My Mother’s Photograph
My mother kept her cup of gin nearby.
She had sex in the afternoon. Habit kept
order, swept the floors, ironed the pillowcases,
kept the light on and made her death little by little.
Continue reading My Mother’s Photograph by Cheryl Heineman
A WIND MACHINE FOR ORANGES UP NORTH
When asked about
the last orange grove in Orange County –
I am at a loss.
In the dark times, will there also be singing?
Yes. There will also be singing. About the dark times. – Bertolt Brecht
You’ve been thinking about the gold rim
of a priest’s robe, a glimpse of light caught
while turning the pages of a book
about ancient Egypt.
You’ve been traveling with a headlight
in the backyards and bedrooms
of a sunken city, somewhere
near the center of the Mediterranean sea.
chalk dust subsumes
our fingertips
into the board, a shared
motion of
our fingertips circling
the board
subsuming chalk
dust, no
master, no
artist,
only
medium
Chance Austin-Brecher is a San Diego based poet born in Redlands, California.
Caring Is Still Creepy
Is there a pill to make me not be this?
(I’m asking for a friend.) Continue reading Caring Is Still Creepy and Modest Mouse B-Side by C.J. Miles
Burial
We spread you off the point,
under the silent gaze of Cabrillo. Continue reading Burial and A Light That Always Goes Out by Branden Boynton
In school we learnt the story of Samson
and I imagined him,
strange, blind hands pinning him to his chair
as locks of hair drifted down around his shoulders
like feathers,
like snow. Continue reading Queer by Olive Fitzgerald
The mirror speaks her financial advisor,
invest in the stocks and bonds
of the soft skin on her arms, Continue reading Take All But Me by Chelsea Rawlings
We are an independent Poetry press seeking submissions for both our themed inaugural print issue, as well as general submissions of poems to be featured on a daily/weekly basis online. We accept submissions of poetry that employ any aesthetic or form, including free verse, lyric, narrative, prose poems, formal and experimental poetry.
We are excited to announce we are now accepting submissions!
8-WEST PRESS 