1.
This, my cluttered kitchen,
acts as pitiable throne room
for a semi-widowed queen,
whose king sits voluntarily dungeon-bound

child, rest. i’ll never give you waking eyes. i’ll never give you a beginning. i cannot find that reason for making that whose will doesn’t concur to its being. if i were a better man i might have been a father to you.

Once upon a time there was a
young writer, which might be the
worst kind of writer to be.

The ballet shoes. She begged her mother to buy them, promised to practice every day. The grace they radiated. She would never stumble through the halls of school anymore. The children mocking at her. Her own sister in the crowd of bright laughing faces. She would practice every day.

I blame you, Sylvia,
for the awfulness of a white Christmas
and the revelation (while my mother
is driving home from work)
that people often freeze to death.

rebecca.
i knew the night i kissed your birthing scars,
when we shut the lights and were silent
and put our mouths about the other’s,
breathing the quietformed heat of latent organs –
unto ourselves sufficient, each the other’s cause and end.

These girls I knew,
It was like their
houses were sinking

The erection
of the
ichgeist
is inevitably
the diserection of the
siegeist.

& I feel sick when I think of
how your cunt must sweat in the summertime.

A short story submission from Joy Stoffers. Enjoy!

The Alfa Art Gallery invites you to join us for an evening with the exhibiting artists of the New Brunswick Art Salon, Spring’11. If you missed the opening receptions on April 22nd and May 13th, this is not only the perfect chance to see some amazing works but is also the opportunity to get an inside look on the creative process of each artist. The artists will work on their respective art pieces at the Alfa Art Gallery as well as give informative talks on their inspirations.