Size / / /

I have no words

of comfort for the likes of you,

my sad, charmed boy.

Jove's bloated court echoes with snores,

yours loudest, when I wander through.

I have no words

to make my cratered form cohere:

banished hunter, raped virgin, beast.

You sad, charmed boys

think toting Chardonnay's a dream,

but Jove still fucks you in your sleep.

I have—no, words

can't compare with mouthfuls of hair

and bile. Our void has no echo,

my sad, charmed boy,

so don't ask me to conjure up

your soft grass bed. I'm all darkness,

I have no words,

O sad, charmed boy.




Melissa Frederick's poetry and prose have appeared in numerous publications, including the Mid-American Review, DIAGRAM, Astropoetica, Mythic Delirium, and Star*Line. Her poetry chapbook, She, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2008.
Current Issue
22 Apr 2024

We’d been on holiday at the Shoon Sea only three days when the incident occurred. Dr. Gar had been staying there a few months for medical research and had urged me and my friend Shooshooey to visit.
...
Tu enfiles longuement la chemise des murs,/ tout comme d’autres le font avec la chemise de la mort.
The little monster was not born like a human child, yelling with cold and terror as he left his mother’s womb. He had come to life little by little, on the high, three-legged bench. When his eyes had opened, they met the eyes of the broad-shouldered sculptor, watching them tenderly.
Le petit monstre n’était pas né comme un enfant des hommes, criant de froid et de terreur au sortir du ventre maternel. Il avait pris vie peu à peu, sur la haute selle à trois pieds, et quand ses yeux s’étaient ouverts, ils avaient rencontré ceux du sculpteur aux larges épaules, qui le regardaient tendrement.
We're delighted to welcome Nat Paterson to the blog, to tell us more about his translation of Léopold Chauveau's story 'The Little Monster'/ 'Le Petit Monstre', which appears in our April 2024 issue.
For a long time now you’ve put on the shirt of the walls,/just as others might put on a shroud.
Issue 15 Apr 2024
By: Ana Hurtado
Art by: delila
Issue 8 Apr 2024
Issue 1 Apr 2024
Issue 25 Mar 2024
By: Sammy Lê
Art by: Kim Hu
Issue 18 Mar 2024
Strange Horizons
Issue 11 Mar 2024
Issue 4 Mar 2024
Issue 26 Feb 2024
Issue 19 Feb 2024
Issue 12 Feb 2024
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