Gnashing Teeth Publishing

| words that get in your teeth

Pieces by Mona Mehas

There are pieces of you around my house,
too much of you remains in my home.

When I think about what you left behind,
aftershave and wine glasses in my house,

records we listened to while we made love,
there’s no room for me here in my home,

clothing and jewelry you purchased for me,
I wore in photos scattered around my house.

You need to do some collecting –
I’ll convert this back to my sweet home.

Bio: Mona Mehas (she/her) writes about growing up poor, accumulating grief, and the climate from the perspective of a retired, disabled teacher in Indiana, USA. Her work has been published in over forty journals, anthologies, and online museums. Mona is a Trekkie and enjoys watching Star Trek shows and movies in chronological order. Her pamphlet, ‘Questions I Didn’t Know I’d Asked,’ is forthcoming with LJMcD Communications. Follow on Twitter @Patienc77732097 and linktr.ee/monaiv.

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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