Jessica Fordham Kidd
I’m pleased with this geomancing king—
the way sand grains appear to slip through
his fingers and the way his eyes are both
proud and cowardly.
His robes flow beautifully
even if his steps are slightly stilted
in one scene.
He moves for me, yes,
but he doesn’t move me
like the wolf, the witch,
or the soldier who simmers
in her manly disguise.
It took me a few nights to realize
they had quickened.
I wasn’t just misplacing them
around the studio.
Then, once I knew, they spoke.
Their tiny, tinny voices are like a record player
without a speaker.
They tell me how we’re all escaping
after this film. How we’re going together
to some fantastic realm
where puppet, painting, and person
are all as real as real.
Even the king will step smoothly there,
they assure me.
They know he’ll have kind eyes
once filming is wrapped.
JESSICA FORDHAM KIDD is a lifelong Alabamian and teaches at the University of Alabama. Her poetry has appeared in The Paris Review, Ninth Letter Online, Tinderbox, and other journals; her fiction credits include Phantom Drift, Puerto del Sol, and others. She is the author of the poetry book Bad Jamie published by Anhinga Press.
Laura Daniels
Calandra on First Street in Newark
the best fresh French baguette and Italian roll
straight out of the oven if you’re lucky
the first roll’s gone before you drive two blocks
Metzer at Five-Points in Union
the best German-styled cakes and pastries
long before the Food Network existed
they made award-winning three-dimensional cakes
fire engines rolling to a call, princesses or enchanted gardens
Delicious Orchard on Highway 34 in Colts Neck
the best and freshest fruit pies—regular or crumbled
blueberry in the spring and peach in the summer
apple in the fall and mincemeat in the winter
Watson on Chancellor Avenue in Irvington
the best savory bagels—plain, rye, pumpernickel
buy them by the dozen and get an extra one
tasty with a smear of butter or cream cheese
Marvel on the main drag in Beach Haven Terrace
the best and tastiest sugared doughnuts
watch the conveyor belt by the deli deliver
drop golden-brown delights into a sugary tray
the sweet cinnamon embraces you at the door
LAURA DANIELS (she/her) is a neurodivergent multi-genre writer. Founder of the Facebook blog The Fringe 999 and editor of The Fringe 999 Poetry Forum. Curated recently in One Art, Journal of New Jersey Poets, Smarty Pants Magazine for Kids, and featured poet for Poetry for Mental Health. Her poetry collection Gentle Grasp (Kelsay Books) was published in December 2024. Her poems grow from a love of wandering and New Jersey, where she lives with her partner in Mt Arlington and works in the community garden. She can be reached at https://lauradanielswriter.wordpress.com and @thefringe999.
