elementia

What Happened to Marguerite?

By Alicia Dressman

What happened to her daughter?

She could have been prettier,

smarter, happier, taller, kinder.

Somewhat like herself, but

better, anything at all but this.

What would she do with her daughter?

She wanted things to end quite quickly,


Peace: a 21st century Anachronism

By Alicia Dressman

Five dozen shouting.

All mouths open vocalizing hatred for hate –

some to be cool, others to get it out –

shouting loud,

looking left and right for the movement.

Where’s it going?

Never looking from where it came;


Luck of the Draw

By Zoë Christianson

Stand up if you have a religion

Keep standing if your parents gave it you

Keep standing if you would never consider another

Because you were born and raised this way


Cherry Lies

By Abby Harrison

The people in my world are all for free speech

so long as it’s not mine.

Stemmed from a mind of national concern,

it hardly counts as an emergency

when I try to dig my nails into the glass

separating me from the world