CCOONNTTEENNTTSS

FORWORD xxiv

• PPOOEEMMSS 11• MARGE PIERCY

Their Mouths Are Closed 4

DARIUS DEGHER

Excuses, Excuses 5

CHERI M. BENTLEY-BUCKMAN

My Poem for You 6

PAT ANDRUS

Story 6

CAROL ARCHIBALD

Prague Revisited 7

TANIA PRYPUTNIEWICZ

Bohemian Grove 8

CHRIS BARON

Camping with Bees 9

BOBBIE JEAN BISHOP

Guest 10

CHARLENE BALDRIDGE

Charlene at 83 11

JAN BEATTY

Radiant Field 12

LAURA BOSS

I Guess I'm Going to Die Soon,

But I'm Not Happy About It 14

EMILY BILMAN

A Formal Feeling 15

R. T. SEDGWICK

Fresh Breath of Vibrations 16

KAREN KENYON

Trash in Space 17

SHARON ELISE

For a Gathering, Empty Seats 18

C.V. WILL

Caught Between Bloom and Die 19

TOMÁS GAYTON

Creepin' in the Canyon 20

MARY C. ROOD

If Hope Can Be Bruised 20

JOANNE D'AMATO

If Life is a Dance 21

JANET FOSTER

She said 22

DIANE WAKOSKI

Blueberries 24

UNA NICHOLS HYNUM

The Edge 25

WILLIAM SCOTT GALASSO

Warning Signs 26

CAROL STOUT

To Go to Denmark 27

KATIE TURNER

Divorce Out of Season 28

CHRIS VANNOY

A Sailor's Journey 29

ARTHUR KAYZAKIAN

Geometry 30

ANGELA PANKOSKY

The Brother 31

JON WESICK

Geography of Memory 32

BRENDA TAULBEE

Fried Spam Sandwiches 34

GREGORY LONGENECKER

(untitled) 34

BOBBIE VAN HISE

Cathedrals 35

COLBY PECK

No Man's Land 36

JENNIFER MINNITI-SHIPPEY

Third Tour 37

DRUDE CLARK

Datebook: Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Facial 38

LOIS P. JONES

When Midnight Comes 39

SARA ASLAGSON-SAHAR

Raspberries 40

JUAN FELIPE HERRERA

todavía estoy aquí the deported father said 42

SERETTA MARTIN

Moving On 43

ALENE DAGNE

Stillness 44

ANGELEE DEODHAR

La Jolla Cove 45

AL ZOLYNAS

Snow 46

ROBT O'SULLIVAN SCHLEITH

A Special Place in Hell:

a Brief Meditation 47

LISA RATNAVIRA

I Love the Way

Women, Men, Partners. . . 48

BRANDON CESMAT

Much Obliged 51

CINDY RINNE

Look Closer 52

CHERYL HEINEMAN

Wake Up 53

ADRIAN ARANCIBIA

a poem for my girls' school 54

BRIAN BLOOM

Chill 55

LOLA HASKINS

Two Stick Insects 56

LYNNE THOMPSON

Self-Portrait Without Contact Lenses 57

JUDY RICE-SISSON

Getting Popped 58

AIMEE DUNCAN

My First Poem 60

SUNFLOWER DUBOIS

Denial 61

WILLIAM MOHR

Prophecy with Entrails 62

LINDA CHRISTENSEN

Canals of Mars 63

AMIE WHITTEMORE

Ode to Avocado 64

JASON KAMDAR

Winter Dawn 65

R.H. FORSYTH

Literature 309B, Modern to

Multicultural American Literature 66

KAYLA KRUT

He Laid Down 67

MINERVA

Concinnity San Diego 68

ALAN ARCHER

Gathering the Kindling 69

KATE MATTHEWS

Good Morning 70

JILL G. HALL

Raw 71

SUZANNE O'CONNELL

A Child's Prayer 72

ELIZABETH D. MACALUSO

The Robins in Vestal, NY 73

CHRISTINA BURRESS

The Listening Women 74

WILLIAM HARRY HARDING

Living on the Dark Side 76

CAROL MOSCRIP

Ted's Studio 77

IGOR GOLDKIND

The Third Act of Creation 78

TERRI GLASS

Cow Tipping Tuesday 80

JAMES M. MCCOLLUM

My Compass 81

THOMAS GRIFFIN

Ben 82

JUDY REEVES

Moon Shadows 84

SARA YOGI

RJx 85

LUCAS LOPEZ

(untitled) 86

CLIFTON KING

Water Falling into Water 88

SAM HAMOD

Rain Light 89

ESTELLE GILSON

To a Photophobic Poet 89

CHERIE KEPHART

Drift 90

STEPHANIE KNATZ PECK

First Cold Day 91

DANIEL PALASCIANO

Bust It Up 92

NANCY DIMSDALE

Dusk 93

HEATHER L. NOBLE

Southeastern France 94

MARIA MAZZIOTTI GILLAN

My Mother's Greatest Fear 95

DICK EIDEN

Breaking News 98

CELESTE MORALES

Am I a Muse 100

GRANT QUACKENBUSH

Künstlerroman 101

RACHEL BUBALO

The Tragedies of Excessive Time 102

TERRY SEVERHILL

At the Far Edge of 103

KRISTEN SCOTT

Lovers and Pines 104

JOANNE D'AMATO

The Sky and Sea 106

BARBARA MIMS DEMING

Shadow Memories 107

MARIKO KITAKUBO

Seven Stitches 108

SANDY CARPENTER

Seaside Far North 110

DEB CARSON

Pigs, Three Different Ones 111

PETER KRUMBACH

Japanese Snow 112

SARAH BRENDA MARSH-REBELO

Children of War 114

HEATHER CIRCLE

How to Ride the Public Bus 115

JEANNINE HALL GAILEY

After Dark, Southern California 116

LESLIE HENDRICKSON-BARAL

Devolution 117

KATE GALE

Wound Care, an Erasure Poem 118

BOB SCHILDGEN

Ode to the Last Living Hippie 120

LISA C. KRUEGER

Crossing Over 121

RICK LUPERT

Dementia, My Darling 122

CURRAN JEFFERY

The Apple, The Rabbit,

and The Parakeet 124

E.R. BUENDIA

Moon Worship 124

GLORIA KEELEY

Crows 125

DANE CERVINE

Novel 126

KATHY LUNDY DERENGOWSKI

The Sacraments 128

DIANE FUNSTON

For My Ex 129

ROGER FUNSTON

Rock Creek 130

LISA RAPPOPORT

Speaking Effigy 131

JOHN GARRY

Things 132

JOAN GERSTEIN

Grand Canyon 133

STEPHEN GOLD

Breathe In Breathe Out 134

MARGE PIERCY

Where Do Pet Names Go In the End? 135

KIM NORIEGA

Notre-Dame de Paris: Spring, 2010 136

ANNA ZAPPOLI

Poison 137

ADOLFO GUZMÁN-LÓPEZ

G for F for E 138

UNA NICHOLS HYNUM

I speak for the stone 139

CLAUDIA POQUOC

Pomegranate 140

ORIANA IVY

I Dispense Love Advice 141

STEVE MCDONALD

The Sea 142

WILLIAM SCOTT GALASSO

(untitled) 142

DEBORAH ALLBRITAIN

Your Whole Life

They Called You Sad 143

ELISA BLAISDELL

Late for Work 144

EVELYN J. BURROUGHS

Sestina for Etta 146

MARYAM DAFTARI

Will We Ever Know? 148

VERA DIDUR

If Death Were Optional 149

ADAM GREENFIELD

The Life and Death of Natural Love 150

NANCY HENDRICKSON

Memories from the Ruins 151

QUINN LOZAR

Always 152

ANDY PEREZ

The Artist's Manifesto 153

JOSEPH MILOSCH

Q 154

JAMES M. MCCOLLUM

Not Enough 155

CHRISTOPHVER R

I Told You So! 156

SIOBHAN WELSH

The Perfume of My Sea 158

JON TOBIAS

On the Fourth of July You Showed

Me Where You Were Going to Bury My Body 159

JESSIE K. WALLEN

Soul Be My Friend 160

ELIZABETH YAHN WILLIAMS

Senryu Set at Class Reunion: Part I 161

JIM MORENO

CPR (Compassion, Peace, Respect) 162

JONI MAYER

Fluff n Fold at the Super Clean 164

• SSTTEEVVEE KKOOWWIITT PPOOEETTRRYY PPRRIIZZEE • PREFACE 166

LIST OF HONOREES 167

THE KOWIT

VIVIAN SHIPLEY

Cargo 168

RUNNER-UP

LEONA SEVICK

Johns Hopkins Hospital, at the

Corner of Orleans and N. Broadway 170

SECOND RUNNER-UP

DAVID ALLEN SULLIVAN

Walking the Eight Verses Trail

at the Land of the Medicine Buddha 172

HONORABLE MENTIONS DIANA HA

Age 178

MARY O'CONNOR

Cut and Save 179

FRANKIE DRAYUS

Blue Agave 180

GEORGE DREW

Camping Out on the Styx 182

DEBRA MARQUART

Even on a Sunday Drive 184

RICHARD EIDEN

Eclipse at Wounded Knee 186

JAMES ELLENBERGER

Geometry makes you tender 187

TANIA PRYPUTNIEWICZ

Moscow Road 188

JANLORI GOLDMAN

Ode to the Apricot Tree on

9th Street, Durango, Colorado 189

VIVIAN SHIPLEY

Open Sesame 190

RACHEL GUIDO DEVRIES

Tattoo: A Memory 192

JANA-LEE GERMAINE

The Manicure 194

MOLLY LARSON COOK

The Pursuit of Happiness 196

TAMARA MADISON

Waiting for the Scythe 198

CECE PERI

Who Says Bodhisattvas Can't Have Fun? 199

MATT HOHNER

You Learn a Friend's Friend Has Died 200

ROSA LANE

Dear Shakespeare 201 LINDA BRYANT

No One Knows Why 202

ROBIN BECKER

Words with Friends 204

VIVIAN SHIPLEY

August 21 2017, The Solar Eclipse,

College of Charleston, SC 205

JEREMY HALINEN

Siren 208

• NNAATTIIVVEE PPOOEETTSS • PAUL GONZALEZ

On the Reservation 211

ROB ANDERSON

The Beauty Way 212

MERLEI CASSELL

The Meaning of Dignity 213

TANAYA WINDER

I'll Be Seeing You 214

VIOLET TUNOHUN

The Face of an Elder 216

TANAYA WINDER

We Were Stolen 217

TERRY SEVERHILL

Why I Don't Want Refugees

or Immigrants Coming Here Crisis 218

NAWISHMAL WANT

In Honor of the Sioux 221

D. LORRAINE SANCHEZ

The Last Burning 222

JOSEPH JOHN MORENO

70 & Still Learning 224

PHILIP H. RED EAGLE

Alight 226

MICHAEL TURNER-ORTEGA

How to Become Decolonized 227

D. LORRAINE SANCHEZ

Center of My Sorrow 228

JIM MORENO

Working the Medicine Wheel 230

• PPOOEEMMSS FFRROOMM JJUUVVEENNIILLEE HHAALLLL • GABRIEL S

The Demon in Me 234

JOESAIAH B

(untitled) 234

ALAN G

(untitled) 235

RUBEN R

Mirrors 235

STEPHANIE M

Critical Condition 236

SALVADOR O

I Am Only Human 237

LAUREN W

Adrift 238

MIGUEL G

Borderline Ice Cream 239

MARKUS H

Wrong 240

OSCAR M

And Still I Love You 240

JESUS S

Release 241

JACOB G

A Bale of Hay 242

ANGEL M

My Culture Is 242

JOHAN L

In My Little Corner of the World 243

ANGEL C

(untitled) 244

JADEN L

What I See, Feel, & Hear 245

ISIAH D

Swim 245

ANAHI R

When I Look in the Mirror 246

DAVID S

There I Was Without 246

ARIEL

Being Adopted 247

ANGELINA O

When I Look in the Mirror 248

DARIUS S

(untitled) 248

GIOVANI M

Fear 249

DAVID C

If I Write Instead of Fight 249

EVELINE A

I Stood Still Too Long 250

MARIO M

Golden Time 251

SEBASTIAN H

Hate Don't Change Me 251

SERGIO H

(untitled) 252

JARETT

(untitled) 253

KENNY A

Suspect 253

ANTHONY M

(untitled) 254

JADEN

Who Do They See 254

GENEVIE G

Poem to Dad 255

JOSHUA L

(untitled) 256

DEANDRE B

Blue Man 256

KEYLA Z

Fake Friends 257

RAMIRES A

Quiero: I Want 257

KIRRA

The Room/The Color 258

SKARLETT C

The Last Something

That Meant Anything 259

DALENO T

(untitled) 260

DIMITRI L

Hustle 260

MARQUEZ O

La Vida Que Yo Llevo: The Life I Lead 261

LUCILA A

I'm Full of Words 262

ROSEMARY O

Don't Judge 263

MELANIE D

Me 264

ROBERT W

My Mind 265

ROGELIO R

El Miedo: The Fear 266

RUBEN B

First Thoughts 267

LAUREN W

Mi Cariño 268

GWEN D

A New Path 269

• PPOOEEMMSS bbyy VVEETTEERRAANNSS • NOEL WILLIAMSON

Liquid Demise 272

STEVE BLACKMAN

A Contemporary Poem 272

ANDREW PINEDA

16 Bars 273

HILTON ANTHONY MERSON

Pad of Paper 273

JAMIE KAUFHOLD

You Can Take the Soldier Out of the War 274

STEVE ADAMCZYK

If I Had My Way 276

MIKE ROLLERSON

Guitar 276

WILLIAM FERGUSON

Carolyne 277

BILLIEKAI BOUGHTON

Arrival 278

DAVID CLARK

Good Morning Vietnam 279

FRED LONGWORTH

Soldier 280

AMBER ROBINSON

Twin 281

ANTHONY (TONY) LOBLUE

Benny and me

at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 282

JENNIE SELBY

Fort Rosecrans 284

TERRY SEVERHILL

Requiem 1968 285

OPTIMUS WALLAR

Dolce Wallar 286

PAUL A. SZYMANSKI

Postcard from the Tarmac 287

MICHAEL DUNN

Addiction 288

KATIE TURNER

Mute 289

• PPOOEEMMSS 22 • KEN BUHR

Move to the Memory Unit 292

NANCY SHIFFRIN

This Silvery Day 293

FRED LONGWORTH

Homecoming 294

DEBORAH P KOLODJI

(untitled) 295

MARY O'CONNOR

Winding Sheet 296

PHYLLIS MESHULAM

Butterfly Mythologies 297

SCOTT MARTIN

Fogged Canyons 298

KAREN AN-HWEI LEE

Song in the Heartwind of Fire Season 299

SYLVIA LEVINSON

Ars Poetica, Ars Cocina 300

PATRICA J. MACHMILLER

Birds of Passage 301

TERRY MACRAE

Silence 302

ALISA VELAJ

translation UKË ZENEL BUÇPAPAJ

My Guitar, Wake Up 303

PAUL A. SZYMANSKI

Blink 303

KATHY O'FALLON

Ode to Myrtle Creek Nursery 304

DIANA GRIGGS

Seven Ways of Looking at an Owl 305

JAN BEATTY

Driver: Fulton Street to North Beach 306

LEONDRA VANE

Vessel 307

ELIZABETH D. MACALUSO

Uncle Johnny's Star Trek Room 308

WILLIAM MOHR

The Opposite Chair 309

JON WESICK

A Treasury of Banter 310

CHARLENE BALDRIDGE

Physical Review 311

JERRY HICKS

Stalking Oma's Daughter 312

ROBERT HALLECK

Wine Spo Dee O Dee 313

TERRY SPOHN

After a Night of Carousing with

Friends, I Remember an Old

Photograph of Soissons 314

SHA (MARIE) OLSEN

Lockdown 314

JOANNE SHARP

Study in Red, Black & White 315

PENNY PERRY

Buying Rain Barrels in a Drought 316

RON SALISBURY

Cosmology 317

LYNNE THOMPSON

Shadow 317

R. T. SEDGWICK

Global Warming 318

MICHAEL MARK

To Be Known 319

CLAUDIA POQUOC

Shamaness 320

CURRAN JEFFERY

Ego Meditation 321

MARGE PIERCY

Illegal With Only Hope 322

TRISH DUGGER

The Asian Lady 323

MAI-LON GITTELSOHN

My Mother is Talking to Me 324

HARRY GRISWOLD

Mixed With Tremor 325

AMEERAH HOLLIDAY

Mahogany 326

DIONNE BLAHA

Dear Darling 327

PATRICE IMANI ELISE-BYRD

This Woman 328

JEFF WALT

Bonnie the Butch Cross-dressing Bartender 329

LUCAS LOPEZ

(untitled) 330

ARTHUR KAYZAKIAN

Grass Stain 331

JUDY REEVES

What We Do for Love 332

SCOTT T. STARBUCK

Sermon #47 333

MICHAEL KLAM

Kellyanne Will Do Anything to Forget 334

JACK WEBB

Remembrance 335

JASON KAMDAR

The Howl of Singing Wolf Under Sickle Moon 336

RAYN ROBERTS

Hypotheses 337

BRYCE BENNETT

my flow 338

K'ONG MI-SEONG

Four Shijo 341

NANCY SANDWEISS

I Buy My Fish Scaled 342

NAN BREEDLOVE

Neighborhood Watch 343

THEA SCHILLER

A Song for San Diego and My Father 344

CHASE NOVAK

The Memory Thief 345

KATH ABELA WILSON

(untitled) 345

BRUCE GORDEN

Homage to the Prophet 346

ASHLEY WIGGIN

Yellow 347

CATHERINE SIEMENS

A Year Later 348

JIM MORENO

A Force of Nature 349

BENNIE HERRON

who is the real little thang? 350

SHARON LAABS

A Blind Man Peels an Orange 351

SERETTA MARTIN

The Bed of Moons 352

CASEY DERENGOWSKI

A Real Problem? 353

AL ZOLYNAS

A Project, in Process 354

MARY C. ROOD

Binghamton Royalty 355

MEL TAKAHARA

Leelah 356

KATE MATTHEWS

Lone(some) 357

CHRISTINA BURRESS

Atropos 358

CAROLE STABLER

Chart 359

TED WASHINGTON

The Deep End 360

GAIL SHATSKY

What Is, Is 361

REGINA MORIN

Make Lemonade 362

MARGARET S. MCKERROW

October in Ireland 363

REN KALIS

above, moon 364

GWYN HENRY

Santa Ana Winds 365

AL NASHASHIBI

Inside of Me 366

JEN LAFFLER

Cotton Candy 367

DANIEL H.R. FISHMAN

How I Began 368

JOHNNIERENEE NIA NELSON

A New Color / A New Day 369

SHEILA KAI

Your Slip is Showing 370

PAULA LEEDY

Alice 371

SUSAN ROGERS

Across Bridges 372

ANDY PALASCIANO

Wit's End 373

AMANDA LEIGH MATTIMOE

Refugee Children 374

GAYLE O'KEY

Everyday Benevolence 375

LINDA LOU OSTER

Suzette's Sugar Shack 376

BENNIE HERRON

son day 377

KATHIE HOXSIE

Nevada Road Trip 378

DAVE DENNY

Looney Tunes Metaphysics 379

LAURA BOSS

At My Age 380

CLAUDIA ARAGON

The Seasons of Our Love 381 ALI ARSANJANI

The Lover 382

MICHA CROFY

Agua Caliente 383

KATHY KEOGH

My Origami Life 384

SOPHIA GREEN

Yarn 385

KELLEY HATTOX

Trauma Work 386

ADRIAN ARANCIBIA

ansiedad/olvidar 387

JANE MUSHINSKY

Kullach 388

THOMAS GRESHAM

designer cut eternity 389

DREW CUNNINGHAM

Croquet and Caviar 390

VALERIE CHIAPPONE

The Flying Crane 392

R.J. BLACK

The Light in Her Eyes 393

LIZZIE WANN

when you're the person being

honked at to go at a green light 394

JOHN RUBIO

Border Wall 396

PENNY PERRY

For My Son on His Divorce 397

JACQ LE

To Fight or take flight 398

MELANIE CORNEJO

Cornejo 400

HEATHER BEATTY

The Mermaid Queen of Overlook Farm 401

MARIT ANDERSON

Something About Bob 402

THAIMAE LE

The Handbag 404

R.H. FORSYTH

Cultural Studies 405

CHARLIE BERIGAN

Little Sylphide on the End 406

CHRIS WAKEFIELD

I Miss Being an Alcoholic 407

KIM NORIEGA

Dreaming of My Ex-Father-in-Law

on the Anniversary of His Death 409

SARA YOGI

(The) Invisible Man's Sister 410

DANIEL VILLEGAS

The Bottoms 411

LAURA TAFOLLA

(untitled) 412

ADOLFO GUZMÁN-LÓPEZ

Born 413

SHARON THOMPSON

The Need to Learn to Spit 416

SHARON ELISE

Not Foresaken 417

SUNFLOWER DUBOIS

The Players of Seventeenth Street 418

KEN BUHR

Unending Dance 419

CAROL ARCHIBALD

Transcendence 420

LISE BREAKEY

Maricopa City 421

CARRIE DANIELSON

Unearthed 422

REG E GAINES

Juxtaposition of Uninflected Images 424

FARTOON HAGI-MOHAMED

City Heights Beat (5) 426

BARBARA HUNTINGTON

Ocean Beach 428

THURGOOD MARSHALL

Be For Their Time 429

AKIO LOZAR

Spades 430

PETER LAUTZ

The Voyage 431

CAROLYN MOGAVERO

Lost in the Shadows 432

DAWN RESSEL

Swedish Encounter 433

ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ

Waste of Space 434

GERALD VANDERPOT

Echoes of History 435

JIM MORENO

No Need for War 436

RICARDO MENDOZA

Until It Makes Sense 437

AUNTWANETTE WHITE

No Matter My Journey 438

ROB CASSIDY

Something About a Poem 439

GARY WINTERS

Red Dog Bites the Dust 440

C.V. WILL

Some Days I Wonder

If I Ever Saw My Life 441

AFTERWORD 442 THE POETS 443

INTERNS AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY 465

REGIONAL EDITORS 466

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR 467

MANAGING EDITOR 467

EXECUTIVE EDITOR 467

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER 467

PUBLISHER 467

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 468

SPECIAL THANKS 469

CREDITS 469