Land Scars
By Olga Hogan. ‘Don’t walk backwards!’ she tells me. We’re coming home from the lake. It is late spring and the lilac trees lining the path are in full bloom. The air vibrates with sweet perfume, making me believe in … Continued
Botanical Execution
By Amelia Hearne. TRIGGER WARNING: THIS MEMOIR CONTAINS REFERENCES TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE. IF READING THIS AFFECTS YOU IN ANY WAY SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE: PHONE 1800 RESPECT. Picturing his face spreads darkness in my soul. It rumbles through me like … Continued
Scent of Grass Death
By Chris Hansen. In the morning, often of a weekend, the sounds of mowers could be heard as far as you might wish to travel through the suburbs. My father’s mower was a Victa. Tried trusty and true it kept … Continued
Ekphrastic Challenge 16
Spiritual journey through art, by Mathilda Garrido Lucay IN THE BEGINNING GEOFFREY GASKILL In the Beginning … … the world is dark and without sound. These are the days before butterflies. The butterfly woman’s mother is the … Continued
Ekphrastic Challenge 15
Morea 1 & Morea 2, by Kim Rance DAISY’S WORLD JULIE RYSDALE MOTHER JO CURTAIN On the edge of the Pacific Ocean, Mother waits one thousand years in shrouded majesty rising through the earth, her love trickles down in … Continued
Killing Passion
By Stephane Vander Bruggen. I was standing on the podium, holding the winner’s cup in both hands and looking up at the sky. This one is for you, Pépé (Grandpa). I could not stop a tear from rolling down my … Continued
Nothing Happened
By Sioux Patullo. I was seen by no one today. No one was witness to anything that I did, nor heard anything I had to say. Maybe the neighbour spied me taking out the rubbish but took no notice. I … Continued
Ekphrastic Challenge 14
Untitled 3, by John Bartlett UNTITLED JO CURTAIN The Artist is born in a summer storm, under thick colossal clouds gathering above the Pacific Ocean. The Artist has no mother, no father, no siblings to guide them, only the … Continued
To Whom It May Concern
TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY Trans people are being targeted… not because we lack, it’s because we love. And we have the audacity to love the parts of ourselves that other people hate in themselves. (Alok Vaid-Menon) Trans Day of Visibility … Continued