Best of the Net Nominations: 2019
After much time and painful (excruciating) deliberation, we are excited to announce our 2019 Best of the Net Nominations! This was a tough decision for us to make. We love everything we’ve published and respect all of our writers. Thank you for trusting us with your work and making this…
Message From a Distant Planet by John Grey
We apologize for our shipand the poor souls who occupy it.It’s piloted from afar.Distant computers have guided it through meteorite armiesand the clouds of cosmic dust,but the engines cannot burn their fuel forever.We had to land it somewhere.I’m sorry it had to be your planet. I feel pity at your welcoming.Your…
In February by Rodd Whelpley
I miss the cricketsand cicadas – string section of a glorious summer.The bows and arrows,the whole historyof Valentinescan never be the equalof the after-sunset humon June the fifth, heat lightning or else a violent storm – strobe light of clouds.The syncopated ticksof beetles on the window glass.The ache of winter absentin the marrow.…
Combustible by Gale Acuff
Miss Hooker’s my Sunday School teacher andshe tells me that I’m going to go toHell if I don’t get saved before I die,which could happen at any time, dyingthat is, then I’d wake up dead in Heavenjust in time to be judged, if there’s anytime there, that is, fit for…
The Ballerina in the Attic by Amanda N. Butler
In an attic forgotten,white sheets blanket sofas and seatsconcealing the upholstery’s golden embroidery – the shape of a dormant astrolabesilhouetted in shadow – in a corner forgotten,a life-sized doll sitswith dust in her eyes,a faded stare towardthe rusted boltjutting from her point shoe – protruding from her cobweb and coppershoulder blades, a clockwork…
Foreshadowing by Juliette Sebock
We laughed as we wandered the city And I told you about other mistakes—Cheap wine, bottle caps, and a left-hand tan line—While you got lost in a world of firsts And songs by my favourite bands. We stopped by the spirits, opposite the corner store, No Strongbow in sight. You asked how I know; And…
Creative Study: Ronald J. Pelias
Writer’s Statement: I might start here: I have a friend who called himself an artist before he ever tried to create a work of art. He felt drawn to that label, and by calling himself an artist, he found himself writing fiction to live up to his own expectations. When…
Unchoreographed Ballet by DC deWinter
Trapped in the stickyglue of timelessness,days fly by untasted as I dance a slow adagioin the cellar of my imagination, a devout acolytewaiting for something, anything to happen. Days fly by untasted as I dance a slow adagio in the cellar.I weave in and out between boxes packed full of…
The Last Kiss by Juliette Sebock
There’s a momentWhen you realise that your last kissWas The Last Kiss. We track firsts: First date,First kiss,First touch,First night. But when we reach the endAnd the silence stings the cuts,You start counting back to lasts: Last kiss,Last date,Last smile,Last look. The finality of it all is astounding. If you had…
When We Were Neanderthals by Raymond Luczak
When we were Neanderthals,we all fucked, clingingto each other in the coldsnap of night, not caringto know anything morethan the necessitiesof food, shelter, safety.We didn’t comprehendthe universe then:why did the skies changethe bed sheets of night and day?Why did the moon appear?Why snow? Why heat?It would take us generationsto figure…
Take Us On A Journey To Somewhen
