She Lingers Alongside

She lingers alongside
a stubborn cloud of smoke
amongst cigarette butts
and rose petals
cradling hope for the morning
when her name will be painted
in the sky
and she won't be afraid to follow

blanketed in delusion
the bottom branches of the oak
laugh, as they did when she was young.
skyscraper penthouses
kiss the clouds more audaciously
and wink in her direction.

It may be she's lost an inch or two
or maybe, at her specific
latitude and longitude
the ground sinks
until her fingertips
glance off the apple

yet still, she taunts the sea
dodging the waves
and shooting seductive looks
upwards, toward the moon
making him blush
and the tide roll in

By Zach Paulsen

Come On Baby

“Come on baby, swallow it,” he says
with his dick in her mouth, she thought
she might bite it.
Eyes vacant
somewhere else
she looks up at him imploringly but
sees only the disgust in his eyes as he
tightens his grip on the back of her head.

By Ky Huynh

Le Miroir

L’être humain se voit lui-même Dans le miroir… Il reste au de delà pensée De temps à autre Il voit des figures déformées, Il voit les choses à l’envers… Il cherche un coupable Constamment Il voit des tissus Tout en morceaux… Celui qui est à accuser Est lui-même… L’être humain courtois Ne peut accuser sans connaissance… Que l’être humain vive à Paris Ou à Konya Les vérités sont invariables Dans l’univers… L’être humain se voit lui-même Dans le miroir…

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A human being sees himself in the mirror. Beyond thought from time to time he sees deformed faces, he sees things upside down. He seeks a culprit constantly. He sees fabrics all in pieces. Whomever he accuses is himself. A courteous human being cannot accuse without knowledge. Whether a human being lives in Paris or in Kenya, truths are invariable in the universe. A human being sees himself in the mirror.

By Üzeyir Lokman
Translated by Joneve McCormick - 2002