Punk Monk Press/Magazine

  It is a whole lot easier to back out of driveways than marriages; I don’t know why, but she was mighty pissed when Pat told her he was too young to marry, there were still wild oats to sow.     "WILD OATS, WILD OATS?", she screamed "I’ll show you WILD OATS!"     She came at him with a hammer from the tool box in the garage.     He thought about hitting her but remembered the law.     Instead, he ran away down the street (falling out of his shoes a third of the way down) as she chased him still screeching: "WILD OATS WILD OATS WILD OATS..."     Neighbours stood around on the sidewalk laughing while I sat on the front steps - waiting for dinner or mercy - counting the ants that came out of the hole and made their way toward the faux brass railing. --Ryan Flanagan

In a mad world The sane are the ones Who are truly mad Who wait in line For the latest version Of what to do next Who gather in crowds For a brief glimpse Of who to listen to Who browse magazines To learn the ways To avoid mistakes Who cruise the Internet To seek out others Exactly like them Who go into debt For tickets to shows Where nothing goes wrong Who watch TV While taking notes To keep one step ahead Who believe that dreams Are to always want more No matter the cost --Richard Schnap

Redirecting hurt, creating feedback loops via individual interfaces, Makes for “modern wisdom,” socially awkward questions, recalcitrance. Recording pain for posterity, deconstructing vices, unblocking memories, Causes railing against extended families’ assumptions, institutional truths. Expressively crippled adults, raising children, forge new misunderstandings, Bring about a reluctant habit of answers, establish inelegant verities. Individual concerns, notwithstanding, inhumane acts scar, maim, otherwise injure, Rationalize away no wrong, cover up no neglect or abuse, recover nothing. Past experiences evolve present realisms. Victimhood hangs about orphaned. Trauma invites unsalvageable moments to linger, smoke a few, return for more. --KJ Hannah Greenberg

P antyville All this early out-permanent ecstasy rapid response condoms ß©ÞW everybody climbing over Hadrian’s Wall avoiding commitment, boregasms finger claw ring bits left at the scene atop another smoldering relationship flaccidly held together by denial or fists         Slaughterhouse Lullaby   America had   longer wakeuptime worldview   as if molasses were operating   room anesthesia   held in dank catacombs without   sonic  experimentations roping   submersible barbed wire hanging   trees custom fabricated noose-   wear: weird western vests to go   Bondage therapy by appointment only           --David S. Pointer