LA CRESENTA AVENUE by Jean Northwood

The August
leaves
outside
the picture window
flutter in rhythm
with the pianist's
arpeggios--
I lie on the couch
half-empty beer
in my hand
eyes at half-mast
the baby asleep
in a room down the hall
classical music
on the CD player
a wind whispers
down the mountain
one day death
will find me
but right now
this afternoon
sifts itself
through an hourglass
of peace.


Jean Northwood lives and writes in Albany, New York. She longs to someday see the West Coast.

CARLOS 'N CHARLIES: 1989 by Dylan Petty

black sky on sunset blvd.:
sandi and I dance

in a night club on the strip.
red and green neon pulses

thru the los angeles night:
an echocardiogram of light.


Dylan Petty resides in Studio City, CA, and struggles to find gigs as a professional drummer. His poetry has often saved his life.

COFFEE SHOP by Lee Terrace

the dark woman
gestures defiantly &
speaks in french
passionately, as her hands flail.

her two eyes
black as seeds
race & probe
until her energy is spent.

rising:

her gold bracelet
collects the light
perfectly
as she leaves.

he hesitates, then follows.


Lee Terrace's home is in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and her work has appeared in The Antidote Review, shambles, and My Left Hand.