Phoenix Forged By Stars

By Linda M. Crate

i sew my wounds

shut with stars,

fire isn't only destructive

sometimes it can

heal;

after every chaos of my heart

had subsided there were plants

activated by fire growing

which weren't growing there before—

i always rise from the ashes an immortal

phoenix, whose fires can burn

and whose tears can heal;

but my song is one

worth remembering,

my magic

is all my own—

sometimes people take my

love for granted,

and it hurts;

but i contain multitudes

and some of them are

shallows

perhaps it makes sense why

they can't understand

or comprehend all of my depths.

About the author
Linda M. Crate (she/her) is a Pennsylvanian writer whose poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. She has seventeen published chapbooks the latest being: only the future knows (Alien Buddha Press, November 2025).

Normies

By Gene Lass

Tell me what to think

Tell me what to say

Tell me what to wear today

Tell me what to watch

Tell me what to hear

Tell me if I should drink this brand of beer

I’m a normie

An empty vessel for you
I’m a normie
Tell me what to do

When I’m online

Tell me what to share
Tell me who to talk to
Tell me why I care

Help me pick my friends
The algorithm is plain to see
Tell me who should govern me

’Cause I’m a normie
I don’t want to read
I’m a normie
Your will fills all my needs