We know. But—this is important—despite everything, you’re still here. We are, too. With words to revive your exhausted and snacky spirits. From A. E. Weisgerber, there’s “Bayonne Bridge,” a gorgeous sestina that must be read aloud to be fully appreciated. (Trust us; your cat will love it.) Next, Miles Greaves ponders “The Identity of Indiscernibles” in a voice that feels contemporary yet Poesque, and we suspect Edgar Allan would grudgingly concede the grotesque imagery is streets ahead. Sergey Gerasimov spins a surprising and well-paced fairy tale “About People of Glass and Stone,” while Hamdy Elgammal slowly tips the floor beneath your feet in the surreal creeper “Broadside.” Completing the issue is a refreshing palate-cleanser of a haiku from Nick Corvino. Plus, scary-fun cover art “Rise and with the Valkyries Fly” by our amazing production editor, Samuel Snoek-Brown.
We never really trusted the old normal, and we sure as hell aren’t gonna let them drop this new one in our pumpkin holes without a fight. Normal is for suckers. Keep being beautifully, earnestly, incandescently weird.