We are pleased to present another excellent slate of poets for the April 2014 issue of Abyss & Apex. As usual, my style is to arrange poems in an emotional or thematic arc as opposed to alphabetical order by author’s name.
The series starts with a chilling view of the future. “The Slow Gods” by David Barber (Norwich, UK) is a shape poem, something I don’t normally publish, but there’s something intriguing about it. What is that shape you ask? That’s part of the fascination, but I assure you it is not a Christmas tree. These fences are the opening words of the next poem. Simon Perchik (East Hampton, NY) characteristically starts his poems with an asterisk. This poem is surreal, as well as ominous, using an interesting metaphor for another kind of death. “Origins” by Sylvia Ashby (Lubbock, TX), with its birth and death of stars, pairs very well with “The Slow Gods.” It too is haunting. The two ominous poems by Darren C. Demaree (Columbus, OH), “A Brief Suspension of All History #32” and “A Brief Suspension of All History #33,” live beyond the page. These poems are arguably experimental, not in form, but in content and delivery. Finally, “Life As a Starship Nav System” by Noel Sloboda (York, PA) might sound like a humorous poem. Don’t be fooled into thinking it isn’t rich in literary depth.
John C. Mannone
Poetry Editor
