Issue #5 – Page 7 – PLEASE SEE ME

An Affair of the Heart—Joseph K. DeRosa

Nonfiction Issue #5: Heroes July 21st, 2020 July 21st, 2020 An Affair of the Heart by Joseph K. DeRosa t happened in the City of Light, the City of Love—Paris. I was invited to give a talk on the third day of a three-day technical conference. On Wednesday, I acted out a dress rehearsal of my Friday talk. Left my apartment with a backpack full of handouts, my computer, snacks, jacket, umbrella, Metro map, and everything else ...

Exhaustion–Brenda Arthur

Nonfiction Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 21st, 2020 Exhaustion by Brenda Arthur y father was diagnosed with COVID-19 sometime in March, a few days before New Jersey pulled me, and all third-year medical students, from the hospitals. He is a physician in a pediatric emergency department in the Bronx, so I was not surprised when I heard the news that he had a fever. The frantic calls from my mother began a few days after ...

Fallen Hero—Hilton Koppe

Nonfiction Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 28th, 2020 Fallen Hero by Hilton Koppe onday, Jan 21 5.10 a.m.: He commences his workday burnout prevention ritual. Stretching. Aerobic exercise. Resistance exercise. Stretching. Qigong. Mindfulness meditation. Reflective writing. 8.25 a.m.: He rides his bicycle to the medical centre where he has worked as a family doctor for the last 31 years. It is his first day back at work after his annual family summer break at the Brooms ...

Being Well Having Cancer—Raymond Wlodkowski

Nonfiction Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 28th, 2020 Being Well Having Cancer by Raymond Wlodkowski lthough it’s been six years since my initial diagnosis, I often forget I have cancer. However, I’m a psychologist, and recognizing my own rationalizations is a healthy sensibility to keep in mind. Cancer, the word, I often see people blink when it comes up, no matter who says it. I seldom say, “I have cancer.” It’s much easier to say, “I ...

An Ambulance Across the River Styx—Kasia Kalinowska

Nonfiction Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 28th, 2020 An Ambulance Across the River Styx by Kasia Kalinowska n March, New York City’s soundscape dramatically shifted. Someone had dragged the usual levels of sidewalk arguments, street vendor sales pitches, and the buzz of hundreds of rubber tires down to a hum, remastering the track with a looping blare of sirens. I noticed it for the first time on a walk. I hadn’t been outside for over ...

Thank My Lucky Scars by Rachel Stone

Nonfiction Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 28th, 2020 Thank My Lucky Scars by Rachel Stone or hours, we flung ourselves off the side of the fishing boat into the steeped-tea pond, laughing too hard to form words. The eldest screamed. The fish were biting his toes! The boat pitched like fresh walleye, skinned knees barrel-rolling to safety with an aluminum thunk, alto shrieks curdling the July sky. My life jacket snagged on the tin frame, leaving me ...

Fiction

Nonfiction

Poetry

Poetry Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 28th, 2020 Poetry Letter from the Poetry Editor: Of Heroes, Poets, & Prophets Prayer for a Pandemic | Dina Greenberg These Hands Must Speak | Rebecca Ramsden Darnella | Michael Giorgio Washing Hands with Florence Nightingale | Pamela Cranston View out My Window | Catherine Klatzker Tribute to Henrietta Lacks | Jill Jennings Patience | Ermelinda Makkimane Get Angel Wing Tattoos Like It’s the Late 1990s | Stephanie Valente

Issue #5: Heroes

Issue #5 Heroes July 28th, 2020 Cover Image: Untitled, from the Homage to Medical Frontliners series by Janet Biehl, inspired by photographs by Philip Montgomery. Table of Contents Letter from the Editor: Heroes All Around Us In addition to our regular issue, we are featuring a special COVID-19 section with short stories, poetry, and nonfiction that grapples with the pandemic and its effects on people’s lives. COVID-19 Special Section Letter from the Poetry Editor: Of Heroes, Poets, & Prophets Prayer for ...