by Tony Schanuel
On a Normal Day,
My words stay still on my tongue. I leave them there, but not today. Today is cold–everything weighted and starting to crack. Before I can stop them, the words fly off of my tongue. Don’t and what about love for an example. The words hang midair like seagulls in the frosted blue. I can see every syllable going icecube. I am thinking they will end up in a cocktail or under a runner’s foot. When the words begin to melt, I am able to catch them. Then, I lick up the droplets. My words going back on my tongue.
Francine Witte’s poetry and fiction have appeared in Smokelong Quarterly, Wigleaf, Mid-American Review, and Passages North. Her latest books are Dressed All Wrong for This (Blue Light Press,) The Way of the Wind (AdHoc fiction,) and The Theory of Flesh (Kelsay Books) She is flash fiction editor for Flash Boulevard and The South Florida Poetry Journal. Her chapbook, The Cake, The Smoke, The Moon (flash fiction) was published by ELJ Editions in September, 2021. She lives in NYC.
Tony Schanuel is an award-winning photographer and visual artist who has fused a professional background in photography, digital technology, and painting and mark making to create fine art that transcends those mediums. His work has been featured in Digital Imaging Magazine, Computer Graphic Magazine, Wild Heart Journal, St. Louis Design Magazine, and is a featured artist in Cyber Palette and Extreme Graphics, two books showcasing digital artists and their work. He has exhibited at the Florence Biennale and his art is held in private and corporate collections including the Fine Arts Museum of Houston permanent photographic collection.