Windows by Ranjabali Chaudhuri I love shop windows. Their colours, jewels, and mannequins sing the dulcet promise of possibility. They let me be anyone. Superimposed upon the clothes on display, my reflection can be a soldier in a red and…
Foundering
Foundering by Matthew Richardson It’s only when Ma and Pa wake me that I realise the cries weren’t in my dreams. I’m told to get dressed quickly. Truth be told there’s not much to put on – a shirt and…
Bird Sounds
Bird Sounds by Lilly Posnett They were kept there for a while. We lived nearby. The noise was constant. The smell, unbearable. On the third day, we had to close the windows and sweat in the July apartment. I was…
Ébauche, Esquisse, Étude, Tableau
Ébauche, Esquisse, Étude, Tableau by Nuala O’Connor Ébauche/First sketch Mademoiselle Amélie Noellie Parayre sits beside me at this dull Paris wedding. She’s cadaver-pale, serious in the eyes. At the cold press of her fingers, I’m seduced. I see her already…
Faerie Coffins
Faerie Coffins by Barbara Buckley Ristine Ma says not to go to Arthur’s Seat. “The faeries will snatch ye—they come for bairns.” I believe her and I’m afraid to go, but Ian says there’s no such thing as faeries, and…
Awake Since ’78
Awake Since ’78 by H. A. Eugene Robbery/assault Corner of Turk and Hyde A white male and an Asian female left 222 Club shortly before 11 PM when three African American males in black “hoodie” sweatshirts allegedly pushed them to…
rEVOLt
rEVOLt by Mileva Anastasiadou She’d never forget that day, that glorious day of protest, a joyful day at first, as joyful days are when change is around the corner. She’d never forget his hand in hers, the warmth of his…
This House
This House by Ahmad Adedimeji Amobi I mustn’t take a step further. This house hoards the memories that shred before me. My father, sitting on his long back chair, holding his pipe in his hand, blowing flames into the air.…
East Bengal, 1971
East Bengal, 1971 by Mehreen Ahmed It was lunch time in Madhupur. Taramon, a motherless farmer’s daughter of 24, was just getting ready to sit down with her four siblings for lunch. Their father had left for the field early…
Something That Can Never be Held
Something That Can Never be Held by Cathy Ulrich You are being photographed with a stolen camera. You are pretending to smoke a cigar, you are wearing your best dress, you are holding a shotgun. You are going to…