Two Poems by Jack G Bowman "After Watching 'Behemoth'' and "Impeachment Proceedings"

After Watching Behemoth

Phosphorous, radium enlightenment

Uranium 238 smile,

the scientist from the NRC

watches the sky,

mystery crashes in the atmosphere

wonders in sci/fi;

‘if aliens are changing the atmosphere so it’s easier for them to breathe’

or if that’s just another excuse for greedy, heartless sapiens

to pollute the planet 

sad, acid, fog tears, burns, scars

Earth trembles

waits for another large asteroid,

already past due

or some new dangerous giant to come up from the ocean depths

to do a little payback.

Impeachment Proceedings

His peacemaker role now becomes a resistance martyr

flames of frightened villagers march to storm the castle

he sees them, feels the mob blood rise

it is exciting, easy to join in

so he backs off

his one reflective desire

to observe; takes over,

intellect overrules the immense emotional wave

there cannot be too many mistakes

or the castle will send its soldiers to stomp the rebellion

storm troopers and with vengeance and sharpened blades

death, makes the man curious,

to watch at a distance

they no longer pretend to listen to him

the walls must come down,

the king must be tried and hung

and the land must become fertile again

maybe… maybe.

Jack G. Bowman is a licensed psychotherapist (LMFT MFC42855) poet, composer, artist and performer in Southern California. His poems have been widely published in small presses across the US, UK, India, Mexico, and on the internet since 1991. He has written reviews for Poetix and poeticdiversity, and he was a member of the poetry groups Third Person Singular, Duotribe, and The Furniture Guild Poets. In recent years, he's been published in Altadena Poetry Quarterly, Spectrum Anthologies, and Fevers of the Mind. In 2016, he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Poetry Collections

1. Thanatos on a Southland Freeway

2. Paranormal Libido

3. Incarnate Canals of Mars

4. Unnatural Fire

5. Diamonds in the Sand

6. Vision and Presence

7. Moths Singed by Moonlight

8. Serpents in the Stratosphere

9. A Walk into Darkness

10. Red Velvet Apocalypse

11. Other Realms of Being

12. Incandescent Silence

13. The Troublesome Tales of Frank Macabre

14. Ego Syntonic Jasmine

15. Metamorphic Consequences

Psych Workbooks

The 8 Week Self-Esteem Workshop

The Dilemmas of Men

Reading People

Joshua Corwin's "12:01 AM"

I can hear the shine in your eyes

on the other end of the telephone.

When I speak like this,

I feel authentic

and not heavy.

I don’t have to tattoo meaning in the air

to know what you mean.

I remember when you first told me…

apropos of nothing…

about the different levels of charitable donation.

I was sitting right across from you — over there.

(You in that armchair, me in this one: our eyes.)

You said there’s the donor who gives large sums

and puts a placard on the wall, signifying

who it’s from;

and then there’s the other one who gives…

but remains anonymous.

Your words hanging like a phantom,

I didn’t have to be who I thought I was;

you were once me,

once where I was…

In that moment, I knew. 

(c) 2019 Joshua Corwin 

                                                

LA native, Joshua Corwin is an emerging poet and a recent graduate from Pitzer College in Claremont, CA with a degree in Mathematics and a minor in Philosophy. His poem 'SALT' is forthcoming (August 31) in Spectrum Publishing, vol. 20, ‘Who's Your Honey?’ Currently, he is working on his first, full-length book, Becoming Vulnerable. Joshua writes to honor his grandpa, Mert, whose last words to him were “Don’t ever stop writing.” 

Women's History Month: Maria A. Arana's "Ashes"

once night disperses

pieces of sojourn thoughts

tempest willows

beckon my return

the frost renews vines and thorns

timid breezes overcome the bite

the night’s luminescent flowers

bleed joyous gifts reckoned

caught rumors

no longer summon dragonflies

stillness breathes on my ashes

and rekindles the worms already there

© 2019 Maria A. Arana



Bio: Maria A. Arana is a teacher, writer, and poet. Her poetry has been published in various journals including Spectrum, Peeking Cat Anthology, Nature Writing, and Nasty Women’s Almanac. You can find her at https://twitter.com/m_a_Arana