In our Spring 2010 issue, enjoy Married Life by Caroline Chen, Monday Night Dinner by Melissa Runsten, Beraka Is a Part of My Consciousness by Daniel Gratch, and The Weight of Angels and The Song of a Carnival Killing by Leigh Lucas.

by Caroline Shen

We have run out of bookshelves…

Beraka is a Part of My Consciousness
i just got a weird feeling
(the hollywood-buddhist sort)
that my friend michael beraka
occupies some small part of my own consciousness–
like, is always a hidden factor
in my thinking of things
and making decisions.

Ting ping ping
Are the sounds your teeth make on concrete
Skidding on concrete!
It’s the sound that accompanies your last grimace
The dance is the way your body curves
One two step, join in!
You knock and spread out on the asphalt
Count the beats, pop, bam!
One! Two! Your face is a cracked pot
You smile through pink gums
And the ground around [...]