Pause a crow much wet by rain falling in massive subtractions almost a dark shadow perched on a wire with washings beak dripping words now halted by fatigues of itineraries neck subdued by water’s weight feathers drizzling alone looked straight over the sky like an unending black page tinged with lightening fissures trees like Sufis hung long this creature craved time to let this weather take a break form a language of whirling puddles and of drowned grass.     Rizwan Akhtar’s debut collection of poems Lahore, I Am Coming (2017) is published by Punjab University Press.He has published poems in well-established poetry magazines of the UK, US, India, Canada, and New Zealand. He was a part of the workshop on poetry with Derek Walcott at the University of Essex in 2010.

        Such a Victorian The bird that flutters reaches out Into time; knee-deep in nerve gas, At the cemetery gates, the children play Like half-opened flowers on a breeze; but, Deep in the coffers beneath that layer of non- Sense all along the big rivers, the fishermen Stock themselves in a hefty dose of rum. The ship sails on to Shanghai, and, like the silent Strokes of a whip; or the snake tongues that rise From the sea; the insane iron eyes staring From the keep, I hope the many-more of you Are blind like the singer in all his rose of hope; That gathering of ruffled skirts, the approachable Neckline, the stars in the charts, those who wander From a kiss, or in some insane way, close Up the holes so all we have is surface.     Marc Vincenz is a poet, fiction writer, translator, editor, artist and musician. He has published 17 collections of poetry, including more recently, Einstein Fledermaus, The Little Book of Earthly Delights and A Brief...

'Car Park Haiku' printed using a car park printer.   Steve Harrison lives in Shropshire. He has been published in The Emergency Poet collections, Pop Shot, Wetherspoons News, HCE, and appears on YouTube as steve harrison poet. He performs across the Midlands and has won the Ledbury Poetry Festival Slam.

      Diagnosis I make lists for her, fill in the calendar, get her to keep a diary. She’s knitting again, a scarf to start with, reading now too - hides her romances amongst the bedsheets in the linen basket. She stumbles, says, Doris when she means Jean, and I nod, as if to say I’m with you. Keep going.     John Lynch has been a playleader, carpenter, teacher, headteacher, gardener and is currently a bicycle instructor for Suffolk County Council. His first pamphlet, A Gap in the Railings, was published in 2016 by The Garlic Press.

      i don't need to puncture my body or stain my face or pour bleach on my scalp to feel beautiful.     kelsey blacklight (@slntstrwbrry) is a writer from the USA. They have appeared in wingless dreamer and enjoy guacamole, live music, and sunshine.