Not Fifteen Days by Laura Schulkind

Not Fifteen Days by Laura Schulkind We round another bend in the river, what will be one of our last, hurtle through the white, then drop into sudden stillness— a glassy stretch the color of sagebrush— the only sounds the unrushed dip of the oars and the canyon wrens calling to their mates. We takeContinue reading “Not Fifteen Days by Laura Schulkind”

Belief by Laura Foley

Belief by Laura Foley Walking the endless Meseta, we turn to see yellow broom flowers, orange poppies going by— the only way to know these pilgrims’ progress. Each night, an ancient town new to us, steps closer to our journey’s end— we feel no mystic pull toward Santiago, but we believe in the awe ofContinue reading “Belief by Laura Foley”

The Spirit Weavers by Nancy Lubarsky

The Spirit Weavers by Nancy Lubarsky The woman sits on a stool outside the local tourist shop. She splits the dried and bleached palm leaves into thin strands. She blends dyes from complex recipes of flowers, roots, and berries to interweave tribal tales, wildlife, or patterns from the earth’s geometry. She begins the basket atContinue reading “The Spirit Weavers by Nancy Lubarsky”

This Afternoon in London by Larry Pike

This Afternoon in London by Larry Pike I stood in the museum’s Manuscript Room long enough to hear the grave whisper of the gimpy Lord’s soul as it pressed against the leaded glass. Was it an alien tongue or simply muffled sound indistinct about my ear? Its swelling sigh did not arouse the sentry whoContinue reading “This Afternoon in London by Larry Pike”

Camelback Road, Scottsdale, Arizona by Rafaella Del Bourgo

Camelback Road, Scottsdale, Arizona by Rafaella Del Bourgo Sunday, seven a.m., before the unbearable heat. This six-lane highway almost empty, the double line down the center white as bone. I am running toward the small lake near my mother’s condo, pumping my body clean with air and speed and coursing blood. To the west, CamelbackContinue reading “Camelback Road, Scottsdale, Arizona by Rafaella Del Bourgo”

Paris Stories: Two by Diana Rosen

Paris Stories: Twoby Diana Rosen On our way to somewhere else, noon timeGregorian chants draw us into Notre Dameanother mystical moment possible only whenyou leave the guidebook in your hotel room.We light candles, “just in case,” then visitMémorial des Martyrs de la Déportationthe cryptically named homage to 200,000martyrs deported from Vichy Franceto the Camps ofContinue reading “Paris Stories: Two by Diana Rosen”

Stone of North Circle, Near the Cove, Avebury by William Doreski

Stone of North Circle, Near the Cove, Avebury by William Doreski Am I more impressed by the stone, a notched and corrugated haystack, or by the neighboring oak embraced by two dozen ivy vines thicker than my thigh? The oak itself boasts a four-foot diameter trunk and looks sturdy enough to brace an Anglo-Saxon Parthenon.Continue reading “Stone of North Circle, Near the Cove, Avebury by William Doreski”

Ghosts of The Great Hunger by Thomas A. Thrun

Ghosts of The Great Hunger by Thomas A. Thrun In Ennistymon, County Claire, Ireland the River Inaugh at The Cascades falls o’er bedrock in its wild rush in its hurry to the hungry sea for all the souls lost upon The Burrens the poor unfortunates wasted away buried nameless in mass graves or in theContinue reading “Ghosts of The Great Hunger by Thomas A. Thrun”

Barcelona, June 26th, 2007 by Julia Klatt Singer

Barcelona, June 26th, 2007 by Julia Klatt Singer Somewhere between late-night and early morning it is the sound of breaking glass that fills the air— not the call of the cooking-oil man with six orange barrels strapped loosely to his dolly with bungee cords. He taps and rolls them through the cobblestone streets, metal onContinue reading “Barcelona, June 26th, 2007 by Julia Klatt Singer”

Somewhere Near the Medicine Wheel by Ken Hartke

Somewhere Near the Medicine Wheel by Ken Hartke It was somewhere near the Medicine Wheel that we knew our lives had changed. A commitment had formed, a bond unspoken, that remained that way for months to come. Unsaid but forged strong for a lifetime. Silent. We were afraid to spoil it in those days ofContinue reading “Somewhere Near the Medicine Wheel by Ken Hartke”