University of San Francisco's Student-Run Literary Magazine
by Zero Ramos Laforga A House in a New Brunswick Reminiscent of Andrew Wyeth by Jim Ross Zero Ramos Laforga is a Filipino queer trans artist, writer, musician, and educator from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently pursuing a BFA in English literature and MAT in urban education and social justice from the… Continue reading is this thing on?
by Laila Jones you've decidedto kick off your shoes.without hesitation,no regard to your woman. as your shoes fall, your feet riseto the coffee table I built.out of every poem I'd written about you.sock stained cursive, one platewhen there’s room for two. cream chrysanthemums spotted brownin the foggy vase I begged you to change.petals withering, almost… Continue reading Riesling
by Jaden Fong I. Wooden pier splintersbattle the indigo threadsstationed on the bottomsof our newly fading jeans. Our frozen breaths weavewith hot umami steam andconcocts something newamidst the creaking sea. Clumsy, bulbous clumpsof San Francisco sourdoughtossed about carelessly throughthe air like birthday confetti— into the mouths of fishes belowin the bay, between the woodslats, on… Continue reading Eating Clam Chowder with Mom
by L. M. Pino The Woman Without Skin 1. She finds you at a party. The grad student bar is hot and cramped, a pulsing mass of bare arms, thighs, collarbones. She turns among them, green eyes almost glowing, skin reflecting the gold of the lights. You spend the night pretending not to watch her… Continue reading The Woman Without Skin
by MK Punky Confess with me on supplicating kneesI've never known you in the flesh We sinnersunderstand the knotty eschatologypledged by unknown authorscleansing the affront of ignorancewith a soapy rag of certaintyall of us Saint Paulsslinging imprecations at a heathen worldcloser to annihilation than salvation To know you lordI must make love to you lordhear… Continue reading Knowing
by Casey McConahay “WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU” - LOCAL NATIVES It was during the pandemic—during the early weeks when everything felt uncertain—and when we sat on your porch together, you told me about the boxes you were disinfecting and about how your sister, who was worried about you, would be upset that we… Continue reading Mixtape
by Tamara J. Madison for MariOla (“Mama”) who gave us everything she had… Note: Twilight sleep was an amnesic state commonly induced during the early twentieth century by the injection of certain drugs to provide pain relief during and also erase the memory of childbirth. Your breath rushes.Your voice breaks the air. Your body, my… Continue reading Twilight Baby
by Sarah Carolan TW: Drowning The peninsula claimed over two hundred ships in as many years. Victims would run afoul on hidden shoals or be driven off course by unpredictable gales. Others overestimated their maneuverability within the narrow, limestone-filled straits. But only one shipwreck, Griffin Lyons, captured Kat’s attention, and she blamed his demise on… Continue reading Lion of the Lake
by Joel Bush Scooping two dead ducklingsout of the pool filter,I feel a weightmuch heavier thantheir few ounces inmy hands.I have no bettergrave for their brownand yellow bodiesthan a plastic bag and trash can.Their mother has flownaway, while I’m groundedwith her children. Garden State by Jack Dunnett Joel Bush reads things. He also writes things.… Continue reading Weight
by Daniel Tarker “These reunions are always. . .” I tried to find the right word, but it was elusive. Miserable. Depressing. Death-defying. I finally settled on “unbearable.” I raised my plastic cup of microbrew and added, “the only thing that makes these events bearable is the booze.” Jennifer smiled politely and looked over at… Continue reading Love in a Capitalist Hellscape
Ignatian Literary Magazine 