Liberation “We heard a loud voice repeating the same words in English and in German…”1 May 25 1940, the first transport of thousands were marched through those gates. Gates that opened to what a select few called the Final Solution. But to those on the inside, the Final Solution had yet to come. Their Liberation Their Freedom Numbers painfully […]
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PATIENT NANA (By Joseph Cavera) Some old woman, Who says so? Watches over mom Stops from going below And her husband, a peaceful man Retirement clearly not in the plan, Cute little attitude, We all know, and love Brings us hope, Thank the man up above… For our patient Nana, Cook and Mother, Who else look us to? I […]
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Song of America I. I see you, Walt Whitman, an American Rough, a cosmos! I see you face to face! I see you and the nameless faceless Faces in America’s ageless crowds of men and women who you saw in your mind’s eye. I see you crossing the river on your ferry. I see you walking […]
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Age Has Curtains An incident in youth never meant to happen recorded on a pad to be read another time is found decades later in a drawer of socks by the writer who is then on the precipice of age. His reading glasses help him understand who it was and why he did it. Not so funny now. Can’t apologize. He’s […]
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Making an Attempt An enclosed UBH hospital room is the first step to maintaining my privacy and treat my phobia to the outdoors. The second step is to visit a restaurant and eat a grilled cheese sandwich, along with mashed potatoes. I have a window to view the sky; I don’t need to visit a small park […]
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HERO OR ZERO? To die on the battlefield leading a charge, Your body upon a shield, burned in a barge – An image heroic of Viking portrayal Approvingly stoic, quite worthy of hail. The fireman rushing pall-mall into blaze As on 9-11, the last of his days. No body recovered from building’s collapse. Just wife, children, mother to […]
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WHAT LIES BENEATH At base of elevator shaft Lives planet I once knew (Preserved by technologic craft) On which earth’s surface grew. Beneath a roof of greenhouse glass Lies planet of my birth Supporting seven levels vast Of Hotel Planet Earth. Atop the seventh level like The Babylon of old Are gardens hanging lush and ripe […]
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CLICHÉD Beggars can’t be choosers, For there is no choice for losers, And as paupers we must stand with open hand. Seeing is believing, But can also be deceiving When you’re grieving that you’re down and out again. Cruising for a bruising, If you’re thin-skinned, makes excusing Your intrusions not so simple of a chore. Striking while […]
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DISAPPEARANCE 1. I considered the phoenix— into the fire, a quick release of gas, the efficacy of ash. But does one truly rise? Is it a spirit or a conscious recollection of the past? 2. Those who acknowledge nothing swim comfortably in the dark. The salt of their mother floats them. The mulch of their father awaits […]
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Separation A prose by Hannah Willingham I speed down the three lane highway with the music blaring and the sun burning. Everywhere that I look there is light. I crest the final hill and wiggle with anticipation. I see the ocean on my right and the concrete waves to my left. “There’s no going back now!” I sing as […]
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