Toward Dawn by Jory Mickelson 

Cars dissolve across the distance, the moon domestic
in its touch, brushes the landscape clean, straightens
the wrinkled silence, weaves the grass’ stretching
into a threaded screen. Everywhere small hands
hover toward the light, reaching for the recurvature
of stars. The men who use hammers to break the hills,
on swing shift, ready themselves to be swung home.
The open field’s purpose now is to show a path, to
guide our empty gestures true, to trouble us into
sleep’s ring-loved room.

 

Tommy TwoFists™ by Robert Libbey
art by Ann Libbey

You don’t mess with Tommy TwoFists. Tommy TwoFists™ is 2x MMA champion, has
thrown-down with Bobby Judo, out-boxed kangaroos; known for cracking heads since
you were in diapers son.

What’s with these #’ers jawing Tommy T.’s shirking parental duty? Mama you raised me
right, can you hear me, why’re these emergency room lights so bright, Mama I’m here for
you…

Get that camera outta my face! Tommy TwoFists doesn’t cry, can’t be broken; Tommy
TwoFists is coming to your town real soon, so don’t miss him if you know what’s good
for you. You don’t mess with Tommy TwoFists.

 

—

Jory Mickelson is the author of WILDERNESS//KINGDOM (Floating Bridge Press, Oct 2019). His work has appeared in The Rumpus, AGNI, Jubilat, Vinyl Poetry, Ninth Letter and other journals in the US, Canada, and the UK.