We Caught a Mermaid, Maria Pianelli Blair
“Her eyes were bright, like midsummer skies; her hair the shade of sugarplums. Until then, only the occasional shark sighting or whale carcass made headlines, folklore banished to the faded murals of selkies and sea dragons that lined Ocean Avenue.”

Perhaps I’m the Poison, Kayla Kerns
“Gouging your insides
A parasite
Spewing eggs and seed
Larva tickling the back of your throat”

Person Who Leaves, Marcus Tsai
“At 5 AM, hours before graduation, a river of blood escaped through my nose. I woke licking my lips, tasting Ma’s zhū xiě gāo, its spices and congealed texture, before realizing the bed was wet and cold.”

The Pope of Paris, Mississippi, Tracy Morin
“This time, I woke up alone. Hopped the highway from my hotel room, looking for the pope of Paris. Stuff he sold me wasn’t right.Watch for the prowler who bleeds
Rainbows from eyes of cut glass.”

Narcissist, Matthew Bruce
“I am the millipede Mars. 
They colonized monuments 
of me before I dropped”

Big K Watermelon Kiwi Soda, Patrick G. Roland
“I slammed the door of my Grand Am and said I’ll race you. I took off, left her in the dust. She called for me, but when you got Big K Watermelon Kiwi soda on the brain, it’s hard to concentrate on chivalry.”

Cover art: Mask in Flowers, Joshua Willson