$$$

Welcome to the first special of YEAR TWO -- $$$, the money special. Presented on this most accursed of American holidays, Tax Day, this special offers a variety of fiction, poetry, essays, and visual art on that which is the root of all evil, that rules everything around us. Before that, though, here are a … Continue reading $$$

“DIVORCE, AMERICAN STYLE”

Marry the boss’s daughter.Being born ugly,or pretty, but without right or wrong.Never step foot in the West.The West eats their young.Little fatties.Good fat is never seen,only heardin the blood.And only pure blood,super-quick and golden,pumping lottery wins,pumping gonorrhea.Total freedom.Wave the flag.Stomp knees backwardsof the homeless.Make them jump like cricketsright out of town.Get those prices back up;this … Continue reading “DIVORCE, AMERICAN STYLE”

“MOTHER”

Spring rain falls in curving linesand I remember the taste of your skin–full of oranges and ash.Birds shriek in the rain,as if my too human errorsset their colorful feathers on fire. I see Father watching youthrough the kitchen window.He exhales a coffee stained sighand retreats to his study beforereleasing bitter tears that move no universal … Continue reading “MOTHER”

UTOPIA DIVIDEND

excerpted from Beta Testing the Ongoing Apocalypse by Tom Kaczynski — Tom Kaczynski is a cartoonist and a publisher. He is the author of the award-winning Cartoon Dialectics series, many essays on the comics medium, and the forthcoming Trans Terra graphic novel. Tom K is the founder of Uncivilized Books, a boutique publishing house and think-tank specializing in comics … Continue reading UTOPIA DIVIDEND

APOCALYPSE IN A BOX

The box and the apocalypse may seem far apart in terms of meaning, one being as mundane an object as we can find and the other the extreme of esotericism. But it doesn't take much analyzing to see their deep relationship. The box hides and protects, the apocalypse reveals (its actual etymology) and destroys (as … Continue reading APOCALYPSE IN A BOX

DEATHOLOGY

The slogan for Maximus Magazine, my online-only foray into the realm of indie lit, is “No ideas but in people.” As an overly-obvious “reversal” of William Carlos Williams’ much more famous “No ideas but in things,” it’s cute, but I’m afraid it’s not enough. There are types of poets who’d like it if poetry were … Continue reading DEATHOLOGY

MEET YOU IN THE OBITUARY

1 At Leila’s, Nolan sat in a booth. Tamaz brought over bowls of lamb stew and laid them on the tablecloth. “Look like tomatilloes,” said Nolan. “Cherry plum sauce,” said Tamaz. He ripped apart his bread. “How’s Mexico?” “Cold.” “So you flew to Boston?” “Hotter by the week,” said Nolan. “Before I do this, how … Continue reading MEET YOU IN THE OBITUARY

WIPING THE SLATE CLEAN

How To Exterminate the Intellectual Caste I. - Introduction Identifying the target and annihilating it; the guiding principle is clear and precise. Circumstance, including how one’s faculties are arranged and directed within it, brings the complexity and obscurity. But the principle remains, and may serve to guide attention and action even in the most obscure … Continue reading WIPING THE SLATE CLEAN

THREE PLAINSONGS

Plainsong I I float In the aegean Sun beam solution Dust glider In choir-bells Flight of beer Kiss The felt soft wind Of the sprawling grass Sun streaks On the glass Blind Warm skin Through indirectness Wet stones Carry through its surface Clouds An ancient structure And its pews Movements make The ages hang Like … Continue reading THREE PLAINSONGS

THE WRATH OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD

A pot, simmering in the kitchen, comes to a boil-- Signaling to the bereaved that now is the time to engage in the ceremonial post-memorial meal. The dour facades are struck with the uneasy feeling that the physical absence of the lost engenders in them as they make their way to the dining room. This … Continue reading THE WRATH OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD

“TODAY I WAS ELEGANT” – “THE RIVER (1963-2019)”

TODAY I WAS ELEGANT I could have been a lawyer.I would have been a wonderful doctor.This is what the morning sun tells meStreaming into my heart… Instead, I get lunch with my friendWho is a lawyerAnd my friend who is a doctor,A large fern flickering over my face. I am wearing a long sheer dressMeant … Continue reading “TODAY I WAS ELEGANT” – “THE RIVER (1963-2019)”