Pond 9 - 2015

I look around and see so much hate and ugliness. Maybe you do too. And it gets tough to keep a smile on. And then I think about what we’re doing here. You, me, that guy over there. Let’s face it, SPANK the CARP is a pimple on the butt of a three legged frog in a tiny little puddle next to a sliver of a tributary that leads to a muddy river on out into a turbulent ocean filled with the muck and mire of it all. And yet you submit stuff, and I read it, and put some of it on this site, and someone reads it and tears up or smiles or thinks, shit I could have written that. And the stuff that doesn’t show up? It’s still in our heads formulating, and what does it all mean? It means each one of us is trying to add a speck of beauty to the world, however molecular. And occasionally one of us finds that spark we all share, and it glows a little, and out comes beauty, even for a sentence or a phrase or the whole thing. Then the smile comes back and onward we go battling hate and ugliness with specks of beauty. Thank you all, published and not, for engaging in the struggle.
 
- Ken, Editor

Support the CARP...

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F L A S H

The word ‘brilliant’ is overused IMO. But sometimes it’s appropriate, and ‘Review of “Reapings of a Menstrual Cycle” by Jared P.Q.R. Milo’ by Steven Wolf is just that, brilliant. It’s R-rated, which I try to avoid, but I think you’ll agree it’s worth the exception in this case.

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P O E M

A beautiful free verse poem that invites us to see both the child and not child within. “The Terms and Conditions of You” by Tamra Carraher.

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P O E M

I’ll leave the commentary on dalton derkson’s “the infinite diner” to you. I just know it intrigued me.

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AUTHOR PROFILE - B.Z. Niditch

Reading B.Z. Niditch’s work here and elsewhere, my impression is that of a classic writer...no nonsense, no putting on airs, just get in and get the job done. That’s my kind of poet. Profile

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F L A S H

Stephenson Muret’s “Papyrus” perfectly captures the ‘voice’ and wisdom of Ancient Egyptian fables. That’s no easy task.

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S H O R T   S T O R Y

Barry Kaplan’s “If He Were Still Alive” is a perfect example of language and sentence structure heightening the emotion of a story. This is definitely a “Keep Kleenex handy” piece.

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P O E M

I’m proud to present Brian Gillie’s first published piece, entitled “Mary’s Chair”. It’s a touching poem about the elderly that makes perfect use of rhyme.

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ARTISTS and SHUTTERBUGS
I’m looking for original artwork and photos featuring Carp (including Koi) for use on the Past Ponds page. See the Submissions page for details.

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