"The Light Never Sleeps" painting by JoAnneh Nagler

by Timothy Liu

So this is where love had gotten
us—a land of plenty with one

too many singing bowls

sounding off, as if their brass
had been warped from too much

pounding. There there. Slow it

down, the Old Man said, don’t be
afraid to feel the thing ring out—

it’s not like it’s going to kill you.

Timothy Liu’s latest books of poems are Down Low and Lowdown and Luminous Debris.

"Stir the Waters" painting by JoAnneh Nagler

By Patricia Davis

His neighbors, even their children, sitting
in the warmth of afternoon, giggled
	     no, guffawed at the monstrosity that rose up
in his yard. Room after room,
stall after stall. What have you
built, Noah?
	     What did it cost?

When the floodwaters drained
there was nothing
	     but the dead and an odor
that made Noah tremble.
Noah waited for the earth

to harden—waited until the animals
could step out on the ground
	     without sinking.

"Snake Vine and Flowers" collage by Tiffany Dugan

By Robin Gow

safe search

i took my eel for a walk & that was the end.
all i could see were horror windows
& adds for single men 100ft away.
the internet has a plastic mouth. i put
training wheels on my eyes. tried to watch
my same monster videos & they were
blocked, replaced with video
of everyday disaster like froot loops.
the eel died from lack of water &