What is all that commotion?Oh no. It is the thump of new spring.Over my drowsy head tree rootsreach down, chattering at one anothersashaying through the dirt, sticking mein the eyes, raking through my hair.Bulbs and tubers press down on meas they crack open.And the faint incessant sounds:The skirmish of bird feet, of fawn hooves, the […]

Persephone Wakes – Nancy Dunlop

I have spent a lifetime trying to break away,trying to find myselfbut always on the edge,always on the outsidenever quite belonging.Even though I understoodthat what she wanted me to bewas what she had wanted to be,I still followed her from love,still bucked the trend of my peersand wore the gloves in summer with the classic […]

Dark Mother – Lynn White

you look at my nakednessand call me ‘Eve’name my sinsdisobediencegreedas you take the apple willinglyfrom my handbut I am no Eveoffering temptation of the tree of knowledge’s sweet fruitserpent wrapped around the branch above my head I am Liliththe firstshaped of the same dirtas Adamso the legend goesI am not of dirtbut of firehis equalunbendingheadstrongrefusing […]

Dark Mother: Lilith – Christine E. Ray

the dark motherteaches her daughtersto see through the veilshe encourages themto accept their personal powerand never give it to anothershe teaches strengthand a respect for all lifeshe also teaches her childrento fight backshe is lovingand kindbut has linesthat cannot be crossedshe is wildand freeand too oftenmisunderstoodand she crushesthe status quowith every step Native Chicagoan, feminist, […]

The Dark Mother – Georgiann Carlson

The Heretics, Lovers, and Madmen Literary Collective loves a good writing/creativity prompt challenge. Our goal is to provide prompts on a regular basis. We hope that our ‘Shadow in the Frame’ prompt stirs your muse and that you consider submitting your prompt response to Heretics, Lovers, and Madmen for publication. We welcome poetry, prose, flash fiction, creative […]

Writing/Creativity Prompt Challenge: Dark Mother

You buy bedsheetsduvet covers in bright colors (always, the cheap satin, notsilk.) A pillowcase to salvage your Mars in Leo hair.You think sleeping on bright colors in abstractions of leaves & flowers will makeyou brighter; brighten your mood.But does it? (or, with that black satin promise, do you only salvage an ancient & ongoing sadness?)& […]

Wide Open Cages – River Lucero

Submissions are open for our twelfth issue ‘Ancestors’ for the next six weeks. The deadline to submit your work is May 1st. We are accepting poetry, prose, creative nonfiction, visual art, photography and artwork around the theme of ancestry. We are looking for work which explores this theme as well as heritage, legacy, the land […]

Issue XII: Ancestors [SUBS OPEN]

it is deeply aquatic herein the purple-screamed eyeof our hurricanewe the peopleclamor for the unclipping of our wingsmatted as they arewith the detritus of ourhistory-onicsour senses melt as Dali’s clocksand we ponder how we arrived herein this nowwe the femaledon our proscribed attiredhandmaids to the hereaftersteeling our stilettoscloaked in the foldsof our quiescenceand bide our […]

We the Unhinged – Marcia J. Weber

The sun was down. The moon, up.His wrath raged through wallslike earthquakes promising to find me,expose me, squeeze me until no breath, no movement could emanate from my small self.The sun was up. The moon, down.I wore a mask that fooled the world.Giddy on Life, I had it good, easy, running about, conjuring people and […]

Awake and pretty much sober: Sobriety Comes with Breath- Danielle Wong