In Conversation

In Conversation, a literary arts journal, is now accepting general submissions.

3 poems by Alan Catlin

getting lucky they were a tag team mother & daughter lounge act cruising out of town low life’s conventioneers sad sack losers & their friends hoping to hook up for the night wedding rings safely tucked inside electric shaving kits they thought Once inside the motel room getting lucky would mean fortunate to leave town …

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3 poems by James Babbs

Bigfoot She was enjoying the cheap red wine While I was drinking bottled beer Because I liked beer in bottles better than cans –When I die- I asked her –Will you come to my funeral— She glanced at me over the top of her glass –What the hell kind of question is that— –What— I …

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Chaos Theory Explained by Danny Shot

Chaos Theory Explained Confession, I can’t explain it.         They’re hitting us with a water                hose of shit. And no raincoat                       (no matter how expensive)                              is going to keep us dry. I already said they, a word         I try not to use. You may                wonder who I mean by they. …

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THE POLISH HAMMER POETRY CORNER: Pierogi Queens and The Polish Precision Lawn Mower Team by Karl Koweski

Pierogi Queens and The Polish Precision Lawn Mower Team   It was so fucking hot, Chicago melted. Lake Michigan evaporated leaving behind three startled carp and a land-locked yachtsman, half-crazed from the heat. Fifteen miles to the southeast, the annual Pierogi Fest was gearing up in defiance of the sweltering sun suspended ten feet above …

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2 poems by Michael N. Thompson

THE ROOSTER (for Brian F) Not a dry eye in the house when the story takes a twist This isn’t a sad song, merely a celebration of the rooster Beyond all the bluster, this magnificent bastard bore a heart of chrome He held himself to the mirror and felt comfortable with his reflection There’s no …

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The Cactus by Zack Kopp

EDDIE HAD TO perform all these community service duties before they would let him off probation after burning down the Homes for Disabled Kids. They had him judging the talent contest at Youthvale Community Center now, and that was one of the band names on the list they gave him, Albinos Born Today. They had …

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2 poems by Jonathan S Baker

The first bit of Trump’s second term as a dream after a spicy late night snack with a glass of milk. I’m an adult, I’m back in the home I grew up in. The place that doesn’t exist anymore and everyone remembers differently. Outside the yard is overgrown and filled with signs, written insults directed …

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Exile, Dystopia, etc. by Ben Nardolilli

Exile, Dystopia, etc. Latest reports seem to say I’m out of control, But I’m not even out of bed, Could it be a concern with what I’m saying To myself, by myself? But I can’t believe these walls are really that thin, Or my indoor voice is really that loud Maybe they’re hearing the mattress …

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Breaking Free by Heather Kays

Breaking Free I moved across the country to leave you behind, To break free of your bullshit, And I’ve never felt better. In the quiet of my new life, I’m reclaiming everything I lost and had not found, Every breath unburdened by your darkness. But if our paths cross again, If you somehow find your …

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2 poems by Nancy Patrice Davenport

Ex-Lovers and Kittens #1 it’s another Sunday in January the devil is beating his wife rain falls on sunny bricks I am still drunk from last night the hangover is for now, postponed as I wander           half-awake questioning introspection the earth is for now washed clean in dull grey-green Diebenkorn shades the eaves are filled …

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