The Commons

playing tag with the dead

by Brigid McCarthy

i was a fairy! once!
i promise.  dust in my blood, cells clotting
in sparkles and
bones groaning like
ancient clayworks
coming to life.
i would dance on the monkey bars ob-
livious to
the spirits of Lutheran love spotting my back
feeling vaguely like
my grandfather's strong h… Read more

i want to love myself but i can't right now

by Tess Rempel

i want to love myself but i can't right now
it's hard to know yourself when you don't know how
to define yourself outside of others' definition of you
sure, it's easy to self love for a night or two
but when you get to look in the mirror you see more flaws than yo… Read more

Single Note Melodies

by Erin Carr

This song is the saddest.
A man panhandling down the frigid streets of New York,
Only the jacket on his back
And the worn sneakers on his feet for protection.
Choruses of disgusted glares,
Children confused as to why their mother is so angry,
Why daddy isn't ever there when they go … Read more

A Loss of Words

by Hannah Arbeitel

The sensation can be compared to a prickle on the skin,
A sinister raise of a hair,
A foreboding blank page.
The emptiness stares back and swallows,
Gulping at the sight of an uninspired mind.
If i am at a loss to express words and emotions,
It is because I am incapable or I choo… Read more