Erik Carlsen 4/27/22 Erik Carlsen 4/27/22

Advice From My Father by Erik Carlsen

Only paint when the weather is just like this,

Don’t bother remembering their names because

They will always tell you, everything in your hands

Is a hammer, no part of any animal should go to waste

Jonny Eberle 4/27/22 Jonny Eberle 4/27/22

Victorious by Jonny Eberle

“Victorious,” was written in response to Steve LaBerge’s installation, “Touching Down in Tacoma,” on display at the Pantages Theatre as part of the 2nd annual Tacoma Light Trail. Learn more about the artists and the project at www.tacomalighttrail.org

CC Message in a Bottle 4/11/22 CC Message in a Bottle 4/11/22

“Evergreen”

We asked our writers to send us short pieces on a simple word: EVERGREEN. Perhaps you think first of The Evergreen State, or a color that evokes a memory in vivid detail. Maybe your mind settles on that which is timeless. Here are a few of the pieces we received… maybe you’ll find one in the wild.

Layla Ormbrek 4/3/22 Layla Ormbrek 4/3/22

Good Intentions by Layla Ormbrek

You could say that I frequented the cemetery. Its green, manicured stillness steadied me, and I made it a regular stop. It was the perfect place to wander around during lock-down, being the only outdoor space that was never crowded.

Bill Fay 12/20/21 Bill Fay 12/20/21

A Glorious Darkness by Bill Fay

color pots of fairies
spilled
at November’s end
toward the certainty
of winter
ochre of oak leaves
rattling the teeth
of the breeze
exhales
farms and forests

Trevor Williams 12/20/21 Trevor Williams 12/20/21

An Act of Arson by Trevor Williams

The air

creates sparks from friction

with the earth.

The salt in our sweat

transmutates into nitroglycerin

while we lay on a funeral pyre

piled up against a red dawn backdrop.

Richard Wilkinson 11/16/21 Richard Wilkinson 11/16/21

From the Earth to the Moon by Richard Wilkinson

Heather Pilder Olson 11/16/21 Heather Pilder Olson 11/16/21

Aftermath

Earth tilts on its axis.

Disease takes away life.

We’re still here, we are trying

to rebound after strife.

Katrinka Mannelly 11/16/21 Katrinka Mannelly 11/16/21

The Rarest Kind of Mermaid by Katrinka Mannelly

“I think she’s the one, Dad. Please try to be open minded, okay?”

“I’ll try, Dawson, but you’re not making it easy, insisting I meet her out by the swimming pool.”

“I told you, she’ll be more comfortable this way. She’s nervous about meeting you.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it make more sense to meet over dinner at Joe’s? Or grab a cup of coffee somewhere? Or a drink, even?

Tyrean Martinson 6/21/21 Tyrean Martinson 6/21/21

Two Skinny Poems by Tyrean Martinson

Shift

After eight attempts, the poem begins to
Shift
Weight.
Words
Considered
Shift
Places,
Refract,
Distort.
Shift
To the poem begins after eight attempts.

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