Issue 5: Compos Mentis

compos mentis - in control of the mind

These past few months have been an arcade claw machine. Every time a semblance of control entered our minds it vanished - a mirage. The pieces submitted for this issue were perfumed with this struggle for control. Some poems were angry, some measured, some optimistic - yet all reflective.

Each of the fifteen pieces we selected has been placed into a symbol of our struggle for control - drift and wander. Those drifting seem to be either slowly losing their grasp on what they once had or going with the flow, while our wanderers have either left for good or just might be headed back home.

We hope reading these pieces will bring you some comfort in knowing that none of us is really, truly alone and that all of us are connected through stories and experiences - if we are willing to share and listen. Read, reflect and please give yourself a second chance at controlling what you can in these months ahead.

David and Katie, Editors