One Left Alone

~Chris Billings

The loudest sound
is the noise
of a hundred thousand voices
saying nothing
in the face of evil
remaining quiet
when voices are needed 
holding back
out of indifference or ignorance 
content to be subdued 
so as not to make trouble for themselves 
hushed in their hatred 
to hide that hatred from others

A tree fell in a forest and someone was there to hear it
but there was no one else left to tell

Gila Monster

~Leslie Soule

The urban jungle of California is many things.
It is no place for a Gila Monster.
I’d been outside, on a day that was warm but not hot
And – there he was,
Crawling around near my mother’s front door
And I thought to myself –
Maybe he needs water
And
Maybe he needs a home
And
Aren’t those things poisonous?
And
How did he get here?
Doors represent transition and Gila Monsters represent
Survival, healing, mystery and respect for powerful forces.
Chat GPT is getting all Freudian on me,
Suggesting that it represents
My relationship with my mother
But I just thought it was weird, at the time.

The Animal Dumping Ground

~Leslie Soule

We lived in a newly-built suburb
And people were always
Dumping trash at the end of the dead-end street
Nearby
But – one day – they dumped
Three chickens, a rooster and a duck
Right between my mother’s house and the neighbor’s.
As we had no chicken coop, we were not equipped to keep them
But
They kept us entertained for a while,
Especially the rooster, who could never hit the final note
Of his Cock-A-Doodle-Doo
And eventually my mother found a farmer to take them
And we urged them into cat carriers and such
And off they went. 

One-Legged Dancing Man

~Leslie Soule

He slid a jig across the floor
At the bar where they played live music
Every Tuesday and Thursday
Gliding as gracefully as any man on two legs
But he just had the one
“Yeah, that’s ol’ Crazy Leg,” said a guy at a nearby table, 
Raising his beer glass
Crazy Leg cut a jig across the floor, 
The music coursing through his body
All passion and electricity
As smooth as if he had butter on his shoes.