the personal is the political is the poetical

Vol. 2 No, 18: Paul David Mena, Mark Brager, Lauren Mayhew

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“Unexpected Health Insurance Rate Shock” (read more)

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dirty snow
my uninsured friend
in search of a hospital

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Poem by Paul David Mena. Read more by this poet.

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“Cicadas Coming to U.S. East Coast This Spring” (read more)

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dreaming
a song of the earth…
cicadas

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Poem by Mark Brager. Read more by this poet.

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“Man shot dead by FBI knew Tamerlan Tsarnaev” (read more)

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morning after
the bombings
birdsong

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Poem by Lauren Mayhew. Read more by this poet.

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Vol. 2 No. 17: Karma Tenzing Wangchuck, Stella Pierdes, Michael Henry Lee

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“Food banks: ‘It’s immoral but we have to support people’” (read more)

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Food Bank—
the wall we lean against
worn smooth

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Poem by Karma Tenzing Wangchuck. Read more by this poet.

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“Impact of War on Children and Imperative to End War” (read more)

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spit polishing
her scuffed shoes—
war child

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Poem by Stella Pierides. Read more by this poet.

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“Silverback gorilla Quito, 31, dies at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens” (read more)

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late winter frost
i do the talking
for both of us

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Poem by Michael Henry Lee. Read more by this poet.

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Vol. 2 No. 16: Susan Constable, Stella Pierides, Rita Odeh. Claire Everett

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“The Cypriot Financial Crisis Explained” (read more)

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a single bill
from the bank machine…
spring frost

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Poem by Susan Constable. Read more by this poet.

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“Cremation reveals WWII veteran’s shrapnel in leg” (read more)

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whistling through deserted streets shrapnel

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Poem by Stella Pierides. Read more by this poet.

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“Palestinian refugees from Syria struggle for recognition in Egypt” (read more)

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deepening dusk—
tearfully, he counts
the tents

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Poem by Rita Odeh. Read more by this poet.

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“Spain Halloween stampede kills three in Madrid” (read more)

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hunter’s moon . . .
the final flicker
of the pumpkin’s smile

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Poem by Claire Everett. Read more by this poet.

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Vol. 2 No. 15: Bill Kenney & Ernesto P. Santiago

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“Absolutely everything you need to know about the papal elections” (read more)

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between Popes
I look for my place
in the Missal

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Poem by Bill Kenney. Read more by this poet.

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“Pope Francis Against Rome” (read more)

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the Church
thinks in centuries . . .
not this one

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Poem by Bill Kenney. Read more by this poet.

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“Popeology 101: How to Interpret the Sistine Chapel Results” (read more)

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habemus papam
waiting for the smoke
to clear

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Poem by Bill Kenney. Read more by this poet.

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“Questions from a ‘Dirty War’” (read more)

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new moon—
a pope emerges
from scandal

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Poem by Ernesto P. Santiago. Read more by this poet.

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Vol. 2 No. 14: Jenny Ward Angyal, Manu Kant, Robert D. Wilson, Johnny Baranski

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“Endangered Sumatran tiger dies at Indonesia’s largest zoo” (read more)

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caged tigers
marking territory—
they too
believe the world
belongs to them

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Poem by Jenny Ward Angyal. Read more by this poet. First published in Atlas Poetica 11 (March 2012).

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“Train cleaners vote for strike action on day of England and Wales rugby clash” (read more)

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sweepers cleaning
day in, day out
I am reminded of Sisyphus

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Poem by Manu Kant. Read more by this poet.

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“A Veteran’s Assessment of the Iraq War” (read more)

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morning walk…
i look for snipers
in a world
lit by candles
always burning

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Poem by Robert D. Wilson. Read more by this poet.

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“Guantanamo Bay prison ‘must close’ – UN rights chief” (read more)

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icy cold even in summer the walls of the prison

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Poem by Johnny Baranski. Read more by this poet.

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Vol. 2 No. 13: Sandip Sital Chauhan, Rita Odeh, Dick Whyte, Michael Henry Lee

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“‘Catfishing’: The phenomenon of Internet scammers” (read more)

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thunderclap…
her silhouette escapes
into the light

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Poem by Sandip Sital Chauhan. Read more by this poet.

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“Housing the homeless in vacants – why not?” (read more)

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an abandoned house
surrounded by wild flowers…
deepening dusk

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Poem by Rita Odeh. Read more by this poet.

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“10 lies we’re told about welfare” (read more)

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beans
for dinner, again…
no new jobs

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Poem by Dick Whyte. Read more by this poet.

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“Elvis Presley’s Wife and Daughter Attend 35th Anniversary of His Death” (read more)

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approaching storm—
at the monument
a candle sputters

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Poem  by Michael Henry Lee. Read more by this poet.

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Vol. 2 No. 12: Laurence Stacey, Alan Summers, Dick Whyte, Ramesh Anand

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“In This Recovery, the Rich Get Richer” (read more)

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within this world
of poverty and murder
a brown bat
licking
her newborn

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Poem by Laurence Stacey. Read more by this poet.

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“Who Owns, Shares, & Protects Your Personal Genetic Data?” (read more)

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wind in the trees
if I could make a deal
with God

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Poem by Alan Summers. Read more by this poet.

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“Immigrants Never Got Something for Nothing” (read more)

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cab ride…
in the old country
she was a doctor

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Poem by Dick Whyte. Read more by this poet.

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“Speech pathologist engages children in DVD chatter” (read more)

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first talk . . .
my daughter echoes
every sound

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Poem by Ramesh Anand. Read more by this poet.

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Vol. 2 No. 11: Al Fogel, Arunansu Bandyopadhyay, Caire Everett, Kath Abela Wilson

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“Unemployed ‘forced’ to join TA” (read more)

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no longer a child
the G.I. Joe
no longer a toy

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Poem by Al Fogel. Read more by this poet. First published in Chrysanthemum #11, April 2012.

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“Young moon and comet low in west after sunset March 12″ (read more)

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sickle moon…
carving demons and gods
out of stones

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Poem by Arunansu Bandyopadhyay. Read more by this poet.

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“Lonely UK: Number of middle-aged people living alone rises dramatically as marriage continues to decline” (read more)

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now who listens
for her homecoming step . . .
ears of wheat

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Poem by Claire Everett. Read more by this poet.

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“Transgender Homelessness And My Visit With TRANS: THRIVE” (read more)

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looking for my sibling
I search the faces
of boys and girls
at home
in the ferry terminal

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Poem by Kath Abela Wilson. Read more by this poet.

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Vol. 2 No. 10: Susan Constable, Paula Moore, Sonam Chhoki, Janet Lynn Davis

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“In Search of Darkness: the Battle Against Light Pollution” (read more)

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a scattering
of bone-white stars . . .
winter’s end

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Poem by Susan Constable. Read more by this poet.

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“York Region high school in flap over Confederate flag” (read more)

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white cotton fields
only the blues
remembered

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Poem by Paula Moore. Read more by this poet.

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“Timbuktu, Islam’s Ancient Seat Of Learning, Loses Priceless Manuscripts” (read more)

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ancient scriptures burnt . . .
a cat licks egg shells
from its paws

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Poem by Sonam Chhoki. Read more by this poet.

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“Polarized Politics at Heart of US Budget Impasse” (read more)

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winter sky
blanketed by clouds—
it’s not the gray
that distresses me
but the black-and-white

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Poem by Janet Lynn Davis. Read more by this poet.

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Vol. 2 No. 9: Jenny Ward Angyal, Aditya Bahl, Steven Cottingham, Al Fogel

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“A Rape a Minute, a Thousand Corpses a Year” (read more)

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braiding
her sister’s hair
after the rape
so many
long dark strands

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Poem by Jenny Ward Angyal. Read more by this poet. Honorable Mention, Tanka Society of America 2012 International Contest.

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“Tibetan Farmer Is Eighth Protester To Self-Immolate This Month” (read more)

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distant prayers…
the wind rekindles his
dying embers

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Poem by Aditya Bahl. Read more by this poet.

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“Abortion Clinic Workers Answer Tough Questions” (read more)

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autumn twilight
even the crows follow
me home

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Poem by Steven Cottingham. Read more by this poet.

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“Is Your City Government Punishing Human Trafficking Victims?” (read more)

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cattle car
between the slats
human eyes

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Poem by Al Fogel. Read more by this poet.

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