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She lived on lentils and barley
with a crippled cat and three unopened
boxes: silver, gold, and lead.

With no one to warn or instruct her,
she didn't know how to choose.

Her mother held a large knife
at her throat and claimed to be a pirate.

Her father left her every day
for many years.

She heard the air conditioner
channeling a radio talk show
from . . . elsewhere. She could almost
articulate the words.

The voice said, "you can stay with me
and be happy, or leave and be miserable
the rest of your life," but the voice
sounded cold.

She went for a walk.
At the end of the path,
she was greeted by three raccoons.

She left the choice to them.




Sara Backer is the winner of the 2015 Turtle Island Poetry Award for her chapbook Bicycle Lotus published by Left Fork. Her speculative poems have appeared in A cappella Zoo, Asimov's Science Fiction, Dreams + Nightmares, Gargoyle, Illumen, The Pedestal, and many more. Her website is sarabacker.com.
Current Issue
18 Mar 2024

Strange Horizons
We are very happy to welcome Dante Luiz as a new fiction editor on the team! Dante is a Ignyte Award winning author, and has been with Strange Horizons working as an Art Director for the past several years. We’re stoked to bring him on to the fiction side and have him bring his wonderful insight and skill to the fiction team.
Day in and day out, the rough waters of the Pacific slam themselves against the protrusion of sandstone the locals refer to as Morro Rock. White streaks of bird shit bleed down the rock, a testament to the rare birds of prey that nest in its pocked face overlooking the bay.
in my defence, juggling biological and artificial, i tripped over my shoelace, and spilled my lungs empty of the innocence that was, before guilt.
the birds, / who carry with them / the many names of the dead
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