Size / / /

I live in a land of ice

and mirth and explicit premise.

I'm starving, but I don't hunger

for your glittering glory.

You are no better than Troy,

trading gold for flesh,

lives for legends, blood

for beauty, always fighting

the ever war, the last rape.

Even death is not enough

to put an end to it.

You bring soldiers wrapped

in linen and thick red noise,

the tail feathers of black swans.

You carry all the bizarre debris

of your exotic rampage

through the annals of myth.

The sun on the dial sends

its dicrotic whisper

across the square—

lyres & silk arras,

stolen armor and lies,

a necklace of blue gems

about a columnar throat,

stone facades etched

in bas-relief by

the forced accents

of your applause.

Be careful who you follow

into the ruins that

line the ancient city;

I've died a hundred times

beneath its walls

to preserve my honor.

Beware the bite

of the old dog

that welcomes you home.


Marge Simon freelances as a writer, poet, and illustrator for publications such as Space and Time, Dreams and Nightmares, The Pedestal Magazine, Mythic Delirium, and Tales of the Unanticipated. Her self-illustrated poetry collection, Artist of Antithesis, was a Bram Stoker finalist in 2004. Marge is former president of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. She currently serves as editor of Star*Line. For more information, please visit her website or email her at MSimon6206@aol.com. You can see more of her work in our archives.



Bruce Boston is the author of forty-seven books and chapbooks, including the novels The Guardener's Tale and Stained Glass Rain. His writing has received the Bram Stoker Award, a Pushcart Prize, the Asimov's Readers Award, and the Grand Master Award of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. You can read more about him at www.bruceboston.com and see some of his previous work in our archives.
Marge Ballif Simon free lances as a writer-poet-illustrator for genre and mainstream publications such as Nebula Awards 32, Strange Horizons, Flashquake, Space & Time, Dreams & Nightmares, Aoife’s Kiss, Dark Regions, Fantasy Magazine, The Pedestal Magazine, EOTU, Tales of the Unanticipated. She has illustrated three Stoker award collections. Her illustrated poetry collection, “Artist of Antithesis” was a Stoker finalist in 2004.
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16 Jun 2025

When I met the young Mr Turing, I had not yet ascended as Autumn’s King. Nowadays it has become fashionable for the sons and daughters of the lesser fey gentry to improve their position in the shifting hierarchy of the Courts by virtue of intrigue, scandal, and the naked blade; but in those times, it was the custom to advance one’s position through the collection of human bagatelles.
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Podcast read by: Emmie Christie
In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents Ariel Marken Jack's 'Sister, Silkie, Siren, Shark' read by Emmie Christie. Subscribe to the Strange Horizons podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠
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