Gnashing Teeth Publishing

| words that get in your teeth

Nollaig na mBán in the People’s House by Madge O’Callaghan

Proud American Christian flags

Stars and Stripes and bayonets

Jesus Saves

Not this woman, though, on Nollaig na mBan.

Run up these steps break a window climb in

terrorise the people

in the people’s house

confirming

that they realise

that we know

they cheated.

This is the way we deal with cheaters

We believe in God

We believe in the knave who ranks above the others

We don’t believe in the fake pandemic

or fake election results

or fake democracy.

We don’t have to

because God is on our side

to take back our great country

our white Christian country

We know what to expect

It’s happened before

When they tried to show

That black lives matter.

They didn’t.

“These are things that happen”

Too chirpy, at last.

Fuelled by lies

Whose lies?

And we, so busy,

watching ourselves

isolating

minding ourselves

staying home

staying safe

staying well

While a narcissistic psychopath

Persuades his flock

To drink the cool aid.

On Nollaig na mBán

2021.

© Madge O’Callaghan, 2021

The twelfth and final day of Christmas, January 6th, was known in Ireland as Nollaig na mBan (pronounced Null-ig na Mon) or Women’s Christmas or Little Christmas. As a reward for their hard work over the Christmas season, it was a day off from all house work for women and traditional roles were supposed to be reversed in the home: men did the women’s work in the house while women rested and gathered together informally.

Goodnight, Taj Mahal by Andre Peltier

Deep below earth, clay and sand, deep below roots and aquifers, it lies in wait. Like that silent coyote stalking her white-tailed deer through the brush, it waits patiently and

contain by Megan Cartwright

verb past tense: contained; past participle: contained 1. have or hold (someone or something) within. Similar: hold carry To have and to hold in our own microcosm, constructed of hope.

Listening to Words by Mona Mehas

Listening to words out of touch cross lily pads, one to the next my rules, a tiny picture frame debt of honor, repay the gift. Headlights illuminate the path listening

Blooming by Elizabeth Gade

Some days are easy and some days are exhausting the days you have to dig through the muck inside take more hits than a heavyweight prize fighter cling to life

Pomegranate Rose by Laura Peña

I want to feed this delicacy To my concubine A tiny spoonful at a time I want to watch the luscious sorbet Linger on the tip of her tongue Melt

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