Dosage

October 2013 | back-issues, poetry

The physician fired my father

For insubordination.

Dad couldn’t regulate the dosage

Or himself.

He is hibernating in his room,

Eyes closed and face turned.

Suspended and silent,

Deep in thought.

— David S. Drabkin

The Joy of Writing

October 2013 | back-issues, poetry

I typed my doctoral dissertation

in the driveway of our old

house in Ohio hoping for

a head start on my spring tan.

I sat in a nylon-webbed lawn chair

wearing my swim suit on a sunny

seventy degree afternoon.

My Smith-Corona electric typewriter

sat on two cases of empty Stroh’s

longneck beer bottles tethered by an

orange extension cord to an outlet in the garage.

Of course, I had a cold one

sitting beside me on the concrete

to sip between paragraphs.

The warmth made an onerous task more palatable

and drinking beer made me feel like a rebel.

My committee would have found

this scenario hateful; not befitting a scientist.

But after I graduated, I took a job at a major university

and cranked-out research for the next thirty years.

Today I plan to go outside with my laptop,

sit by the pool with a beer and write some poetry.

The elitists at prestigious poetry journals

would probably not approve.

I won’t always be writing about mythology, muses,

classic oil paintings or arcane issues in philosophy.

I won’t necessarily be structuring my verse

as a pantoum, sestina or villanelle.

But as a writer and a reader, I know

there is something to be said for enjoyment.

— William Ogden Haynes

William Ogden Haynes is a poet and author of short fiction from Alabama who was born in Michigan and grew up a military brat. His first book of poetry entitled Points of Interest appeared in 2012 and a second collection of poetry and short stories Uncommon Pursuits was published in 2013. Both are available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback. He has also published over seventy poems and short stories in literary journals and his work has been anthologized multiple times.

The Life We Live

October 2013 | back-issues, poetry

You are young,

You always want to run.

feet would rather resist friction,

tugging beneath

the soles of your shoes,

than to compromise;

With resistance.

a constant battle,

throughout your youth;

You are disillusioned,

you want to travel faster,

than the sonic booms.

The electricity glistens;

You get older,

Feet start to develop

an appreciation for friction,

You gradually ease off;

The ignition,

had an epiphany

don’t need to sprint,

into the ground,

that will inevitably,

force you under.

Retrace your steps,

drawing every line in reverse,

want to reclaim youth?

It’s alluding you.

advanced so far in life

yet the waves

still succeed each other,

and the projections in the skies,

still creep until they meet their demise.

ask yourself, a paramount question,

“Why did I run so much?

when my skin was smooth,

when life didn’t feel so fragile?”

You start to notice things,

How the sun gleams

in the summertime;

how the flowers bloom,

blissfully,

An aesthetic marvel.

you utter,

It’s the process of human nature,

mathematically calculated;

into the circle of life,

but even so,

before you realize it,

your heart rapidly skips,

before you turned to dark,

so why the realization abruptly

why wait until eternal

condensation?

when trying to formulate

constellations in your head

until you realize that you are finally dead.

— Chris Ozog

Christopher Micolay Ozog is a twenty-one year old aspiring author and poet residing in the college educated town of Ann Arbor Michigan. Chris was Raised by two dedicated polish immigrants who once fought for their freedom in a movement that was proclaimed; “The Polish Movement Of Solidarity” during the height of the countries communism in the early to mid 1980’s. Chris has stated that he draws a substantial amount of his influence of poetry and literature from his parents who instill in him a diligent mindset. His parents put a strong emphasis on the value of literature and education which has stuck with him throughout his years of life. His affinity for the music, particularly of indie rock, can be seen in his poetry as he has drawn extensively from lyricism of that genre as well as Rap. He cites his top influences as Matthew Caws from Nada Surf, famed rapper K’naan, Michael Jackson, and rapper brother ali. He is also a fan of literature admires the workmanship of J.D. Salinger. He celebrates his Birthday On December 6ht, 1991.