Poems, for Now 2023

Editors’ Commentary

Gender issues, race, and violence ranked foremost of the concerns of the submitting poets to Poems, for Now. A total of ten of the thirteen poems published are indicative of these pressing issues. While this ranking is arbitrary due to the overlap—race and violence, gender issues and violence, it is clear what rankles the consciousness of our sampling of the population. From Emmet Till to a man trolling as a woman to spread misinformation, these poems offer readers not only a large measure of creativity, but ironically, an uncomfortable degree of familiarity. Will our burning problems, recognizable and recurring, ever achieve resolution?

We reach out to thank our contributors for their donations to No Kid Hungry. Because of your generosity, we were able to donate $675 to help in the effort to eliminate food insecurity among our most vulnerable population. In addition, $1 of each submission fee was directed to the organization.

Table of Contents
October, 2023

Jenevieve Carlyn Hughes
”Dust and Ashes”

Luisa Giulianetti
”In the Beginning was the Endling”

Deborah Kelly
”Instanter”

Suzanna Fitzpatrick
”Troll”

Maxine Susman
”Tableau”

Anemone Beaulier
”June 24, 2022”

Whitney Rio-Ross
”Another Mass Shooting Poem”

Maggie Rue Hess
”A-bi-cedarian: Nature is queer”

Steve Nolan
”Fences”

Ed Wade
”Thrift Store Superhero”

D. Dina Friedman
”Cows”

Tracy Artson
”The Irreconcilable Impossibility of Us”

Matthew E. Henry
”American Civics: 2056”