Damselfly* Paused on the underside, the damselfly folds her wings across her back like two matched slivers of isinglass. Her body, thin as a thorn, flits by in sepia tone. […]
Damselfly
The Dark Side of the Dog Star
In this last week of the Dog Days of summer, I say let’s take another look at why these days are “dog.” I already mentioned what’s so “major” about Canis Major; the constellation dominates […]
What’s Up the Last Week of the Dog Days?
This is the last week of the Dog Days of Summer, marking the end of the reign of Sirius and the constellation called “Canis Major.” The constellation Canis Major contains the star called “Alpha Canis” […]
A Writer and Her Dog: The Story of Chili
By Nancy Welch Fiction writer Nancy Welch tells the compelling tale of how her beloved, problematic rescue pup Chili romped into her heart. First published in a recent special feature of Ploughshares online called “Writers […]
Serpentinata
by Calypso Jewel Yeats if you thought Leda could not defend herself from a swan you didn’t understand how a woman loves a god who comes as something other than […]
Nina and the Snakeslayer
by Wendy Goddard As roommates go, Mark the Stonemason possessed many qualities to recommend him, none more crucial than his being the recipient of my friend Charlotte’s love. Mark could size up […]
The Body’s World
THE BODY’S WORLD —after Raymond Carver When we wake up early to ride the horses and find them sweating already in their fine summer coats, we carefully get […]
Two Poems by Laura Sobbott Ross
Grace Sleeps through Poetry First Friday Writing Group, Rollins Campus Obligingly, into the circle of us, she falls, clack and hum and hiss of our tongues catching in the soft […]
Roll Call of the Dead
by Ann LaBar I. Tale of year’s dead, Grim Reaper busy in root cellar and shed The list is a long one: Commencing with countless least shrews, twenty-some short tailed shrews strewn […]
Skinny Dipping in the Ocean at Age Fifty
 By Laura Sobbott Ross Dancing was something we hadn’t done in years, we told one another that night, the three of us marveling at our neon auras, fingers snapping, cupping the […]
The Gloria Sirens 