Jackie Chou

The Aquarian 

He offers me tea

and chocolate wafers

a jug in one hand

a paper plate in the other

his bare chest

a milk-and-honey hue 

The water he bears

has no shape or color

but takes on the form

of whatever it's in

a jar, a cup, a river

reflecting vibrant things

like birds, mountains, flowers 

A style not his own

the print silk shirt

the blue jacket 

with the velvet lapel 

blends into the milieu 

that he is in

So I shake my head

to his offer 

of food and drink 

knowing my Ariean fire

will never dance 

with his water

Charles A Perrone

A Principled Precipice of Learning

It is indeed quite a steep drop

from 

a Manhattan (or similar) loft

or a Matterhorn (or dissimilar) lift

or the Mad Hatter’s leftover assembly

to 

a teepee on the mid-west plains

or planes of snow-melted intersections 

or a plain teacup sans liquefied energy fields

that someone deigned to steep for discretion.

The fall can be foolishly frightful even fatal

and no fetal position or self-righteous pose

can warrant that sea of tranquility you chose

to seek, to desire, to aspire to navigate …

Her New Word Understood (w/ American Spacing)

apart from the extreme natural beauty of thunder

with lightning, the crashing wonder and energy of

rainbows arching over rows of blunderless corn

and columns for crows to roost, protest, or reveal

shocking paths of flights with plunder bins in mind,

it has been the word itself asunder driving her to raid

every staid reference to sites in sight, things toto caelo,

to divide inexorably what truly merits shredding,

what ails, like nails being yanked, a putting on rails,

or simply the neologistic voice of detogetherment.

a final letter and gasp

I. after Zwingli, a swinger of sorts

royalty or rags

snags loyalty gaps

in a sequence of zones

from nadir to zenith

perched between Zeus and Zen

beyond the ken of zodiac raves

cameras zoom in and out

zeppelins loom from Zurich to Zambezi

water waves and runways

silent sphinx-like music after Zywny

from zero to zed, from zygote to dead

II. z: resquiescat in pace

zwinger, a version of forts, castles, protection

from zephyrs of pure wonder and doubt,

blowing timed zany plays over centuries,

the five takers-in, lore and galore,

— Zoroaster Dio Zulu Deus 

Zombi jesters zeitgeist jazz—

a wind of kazoos and zigzagged breath

onto the breadth of metal keys and bars,

xylophone: a zebra of feeling sounds

of alternate meanings, a visual zipper

of tones — made of zinc, zircon, ink? —

touched off by zeugmas, zimbels, and sniffs,

tools of perception receipt reception conceit,

zapped old-world zingiber soaked in zinfandel

and replanted in a different new-world langue

(zaragoza zarzuela zocalo zapote . . .  Zapata),

in instruments, magazines, free books, or LED,

from millennia back to now, discovery bred,

and the beast of all the senses bested,

so zestful in place, resting in peace

Carl Stilwell AKA CaLoki

Odd Couples

When two vowels go walking 

In due time you’ll ascertain most certainly

The first one does the talking

Though the latter is doing the stalking

It still doesn’t have one plea

When two vowels go walking

Listen carefully--don’t be deceived by the mocking

If vowel i behind e it must be

The first one does the talking

Hey! It’s as easy as a baby rocking

Silent is the a preceded by e

When two vowels go walking

Have good faith! Don’t mind the taunting

When a and i combine dialectal energy

The first one does the talking

What about relief, belief and cookie? Isn’t this shocking?

You fool! They’re exceptions to the rule, can’t you see?

When two vowels go walking 

The first one does the talking

Marie C Lecrivain

Zodiac

What the sleepers don’t know is this: 

Thomas was a Virgo - literally! 

Peter, not Jesus, was a Capricorn 

who couldn’t see the pebble for the mountain.

John was a Libra in the best and worst sense 

of the word (it ultimately saved his ass). 

Both Jameses were born a day apart.

A Cancer and a Leo, respectively, they worked 

stealthily and well together.  

Andrew was a Pisces who fished for answers 

in the deep well of the unconscious. 

Philip was an Aquarian; always last to the party 

and first in the esoteric know. 

Nathaniel was a Taurus;  

the less said of him the better.

Matthew’s Scorpion nature allowed him

to transcend the literati. 

Simon, the Gemini Zealot, allowed 

the dichotomy within to still 

the dagger in his hand. 

Jude, a typical Aries, found his way 

into the heart of the matter. 

And Judas the Sag pointed the way.

Of the Magdalen and The Christos, we can only say this:

The hieros gamos was attended and witnessed

by twelve guests, and though none of them

checked the wedding registry,

there was enough wine for everyone 

to participate in the wedding toast.

What’s Your Sign?

When someone asks me

“What's your sign?”

I want to be flippant

and say Slippery When Wet.

But that’s not me,

and I don’t want 

to answer in pictograms,

or heart-shaped hands.

But if you insist,

I’ll tell you, one night,

most likely in December,

when L.A. skies are clear,

and it’s quiet, and cold.

I’ll set up my telescope,

point it at the Crab Nebula

and say, “Here you go,”

and wait for you

to either stare into

the history of 

a billion years,

or swing the telescope 

across the cosmos

to find yourself out there.

Lynn White

So Much Bull

“You’re just like me,”

said the woman in the Art Group,

“we both paint freely in bright colours

and constantly re-paint and make make changes,

wear the paper thin even until we’re content with it all.

We’re both Taurus you see - stubborn, dedicated, determined”

I used to reply that I wasn’t into astrology,

didn’t believe it at all.

Then she would describe the Taurus personality

and I recognised her.

It fitted her perfectly:

patiently determined to persevere till the job is done,

relaxed and reliable

but not afraid to speak out, a force to be reckoned with

bravely eccentric enough

to dye her hair green long after punk and youth had passed.

And so focused,

ultra well organised she had everything smartly sorted.

But I could also recognise myself

as she described herself,

so then I wondered…

Fishy Tales

I thought you’d left me

forever

that I was beyond rescue

drowning

but I see you now

full of energy

in your element

floating

rising to the surface

ready to pluck me

out of the water,

warm me up,

carry me home.

A true Piscean

you knew me better 

than I know myself.

Knew me in those watery depths

where I even grew a fishes tail.

You can tell me about it later

you know I love your fishy tales.

Scorpio’s Secret

I’ve kept our secret a long time, 

the mystery of our passion

and, ever resourceful, 

I stored it

deep in the watery underworld.

But now I’ve forgotten 

where 

I buried it

and my crabby comrades are long gone.

Their hard shells tell me nothing,

perhaps they never did,

but it was guarded by Pluto

to make sure it was safe.

We had a deal then,

back in the days 

when I thought him reliable

now I’m not sure

if I can trust him.

Perhaps he’s already dug it up

I won’t know till I find him,

if I can find him,

and when I do 

it’s resting place

will remain

my secret.

I’ve already lost our passion,

it’s buried forever.

And now

I shall become a hermit,

give up my hard shell

keep myself secret,

I need no one else.

Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

The Poet

The poet took steroids 

to increase his stamina.

He took out a loan and

quit his job to dedicate 

his life to writing. He

drank a case of energy

drinks, strengthened his

fingers to type the words

and metaphors the world 

would fall in love with. When

his poems came back, the

poet increased the dosage 

of steroids. His head grew 

bigger than his dreams. The

loan sharks were at his doorstep.

When he was down and out,

the steroids all out of his 

system, he wrote less and less.

The Pepper Tree 

Buried under the pepper tree,

the shaggy dog,

who had the energy of

several dogs.

It once slept in a shoe box,

so small when it

was brought from the pet store,

not many days from its birth.

Now it rests in the shade of 

a leaf-shedding 

tree, no rake in sight,

or the energy of one man

to gather them up and bag them.

Time After Time 

There are people with six eyes.

They can save energy 

and look toward the future.

They have that extra fire.

They have an on and off switch.

They never look back.

They take a deep breath time

after time and forge ahead.

They won’t cry you a river.

They are fierce and persistent.

Some people can take a blow

and hit you back twice as hard.

Some people have three hearts.

They are voracious and vigilant

from dawn to dusk. They 

cannot be stopped. Time after

time they demonstrate how

powerful their hearts could be.

Mary Mayer Shapiro

ZODIAC, HOROSCOPE SIGN

Zodiac, Horoscope sign

Destine to be

Ruled by fire

Predict future

Gives strength, weakness

Traits, desires

Way of viewing

The world

Depends on month

You are born

Day, time

Position of the Sun

But 

Did they take in

Consideration the

Time Zones

Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific

Born three O'clock in Eastern

Different setting of Sun

In each

Time Zone

Position of Sun, Moon, Planets

Location of birth by chance

Did you come late

Early, or on time

Is your destiny

Ruled

By 

Chance

CRYSTAL BALL OF THE FUTURE

Crystal ball of the future

Exact time of birth

Where are the positions

Of the Sun, Moon, Planets

All play a part of your destiney

Zodiac pie divided into 

Twelve  different pieces

Consist of two half month

per slice

Month determines personality

Some represented 

By anilmals

Fish, crab, twins

No rhyme or reason

Others live by it religiously

Check daily

To predict future

If it works

We all could be millionaires

Picking the right numbers

For Lotto

DESIGNATED TAURUS

Born the 15th of May

If I came six days later 

Would be a Gemini

Am strong, dependable, sensual creative as a writer only

Qualities of Gemini, curious, versatile

Eager with Aries

Intuitive as Cancer

Dramatic as Virgo

Practical as Leo

Fair-minded as Libra

Passionate as Scorpio

Optimistic as Sagittarius

Serious as Capricorn

Imaginative as Aquarius

Wise as Pisces

Planets, Moon and Sun must have been out of alignment

Picked up different strengths from the elements

Fire, water, air, earth

Or maybe, it is all 

Just BULL

linda m. crate

zodiac energy

i have always been

drawn to the zodiac,

 

but some people

don't trust its

energy;

 

i do, though, because

vibes don't lie;

 

your zodiac isn't an excuse

to behave poorly but it

can be a tool to understanding

someone—

 

reading my entire birth chart,

and every zodiac sign that i fall

under was scarily accurate

both the good and bad things

which were said;

 

a lot of people try to dismiss

the zodiac—

 

but i don't believe in everything that

exists so i understand not

trusting something,

but it doesn't make it any less true than the

ones that you do believe in.

 

 

 

they always underestimate me

i'm a cancer,

always asked my mother

why my zodiac was also

the name of a disease that kills;

but she could never tell me—

 

most people portray

cancers as cry babies

or manipulative;

and it always irritated me

because i am neither of these things—

 

i am fierce and angry as the ocean,

and i am a daughter of the moon;

got emotional intelligence and can tell

when the vibes are off in someone

or in the room—

 

you can't really coax me out of my shell

very easily because this crab has been betrayed

one too many times because they mistake my

kindness for weakness,

 

and are surprised to find that my energy

is more like what they believed a scorpio to be;

 

yet it's not my fault they always underestimate me.

 

 

i'll be your reflection

people don't always like it

when i return their energy

to them,

 

but water signs can be

a reflection of who you are;

 

i am a cancer

 

whether i am a calm ocean wave

or the hurricane devouring you

is entirely your choice—

 

should you be good to me,

i'll be good to you;

 

but if you are angry to me

then i will return that rage with

interest because i don't play

with the people who think they

are going to shatter me or my dreams—

 

my magic won't be snatched

away from me, nor will my power be.

Don Kingfisher Campbell

THE KID

As a bald baby I was moved
near a reservoir to a tract house
with a garage door branded Z Z

My Grecian Formula haired father turned on
the TV and the Trix rabbit jumped
onto a box on our formica dining table

I admired Dad's mahogany console stereo
oozing music for modern lovers
Tijuana Brass Whipped Cream

And Other Delights
a vinyl sheriff's star
stuck on the front door pane

Shouted re-elect Peter Pitchess
as my auburn-coiffed mom opened
her favorite tome

Jane Dixon's astrology pulled
from the woodgrain-laminated
particleboard bookcase

I grew in evolving Polaroid pictures
smiling beside a "tree"
assembled for Christmas

Hugging my Strange Change
plastic creature maker
never thinking for a moment

I'd turn into a poet

Spouses of the Zodiac

 

Cancer – She had no intention

to marry, diary considered me

a “harmless lover”. I talked

her into having the baby

and getting ringed together.

She quickly found freedom.

 

Capricorn – She really was

a homebody, yet indulged

my desire for exhibitionism

in public places. She left

because she envisioned

a future house without me.

 

Libra – She was a sexy moon

in Scorpio, so she did end up

fulfilling my wish for her to

give me a daughter, but I knew

the gift was actually her mini-she.

I departed out of loneliness.

 

Gemini - She warned me

I might get a phone call

from the police. Otherwise

she lied about weekends

and changed her mind two

weeks before escrow closed.

 

Virgo – She never meant to

keep her promise of a regular

sex life. She was too damaged

by her past to be able to even

try to cohabitate with anyone,

let alone her teenage son.

 

Sagittarius – She's capricious,

learned to appreciate the

stability of married wife in

America when it came to

maintaining a relationship

with her single offspring.