Introduction to Poetry in Issue 63
As usual, I am amazed at the talent, and the diversity of talent, among our poetic community. And there’s diversity in form as well, including blank verse, prose poems, a linked Haiku-like imagist poem, and a series of lunes, besides the skillfully wrought free verse poems that give more than simple speculative poetry—they give more complex verse with literary depth as they also address the human condition in all its nuances.
Two organically evolved themes with a smooth transition are featured in this issue. The first has a pre- through post-apocalyptic narrative arc, while the second augments the first with its emphasis on nature, whether terrestrial or alien. Please enjoy the work of these talented poets.
Rebecca Buchanan (Asheville, NC), “the woods in the wind”
Davian Aw (Singapore), “rainfall”
Megan Branning (Pittsburgh, PA), “After”
Sharon Fox (Knoxville, TN), “Church of the Apocalypse”
Sarah Shirley (Hamilton, New Zealand), “Rust”
Marge Simon (Ocala, FL), “Martha X”
Tamara Panici (Waco, TX), “Hybrid Identities”
Deborah Davitt (Houston, TX), “Garden Planet”
Ken Poyner (Norfolk, VA), “First Landing”
Vince Gotera (Cedar Falls, IA), “Fantasia”
– John C. Mannone, Abyss & Apex Poetry Editor
