Issue 1: Howie Good

Dog Is God Spelled Backwards

Waiting for the dog to finish,

I think of dead friends,

their unsent e-mails, their caved-

in hearts

The shadows under the trees

are bearded Hasids in long black coats

swaying during evening prayers.

I go back inside. The news is on.

It’s all tumors and acronyms.

She’s studying the calendar magnet

on the fridge. What about April,

she says, if March is no good?

--Howie Good




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Issue 2: Howie Good

Crows

I hadn’t really noticed before

that crows have black beaks.

Of course,

from the perspective of wild birds,

man is the great mistake.

I flicked away my cigarette

and went back up.

Where was your mother born?

the other people waiting

wanted to know.

As always, I could hear

the false friendliness in my voice.

She was dying across the hall –

like wind and rain through the magnolias.

--Howie Good

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