One of Everything, Daniel Galef
“In the summer of the ninth year of the reign of Hyperbolus the Faithful, an assassin slipped through the monumental lazuli gates of the palace in Nammi-Shur like a petal slipping under the surface of still water.”
A Pear, Javeria Hasnain
“I’m radical. I see a pear growing / in daylight, and am delighted for it.”
Fulfillment, Craig Holt
“Jerry’s waving the joint, explaining that the real problem is our lack of industry contacts (‘Who in the for-real fuck gets discovered at the El Monte fulfillment center, bro-stein?’) when a shooting star crashes into the pool.”
Red evening light and the sky is a tantrum, DS Maolalai
“it’s a beautiful evening. / a man in the street / puts his hand on a wall / and throws up a whole / brass section orchestra”
Aerophobia, Evan Vandermeer
“I promised myself / that when this plane lands / I will have something / to show for it, and given / these first rumblings / of high-altitude turbulence— / the seatbelt light / having just lit up like a Christmas tree— / I better hurry”
Five haiku, Michael Dylan Welch
“school trip— / the zoo gorilla / masturbating”
Directions for Surviving an Urban Legend, Karen J. Weyant
“Learn early. At those fourth-grade slumber parties, / pretend to fall asleep when your friends start playing”