Issues

Issue 1 Issue 1 Contributors

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 Glen Armstrong Sarah Bigham Jude Brigley Olivia Chambers Michael Chin Mona Curtis Gail Folkins Howie Good

Sharon Graham Pamela Hertzog Tim Kahl J.B. Mulligan John Poch Aaron Rudolph Esther Seo

Ahrend Torrey Vincent Wagner J. Marcus Weekley

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OLD SPELLS

We use the old spells because they work and when

we use the new spells, all we hear is the old spells

are better.

Who wrote these spells? Was it our mothers who lured

in angels to tear out their wings? We settle, now, for goose

feathers plucked from pillows—as much violence as

we can stomach.

Surely it was our fathers who insisted on virgin’s blood and if they could see

us now, they’d laugh at the cherry Kool-Aid we use instead.

I cast a love spell and got it all wrong. I tried to mean love me and I’ll always

love you, but these old spells don’t bend to intention. Say ours and they will

say mine. Say stay and they’re already gone.

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by Michael Chin, in Issue 1

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