Joanne Lowery, Arnie Kantrowitz, Daniel John, Matthew Masloski.

Muse Weeping - Joanne Lowery

What she provokes could flood Babylon
or rot the foundations of Alexandria.
Here in America, suburbs stay high and dry.
Our poets walk city streets inspired
by soot and taxi horns, the staccato
of fast walkers passing them by.
Anyone waiting at a crosswalk
needs a handkerchief for staunching.
She looks up, remembers the 41st floor
where she pushed a lover out the window.
For the seconds it took him to land
she felt his fear and weightlessness.
Her tears lubricate the description
of that head-over-heels plunge.
On the sidewalk is a puddle of her undoing.



COMPASS ROSE interviews Arnie Kantrowitz:
Compass Rose: As you were developing as a writer, were there any artists you tried to emulate? How did that affect your work?
Arnie Kantrowitz: In my late teens and early twenties, I wrote poetry exclusively. (more)



Shopping for a Penis, by Daniel John.
“When we were in the store, how come God didn’t give me a penis?” (more)




The Collector, by Matthew T. Masloski.