Welcome to the second issue!

I hope you enjoy the work gathered here, poems that stunned me with their brilliance and feeling.

The response to the issue two callout was overwhelming, and I want to thank every poet who trusted me with some of their words. Submissions are always exciting. With issue one, I checked the inbox daily, unable to resist the rush. This time I happened to be away for the final week, and returning to a flood of poems was a thrill all at once.

What fascinates me is how, despite the range of writers from different countries, experiences, and backgrounds, patterns emerge. Certain images and themes surface again and again, as if the poets were in conversation, even though many have never read each other’s work. I love these coincidences, and coincidences in general.

In this issue you will encounter poems exploring relationships, family, freedom, belonging, love, and more. Some are tender, some fierce, playful, or raw. Some take shape in prose, others in lineation. Each poem was chosen individually, yet threads weave through them such as fire, French inflections, and a glint of spiders. Consider this your early invitation: French-fire-spider poems for issue three. This is one of poetry’s gifts, to refract our shared experiences into infinite, surprising forms.

And then there is letting go. There were other luminous poems I could not include, and I trust they will find their way into the world.

For now, I invite you to step in. I hope you find in these poems something that lingers, sparks recognition, or simply reminds you of what poetry makes possible.

Happy reading,

Rebecca