Christmas at Dixon Women’s Prison

Though he’s male
they call for a female officer
who pulls him from his car

seat then lays him
on a steel table
and opens his blanket

unzips his onesie
with the lions and giraffes
slips the undershirt over his head

tears open the Velcro straps
removes his diaper
lifts his body up

with gloved hands
holds him in the air
like a wet cat

The Right

Kristina Krumova is 29 years old and she lives in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has a Master’s Degree in Contemporary History from Sofia University and she was an Editor at New Social Poetry Magazine, (Bulgaria). Her work was published in North of Oxford, Ann Arbor Review, The Pangolin Review, Rusty Truck, The Conclusion Magazine, Oddball Magazine […]

Woman Wants to Have the First Baby Born on Mars

Laura Sobbott Ross is a widely published award-winning poet whose work has appeared in more than 100 literary journals. In addition to four Pushcart Prize nominations, she was a finalist for the Art & Letters Poetry Prize and won the Southern Humanities Auburn Witness Poetry Prize. She has published two chapbooks, A Tiny Hunger and […]

October Doleful

October Doleful Calm: only one leaf flutters at a time, not warning, a whisper. The setting sun slunk to hide behind the hills and for one minute maple leaf shadows dance on our blank wall. Your phone caught it as video. Chickadees show no fear at the birdbath near where I rocked away the summer […]

Agnes Person | Surfactants

Below is Part 19 of 23 monthly installments for Visitant. ◄◄ Read the prologue / introduction: Meet Agnes Person ◄ Read the previous installment | Eyestalks Surfactants Up early with morning sickness, Agnes Person pulls her ponytail offside and hunches over the toilet. TN cocks his head and thumps his tail against the tub. The dog is […]

The Foundling

Susan Cronin studied at Rutgers University, Sarah Lawrence College, and The New School, where she earned an MFA. Her poetry has appeared in a numerous journals including Nashville Review, DMQ Review, White Stag, Gingerbread House, Josephine Quarterly, indicia, Figroot Press, and the inaugural issues of Varnish, and The Cerurove. The Foundling A tangle of silver […]

My Impatience is like a fish

I want to see a star from a high place, not necessarily a mountain. Maybe a tree limb. To sit quietly, no kicking my leg or swaying my body like I have a baby in my arms. That baby is grown up and learning to fly fish thousands of miles away on a lake where […]

In the Jungle

My mother is deep in her bed with her socks on, sticking out. She never wore socks, so I remember it surprised me. Her heels were always cracked, like mine are now, and though she perpetually tried to soften them, with creams and socks and special razors, in the summer they immediately toughened up, calloused […]

Not Your Average Baby Mama

Eva Soni’s baby is a little different. At 3 1/2 months, her baby is already crawling, climbing, and doing pull-ups. Instead of gentle tickling and soft cooing, Eva’s baby enjoys biting. Like most infants, Eva’s enjoys affection and naps, but that won’t stop her from attacking Eva’s face—because Eva’s baby is a gorilla. Born on […]

Songs To Nurse To

To the tune of “You Are My Sunshine.” Here come the boobies, the milky boobies. They’ll make you happy, and oh so glad. They’ll fill you belly, and make you merry. Drink your milk. You’ll grow big and strong. To the tune of “Oops I Did It Again.” Oops I did it again. I sprayed […]