By Truth Thomas

Somewhere, always, the light switch of the moon is on

as babies feast from mothers’ milky pillows.

Somewhere, always, in cradles of the wee hours, swaddling

clothes are lullabies for newborn souls,

cocooning. Once, in a South Side manger, a mother

gave birth to a king. Hail Mamie full of Grace

By Yash Seyedbagheri

they once said every poem needed a volta

a shift

a transition

a turn

but what about this poem

replete with shattered glass, shrieks, screams of 

socialism, books spirited away

distortions, banned abortions

tears mocked on TikTok

taking things from others for mythical greatness

Anglo-Saxon nomenclature above all else

another round fired while authorities slink away

By Jeffrey Dreiblatt

Each time the word white goes unmentioned,

relief leaves a tic on our cheeks.

Despite well-patterned patter, we stare

for eight minutes and forty-six seconds.

Conversation starts —

I have to take care of our people, he says.

This is a poem about what I did to George Floyd.

For white people.

By Joseph Musso

if an afterlife exists and
saint and sinner alike 

are forgiven 

and end up in ‘heaven’ in the same brass and
wood room 

is it awkward… 

when murderer meets the murdered
when Derek Chauvin meets George Floyd
when Daniel Pantaleo meets Eric Garner
when Myles Cosgrove meets Breonna Taylor
when every slave-owner meets his slaves
when every black man lynched meets his lyncher
do they talk? 
forget? 
forgive?
laugh it off over beers?
hug it the fuck out???
live and let……LIVE?

By Narayan Rajan

We have another massacre this week

In an elementary school in Texas.

Seventeen children and two teachers

Sacrificed to appease the gun Gods.

 “Guns, guns, more guns”, still the drums roll

“People kill people, not guns”, despite the toll 

Exacted. Lives, loves, dreams, hopes all

Lead maelstrom engulfed. Yet another charnel.

By Leopoldo Seguel

we are circling round

our own demise, hold

me back, I’m not sure

of myself, where 

are my people, we 

swallowed the earth

whole, remember when we were