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The Artist
Sonic Mejias

The leaves on the ground
With their metallic bronze hue

They look up to the tree
From which they flew

Then look to the sky,
Question why it is blue.

They say the sky reflects the ocean,
I wonder if that’s true.

I’ve also heard
That before the sky was painted,
It’s artist, whatever goddess it is,
Was filling oceans with her tears.
Rivers flowing from her eyes,
She couldn't stop, even if she tried.

But she looked away from the pain down below
For one moment, she looked up, and saw nothing.
A place where her tears couldn't touch,
Where the aftermath won’t cut stones,
Or crush homes, where there is no harm done.
Finally, she found a place for her tears.
She wiped them away, grabbed her palette,
And began painting the sky.

Blue for the body,
To reflect the blue on her body from this journey.

A shifting moon
To reflect her fluid emotions, and her spindly smile.

Clouds form brief from sighs of relief,
Gifted with her tears to cool the Earth.

Dotted stars stretch across the ceiling,
She wants the world to remember her beauty marks.

Lastly, the sun, warm as can be.
To let the world know there’s always light ahead.
Like the light she found when she looked up.
The inspiration to paint her pain out,
To create art from the chaos of her heart.
Flood her energy into positive mediums,
And a masterpiece is masterfully mothered,
Mirroring most magnificent moments meaningfully.

That's the story of why the sun beams golden rays,
Why the moon shines and hides,
Why clouds like to rain on our parades,
Why she stretched the sky to infinity,
And why she painted it blue.

Scandal Chasing Scandal
Christopher T. Dabrowski

Scandal chased scandal because the most out-of-touch group in the country played today.
For starters, Josh threw out so hard that the ball flew across the field and broke the window.
As he later explained, he wanted to hit the floor above, a buddy who accosted his girlfriend.
The audience was no better...
The oldest soccer player was well into his fifties and stopped occasionally because his bones throbbed.
Finally, shouted one fan:
- What are you kicking the ball for?
At half-time, the coach told them to score - for the second half, the players ran out naked and with guns...

Find more Christopher T. Dabrowski here!

Rape x2 +1
Michael Dority

The room is dark and grungy. A lava lamp? No, something like it.
He enters, escorted by the house Muscle.
Take care of him, Muscle says. Call if there’s trouble. He exits.
Whatta ‘ya want, she says.
I dunno, he stammers. M friends sent me here.
I’m askin’ you, not your friends, she replies.
He tenses. I guess…the usual?
There’s no usual. Tell me what you want me to do.
He turns to go. Sorry, I think I made a mistake.
See the red lights here, there on the wall…and on the ceiling up there? she says. Cameras.
They watch us here, just like everywhere else.
I’ll just leave now, he says.
You can’t.
You’re here, so tell me what you want so you can leave.
I don’t want anything.
We’ve got to do something, she replies. You came here. It’s expected. So why?
I’m lonely.
She laughs. Lonely? Who isn’t? Answer me, asshole.
The mattress is full of nasty smells and dried stains.
Come on, she says.
Oh Jesus, he whispers to not be heard. Whatever’s quickest.
She unzips his pants and puts his penis in.
Just so you know, she says, you disgust me. But we’re loyal patriots, aren’t we she says, staring at the cameras, then accusingly back at him.
Yes, he replies. Always.
Then prove it, she shouts.
They grunt and grind till finally, in shame and revulsion, he cums...
Oh fuck, she groans. Get the hell outta me you shit!
He tucks in his genitals and zips up.
Ask for someone else next time, she spits.
Won’t be one, he wants to say out loud but only thinks.