by antonina palisano
Again the bleak particular
of brick and topiary Lucky Jim’s
See the City from a Segway
My fat thigh in stocking mesh Present tense
And gold on bone Semi–famous soused
Until a voice stills the room: I watched a man die
On a prerecorded feed Beef Wellington au jus
Dun expensive chaise My pink damp girlsuit
Some Eton boy demanding gifts
And ringed, I’m limp culling Virgil:
The first trial for a horse
is to sit calm in the clash of arms
Antonina Palisano holds an MFA in Poetry from Boston University. Her work has appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review, inter|rupture, Best New Poets 2015, and others, including the Academy of American Poets website. Antonina teaches creative writing to teenagers and coordinates a neuroscience lab in Cambridge, MA.
Art by featured artist Sirena Hildebrand.
Monsters and Lace was created by Sirena the Mermaid and Chris the Troll. They live in Lancaster, PA, with their many plant children, such as Mary the Mint and Bert the Dracaena. On any given day, you might find them romping through the forest, toting reflectors, camera gear, smoke grenades, and who knows what other props. The aim, is to tell a story via pictures, whether it be a hard road a friend has travelled, or a light hearted children’s tale. To view the world through a lens is a beautiful thing! To capture someone’s soul within a photo is a hard task, but one they aim to master.