By: Mike Turner I stand upon rough, worn wood deck Salty tang of sea spray upon my lips Eying starched white canvas arching aloft against azure skies Eyes burning and watering from the reflection Feeling rise and fall of straining hull against rolling waves Cool kiss of freshening breeze upon my cheek Thunderous booming of bows crashing through foaming crests Roiling wake smacking like applause at a symphony’s close Pointing bowsprit across emerald depths I steer straight at the orange fireball of the setting sun To horizon, and beyond Aiming for the green flash Knowing that I am bound to wher ..read more

By: Nattie O’Sheggzy  ECHOES ON THE RIVER BANK WIND & DANCE THE DEMON I KNEW SHORELINE VIGIL HEAVEN’S GRACE ECHOES ON THE RIVER BANK The moon carries a lonely shadow of the fully fledged tree behind the gazebo sentinel of the ebbing clouds in its bosom but all its head is gone the distance between sight and flight that distance is the weird words we detest as if asking our silhouette to sit alone beneath the stars now gone away with the night and the soul of the dead barks at the sky the living whisper to the shadows swimming in dark secrets as they recede along the river bank whe ..read more

By: Tom Ball      I, Mike, said to Tina, “Many men have tried to win your love, yet you remain a virgin.” She said, “I’ve decided to sell my virginity to the highest bidder. I am the most famous virgin in all creation and have written some best-sellers.” I asked her, “What will you do with the money?” She said finance my books to become great movies and live in a palace in New York City. And I will pay for my true love to come and live with me.” I said, “But you know nothing about living with a man and I figure you have never really loved anyone. You are in love with yourse ..read more

By: Nolo Segundo        Modern societies in general and especially it seems those in the West suffer under the widespread delusion that people today are ‘better’ than their ancestors who lived long ago—not just better off in a material sense but smarter, more sophisticated, and far better educated. After all, we have cars and jet planes and air conditioning and TV and the Internet and soon there will be space travel (for those who can afford it).  I’m in my late 70s and recall my beloved Nana telling me how my grandparents courted in a horse and buggy—and I t ..read more

By Thomas Sanfilip There is no question the diary can be adapted into other literary forms of narrative—it has been done countless times over the centuries and lent its form particularly to fiction, yet the cheap, first-person narratives that litter modern fiction today exploit the intimacy of the form and spoil its inherent sincerity. And though the reader is drawn into its private world—where all is revealed and hidden at the same time—there is another side to the diary that carries greater significance and bears absolutely no relation to its fictionalized off-spring, that is, in its true fo ..read more

By: Anthony Paolucci It finally happened. Or did it? Theo couldn’t be sure. Not yet at least. He needed more time to mull it over. Maybe a few days. Or a few months.             He was there when it happened. Of sound body and mind. His instincts were sharp. Theo was good at reading people – a fairly decent judge of character to boot. And he was very observant. Yet he still wasn’t positive what happened earlier that day at work really meant what he thought it meant. Or at least what he hoped it meant. Theo contemplated the myriad of potent ..read more

By Anthony Paolucci WHY HELL HADN’T OPENED up and swallowed this shithole by now is something Mary would never quite understand. Rudy’s Bar & Grille, known affectionately to its regulars as Satan’s Armpit. Or, “The Pit” for short. The last time she was here, over thirty years ago, she swore she’d never come back. Next thing you know, it’s Christmas Eve 2023 and she’s already two beers in. Mary sat alone at one of the dining tables, far enough away from everyone as to appear not worth the trouble of walking over and striking up a conversation. The last thing she needed tonight was a new fri ..read more

By James Aitchison Few Westerners are revered in China.  But one Canadian doctor remains a national hero to this day, honoured in school history books and by statues throughout the country. How his name, Bethune, was translated into Chinese indicates his unique status.  When choosing Chinese equivalents to Western surnames, characters with suitable meanings must phonetically match their Western syllables.  Thus, Bethune became Bai Qiu-en, which means “the white who bestows kindness”.  Bethune’s kindness was recognised by Chairman Mao Zedong, the only Westerner so upheld a ..read more

By James Aitchison For most of us, the British honours system is as baffling as it is somewhat incongruous.  In today’s world, many of its heraldic institutions seem relics of past glory.  Arguably, the most curious of these is an order of chivalry established in 1348: The Most Noble Order of the Garter. The Order’s badge Why is it the most senior British knighthood of all? And why a garter? The Order’s regalia showing the mantle and hat According to the Anglica Historia, King Edward III of England was dancing with Joan of Kent, his first cousin and daughter-in-law, at a ball ..read more

By: James Aitchison Why do we abandon the true essence of ourselves, and accept minds shuttered and shadowed? Why do we avoid the joyful soul and crave a life of limitations? Fresh and eternal transition awaits before death. Take refuge in the quiet voice that speaks within every soul. Plant the seeds of self-truth and ascend in perfect balance. A mind full of light progresses faster ..read more