an on-line poetry magazine
for the 21st century

Winter 2023-2024

Steven Leonardo Clifford

BE A POET

Redefine what a poet means. To each
Their own poet. These are not static concepts that stay fixed.

The lava lamp of social change morphs to a lifestyle,
Fluxing from two coils: Between business and art,

Electricity is bouncing
Back and forth. Osmosis absorbs
Information from studious radioactivity: concentration

Before the storm will weather whatever.

Hear the wind
For its direction. Touch the soil
For future growth.
Then follow invisibility. Find color

In words. Find words

In the world. Be a poet correspondent,
Reporting on art of the arbitrary. Organize to see a pattern later.
Be a poet diplomat bridging the

Page to the stage. Then unlock the cage with a
Paperclip of intuition. Watch the scenarios escape.

Lose yourself in the wildness of tomorrows, but remember
The river of yesterdays that flows to now. Forget today, however, to finish the old.
Be the poet Buddha, transcending oneself to know oneself. Be the poet Judas who

Betrays language for its resurrection.

STEVEN LEONARDO CLIFFORD hybridizes different artistic identities into a hodgepodge of experimental disciplines: While he’s primarily a poet, Clifford proclaims to be a gonzo historian, currently chronologizing his experiences as art director and Co-founder of the local zine, THE SCENE. He also practices street journalism, providing coverage for Open Mics, sometimes included in his zine’s newsletter, Blood Cells.