Cheers

by Allen Keith

The only faces left
are on the clock
and the shocked sockets
of my walls;
one staring back from a mirror,
dazed, looking a thousand yards
deeper than need be.

I asked for this,
wanted it, fought for it.
It takes effort to attain solitude
in a city of six million morons.
You can't just claim it.
Takes work.

So this drink's to me,
and I raise my glass
to the faces on the walls.

They'll admire the will
required to push all those strong,
persistent people away.
They'll congratulate
the tough guy.

This is what all the great writers do,
I'm told,
or maybe it's just a few.

Enlightenment

by Peter Scacco

Alan Keith is a substitute teacher working out of Toronto, Canada. He has been published a handful of times, notably by Wingless Dreamers, Havik, and The Showbear Family Circus. He is best reached at writeralankeith@gmail.com, where he will accept praise or shame; let him know how you feel!

Peter L. Scacco began making woodcut prints when he was sixteen years old. His artwork has been featured in numerous print and online journals. Mr. Scacco also is the author of seven books of poetry and a translation of Théophile Gautier’s The Salon of 1850-51. Mr. Scacco has lived and worked in New York, Paris, Tokyo, Brussels, and cities throughout the USA. Since 1995 he has made his home in Austin, Texas. Further examples of his art can be seen at www.scaccowoodcuts.com.