper, whimper, croon… Lord knows you’d win a talent show if you ever had to … Continue reading
Space Disc by Robert Shmigelsky
Space Disc Robert Shigelsky autonomous rex rocket-packed rover over shooting extruding star power chasing frisbees in space END
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Woodwose by Richard H. Fay
Woodwose Richard H. Fay Saplings quiver then bow, bent by a hirsute brute possessed of gleaming eyes far too human. Originally published in Aphelion, December/January Issue, December 2011
Wondrous Gobbledygook by Richard H. Fay
Wondrous Gobbledygook Richard H. Fay On a wonderful Nagoogoo morn, While the bumox skip across the fwa, I strum the strings of my zidipip And slowly sip a gurgle burgle Beside the pink waters of Baffbee. On the puboo of … Continue reading
Tipsy Rambler by Richard H. Fay
Tipsy Rambler Richard H. Fay Tipsy rambler roams Darkened moorland. Tricksy goblins shift Moonlit landmarks. Befuddled soul trips D o w n Rocky brae. Invisible imps Laugh. Originally published in Aphelion, Issue 182, Volume 18, March 2014
The Brownie by Richard H. Fay
The Brownie Richard H. Fay Sweep, sweep, sweep, Clean the farmhouse floor in secret While tired mortal family sleeps. Wipe the table, dust the cupboard, Keep this farmer’s home looking neat. Churn, churn, churn, Perform certain household magic By making … Continue reading
Silicon Searchers by Richard H. Fay
Silicon Searchers Richard H. Fay Crystals pulsing with life pulverize rocky worlds, probing planetary scraps for lost kin. Originally published in Tales of the Talisman, Volume 8, Issue 1, August 2012
Pixies in the Porridge by Richard H. Fay
Pixies in the Porridge Richard H. Fay cold winter morn hearth flames crackle breakfast simmers impish twitters soft tug draws attention fire left untended vaporous sprites reel across steaming pot porridge burned
Last Thoughts of a Cosmic Fighter Pilot by Richard H. Fay
Last Thoughts of a Cosmic Fighter Pilot Richard H. Fay Shields and thrusters spent; Photon cannon dead. Adrift on the line As saucers break through. Warning sirens blare While fried circuits blow. Smoke blurs reddened sight As I think of … Continue reading
Menage à Tiger and Dragon by Vince Gotera
Menage à Tiger and Dragon Vince Gotera In Chinese mythology, Dragon and Tiger are opposing forces, portrayed in art as always in epic battle against each other. Tiger and Dragon Pine for Each Other Dragon and Tiger love each other like … Continue reading
Abandoned Sphere by Wendy Van Camp
Abandoned Sphere Wendy Van Camp lack of radiation dead statites enclose alien star we claim all salvage rights
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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KIC 8462852 by Wendy Van Camp
KIC 8462852 Wendy Van Camp fifteen hundred light years human warp drive propels ship odd pulses promise life
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Crush by Wendy Van Camp
Crush Wendy Van Camp Spaceship seeks floating city in Purgatory finds crushing darkness
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Venus Ascending by Wendy Van Camp
Venus Ascending Wendy Van Camp airship city floats above toxic clouds mysterious Venus
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Orbiting Secrets by Wendy Van Camp
Orbiting Secrets Wendy Van Camp In stationary orbit city in the clouds learning secrets
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Exoskeleton by Wendy Van Camp
Exoskeleton Wendy Van Camp mechanical actuators network printed cradle supports my form dawn on hypergravity world
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Butterfly Effect by Wendy Van Camp
Butterfly Effect Wendy Van Camp stalking a t-rex hunter steps on butterfly past shifts future forever
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Time Machine by Wendy Van Camp
Time Machine Wendy Van Camp morlocks below me machine moves through time not space pull it to Weena
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Oblivion by Wendy Van Camp
Oblivion Wendy Van Camp preventing past dance no meeting of grandparents everyone goes poof
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Stalled by Wendy Van Camp
Stalled Wendy Van Camp historical moment past. present. future. merge. time machine stalled
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Drop by Wendy Van Camp
Drop Wendy Van Camp shot from LaGrange Point platinum package explodes sand special delivery to Earth
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Ark by Wendy Van Camp
Ark Wendy Van Camp slingshot to Mars a hollow asteroid ark immigration begins
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Miners by Wendy Van Camp
Miners Wendy Van Camp robot shovel grinds inner metal wealth of the core asteroid mining
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Harvest by Wendy Van Camp
Harvest Wendy Van Camp it is in the bag rare earth metal treasure asteroid harvest
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Rover by Wendy Van Camp
Rover Wendy Van Camp Lonely wheels rove gravel rolling forever on Mars seeking red cousins
Posted in Poetry
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Cold by Wendy Van Camp
Cold Wendy Van Camp Twin moons chase stars Mars descends into the cold Another night alone
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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Rust by Wendy Van Camp
Rust Wendy Van Camp Martian hue isn’t blue rusty skies in morning light color me pink
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Temporal Peaks by Robert Shmigelsky
Temporal Peaks Robert Shmigelsky never-melting peaks enduring cliffs fast forward falling off
Ranger’s First True Steps by Robert Shmigelsky
Ranger’s First True Steps Robert Shmigelsky tangible outside pull teetering dimensional run sidestepping ranger dodging shadows of objects back in the real world
Miniature Hubble Telescope by Robert Shmigelsky
Miniature Hubble Telescope Robert Shmigelsky angst of a blown-up depth locked refractors zoomable Hubble telescope miniature eye implants busted “off” switch
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged Eye, hubble, implant, robert, shmigelsky, telescope
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The Knights of Night by Ed Blundell
The Knights of Night Ed Blundell Beneath the Cornish blue, grey sea, The bells of Lyonesse swing free, Rocked in the bosom of the deep, The knights of Lyonesse still sleep. On a summer night when the wind was still, … Continue reading
Rite to Know by Ed Blundel
Rite to Know Ed Blundell A half remembered reality of something that was before, Haunts me with shadowed fragments locked behind Time’s door. A misted, dim reflection in memory’s cracked mirror face, Taunts me by almost showing that distant, different … Continue reading
Sacrifice by Ed Blundell
Sacrifice Ed Blundell She was so young and beautiful So gentle and so sweet. They bound her tightly to the stake And tied her hands and feet. They left her on the mountain side, Knowing what would befall. They would … Continue reading
The Curse by Ed Blundell
The Curse Ed Blundell Four thousand years had melted by, Since that ancient time before, Four thousand years had passed since last, They had sealed the tomb’s stone door. Carved guardians watched in silence, As the centuries unfurled, And other … Continue reading
Blood Birth by Ed Blundell
Blood Birth Ed Blundell We stand on the bare, windswept moorside, In the circle of standing stones, Where the priests are chanting the ancient rhymes, And the cold cuts into our bones. We are deep in the bleak, dark midwinter, … Continue reading
Griffin in the Spring by Melissa Maillet
Griffin in the Spring by Melissa Maillet Rarely is a sight more pleasing than a griffin in the spring. when Wind is blowing and Grass is Growing wild Flowers blossoming. He’s not been across the land since the first snow … Continue reading
In Orbital Mirrors by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendall Evans
In Orbital Mirrors David C. Kopaska-Merkel Kendall Evans I swallowed the mercurial net, my veins a tree, mandrake-forked. Listen! I hear my buds unfolding & the sound echoes echoes in orbital mirrors. four or five synchronous satellites broadcast the … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged david, evans, kendall, merkel, mirrors, orbital
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Beyond the Mad/Funhouse by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendal Evans
Beyond the Mad/Funhouse David C. Kopaska-Merkel Kendall Evans She is underlit There atop the cathedral madhouse As if by the floor lights of a stage Illumination ascending, spotlighting mercilessly Casting crowraven shadows of features and … Continue reading
Recursion by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendall Evans
Recursion David C. Kopaska-Merkel Kendall Evans Where’s this starship been Resembling a pretzel Infinite figure 8 Maybe a moebius Nor-easterlies, or their 4D equivalent From another universe Might be responsible Or some minor deity’s Momentary inattention Its unscarred surface Belies … Continue reading
The Station Master by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendall Evans
The Station Master Nearly Always Runs the Trains on Time David C. Kopaska-Merkel Kendall Evans In the morning’s roaring rain The driving outrageous migraine pain I disobeyed the Station Master’s instructions Despite his threats of Post-mortem punishments And repercussions yet … Continue reading
Corrected Maps of your City by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendall Evans
Corrected Maps of your City David C. Kopaska-Merkel Kendall Evans Every convenience store has them: So shiny and bright, Each street name legible, They fold and refold perfectly (Your first clue they are alien technology) Behind your building, no-name alley, … Continue reading
Robot/Worker
Robot/Worker David C. Kopaska-Merkel Limestone opens eroding eyes / kudzu drags a gray shack Into a verdant mound / while skulls peep back at stony eyes Groaning into a world of glades, And ghosts, and raddled condominia_ Eyes rotate, focus, … Continue reading
Robo-Cat by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Robo-Cat® David C. Kopaska-Merkel No messy hairballs with Robo-Cat® Pet is pre-programmed and pre-trained, but be forewarned: Though great to have around the house, Robo-Cat® Is extremely playful; be sure to secure your computer mouses This is one high-maintenance mechanical … Continue reading
In Answer to your Relic Query by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendall Evans
In Answer to your Relic Query David C. Kopaska-Merkel Kendall Evans His day in court proved a kangaroo trial They found his sin to be most vile For sipping his gin from the Holy Grail They sentenced his ass to … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged fiction, merkle, poem, poetry, query, relic, science
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Elegy for Iain Banks by Vince Gotera
Elegy for Iain Banks Vince Gotera First published in Star*Line 39.3 For Iain M. Banks (1954-2013) Scottish science fiction writer known for fanciful spaceship names. The Irish corvette Macha – a small warship – was dispatched to France … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged banks, gotera, iain, poem, poetry, Science fiction, vince
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Within The Asteroid Belt by Lyn McConchie
Within The Asteroid Belt Lyn McConchie first published in The Fractal There ghosts among the asteroids, The nameless dead of many races, creeds and laws, Miners, whose bodies float in deep black space, and colonists, where some forgot, the environment … Continue reading
Advent by Lyn McConchie
AdventLyn McConchie Spring comes,daffodills bloom sweet,deep within the graveyard –quietly, other things begin to stir.
Posted in Horror, Poetry
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Pharaoh’s Eye by John C. Mannone
Pharaoh’s Eye John C. Mannone Sacrilege. Intrusion into Egyptian chambers, looting the relics: rubies, emeralds, gold scepters, the king’s sarcophagus. No one’s watching but the scarabs that scurry down the stone maze of passageways now choking with sand falling as … Continue reading
You Always Said You Could Swim Like a Fish by John C. Mannone
You Always Said You Could Swim Like a FishJohn C. Mannone You, in that black cocktail dress,red heels stiletto-ing floor. Legs,sinuous in the ballroom. We embrace, my hands on the arch of your back. Outside, salt water sings. Beckons.Caribbean air … Continue reading
An Ambassador Recollects Earth by Jennifer Ruth Jackson
An Ambassador Recollects EarthJennifer Ruth Jackson Travelers, I knew your world, onceI saw your gods paintYour watery sky with theirBackstroke brushstrokesMolecules banging like horny teenagersTo construct your air in a lazy grace I sampled it, forced it into my bodyThe … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged Ambassador, Earth, jackson, jennifer, Recollects, ruth
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Entreaty of the Ancient by Jennifer Ruth Jackson
Entreaty of the AncientJennifer Ruth Jackson Describe it, scribe How the mountains tasteThe sound the moon makesAs it sees its faceStark, in ocean mirrors Give me the scent of griefSo I can press it to me,A dead flower preservedTo still … Continue reading
Dorothy Delivered by Kathleen A. Lawrence
Dorothy DeliveredKathleen A. Lawrencespiraling abecedarian
Alice Abbreviated by Kathleen A. Lawrence
Alice AbbreviatedKathleen A. Lawrencespiraling abecedarian
Giant Robots Loot the Oort! by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendall Evans
Giant Robots Loot the Oort!David C. Kopaska-MerkelKendall Evans Giant robots loot the Oort Cloud (When not taking time outTo pose for the coversOf science fiction magazinesPublished back in the 1940’s and 50’s)The tabloids say they’ve been snortingComet dustSmearing it on each … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Science Fiction
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PRINCESS P, IN A SPIN by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendall Evans
PRINCESS P, IN A SPINDavid C. Kopaska-MerkelKendall Evans IPrincess P twirls in placeLike one of those ballerinas Impaled upon a postAtop a wind-up music box She was a real princessEven if she didn’t have a real namePrincess P tried to … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy, Poetry, Science Fiction
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In Wicked Hollows, On Darkling Plains by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendall Evans
In Wicked Hollows, On Darkling PlainsDavid C. Kopaska-MerkelKendall Evans In the distance: black birds fly swiftlyskimming whitecaps in warm duskhurrying to roost. I sip Kona on my wooden dock,the wife inside, a good book at hand.My hand no longer … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Poetry
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