Ode to the Magic

Ode to the Magic

Photo: aceshot1 / Shutterstock.com Gardens, more glitter than greenery. South Street sermonof wishes made, coins tossed into the chromium chasm. Hallowed be the absinthe-tinted bottles, bicycle wheelsunmoving and tile trails, each piece a mosaicked religion we worship...
Namesake

Namesake

Photo: KMarsh / Shutterstock.com You named me after three tombstones in Laurel Hill Cemetery. Your freckled hand on your swollen belly, your light gray eyes scanning the marble and granite slabs. You were running out of time. You said it was the touch of cinnamon in...
After Hours, Ad Astra

After Hours, Ad Astra

“Bicentennial moon tree marker” by David Victor is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 Washington Square Park, Philadelphia This used to be a Night Marketfor body parts (spectral physiciansstill pick through piles of criminals under the Moon Tree). We sit abovethousands...
Steve’s Prince of Steaks in far Northeast Philadelphia

Steve’s Prince of Steaks in far Northeast Philadelphia

Waste is what I’ve put into my bodyalong with a monster I had slept beside, among a morning when my mouth acted as a napkin and I found I ate all the things I once loved.Cool, blue, refrigerated, and my lips burned from the coals of old meals. A Franciscan with his...
The Blanket by the River

The Blanket by the River

“Guys, come on. We’re late, we’re late!” I attempt to tie two shoes at once, the clock ticking, my children doing everything in their power to make us late for our train. “Mommy, where going?” asks my toddler, and I again reflect on the impossibility of getting two...