By The Menopausal Poet Vampires are neurodivergent. Photosensitive, restricted diet, prefers enclosed spaces, sleeps somewhere quiet. Hyper responsive to certain smells, garlic for one. Avoids bathing. Certain water causes sensory pain. Religiously against. Eye and physical contact on their terms. Fleeting or overly intense. Stands close. No awareness of personal space. Prefers to keep teeth and hair long. Dislikes dentists and hairdressing salons. Eschews change. Prefers wea

By Paul Fuller Shuttered window. Encroaching enlightenment. Lost on a detour. Tools to weapons. From a wink to a nod a line crossed. Agreement breeds dissension. Dissent conceals the question. Abhorrence becomes resignation; resignation becomes comfort. The frog, well-informed, adjusts. Tough—get used to it. The tempter tempted. Semantics ensnare us. The sinner exposed becomes aggrieved. The fissure between heaven and earth harbours man-made malevolence. Adjust.

By Rhian Elizabeth thanks to my teenage daughter, if you dare me to sing you every single song taylor swift has ever written, i could easily do it, lyric perfect too. in our house taylor’s name is sacred, her face repeated on our walls like the image of our blessed lady mary, and i feel i ought to make the sign of the cross each time i pass it, even though i am not a practising catholic. i once asked my daughter who she would save if we were both drowning, me or taylor (she c